Inside the 2009 Preseason AP Poll

The 2009 Preseason AP Poll was released on August 22nd along with all of the individual ballots. Once again Pollspeak salutes you, Associated Press, for having the stones to stay transparent. Before I get to the ballots, it’s interesting to note that every general point I made about the Preseason Coaches’ Poll (Inside the 2009 Preseason Coaches’ Poll ) holds true for the AP as well (although some minor details are a different):

* There are no Big East Teams in the top 25. This is the first time that has happened in the BCS era. Pittsburgh received the most votes (103), which puts it in the 28th spot.

* LSU had the largest jump of any team. The Tigers were unranked at the end of last season and jumped to No. 11 in the preseason, not quite as high as the Coaches’ No. 9, but it still shows a lot of faith that LSU will field a much better team in 2009.

(Continue to PollSpeak)