Rece Davis explains how he determines his weekly AP top 25 poll

College football is a competitive race. During an appearance on “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, Rece Davis revealed how he chooses which teams are leading the pack.

“I don’t care at all about [Georgia winning back-to-back national championships],” Davis said. “I think there’s so many different guys that you can’t really evaluate it that way. It is fair to evaluate what you think of their talent.”

Although Georgia stills sits at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Davis clearly doesn’t believe the team’s talent warrants the college football crown. In Week 3, Davis had a different program atop the pile:

Davis’ Rankings:

1. Florida State
2. Texas
3. Georgia
4. Washington
5. Michigan

On Friday, the ESPN analyst defended his rankings.

“It’s a mixture of art and science,” Davis said. “I have Florida State No. 1. I had Michigan at No. 1 in the preseason. I still think they might be the best team, but they’re down a little bit right now because they haven’t played anybody.

“Florida State has two great wins and Texas has a great win. If Texas wins Saturday, I will seriously consider putting them at No. 1. If Washington wins next week, I think they merit consideration for No. 1 too.”

Rece Davis should expect turnover

Davis’ top five face no shortage of tough competition this weekend. Texas will face off against No. 12 Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Georgia will go toe-to-toe with No. 20 Kentucky. If UGA wins, it will be the team’s first victory over a ranked opponent this season.

On the other hand, Texas’ battle with Oklahoma will be its third ranked matchup this season and second-straight after defeating No. 24 Kansas 40-14 last week. While Davis attacks his top five from a different angle, it’s ultimately not much different from the AP Top 25.

AP Poll’s Top 5:

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. Florida State

Davis’ most glaring difference is his exclusion of Ohio State. Despite their last-second win over Notre Dame last week, the Buckeyes were nowhere to be found on Davis’ list. Perhaps another win on Saturday can push OSU into Davis’ exclusive group.

On Saturday, Ohio State will take on the undefeated Maryland Terrapins, who are led by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. The fifth-year QB has already amassed 1,464 passing yards and 13 touchdowns this season while throwing just three interceptions.

Davis’ rankings will be tested this weekend. Clearly, the 57-year-old analyst isn’t afraid to shake up his ladder.