The AP Top 25 College Football Poll is about to finally be rendered utterly useless when the College Football Playoff rankings show kicks off Tuesday, Nov. 4, but even with its final breaths of relevance it still found a way to be embarrassingly inaccurate. Yes, it is a comprehensive data set, informed by tons of good people doing their best – in many cases – but it’s quite clear (especially this season) that many voters simply do not watch almost any of the games before submitting their ballots. That yields some rough results with the AP Poll.

Given that fact, our team of highly dedicated college football and NFL Draft staff at A to Z Sports who do in fact watch as many games as humanly possible each week on top of covering their respective teams decided to come together and get the top 25 best teams ranked correctly. We’ve been calling this the “A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll” all season long.

Each week this season we have been breaking down our top 25 teams briefly, then talking through which ones we are higher and lower on versus the AP Poll to give college football fans the best rankings in the business. Enjoy!

A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll – Week 8

1. Ohio State, 300 points (12 first place votes)
2. Indiana, 283
3. Texas A&M, 281
4. Alabama, 263
5. Georgia, 247
6. Oregon, 235
7. Georgia Tech, 219
8. Ole Miss, 217
9. Vanderbilt, 204
10. Miami, 198
11. Notre Dame, 181
12. BYU, 170
13. Texas Tech, 156
14. Tennessee, 138
15. Cincinnati, 118
16. Virginia, 117
17. Louisville, 114
18. Oklahoma, 99
19. Missouri, 76
20. Michigan, 60
21. Texas, 51
22. Houston, 42
23. USC, 34
24. Memphis, 28
25. Utah, 20
    
    Also receiving votes: Tulane 16, Navy 12, USF 9, LSU 5, Arizona State 4, Washington 2, San Diego State 2, Iowa 1

The A to Z staff surprisingly continues to be in sync with the AP Poll at the very top of the rankings as consensus is settling in as to who the “elite” teams are. The Ohio State Buckeyes were still ranked number on across the board with 100% of the first place votes. Our team had the exact same top six as the AP Poll: Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, and Oregon. However, that’s where the similarities between our ranks and the AP Poll ended.

The A to Z Sports staff was higher on Georgia Tech, ranking them seventh, and only 16 total points behind Oregon. Our squad was a bit collectively lower on Ole Miss despite their strong record this year, but there was some significant disagreement with the Rebels – some ranking them as high as fourth, others tenth.

The AP Poll continues giving teams with soft schedules and zero quality wins like BYU and Virginia the benefit of the doubt, ranking them 10th and 15th respectively. Our team can’t and won’t do that. BYU did beat Utah, and Virginia beat Louisville (their only ranked victories), but otherwise haven’t defeated anyone decent.

Our team continues to be ahead of the game with teams like Notre Dame and Cincinnati who the AP Poll keeps punishing for losses in Week 1. Over a third of our staff has Notre Dame ranked inside the top ten now (rightfully so), and one even had Cincinnati ranked 10th thanks to their dominant streak of seven wins and elite play from Brendan Sorsby at quarterback.

Let’s take a look at all the teams where our A to Z Sports staff got things right once again as the AP Poll got it wrong.

Teams we were higher on than the AP Poll

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

There are certainly teams with more impressive wins that I have ranked behind Georgia Tech. However, the Yellow Jackets have handled business so far this year, going 8-0 over the first two months of the season. Georgia Tech has a favorable schedule over the next few weeks with matchups against NC State, Boston College, and Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re 11-0 after that stretch before a huge showdown against the Georgia Bulldogs. We’ll know then if Georgia Tech is truly deserving of being a top five team. But for now, I’ll give Brent Key’s squad the benefit of the doubt. They may not be the most talented team in the top 25, but the Yellow Jackets compete hard every week, which has helped them pull out some close wins. – Zach Ragan, A to Z Sports Tennessee

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

I understand that Notre Dame having two losses might keep them out of the top ten by default in the minds of voters, but when you consider that those losses were to a pair of very good Texas A&M and Miami teams by a combined 4 points, it becomes easier to justify them in the top ten. The Fighting Irish have ripped off dominant win after dominant win since their 0-2 start to a pair of strong teams, led by young quarterback CJ Carr and a deep running back room. I’m much more willing to buy them as a top ten team than an undefeated BYU squad who has struggled to win convincingly against a mediocre Big 12 schedule. If Notre Dame’s defense continues to stack quality games and CJ Carr bounces back from a weird USC game, they’re going to run the table and make the College Football Playoff selection ommittee seriously consider them as an at-large bid. – AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati is a team that I really wanted to have even higher than 15; I just couldn’t make it happen. After dropping their season opener to Nebraska, it feels like we’ve watched this team grow up in front of our eyes. Brendan Sorsby has developed into one of the top QBs in the country, and multiple scouts in the NFL have taken notice. This week’s matchup with Utah is major. A win and they will position themselves in a great spot to finish undefeated in Big 12 play, and would control their own fate of playing in the conference championship game. I think Cincinnati pulls out the win, and I truly believe we are looking at a College Football Playoff caliber roster. – Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis

