Joel Klatt Blasts AP Poll Following College Football Week 1 Rankings

One close game and a 15-place gap left Klatt questioning how AP voters judge teams after they finally take the field.

Fox Sports college football broadcaster Joel Klatt believes the AP Poll got a few things wrong in its Week 1 rankings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

College football finally gave voters real games to evaluate, but the first AP Top 25 update did not settle every preseason debate. One result in particular created a ranking gap that Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt could not accept.

Ole Miss needed a late field goal to escape Louisville in the only ranked matchup of Week 1. The Rebels and Cardinals remained 15 spots apart afterward, giving Klatt a clear example of what he considers a larger problem with the poll.

Joel Klatt blasts AP voters over their Week 1 rankings

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) throws a touchdown pass against the Mississippi Rebels during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Klatt opened his response on "The Joel Klatt Show" by acknowledging that the poll made at least one move he agreed with. Michigan dropped out after needing a disputed final second and a Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan 13-12.

He also approved of Louisville remaining in the Top 25 after its loss. His frustration came from where voters placed the Cardinals compared with the team that narrowly beat them.

"But you're telling me that there are 15 spots between Louisville and Ole Miss?" Klatt said. "Did I not just see them play a game to the buzzer? Ole Miss is going to move up and they're nine, and Louisville just stays at 24?"

Ole Miss held the No. 9 position while Louisville stayed at No. 24. Klatt called the separation "patently absurd" and accused voters of following an outdated formula instead of reconsidering teams based on their performances.

"If you win, you stay. If you lose, you drop," Klatt said. "If you win, you move up a little bit. If you lose, you drop. And there's just no common sense."

Ole Miss-Louisville result fuels Klatt's AP poll criticism

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) throws downfield against the Louisville Cardinals during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss beat Louisville 41-38 at Nissan Stadium after Lucas Carneiro made a 48-yard field goal as time expired. The Cardinals had erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and tied the game with 1:10 remaining before Trinidad Chambliss moved the Rebels into scoring range.

The finish supported Klatt's larger point. Nothing about the game suggested there should be 15 empty slots between the two teams.

Ole Miss earned credit for beating a ranked opponent in Pete Golding's debut, but Louisville also showed it could play evenly with a top-10 team. Instead of treating the result as new evidence, Klatt believes voters protected the winner's previous standing while keeping the loser near the bottom of the poll.

That approach can make early rankings difficult to change. Voters begin with a preseason order built before any games are played, then often move teams only a few places unless they lose. Klatt wants the opening weeks to produce more aggressive changes because voters finally have current evidence to weigh.

Joel Klatt makes bigger changes in his own top 10

Klatt followed that philosophy when he released his personal rankings after Week 1. He moved LSU from No. 8 in his preseason poll to No. 3 after the Tigers overwhelmed Clemson 51-10. The AP moved LSU three places, from No. 11 to No. 8.

Miami created another disagreement. The Hurricanes beat Stanford 45-6 behind 400 passing yards from Darian Mensah and a dominant defensive performance. Klatt placed Miami at No. 4, three spots ahead of its AP ranking.

"Miami at seven. Seven? Seven?" Klatt said. "Did we not watch that? Did we not see their defensive line play so great? LSU at eight. Can we not adjust?"

Klatt still agreed with voters at the top, placing Ohio State at No. 1 after its 56-3 win over Ball State. His ballot differed more sharply below the Buckeyes because he allowed Week 1 results to challenge his preseason expectations.

That flexibility sits at the center of his complaint. Klatt does not expect every voter to share his order. He expects the games to change it.