National Media Member Caught Leaving Razorbacks Off AP Poll Ballot

Arkansas fans free to run with conspiracy theories against Hogs at will now

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari talks to an official during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas has one of the most dominant college athletics programs on the planet.

With the exception of an up and down football program and a women's basketball team that has hit rock bottom the past three seasons, the Razorbacks have essentially been an elite program in every other sport. However, despite all the dominance that has led to championship games, finals and even national titles, Hogs fans act like the world is constantly looking out to get them.

Over the years conspiracy theories have popped up claiming this organization, this referee, this network or the media are out to ruin the lives of Razorbacks fans. However, most of the SEC would argue things are actually rigged in favor of Arkansas whether it be in basketball, baseball, gymnastics, softball, soccer, golf or track and field, there's always some way the SEC or the NCAA is trying to rig a sport in favor of the Razorbacks.

Still, Hogs fans are convinced the sports world is out to get them, and until last night, the only semi legitimate conspiracy theory Arkansas had out there was the rigging of the 10-game all SEC football schedule during COVID. Even then that had little to do with the Razorbacks.

That was about trying to give Florida and Georgia the best path to a national championship in a wonky year that best laid a way for the SEC to rig the outcome of any season before or since. Had Chad Morris been the coach at South Carolina or Tennessee the two seasons before, it would have been that school that would have ended up with the Bulldogs and Gators replacing non-conference opponents, so it being a direct slight toward the Razorbacks doesn't necessarily hold water.

But, on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, after decades of claims that declared everyone out to get Arkansas in lieu of all other teams, a very minor conspiracy theory turned out to be true. Seth Davis, who has contributed his work to just about every major sports media outlet in the country, is a voting member of the Associated Press when it comes to the basketball poll.

Unfortunately for him, the AP Poll has adopted a level of transparancy, which opens the door for self-conscious Arkansas fans to scour how each voter cast his or her ballot. What they discovered is Davis has been leaving the Razorbacks completely off his ballot despite posting 20 wins against a universally recognized difficult schedule that includes eight of the current Top 25.

A screenshot of the grid fans can look at to see how various AP voters chose to rank teams on their ballots. Seth Davis was found to have left Arkansas off completely. | https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/grid

Hearing rumors that @SethDavisHoops left the Arkansas Razorbacks out of his AP Top 25 ballot this week.

Seth, was this an accidental omission? You're human. Those things can happen and it's ok.

If intentional, have you considered allowing someone else to take your place in…

— Ben Brandon (@BenBrandonHoops) February 23, 2026

There are no grounds upon which it could be argued the Hogs aren't a Top 25 teams, and it appears Davis would agree. He came out last night and admitted Arkansas should have been on his ballot.

Arkansas is 20 in the NET, 21 in KPI and 18 in WAB. They should be ranked no lower than 21. https://t.co/CBnMxSD9aC

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) February 23, 2026

He declared it an oversight that shouldn't have happened and won't happen again. Then again, was this an oversight, which is quite possible, or is he a true hater of John Calipari and his Razorbacks and this was his quiet way of giving the former Kentucky coach the universally recognized raised digit of disgust?

It should also be noted that Percy Allen of the Seattle Times must also share in this conspiracy because he left the Razorbacks off his ballot as well, settling instead for Louisville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech, all teams the Hogs beat, to far surpass Arkansas in the rankings.

You cannot be serious Seth. You cover the entire sport. You don’t just randomly forget about a top 20 team with a HOF coach and an elite point guard.

— Brett Davis (@ArkansasBrett) February 24, 2026

Well, Hogs fans might have allowed that Davis simply made an error, writing it off as getting in a hurry and accidentally overlooking Arkansas. That is except for the fact Razorbacks fans dug further and found an entire month of doing what he can to ensure Calipari's team was ranked as low as possible, adding the slightest pinch of his own ingredient to the lowest possible bracketology rating Davis can bake up for the people of Arkansas.

Does @CBSSports know you have left the Hogs out four weeks in a row? Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball has done pretty good in ratings for CBS Sports Mr. Davis. Whatever your beef with John Calipari…this isn’t professional.

— Just Here for the HOGS! (@JustHere4Hogs) February 23, 2026

Now, Davis has owned up to his mistake, which is good. However, he has lit the fuse that already didn't need more than the slightest spark because of all of the imagined gasoline thrown around over the decades.

Arkansas fans can finally truly lay hold to the claim the national media has a conspiracy to take them down in any way possible. Perhaps their next target will be that KenPom ranking of their strength of schedule at No. 75 in the country.

They just have to decide whether KenPom is an actual person or an algorithm like Zola in the Marvel movies, quietly taking down the Hogs from a computer code behind the scenes. Might as well assume all the conspiracies are real now.