College Gameday host gives Tennessee Vols a huge slap in the face

The final college football Associated Press poll was released on Tuesday, crowning Michigan as the 2023 national champions.

However, while that decision was academic, it was what came out afterwards that really stuck out as controversial and ridiculous, especially if you're a fan of the Tennessee Volunteers.  

The final ballots of all of the AP voters were released, and there were seven voters who didn't even have the Vols ranked in their ballot that's revealed in the final poll.  However, there were four of them who had Iowa still in the top 25.  Those voters are Chuck Landon of the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Dave Preston of WTOP, Ron Counts of the Idaho Statesman, and ESPN College Gameday host Rece Davis. 

Leaving an Iowa team that got routed 35-0 in the final poll over the team that crushed them that was ranked in the previous AP poll just feels like a deliberate slight, because there's not one shred of logic behind it.  Tennessee's Citrus Bowl victory was one of the most impressive of any team throughout the entire bowl season. The Hawkeyes and Vols were also only three spots apart in the College Football Playoff rankings and five in the previous AP Poll. 

Many Tennessee fans have felt as though ESPN has had a thing for them ever since the Peyton Manning Heisman snub where they believed that ESPN all but promoted eventual winner Charles Woodson of Michigan to win the award.  This obviously isn't anywhere close to that level, but that won't stop Tennessee fans from feeling as though another slight has been had from the four-letter network. 

And ballots and polls technically matter a great deal beyond just who wins the national championship.  Coaching bonuses are often triggered based upon how a team finishes in the final polls.  Josh Heupel, in fact, received a $50,000 bonus because the Vols finished in the Top 25.  He got $100,000 last year by finishing in the Top 10. 

As such, while it fortunately wouldn't have affected Heupel this year, submitting fair ballots is still incredibly important all to the people in the sport itself.  It's too bad all of those who hold that responsibility don't take it as seriously or fairly as they should all the time.