Yes, the SEC still gets ridiculous preferential treatment in the AP Top 25 poll

Texas drops five spots after losing to Oklahoma, while Alabama holds its ranking in the latest AP Top 25 poll despite a home loss to Georgia

Keelan Russell is great, but Alabama's season doesn't start until the playoffs Don't @ Me w/ Dan Dakich

Ohio and Alabama are in a league of their own.

It's getting ridiculous, well, it's already ridiculous

Let's take a look at how the voters did some of the weekend's biggest results compared to previous results for teams with the wrong patch on the front of their jerseys.

For starters, we can look at the Texas-Oklahoma game. While the Longhorns outgained the Sooners in both total yards and yards per game, they were held back by two horrendous interceptions by quarterback Arch Manning. Both at the worst possible time. One was returned for a touchdown and the other effectively allowed Oklahoma to win the game legally.

The Sooners were unranked entering the week, and for good reason. They lost on the road at Michigan, scored just 14 points against New Mexico and were outscored 41-13 by Georgia. They are not a good team. Texas may have outplayed them, but the very obvious flaws in Manning's game cost the game. A neutral site game against a mediocre unranked team that scored 14 points at home against New Mexico. Punishment for long horns? Falling from number 1 to number 7.

When Ohio State lost to the nation's No. 1 team, en route to then-No. 4 Longhorns by one point after a miraculous comeback, they fell from #1 to #6. Similar penalties for very different "quality" losses.

At home, the Crimson Tide lost a close game to the Georgia Bulldogs, although the Bulldogs averaged 7.5 yards per play to Alabama's 5.8. However, the Tide was denied a clear-cut pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter that might have changed the game.

However, this is a home loss. Yes, Georgia is good, and yes, the score was close, but poll voters usually punish any team for losing a home game. And remember, Ohio State lost on the road to the likely No. 1 team in the nation and fell five spots.

No Alabama! It is remarkable that the tide did not move and went from number 6 to... no. 6. After losing. at home Why even play games when they don't matter?

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Cullen DeBoer looks on during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 10, 2026. (David Leung/Images)

Ole Miss has also received exceptional SEC treatment. The Rebels resume looks worse and worse now, thanks in large part to the poor play of Florida and LSU. The Gators didn't deserve to be ranked among the darlings of college football after an embarrassing home loss to South Carolina. The same Florida team that outscored Ole Miss 52-28 and scored 35 points in the second half. LSU, meanwhile, lost on the road to unranked Kentucky, their second of the season.

The Tigers spent a small fortune, at least $150 million, to hire Lynn Kiffin and overhaul their roster. So far, they have an unremarkable 4-2 record to show for it, and with tougher games, an 8-4 finish might be the best-case scenario. Two losses, no meaningful wins, and the Tigers are somehow still in 22nd place.

An unapologetic, unforgivable Craig-carton show. Download his daily podcast now!

Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks have a win over a ranked team, No. 19 USC, and their two losses are to No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 12 UCLA. Unranked in fact, they are nearly 200 "points" behind the Tigers. Tennessee's biggest win of the year is a three-loss loss over Texas, yet they are one loss ahead of other similar teams.

Why is this important? Well, one clear advantage this list gives the SEC: ranked wins and ranked losses. Tennessee plays Alabama this week, a ridiculous No. 6 seed. 14 games. What should be two teams ranked 10th and 20th now seem much more important. LSU inexplicably staying at No. 22 in the polls makes this weekend's contest against Mississippi State another "ranked" game. Meanwhile, Nebraska, which is 5-1 with a close home loss to Indiana, plays Oregon while both are unranked.

Rather than more objective measurements, the polls determine program strength, which is then used to inform arguments on the College Football Playoff field. The assumption, as always, is that the SEC has unparalleled "depth" due to branding, marketing and home stadiums.

In fact, SP+, an analytics-based ranking system based at ESPN that compares teams' success and efficiency on offense, defense and special teams, then adjusts for opponent, has seven SEC teams in the top 25 and nine teams in the Big Ten. In fact, there are six Big 12 teams in the top 25 SP+, should we be talking about playing gloves in that conference?

Despite years of underperforming in the playoffs, pollsters can't help but think it's the mid-2010s and Nick Saban is somehow the coach of all 16 SEC teams. It's time to get out of marketing and face reality.

Get all the stories you need to know from the most powerful names in news delivered to your inbox every morning.