Michigan Wolverines

Playing against Michigan State is always a tough rivalry game for the Michigan Wolverines, and they passed the test with a double-digit win on Saturday. The Wolverines have now won five of their last six games and should enter their matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 9-2 record – as long as they avoid any slip-ups. Michigan must first take care of business against Purdue, Northwestern, and Maryland before focusing on trying to secure another win over Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. The Wolverines’ last loss came on Oct. 11 against USC, and their identity continues to center on running the ball effectively, playing strong defense. When Michigan performs to its potential, it’s unquestionably a top 20 team in the country. – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State

Memphis Tigers

We’re at the point of the season where most of the teams across the country of suffered at least one notable loss. With that, the Group of 5 is starting to take shape and we are seeing Memphis rise as the cream of the crop. Relying on an excellent running game that already has three rushers with over 400 yards, Memphis is riding a well balanced team that creates explosive plays on both sides of the ball. What I like about this team most is that they’re a defensive juggernaut that creates sacks and turnovers better than most defenses in the nation.

I still have them on the outside of the College Football Playoff right now, but I’d much rather roll the dice on a team that has generated 13 sacks and 11 interceptions to go with 57 tackles for loss than a mid-tier power conference team. Last week‘s home win against USF will be the feather in their cap until their season finale matchup against Navy. Win that, and it’s hard to make an argument that this Memphis team does not deserve a spot in the playoff. – Ian Valentino, A to Z Sports LSU

San Diego State Aztecs

Outside of a Week 2 loss to Washington State, this San Diego State team has been on a roll in recent weeks, beating their last three opponents by at least 21 points. They have one difficult test against Boise State in a couple of weeks, but there is a very real chance that the Aztecs can run the table the rest of the year. Head coach Sean Lewis is known as an outstanding offensive mind, but it’s the San Diego State defense that is leading this team. They currently rank second in college football allowing just 10.4 points per game. This defensive group is allowing just 255 total yards per game, led by potentially All-American cornerback Chris Johnson. This team could be a tricky out if they manage to get the Group of 5 bid for the College Football Playoff. – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame

Teams we were lower on than the AP Poll

Ole Miss Rebels

I had Ole Miss at 10 this week, and it’s simply a matter of who’s around them and what happened last weekend. I had a number of teams above them, including Miami, Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt. They all had wins and performances that did nothing to warrant dropping them. Lane Kiffin’s squad is in great shape to finish the season 11-1, and if they do, they’ll be in the College Football Playoff regardless. – Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Miami

BYU Cougars

I realize I have become the BYU Cougars doubter among the group, but beating an unranked Iowa State team wasn’t going to move me a week after beating a (barely) ranked Utah team. What will allow me to place them among the top 10 is a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Nov. 8. Right now, that is a matchup of top 15 teams that will go a long way in determining what happens at the top of the Big 12. Don’t get me wrong, BYU has been impressive, but to me, the resume doesn’t hold up compared to some of the teams I have in front of them. – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama

Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia squeaked their way to a victory over a bad North Carolina team this weekend, but a win is a win. The Cavaliers are 7-1 with a clear opportunity to finish the season at 10-2. That being said, their biggest win was over Louisville with the rest of their schedule looking rather weak in an ACC that doesn’t have a ton of firepower in the middle to lower portions of the conference. They absolutely deserve a top 20 spot right now, but they didn’t prove anything this past weekend to move up past some of the other teams ahead of them for me. That game against Duke in a couple weeks should be a really fun one that defines their season. – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports New Orleans Saints and LSU

Louisville Cardinals

The Louisville Cardinals have only lost to Virginia this year (at home), and continue to stack wins, but they’re doing it in strangely inefficient fashion. Their raw yardage totals are fine, but when adjusting for opponent and situational metrics the truth comes out. The Cardinals rank 90th in offensive EPA per play thanks mostly to the up and down performance from quarterback Miller Moss. Their defense has largely been strong, but they can be beaten in the run game. They’re still ranked 20th for me this week, but I couldn’t rank them near as highly as the AP Poll. – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football & NFL Draft Managing Editor

Texas Longhorns

We can’t beat around the bush with the Longhorns: this is a bad football team that has a lot of individual talent on it. Arch Manning right now is just a QB with a name, as he’s done nothing to live up to his billing of being a five star quarterback. The offensive line has been a sieve, there is no cohesiveness on offense, and the defensive side of the football has been far from consistent. If a program like Virginia Tech, Nebraska, or Washington had been playing like this, they would have easily been left out of the top 25. Texas should receive the same treatment. – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida

Utah Utes

Utah only has two losses on the season. And, yes, that’s not good enough to be considered a College Football Playoff team, but it is good enough to be one of the final teams ranked. They have beaten some decent teams, and came very close to beating BYU. With the injuries they have sustained, and the fact they’re winning still, they deserve to be ranked. – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

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