Heavy is the head that has the honor of being given a say in the AP poll. An AP poll voter gets to decide the fate of a college football program. Ultimately, it reflects in the official CFP standings. There’s a lot to consider before placing any team on that list with 25 places to fill. Imagine someone with this amount of responsibility, that voting in the AP poll is just “fun for discussion,” and that it “doesn’t really matter in the end.” No wonder why the college football community is far from impressed.

Those are the words of Haley Sawyer, who votes for the AP poll. She invited a whole sea of attacks after placing Florida at No. 14, despite USF pulling off that brilliant win in the last seconds. And that’s not all. Sawyer left Auburn unranked, and got Baylor in as her 25 team. South Carolina gets the No. 10 spot on her list – not as outrageous as her other picks. But she left out the deserving USF Bulls from her Top 25. The overwhelming majority, thankfully, helped the USF break into the AP Poll at No. 18. Florida fell out of the list. And after the backlash for her debatable placements, Sawyer offered a controversial explanation.

“There’s tons of people that vote on the AP poll, and like, it’s not a perfect system. But at the end of the day, like, no matter who you pick, it does even out. Because there’s so many people who vote. And, like I said, it’s really fun for discussion. It doesn’t, you know, probably matter in the end,” Sawyer said. The AP says around 60 people are on the panel for the poll. It’s not the Golden Globes, which has some hundreds of voters picking the winners. Her vote matters, big time. Sawyer’s explanation has enraged the who’s who of college football.

Danny Kanell tried his best to hold back on his criticism of Sawyer. “I don’t want to put her on blast too much because I know college football fans can be ruthless, but this is a rough look for AP voter Haley Sawyer. Don’t single her out tho because she’s not the only one with an embarrassingly bad ballot!!” he said. There really was no other outcome for this debacle, because college football fans will not sit with disrespect to their team. Especially if it’s just for fun.

Jake Butt of The Blue Print podcast tore into Sawyer’s argument. “It absolutely, 100%, without a doubt matters. There’s no thinking otherwise. It matters. Rankings shape perspective, perspective/ perception shapes narrative, narrative absolutely matters in a subjective, committee pick based system,” he shared on X. Though the AP poll doesn’t decide the playoffs, it sure helps shape the conversation and media outlook about the season. There’s a reason why USF Bulls are getting all that spotlight, which will last at least until their Week 3 game.

Even Josh Pate couldn’t help but share his thoughts on Sawyer’s perspective. “When I am CFB Commissioner you will pass an annual sports literacy test before you vote on anything,” the analyst wrote passionately. College football is a sport, sure, but it decides the lives of so many individuals linked to it – players being the priority. Hopefully Sawyer understands why the AP Poll matters, and where and how it impacts the sport.

Fans join hands with experts to highlight the gravity of Haley Sawyer’s comments

“This needs to be plastered all over the internet until she no longer has a vote. Completely unacceptable,” one user called for on X. Sawyer is among roughly 60 votes who contribute to the AP poll. The voters are writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets,” per the publication. And after this consideration, Haley Sawyer ends up using her voting power this way. It hurts the look of deserving college football programs.

“Little does she realize that her rankings actually have significant impact on recruiting, TV slots, NIL and just money a university can potentially earn. It’s not just ‘fun’ it’s a privilege to have a saying on the college football landscape and should be taken seriously,” an Indiana fan summarized online. The AP Poll has a hand in controlling all these things. Texas, for example, was the talk of the town, entering the season at No. 1. Same went for Alabama, who were at No. 5. USF, on the other hand, is suddenly catching national attention after their debut in the Top 25.

Haley Sawyer has started a wildfire because of her rankings. And after her justification, the flames are now touching the sky. It’s an extremely bad look for AP to have a voter with such an attitude about the sport that’s enjoyed by so many. Who knows which team goes up, down, or out of her list in the next few weeks.