The new poll voting process in college football has become a source of irritation for me.

In a month, defending national champion Clemson has gone from the top spot to fourth in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. Alabama replaced the Tigers at the top spot and was supplanted by LSU.

From where I sit, Clemson shouldn’t be removed from number one until they lose a game. It’s unfair for a team to get dropped in a poll. I realize that Clemson doesn’t play a ranked for the rest of the season, but the defending champions deserve benefit of the doubt.

I said the same thing two years ago when Georgia knocked off Alabama in the College Football Playoff Rankings. It made no sense then and it sure doesn’t make any sense now.

We all know what happened after that: Alabama took care of business and beat Georgia for the national championship.

I’ve heard and read about teams scoring “style points,” but I’m all about winning whether its by one point or 10 points. Winning is what counts. Trying to impress someone works in politics, workplace and dating, but not in a football poll.

I have friends who are AP poll voters, but I disagree with their process.

The process will eventually play itself out, at least on Nov. 9 when Alabama hosts LSU for the SEC Western Division title at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

If LSU beats Alabama, the Tigers deserve a No. 2 ranking. I have no problem with LSU moving up behind the Clemson Tigers. LSU would’ve earned the spot.

I come from the John Madden” school of thinking: “You’re the champions until they knock you out.”

For the young generation who simply know Madden as the football video game mogul, he was a Super Bowl winning coach and award-winning NFL broadcaster between the early 1960’s until the late 2000’s. Madden’s speeches and analysis are legendary.

When we finally got a College Football playoff in 2014, I expected some chaos, but nothing like this.

The SEC deserves two teams into the playoffs, amongst Alabama, LSU and Georgia. Unlike Oklahoma’s loss to Kansas State, the Bulldogs play in the nation’s toughest conference.

In my opinion, Clemson and Alabama should be one-two until they lose a game, followed by LSU and Ohio State. Anything else is simply unfair. Winning trumps everything.