One of my favorite parts of the job happens each Saturday night/Sunday morning during college football season, when I turn in my new Associated Press Top 25.

I pour over scores, compare Team A to Team B to Team C and try to come up with the best list possible.

Not everyone agrees with my choices. And they let me know it, which is a big part of the fun.

I have converted critical fans into reluctant Asmussen supporters by responding to their gripes.

I actually listen and am willing to admit when I am wrong. Which, of course, is most of the time.

Listening to others … what a concept.

A month ago, I turned in my preseason AP Top 25. The usual suspects appeared on the list — Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma. And some upstarts — UCF, Iowa State, Cincinnati.

Probably have some teams too high and underrated others. It’s part of the deal and why the polls change each week.

We fill our sportswriter brains with more information and make the necessary moves.

A week from Sunday, the first regular-season ballot is due. It’s going to look a lot different.

Ten teams on my preseason Top 25 need to be immediately replaced. Six from the Big Ten (Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa) and four from the Pac-12 (Oregon, Southern Cal, Utah and Arizona State).

As you know, the Big Ten and Pac-12 are delaying their season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So are the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West, which eliminates more schools from Top 25 consideration.

It won’t be the same without them. Though it will make voting a bit easier. Many times, I stayed up late for the darn Cal-Washington score. And don’t get me started about Hawaii.

I’m mostly off the hook the first week, though Coastal Carolina plays Kansas at 9 p.m. It’s not basketball season, so the Jayhawks are unlikely to compete for a Top-25 spot. Then again, it’s 2020, so anything is possible.

The eye test

AP voters are told to rank teams based on what happens on the field. Unfortunately, there are far fewer fields to evaluate this fall.

In normal times — which this is most definitely not — I start each week with a list of teams to watch from outside my Top 25. It numbers from six to 10 schools, more early in the season when we really don’t know enough about the teams.

Most of those “also considered” will end up on my first regular-season ballot. I’ve got 10 open spots to fill before a game is played.

And you figure there will be upsets. Especially early in the season when everything is way out of whack.

Schools are missing players who opted out because of COVID-19 concerns. LSU just lost one of the best players in the country when Ja’Marr Chase decided to prepare for the NFL draft. The Tigers are already having to get used to life without Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow. Now, another top talent is gone too.

Voters are going to need to be less picky than in the past. Fair warning, the games might not be as good.

Besides the inevitable injuries, teams are going to be missing players who test positive for COVID-19. It will have an impact and the voters need to take the changes into account.

Imagine a team has a center test positive at midweek. Does that knock out the rest of offensive line?

The “next man up” line that coaches love to spout takes on new meaning.

More stones to turn

And voters must remain open minded about schools outside the Power 5. New respect for teams in the American, Conference USA and Sun Belt.

South Alabama caught my attention with Thursday night’s 32-21 win at Southern Miss. That’s a line I never thought I would have to write.

On Saturday, I felt compelled to watch SMU-Texas State during the afternoon and Arkansas State-Memphis at night. On Monday, I will schedule the DVR for BYU-Navy during its primetime showdown on Labor Day.

Next Saturday, 19 FBS games are set to be televised. I will catch all or part of, well, 19 of them.

The lineup includes seven teams in my preseason Top 25: Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, North Carolina and Iowa State. Unfortunately, none of them are playing one of the other teams.

The best game next Saturday might be Louisiana at Iowa State. Put that one on upset alert. The Ragin’ Cajuns will move into my Top 25 with a win in Ames.

It’s great to have college football back. Even with a boatload of potential mismatches.

I, for one, plan to enjoy every minute of it. Because as we have learned the hard way, we never know what is coming next.

We hope the COVID-19 cases drop like a rock and that college football can safely continue.

But there are no certainties. We wait and hope, then we vote. One time each week.