Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 21, 2025, 8:33 a.m.
Overall Rationale: My opinion on the top 25, while I'm very tired and delusional. I will say this every week because it is pretty tough to rank these teams so early on, but it was hard to rank these teams, and I try to value teams that haven't lost, but also recognize that one loss this early to a good team isn't necessarily bad. Also, I am biased as hell to some teams, so if you are actually reading these things, which is why you subject yourself to my ramblings, and you notice I didn't rank a team or one may seem low, well, it is because I hate them... not really, I just have my own perspective. Edit: I just woke up I wrote like two paragraphs of me rambling last night while watching USC vs Michigan State, but then I read it over and thought Man, I sound stupid so here are the teams I moved out of the poll and into the poll. OUT OF POLL Illinois 10-> UR Utah 18 -> UR. Auburn 22 -> UR NEW TO POLL Michigan, Mississippi State, Memphis
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0 Bye week got nothing to say |
| 2 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0 Have looked dominant to start the season, but will have its first real test taking on #3 Penn State during a Whiteout |
| 3 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0 Bye week, but will face Oregon next week, who have looked great, and this matchup will say a lot about both teams. |
| 4 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0 Had the most dominant non-dominant performance againsr Florida where the score could have been way closer or way bigger of a deficit. |
| 5 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
+6 Pure Domination |
| 6 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
-1 Bye Week got nothing to say |
| 7 |
LSU Tigers
|
-1 Didn't watch their game, but faced an FCS school and won, so take that for whatever. |
| 8 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
-1 Had 10 sacks against Auburn which is insane but offense struggled a bit but a win is a win. |
| 9 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
|
-1 Played fine against Temple still like them. |
| 10 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
+5 Big road win against a tough Utah team, and Will Hammond looked good in place of Behren Morton. |
| 11 |
Iowa State Cyclones
|
-2 Bye Week |
| 12 |
Florida State Seminoles
|
0 Kent State/Bye Week |
| 13 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
0 Bye Week |
| 14 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
0 Looked good against Bowling Green again, a lot of these teams faced easy opponents or had byes. |
| 15 |
Texas Longhorns
|
+1 Finally had a dominant win where they looked convincing. |
| 16 |
BYU Cougars
|
+1 I have nothing to say, sorry if you really cared for my one sentence quip. |
| 17 |
Missouri Tigers
|
+2 Run game was feasting and Ahmad Hardy is him |
| 18 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
+2 Trinidad Chambliss is a pretty good backup |
| 19 |
Washington Huskies
|
+2 Offense is elite |
| 20 |
USC Trojans
|
+3 Offense is elite, and I trust D'anton Lynn, which I think I said last week. (I am writing this in the middle of the Michigan State game, specifically with 6:00 left in the 2nd quarter, so if they lose, burn this.) Edit: They won, and I really like the offense, especially how the run game looked. However, the defense, particularly the secondary, concerns me because they have been heavily reliant on the pass rush. |
| 21 |
Vanderbilt Commodores
|
+3 Massive win over Georgia State, scoring 70 |
| 22 |
Arizona Wildcats
|
+3 Bye Week |
| 23 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
NEW Run game looks great, but I'm still concerned with the pass game, just like last year. |
| 24 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
NEW Wasn't the best game, but still a good win, and look to show they belong again with a matchup against Tennessee |
| 25 |
Memphis Tigers
|
NEW Big win over Arkansas and will be a top G5 CFP contender. |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 2 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.01 |
| 3 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.09 |
| 4 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.16 |
| 6 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 7 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 8 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
|
0.86 |
| 10 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.00 |
| 11 |
Iowa State Cyclones
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
Florida State Seminoles
|
0.00 |
| 13 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
3.14 |
| 15 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 16 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.80 |
| 17 |
Missouri Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 18 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
-0.68 |
| 19 |
Washington Huskies
|
2.71 |
| 20 |
USC Trojans
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Vanderbilt Commodores
|
-0.61 |
| 22 |
Arizona Wildcats
|
2.88 |
| 23 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 25 |
Memphis Tigers
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
Tennessee Volunteers
|
1.15 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.53 |
TCU Horned Frogs
|
0.39 |
Total Score: 14.01