Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Aug. 13, 2025, 9:47 p.m.
Overall Rationale: This is a preseason poll, so I'm largely going on a combination of experience and expected talent with a lot of thought towards how good the returning players were last year as well. This does not necessarily mean teams who replaced a lot of people (Ohio State, Texas, etc) will be ranked low, because their backups are proven to some extent. However, a team like Penn State who returns a lot and was already good has the inside track to no. 1, and, in fact, is #1 on my ballot. As this is a preseason poll, there is no way to rank the "most deserving" teams, so I have picked who I think will be the 5 best, meaning all are from Power 4 conferences. That being said, once the season gets started, some G6 teams will definitely show themselves as more deserving and even better and hence appear in my future ballots.
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.46 |
| 2 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 3 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 4 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.70 |
| 6 |
Florida Gators
|
1.87 |
| 7 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
2.20 |
| 8 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
-0.47 |
| 9 |
Oregon Ducks
|
-0.28 |
| 10 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
2.73 |
| 11 |
Clemson Tigers
|
-0.31 |
| 12 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 13 |
Washington Huskies
|
12.13 |
| 14 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 16 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.00 |
| 17 |
Arizona State Sun Devils
|
0.00 |
| 18 |
Iowa State Cyclones
|
0.00 |
| 19 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.00 |
| 20 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
|
1.08 |
| 21 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
-1.23 |
| 22 |
Missouri Tigers
|
0.74 |
| 23 |
Colorado Buffaloes
|
2.21 |
| 24 |
SMU Mustangs
|
-0.77 |
| 25 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
0.16 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
South Carolina Gamecocks
|
1.48 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.80 |
Kansas State Wildcats
|
1.17 |
Boise State Broncos
|
0.20 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
0.09 |
Total Score: 31.09