3 All-American Team snubs and who they should’ve replaced

If there's one thing college football fans know how to do, it's argue. We just spent an entire season debating who did (and did not) belong in the 12-team College Football Playoff, and the debate over who really deserved to win the Heisman Trophy nearly broke the internet this past Saturday.

Now that the CFP field is set and there's precious little football left until next fall, perhaps you're worried that we're running out of things to argue about. But fear not: Where there's a will, there's always a way, and even when there isn't, the AP comes along with its year-end All-American Teams and gets everyone all riled up again.

There were plenty of shoo-ins this year: Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Ohio State's Caleb Downs at safety. But across all three teams, there was plenty of room for debate, and plenty of choices that are sure to have certain fan bases up in arms. Here are three selections we think the AP got wrong, and who they should'v chosen instead.

Seth McLaughlin (Ohio State) over Jake Slaughter (Florida), first-team C

McLaughlin likely would've run away with the first-team nod had he nod ruptured his Achilles ahead of Ohio State's win over Indiana last month. But should that really cost him here? The transfer from Alabama was given the Rimington Award as the nation's best center last week, and appearing in 10 of 12 games feels like a sufficient body of work. Besides, the two games he missed just wound up reiterating his value to the Buckeyes, as Ohio State was manhandled up front by Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant in the upset loss to Michigan.

Slaughter is also an excellent player, one of the biggest reasons behind Florida's late-season surge. But McLaughlin was the consensus best center in the country before he got hurt, and an injury just before Thanksgiving shouldn't be enough to strip him of this honor.

Tyler Warren (Penn State) over Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green), first-team TE

We've got some good, old-fashioned awards season beef, as Warren finishes behind Fannin Jr. just days after edging him out for the Mackey Award. Fannin Jr. is a remarkable player: He could well get drafted ahead of Warren next spring, and he shined even against the Power 4 competition on Bowling Green's schedule — including none other than Penn State, which the Toledo product lit up for 137 yards and a score on 11 receptions. (He also put 145 and a score on Texas A&M.)

But while Fannin Jr. has the stronger statistical case, leading all tight ends in receiving yards (and falling just 40 yards short of Nick Nash for the national lead among all positions), Warren faced those Power 4 teams every single week. And he excelled, even while the focus of every defense's game plan on a Nittany Lions offense that lacked any other reliable pass catchers. Whether as a quarterback, running back, in-line tight end or wideout, Warren did literally everything well this season, and the degree of difficulty should give him the nod here.

Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) over Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), second-team QB

Colorado really isn't beating the "benefits from a profound media bias" allegations, are they? This isn't to denigrate Sanders as a player; he's an excellent quarterback who was extremely impressive in transforming the Buffaloes into Big 12 contenders this season.

But what are we doing here, exactly? By just about every metric beyond total passing yards, Gabriel was the most effective and efficient passer this season, and he did it for a better offense while also producing a ton of value with his legs. And while Sanders had a couple of bumps in the road, in particular a clunker early in the year at Nebraska, Gabriel was a metronome, completing less than 65 percent of his passes and throwing more than one pick just once all season long. Cam Ward deservedly earned first-team honors for single-handedly carrying Miami to within a game of the CFP, but Gabriel should've fallen no further than second team.