If you bet a writer from San Francisco cast a vote for FCS champion Eastern Washington in the AP Poll, congratulations! Ray Ratto, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, was the only voter in the poll to rank the Eagles, placing them at No. 25 on his ballot. It was that vote that put the Eagles into the “others receiving votes” category, giving them a bit of notoriety after a great season.
Other than Eastern, his ballot isn’t incredibly extreme. He sticks with the party line, ranking Auburn No. 1, TCU No. 2 and Oregon No. 3. The other “extreme” votes in his ballot: Michigan State at No. 10, Nebraska at No. 14 and Alabama at No. 16. His ranking of the Huskers and Spartans were the highest of any pollster and his ranking of Alabama was the lowest. At the bottom of his poll, he had Hawaii ranked 24th, the highest of anyone that voted.
I’m sure Eastern Washington is thankful for Ratto’s acknowledgement of their accomplishments. Hey, maybe he just likes the Eagles and the red turf at Roos Field!