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Charlemagne42 Ballot for 2025 Week 4

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 14, 2025, 3:06 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Still in human mode while the computer gathers data.

Rank Team Reason
1 Penn State Nittany Lions Slides up to provisional #1, because they're the team that has shown the fewest signs of struggling with inferior opponents so far. Conference play provides just a few tests for the Nittany Lions, but they'll be brutal: #4 Oregon to finish September, and #5 Ohio State in November.
2 Georgia Bulldogs Closed out an overtime shootout against rival Tennessee. Answered the lingering questions about whether Gunner Stockton is a viable QB. Arguably Florida State's and Oklahoma's wins over higher-rated opponents by two scores are better, but the season will bear out which teams really belong up here. For now, it's Georgia.
3 Oklahoma Sooners Left no doubt: Temple is worse than Illinois State. Interestingly, both Temple and Illinois State only scored due to short-field interceptions, and both only scored a FG. Infuriatingly, SEC officials did not take the opportunity to review the Owls' hit in the first half which knocked out star Sooners WR Keontez Lewis for targeting, but *did* stop play to review a textbook tackle by star Sooners edge R Mason Thomas in the second half, and the AAC booth crew bizarrely confirmed that targeting call. Expect an NCAA officials' rules review on what is, and what is not, targeting, featuring clips from this game.
4 Oregon Ducks Would have moved up further, if not for seeming to struggle with Northwestern, a team that got blown out by Tulane.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes Benefited from LSU's regression to the mean.
6 Florida State Seminoles Moves up as others move down.
7 Texas Tech Red Raiders Jumps over underperformers.
8 LSU Tigers The Battle of The Swamp showed that LSU can get dragged into the mud by anyone. Even a bad Florida team. A Florida team which looks even worse now that, the week after USF punked them in The (fake) Swamp, rival Miami obliterated the same USF team. LSU has faced questions all year about whether the team was just having a bad day, but the pattern has become clearer. Lee Corso's final natty prediction would send the trophy to The (real) Swamp, but LSU will have to try a lot harder to make it come true.
9 Utah Utes Caught looking ahead? With a huge game next week against Texas Tech, the Utes understandably lost focus temporarily against Wyoming. They can't afford to lose focus when the Red Raiders come to town.
10 Michigan Wolverines Supposedly Michigan paid CMU for a football game, but were their opponents' signals also included in the transaction? Curious minds want to know.
11 Miami Hurricanes Proves that not only are they for real, but also that rival Florida are definitely frauds. Never could Canes fans have imagined a win over USF would feel so sweet.
12 Alabama Crimson Tide Got out ahead of Wisconsin and never looked back. Always a good idea to get your losing out of the way as early as possible.
13 Vanderbilt Commodores Vandy strangles the Cocks in a frankly obscene display.
14 Louisville Cardinals It was an inopportune time for a bye week, as multiple teams who were behind them succeeded in prove-it games this week.
15 Iowa State Cyclones Gonna have to do better than that against Ar-Kansas State, especially considering how poorly Actual-Kansas State and Iowa not-State are selling the quality of your P4 wins.
16 Arizona Wildcats Hangs on with an uninspiring win over Kansas State.
17 Tennessee Volunteers Would normally slide a little with a loss, but it was OT to #2 Georgia, and others below them did a more impressive job of sliding.
18 Texas A&M Aggies The rusty chains clank as the old minecart cars ascend the peak of the Aggie Rollercoaster (TM). How high will this season go before a gut-rending plummet to good ol' 8-4?
19 Mississippi State Bulldogs Defense pitches a shutout, albeit of a bad FCS team.
20 Missouri Tigers Had every opportunity to blow it so far this season, and hasn't. Yet.
21 Tulane Green Wave Tulane now leads the G6 in wins over P4 teams this season. Tulane is actually also ahead of a lot of P4 teams in P4 wins this season. I guess it's good for your football program to be cool with casual sex.
22 Ole Miss Rebels Defense provokes some major questions, but the offense has some compelling answers so far.
23 TCU Horned Frogs The score was closer than the game, but still... allowing a barely 3-score margin to an FCS squad, even a ranked one, is a bad look if you want to stay FBS-ranked.
24 Texas Longhorns Texas has become successively less impressive each week. They'll need Arch to look the part of a perfect 1.000-rated five-star QB against Sam Houston State if they're going to reverse that trend.
25 Auburn Tigers Auburn has found a rhythm with five-star QB transfer Jackson Arnold under center, but they face their first massive test of the season in next week's SEC opener at Arnold's former home stadium in Norman. The OU defense will undoubtedly be eager to welcome him back. //// Dropped: (19) USF - L 12-49 (11) Miami || (20) Notre Dame - L 40-41 (18) Texas A&M

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