AP Top 25 consensus ends after top seven as Oregon tests voters
Greg Luca’s analysis for Yahoo Sports highlights a sharp divide among AP Top 25 voters below the leading group, with Oregon presenting a particularly difficult case.
AP Top 25 voters have reached broad agreement on the leading seven teams, but the rankings become substantially less settled beyond that group, according to Yahoo Sports analysis by Greg Luca.
Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Indiana, Miami and Ohio State were each ranked no lower than eighth on any ballot. Ohio State’s 1,415 points at No. 7 compared with Alabama’s 1,182 at No. 8, the largest points gap in the rankings.
The uncertainty increases through the middle of the poll. Ten ranked teams were placed 15th or higher by at least one voter while being left off another ballot entirely. Luca said the central difficulty was determining which version of inconsistent teams reflected their actual level.
Oregon was one of the clearest examples. The Ducks lost 39–31 to Oklahoma State before defeating FCS opponent Portland State 84–0. Luca ranked Oregon No. 14 on his individual ballot, arguing that the team retained the talent behind its preseason No. 1 position but that the Portland State result offered limited evidence of its strength.
The article also cited Oregon’s positions at No. 5 in SP+ and No. 9 in ESPN’s FPI after the Portland State game. Luca’s ballot, published during his debut season as an AP voter, placed Oregon six spots higher than the AP poll, while noting concerns about the team’s adjustment to new coordinators.
