Week 3 of the 2026 college football season brought some impressive victories for many SEC schools. However, some of those triumphs weren’t backed by the AP poll. And Josh Pate is upset about it.
During his Week 3 reaction show, Pate blasted AP voters for relying too heavily on preseason rankings. He believes the Ole Miss Rebels would be ranked as a top two team if they were to judge things solely by what transpired on the field.
“People are still clinging to what they believed at a pool party or at media days in July,” Pate said. “Ole Miss has played teams that… are so good, even after losing to Ole Miss, they’re ranked No. 10 and No. 16. And that’s good enough to have Ole Miss at No. 4. How they’re not top two is pure insanity,
Pate also had gripes with the Mississippi State Bulldogs‘ ranking, and the Texas A&M Aggies being in the poll at all. He considered the Aggies’ presence particularly egregious.
“[Texas] A&M got embarrassed in their own building… why is Kentucky behind Texas A&M? They both have losses. Kentucky’s is to No. 8 Alabama. A&M’s is to, literally, Kentucky, and Kentucky’s nowhere to be found… why? Preseason rankings.”
“When you look at where Mississippi State is… that is drugs. Copious amounts of drug use,” Pate continued. “Take Tennessee and give them Mississippi State’s resume so far. That’s a top five team… Mississippi State’s big crime is that they’re Mississippi State.”
AP poll criticism has gotten loud in recent years, let alone this season so far. Perhaps there will be a tweak to the system in future seasons. For now, though, we’ll have to live with what’s in place.
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