The Associated Press football is made up of voting members of the media whose outlet is an AP member. This usually excludes weekly newspapers and small radio stations because of the cost to be an AP member.

 

Last year, it was well chronicled that Muhlenberg South -- a school no longer in existence -- received votes in the Class 3A poll. Two years ago, Reidland, a school that beat three winless teams to be 3-0, was on the cusp of their top 10. I dont think they won a game the rest of the year.

 

Now comes the latest. Greenwood received a first place vote in this week's 6A poll. And it wasn't even enough for them to make the top 10.

 

Homer votes have long been given in the AP Poll as a way to get the local team some recognition. And we see the same thing again each year when the AP names their all-state teams. The list of omissions is more newsworthy than who actually got voted on.

 

Does the AP need to do away with letting all members vote? Or is Greenwood getting a vote in this week's poll much ado about nothing?

 

Class 6A Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs 1. Lou. Trinity (11) 2-0 146 1 2. Lou. St. Xavier (3) 2-0 127 2 3. Lou. Ballard - 2-1 103 3 4. Lou. Male - 3-0 96 4 5. Ryle - 1-1 72 5 6. Lou. Seneca - 3-0 65 7 7. Boone Co. - 2-0 53 9 8. George Rogers Clark - 2-0 35 8 9. Lou. DuPont Manual - 1-2 29 6 10. Lex. Tates Creek - 3-0 20 Others receiving votes: 11, Simon Kenton 19. 12, Greenwood (1) 15. 13, Conner 14. 14, Lou. Eastern 11. 15, Central Hardin 10. 16, Nelson Co. 4. 17, Lou. Fern Creek 3. 18, Scott Co. 2.

I'm going to say that they lost credibility a long time ago.

You have a valid point, but look at it from a macro perspective. The 6A AP poll you cited has Trinity ranked first, St. X second and Ballard third. I think most people would not have any problem with that rank order. Now, the AP has Male ranked fourth, ahead of fifth-ranked Ryle, which I think its probably not right; but, in most years over the past decade Male has had a better team than Ryle, and everyone knows that the single biggest predictor of current/future success is prior success, so maybe the voters are employing that logic. Sure there are homer votes, but on a macro scale I can't complain too much about how it shakes out at the top.

Well if having Ryle 5th(should be 3rd) and Boone 7th(should be out of top ten) IMO I would think that would lend itself to that notion.

And I am by no means knocking Greenwood. I saw them play last week and they have a good team. They are a top 15 team in 6A. But #1 is pushing the envelope waaaay too much IMO.

Well if having Ryle 5th(should be 3rd) and Boone 7th(should be out of top ten) IMO I would think that would lend itself to that notion.

Boone County has beaten two teams that were ranked in the top 10 so I don't know that I agree with that assessment

Well if having Ryle 5th(should be 3rd) and Boone 7th(should be out of top ten) IMO I would think that would lend itself to that notion.

Ballard was one two-point conversion away from beating second-ranked St. X, whereas Ryle was able to hang with Highlands for 24 minutes of football. Why should the voters put Ryle ahead of Ballard at this time? The BGP pollsters must also be homers, since they have Ballard ranked third as well.

And I am by no means knocking Greenwood. I saw them play last week and they have a good team. They are a top 15 team in 6A. But #1 is pushing the envelope waaaay too much IMO.

I think all that proves is that there is one voter who is either crazy of a total homer and probably deserves to lose his AP voting privilege. However, I don't think that one crazy vote messes up the entire AP 6A poll.

The problem is that that are so few AP voters, all it takes is a couple of outlier votes to throw the whole poll off.

 

Trinity got 11 firsts and 4 seconds for 146 points. Greenwood got 1 first and four total points from the other 14 voters for 15 points. Their lone outlier first-place vote vaulted them almost into the top 10, but that same voter obviously voted Trinity 2nd so the Rocks' standing at the top wasn't affected..

 

I'm still trying to figure out who thinks Scott County deserves to be in the top 10 at this point of the season. Along with who thinks Greenwood is #1.

This week's voters were:

 

All Associated Press members in Kentucky are eligible to participate in the high school football poll. Those who voted for this week's poll are:

 

The Daily Independent, Ashland;

Times-Tribune, Corbin;

The Advocate-Messenger, Danville;

The News-Enterprise, Elizabethtown;

News-Graphic, Georgetown;

Daily Enterprise, Harlan;

The Gleaner, Henderson;

Kentucky New Era, Hopkinsville;

Lexington Herald-Leader;

The Courier-Journal, Louisville;

The Middlesboro Daily News;

Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer;

The Paducah Sun;

Appalachian News Express, Pikeville;

WLKY, Louisville. p>

Even more confusing is that no AP outlet from Bowling Green voted this week so it's not a homer vote

These are the following KY statewide football polls I can think of:

1) BGP

2) Litkenhous

3) Cantrall

4) Massey

5) AP

 

Numbers 2, 3 and 4 are based at least in part of a mathematical formula, while numbers 1 and 5 are voted on by people. I think most here would agree that BGP is, week in and week out, the most accurate. Beyond BGP, I don't think one poll is better or worse than the others. Just my opinion...

Even more confusing is that no AP outlet from Bowling Green voted this week so it's not a homer vote

Perhaps this voter is a Greenwood alumnus or is friends with the coach/principal!

This week's voters were:

 

All Associated Press members in Kentucky are eligible to participate in the high school football poll. Those who voted for this week's poll are:

 

The Daily Independent, Ashland;

Times-Tribune, Corbin;

The Advocate-Messenger, Danville;

The News-Enterprise, Elizabethtown;

News-Graphic, Georgetown;

Daily Enterprise, Harlan;

The Gleaner, Henderson;

Kentucky New Era, Hopkinsville;

Lexington Herald-Leader;

The Courier-Journal, Louisville;

The Middlesboro Daily News;

Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer;

The Paducah Sun;

Appalachian News Express, Pikeville;

WLKY, Louisville. p>

It almost had to be a mistake.

These are the following KY statewide football polls I can think of:

1) BGP

2) Litkenhous

3) Cantrall

4) Massey

5) AP

 

Numbers 2, 3 and 4 are based at least in part of a mathematical formula, while numbers 1 and 5 are voted on by people. I think most here would agree that BGP is, week in and week out, the most accurate. Beyond BGP, I don't think one poll is better or worse than the others. Just my opinion...

There is a difference in a 'poll' and a 'ranking'.

 

A poll has people vote and the results are tabulated into a final product, which has no wiggle room.

 

A ranking uses a different formula, whether it be a compter formula (Lit, Cantrell) or discussion, such as BGP. I know the BGP voters are asked to submit their idea of a top 10, but it is followed up by discussion. In other words, if someone on the BGP panel voted Greenwood number one this week, they had better be ready to defend that position and not just put their name down and move on. I think that is what lends the BGP rankings to be the most accurate.