I disagree about the AP writers poll meaning less than the USA Today Coaches poll. I put little stock in the college coaches poll.
Think of it this way. Alabama plays a 3:30 ET game on CBS. Nick Saban will miss the 12:00 ET games due to game prep. His game ends at about 7:00 ET with prime time games starting over the course of the next hour. Saban will likely miss much if not all of those prime time games due to postgame requirements (lockerroom talk to players, school radio network interview, press conference, checking on injured players, roundtable with the coaches, possibly meeting alums and donors, leaving the stadium to get to the hotel or home). Maybe he sees the tail end of the prime time games. Perhaps he then watches the late night West Coast games, but he may be too tired or just wants to grab a late night dinner with his wife. So his exposure to much of Saturday's action comes via the sports section, reading scores online, and watching clips on SportsCenter. It's mostly hearsay for him and most coaches to varying extents.
However, the writers, especially the national ones, can and do see virtually every game in one way or another and can make theoretically more intelligent choices. Ride the Twitter feed all day Saturday and you'll the writers commenting as they flip from game to game, taking in the action, including us during our recent rise and the period of crisis that preceded it. The coaches, at least those who don't have the SID fill out the poll, and more than a few do that, still largely fly blind. I am glad the coaches ranked us and wish the writers had too, but on balance the latter poll is more accurate.
