Loading episode…
Football
In Defense of the AP Poll, feat. Ralph Russo
Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast›
6 days ago14:36
Loading episode…
Football
Listen now
Listen in the appEpisode context
Listen here or keep browsing the show and related sport coverage from here.
Ralph Russo spent many years as a college football writer for the AP and an administrator of the AP Top 25. Now a senior writer for The Athletic, Ralph joins Richard for a preseason chat about the poll everyone loves to hate. In two decades at the AP, Ralph saw just about everything. How does the poll come together? What does it say about the history of college football? It’s imperfect, but it’s also our best record of how seasons played out across 90 years. Ralph takes us through the AP Poll’s history, its current status in the CFP era, and why, in a way, it matters now more than ever. Producer: Anthony Vito
Next listen
MAC Preview 2026: Wait, Someone's Rich Now?
Listen guide
"In Defense of the AP Poll, feat. Ralph Russo" is an episode of Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast. Runtime 14 min. Published August 12, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.
