Rece Davis Snubs Two Major College Football Programs In Preseason Top 25 Ballot originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Longtime ESPN “College GameDay” host Rece Davis submitted his AP Top 25 ballot for the 2025 college football season and its reveal draws immediate attention for leaving two SEC powers off his list.
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South Carolina, ranked No. 13 in the official AP poll, and Ole Miss, ranked No. 21, were nowhere to be found on Davis’ ballot.
Instead, Davis included three programs absent from the official rankings: Baylor at No. 13, TCU at No. 24 and Toledo at No. 25. His ballot also displaced Tennessee, ranked No. 24 in the AP.
These differences from the consensus added fuel to the preseason conversation and raised questions about his criteria.
South Carolina’s Breakout 2024 Season Still Not Enough For Davis
South Carolina enters 2025 riding momentum from a 9-4 season under coach Shane Beamer, the program’s best record since 2017. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers emerged as a star as a redshirt freshman, earning Preseason All-SEC First Team honors.
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The defense is anchored by sensational defensive end Dylan Stewart, a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year finalist last year. He headlines a unit that frustrated some of the league’s top offenses in 2024 and held four opponents to fewer than 10 points.
Yet despite individual accolades and clear progress, Davis left the Gamecocks off his list.
His decision may reflect concerns about depth behind Sellers, the offensive line’s ability to protect him or whether South Carolina can replicate last season’s success against a schedule loaded with playoff hopefuls.
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Ole Miss Faces Key Offensive Transition After Jaxson Dart’s Departure
Ole Miss is coming off a 10-3 finish that included a Gator Bowl victory, marking consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time since 1959-60.
The Rebels, under Lane Kiffin, were explosive in 2024 with quarterback Jaxson Dart breaking program records and earning All-SEC honors. His departure via the NFL draft leaves sophomore Austin Simmons as the projected starter, a player with limited full-game experience and just 32 career pass attempts.
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ESPN’s Rece Davis excluded two SEC teams, South Carolina and Ole Miss, from his AP Top 25, despite both programs being ranked in the official list.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Fall camp reports have highlighted ongoing position battles on the offensive line, questions about receiver chemistry and a defensive front short on proven starters.
Those uncertainties could explain Davis’ skepticism in placing Ole Miss among the nation’s top 25 teams, especially with several matchups, such as LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Florida, that will test its retooled roster this season.
For both SEC teams, the omissions serve as preseason bulletin-board material. If South Carolina and Ole Miss exceed national expectations on the field, Davis’ August ballot could look like one of the 2025 college football season’s earliest miscalculations.
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Related: Rece Davis Has Unexpected Team at No. 1 in His Preseason AP Top 25 Ballot
Related: Paul Finebaum Doubles Down with Another Bold Arch Manning Take
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
