Alabama Football: Thoughts on Week 2 AP and Coaches Polls

Again, Alabama Football sits in its rightful place, atop both current polls. The Week 2 polls released by the Associated Press (AP) and the AFCA (Coaches) have some noticeable differences of opinion, but both sources agree Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State are 1,2,3.

The Michigan Wolverines got the No. 4 nod in the AP Poll, while the Coaches chose Clemson.

Seven SEC football teams were ranked in both of the Top 25 polls. Three more SEC teams made the AP, ‘Others receiving votes’ list and four SEC teams were in the same category as voted by the coaches.

SEC teams chasing Alabama Football

AP Poll

• No. 1 – Alabama Crimson Tide
• No. 2 – Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 6 – Texas A&M Aggies
• No. 12 – Florida Gators
• No. 16 – Arkansas Razorbacks
• No. 20 – Kentucky Wildcats
• No. 22 – Ole Miss Rebels
• No. 24 – Tennessee Volunteers
• No. 35 – Auburn Tigers
• No. 36 – Mississippi State Bulldogs
• No. 39 – South Carolina Gamecocks

AFCA Coaches Poll

• No. 1 – Alabama Crimson Tide
• No. 2 – Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 6 – Texas A&M Aggies
• No. 17 – Arkansas Razorbacks
• No. 19 – Florida Gators
• No. 20 – Kentucky Wildcats
• No. 23 – Ole Miss Rebels
• No. 26 – Tennessee Volunteers
• No. 31 –  Mississippi State Bulldogs
• No. 36 – Auburn Tigers
• No. 38 – South Carolina Gamecocks

The most serious flaw in the Week Two Coaches Poll is having the Florida Gators ranked at No. 19 and the Utah Utes, who lost to the Gators on Saturday at No. 15. The Florida win cannot be defined as a fluke outcome, so the ‘flipped’ rankings have no justification. Utah is only one spot below the Gators in the AP Poll

Most Alabama football fans will agree Auburn being ranked in the top 36 teams in the FBS is a huge stretch. The Tigers will get another easy win in week two, but in week three, an average Penn State team should show the true 2022 Auburn Tigers.

Florida State got some love after beating LSU. The Seminoles were in the 30s range of ‘others receiving votes’ in both polls. The LSU at Auburn contest in early October is shaping up to be a key contest for both teams. Neither one looks to gain many SEC wins this season.

Do the polls matter this early in the season? Not really – they are mostly for fans to enjoy or argue about. Once the CFB Playoff grows to 12 teams, watching even the early polls will provide considerable debate.