Texan Mosaic

by NICK ALVARADO//Sports Editor

Just four weeks into the college football season, the Associated Press Poll is one of the main polls that everyone keeps their eyes on during the season.

The poll hasn’t seen changes frequently. But this season, it has been already seeing more change than other seasons.

  After the season-opener for Texas, the Longhorns made a significant jump from being unranked to No.11 in the nation. On Sept. 17, former Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb led the California Golden Bears past the Longhorns, 50-43. Texas took a tumble in the polls to No. 21.

On Sept.  17, Florida State fell to Louisville, 63-20, on the road. Then ranked second in the nation, the Seminoles dropped in the AP Poll to 13th, the biggest tumble by any team in the polls.

Fans have also been keeping an eye on Washington, which has climbed to No. 9 in the rankings.

With the Huskies winning all three of their games so far, their opponents have not been the best quality, as they have played Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State.

Another questionable team that took a tumble is Oklahoma. The Sooners fell to Ohio State at home, 45-24, on Sept. 17. The Sooners dropped 11 spots in the rankings, to No. 25 after being ranked 14th the week before.

San Diego State entered the polls on Sept. 19 at No. 22. The Aztecs’ opponents so far have been New Hampshire, California and Northern Illinois. Northern Illinois is not the team they once were when they appeared in their first-ever BCS bowl game in 2013 at the Orange Bowl, but the AP voters considered them to be in the top 25.

Despite offseason troubles at Baylor University, the Bears find themselves ranked 16th in the AP Poll. The early opponents for the Bears so far include Northwestern State, SMU and Rice.

With teams making their way in the top 25, the strength of opponents has been questionable, with teams such as San Diego State, Baylor, Utah and Washington in the rankings.

The voters in the poll were heavy on Texas being in the top 10 after their season-opening victory against Notre Dame. The final results were the Longhorns placing 11th in that week’s poll.

The Associated Press poll voters have become like the BCS poll at one time, being critical on performances, the margin of victory and key details and notes in the games that involve ranked teams. With the playoff system now, the rankings system has become more hectic, with more teams wanting to be a part of the playoff madness.

Despite these changes, the poll should also consider the strength of opponents as well.

With ranked teams playing FCS schools, it’s hard to consider team to be in the top 25 despite facing opponents who do not test the ranked teams during the week. There will be surprises in some games. But with a weak schedule, teams should not deserve a spot in the top 25.