Why Arkansas' Sam Pittman, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz are taking on keyboard warriors | Toppmeyer

This the "Topp Rope," a twice-weekly SEC football column from the USA TODAY Network's Blake Toppmeyer.

College football rankings don’t matter in September, many coaches say.

Don’t include Arkansas coach Sam Pittman among those coaches.

The Razorbacks (2-0) moved into the AP's No. 10 position Sunday, and Pittman tweeted a graphic promoting as much.

A “Well, but…” guy exists in every crowd, and within an hour, a Hogs fan responded to Pittman’s tweet that in-season rankings don’t matter and the focus should be on reaching the championship game.

That got caught in Pittman’s craw.

“I think (the ranking is) a big deal. I do," Pittman said. "Everybody always looks at the negative all the time. I tweeted out that we were No. 10, and I got some responses of, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’ Well, I ain’t tweeting it out to (the media) or a 50-year-old man. I’m trying to use it as recruiting.”

TOPPMEYER:Jimbo Fisher is just a rich man's Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M football

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Rankings are a fun talking point. The drama over the Top 25 and perceived (or sometimes real) biases help separate college football from other sports. I’ve never understood why some folks bemoan the presence of September rankings. They’re entertainment, and, to Pittman’s point, they can be a recruiting tool.

“I’d rather be ranked 1, but I’d rather be ranked 10 than I would 100,” said Pittman, whose team plays Missouri State on Saturday. “We’re proud of where we are today. That doesn’t mean anything about Saturday’s game, but we are using it in recruiting, and we’re proud of it.”

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If Pittman really wants to spur recruiting, he should blast the Hogs' ranking all over Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram.

I'm told that's where the kids hang out, these days.

Keyboard warriors aren’t the biggest issue facing Missouri Tigers

With all the warts Kansas State exposed on Missouri, why is Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz spending time monitoring online message boards? Shouldn’t he have some coaching to do?

Drinkwitz encouraged his players to block out “the toxicity or negativity” that he apparently observed from Missouri faithful after the Tigers got embarrassed in a 40-12 loss to the Wildcats.

“There’s an old Bill Parcells quote that talks about losers assemble in groups and complain — and I would add get on Twitter and message boards and have all the answers — and winners assemble as a team and find ways to win,” Drinkwitz said. "And that's what we're going to do."

The only thing worse than a ticked-off fan base is an apathetic fan base, so Drinkwitz should feel thankful for Tigers fans who are simply frustrated instead of tuned out, as Missouri slogs along in Drinkwitz’s third season.

Drinkwitz is 12-13 at Missouri. Predecessor Barry Odom, a Tigers alumnus, was fired after going 25-25 in four seasons.

Preaching an us-against-the-world mentality is one of the oldest moves in the coaching playbook, but Missouri’s problem isn’t keyboard warriors.

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Chief among the problems is a leaky run defense and that Drinkwitz hasn’t produced a quality quarterback despite that being his position of expertise.

Email of the week

Michael writes: Your column about the SEC was right on, particularly about underachieving Texas A&M and coach Jimbo Fisher. A&M, in a talent-rich state, has never been that good over the years for more than two or three years in a row. Jimbo is not a great coach, which he has shown at FSU and A&M.

My response: Joe Burrow made Ed Orgeron look great in the 2019 season. Jameis Winston did the same for Fisher in 2013. Since Winston, Fisher has not produced an elite quarterback. His quarterback guru credentials have been revoked. Kellen Mond was Fisher’s best quarterback at A&M. Mond signed with Kevin Sumlin.

Fisher’s signee, Haynes King, threw for 97 yards Saturday.

Three-and-out

1. Some are wondering whether Fisher needs to tap someone on his staff for play-calling duties after Texas A&M’s 17-14 loss to Appalachian State, but that seems like rearranging the deck chairs. Regardless of who calls the plays, the No. 22 Aggies must perform better at the line of scrimmage, and they require a quarterback change ahead of Saturday’s game with No. 13 Miami.

2. Brian Kelly hasn’t fixed LSU, but early indications point to him making a smart move adding Arizona State transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels. The newcomer is the best thing going for the Tigers, but facing Mississippi State’s veteran defense will be a chore. It's an early proving ground for each team, much like Kentucky-Florida last week.

3. Much will be made of what Auburn’s game against No. 23 Penn State means for Bryan Harsin’s future. Certainly, a loss would nudge Harsin further into a nest of vipers, but don’t think Harsin is safe with a win. Auburn lost a commitment from four-star wide receiver Karmello English on Wednesday, and the Tigers’ recruiting class ranks last in the SEC. Yes, last means behind Vanderbilt. That's the opposite of momentum.

As Week 3 arrives, enjoy the games, debate the Top 25 rankings and don’t pay much mind to your Twitter mentions.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Arkansas' Sam Pittman, Mizzou's Eli Drinkwitz battle keyboard warriors