FOX Analyst Joel Klatt did not hold back when he evaluated the Associated Press Poll released this week after Week 1 of 2026 college football. He went on to express his disappointment with the voting, a sentiment that fans have been sharing for years. For some reason, the winner of a down-to-the-buzzer game has been ranked way higher than the team that lost that close call.
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“Quick rant on the AP poll right now,” he continued. “Michigan, I think, probably astutely drops out after their performance, in particular on the offensive side. And Louisville stayed in the top 25, which I really love. But you’re telling me that there’s this many spots, 15 spots, between Louisville and Ole Miss? Did I not just see them play a game to the buzzer?”
Louisville nearly pulled off a comeback against No. 9 Ole Miss, rallying from a two-touchdown deficit to tie the game late before losing 41-38 on a field goal at the horn. Yet, Louisville barely moved in the rankings afterward. Klatt was frustrated with the rankings, as Louisville has been winning and the level of competition they just faced.
“If you win, you stay,” Klatt said, according to an X post by The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod. “If you lose, you drop. If you win, you move up a little bit. If you lose, you drop. And it’s just no common sense. They just order them. Oh my gosh, it’s just absolutely terrible.”
Michigan’s drop in the rankings isn’t hard to understand, as the offense struggled against their season opener with Western Michigan, with a final second decision that went their way and saved the day.
But Klatt’s problem wasn’t with how Michigan moved down. He believes Louisville did not get enough credit for how it played against Ole Miss.
The Cardinals have built a strong run under head coach Jeff Brohm, winning at least nine games in each of the last three seasons.
“And Ole Miss is going to move up and they’re nine and Louisville just stays at 24? 24? I’m sorry,” Klatt further said. “It’s just so patently absurd that in the AP poll, these voters continue to be archaic in their mindset. They will not adjust. They won’t do it. They will not have a big adjustment.”
Klatt continued through the rankings to explain why he felt the AP poll needed to adjust more based on what teams showed on the field. He pointed to teams such as Iowa, Utah, and Virginia, while also questioning Indiana’s spot at No. 5. Miami at No. 7 and LSU at No. 8 drew even more of his attention.
He doubted whether the voters were really reacting to the teams’ Week 1 performance or were sticking with their preseason expectations.
“Indiana is at five, even though I don’t know if they look great,” Klatt concluded. “Miami at seven? Seven? Seven? Did we not watch that? Did we not see their defensive line play so great? LSU at eight? Can we not adjust? I’m sorry? The AP poll continues to remind us that it’s trash.”
The AP poll will remain a talking point as the season moves forward, especially if teams continue to show something different from where voters have placed them. Now, Louisville gets a chance to bounce back from the Week 1 loss in their next matchup against Villanova on September 11, while Ole Miss returns home to face Charlotte after its narrow win over the Cardinals.