Haley Sawyer at USC game.Haley Sawyer (Photo via Instagram)
Disgruntled football fans are calling for an AP voter to be fired after her curious decision to move up the Florida Gators, who lost to unranked South Florida on Saturday.

One week after kicking off their 2025 campaign with a 55-0 shutout win over Long Island University, the Florida Gators were stunned 18-16 by the previously unranked South Florida Bulls at home.

Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett took a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after spitting in the face of Bulls offensive lineman Cole Skinner. The 15-yard penalty helped the visitors set up Nico Gramatica’s game-winning 20-yard field goal to complete the upset.

Everyone who follows college football knows that a team always drops in the AP top 25 if they lose to an unranked opponent. But in a surprise development, USC reporter Haley Sawyer of the Southern California News Group moved the Florida Gators up two spots in her latest ballot while leaving the Bulls unranked.

Disgruntled football fans called for Haley Sawyer to be fired, or at least removed from the AP voting system:

“Ridiculous. It doesn’t matter when coaches get fired or teams makes the playoffs or make it miss bowl games because it’s all for fun,” said a fan.

“I mean Haley, if you’re not gonna take it seriously and understand that the results on the field matter…why are you voting?” asked a user.


“Pull her right to vote. Immediately,” said another.

“Tell me you ( @haleymsawyer ) haven’t watched a single game of college football this season, without telling me you haven’t watched a single game… 🤦‍♂️,” a fan said.

“She’s directly impacting the lives of hundreds of players, coaches, and staff at the schools she’s choosing to wrongfully leave out of her ballot… it DOES matter,” another commented.

“Get rid of the AP Poll. Just have the coaches poll and the CFP rankings,” said a user.

Haley Sawyer Responds To Backlash About Controversial Florida Gators Ranking

A general view of a Florida Gators helmetFlorida Gators helmet (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
The Gators were left out of the top 25 in the official voting ballot, while the Bulls moved up into the No. 18 spot. The Missouri Tigers, fresh off a 42-31 win over the Kansas Jayhawks, moved into the No. 25 spot.

Sawyer has since addressed the controversial ranking in a social media video. Sawyer said she wouldn’t detail her “process or logic” on her voting criteria, but acknowledged “it’s not a perfect system.”

Some fans were unhappy when Sawyer said it “probably” doesn’t matter since the other voters even things out.

It’s one thing to lose to an elite program and ranked team, as the Texas Longhorns took the No. 7 spot following their Week 1 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. But having Florida move up after a home loss to an unranked opponent? Indeed, there will be a lot of eyes on Sawyer’s ballot next week.

REPORT: Shocking New Details Reveal Michael Jordan’s Hidden Power Move With NBC Sports

New details reveal Michael Jordan’s exact role with NBC Sports, offering fresh insight into his growing influence off the courtMichael Jordan (Photo by Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
NBC dropped a huge announcement when they roped in the services of Michael Jordan. With the league returning to the network next season, NBC is said to have some big plans with the Chicago Bulls legend. While it is clear that he will be a part of the overall coverage, the media outlet has remained tight-lipped about the same. Till now, it was only known that Jordan will be acting as a ‘special contributor’ for NBC. But now, there might be some shocking details emerging.

Speaking on the topic, Alex Sherman of ‘CNBC’ provided some insight into the matter. He pointed out that the preliminary plans for Jordan are to appear in taped segments. This way, Jordan will be providing analysis on the games. These tapes are expected to be aired either at halftime or at the end of each game.

Sherman also pointed out that NBC will also keep the opportunity for Jordan’s role to evolve in the future. Extending the topic further, ‘CNBC’ also reported that the deal with Jordan was orchestrated by none other than his longtime friend, Jon Miller. Meanwhile, after landing such a huge deal, it is quite expected that Michael Jordan will be elated.

Michael Jordan Gets Candid About His Feelings After The NBC Deals

Sep 1, 2024; Darlington, South Carolina, USA; NASCAR Cup Series Team 23XI owner Michael Jordan watches a video board as NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) races during the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
After the announcements were made, Jordan looked quite happy to have landed himself a big role. Afterall, considering the legend he is, Jordan’s valuable insights will be a great addition to the league’s coverage. Shedding light on the matter, Jordan stated how he was utterly excited to be working with NBC.

“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said in a short clip. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”

Thus, with things looking quite upbeat for Jordan, it now remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.