Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 28, 2025, 9:40 a.m.
Overall Rationale: Early season rankings are based largely on expected results versus other ranked teams, and as the season goes leans more heavily on actual resume. By the end of the season, rankings are based entirely on resume. I lean heavily into head to head results and results against common opponents. I also sort teams into 6 tiers based on championship/playoff likelihood. Tier 1: Championship Frontrunners, near lock to make playoffs Tier 2: Championship Contenders with excellent chance of making playoffs Tier 3: Decent possibility to make playoffs, unlikely to compete for championship Tier 4: Outside playoff shot Tier 5: Unlikely to make playoffs but not quite eliminated Tier 6: No shot at playoffs
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 |
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Tier 1. Offense needs some work, but the defense is elite and the pieces are there. |
2 |
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Tier 1. Offense had some struggles against Penn State's defense, but they came away with the win in whiteout conditions. |
3 |
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Tier 2. |
4 |
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Tier 3. |
5 |
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Tier 3. |
6 |
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Tier 3. Close call, but Auburn is a good team. |
7 |
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Tier 3. Making a strong case as the best team in the SEC. Georgia in three weeks is their next big test. |
8 |
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Tier 3. The valley isn't so happy right now, but a double overtime loss to the #2 team is not a disqualifying game. I was actually mildly impressed with how they played, especially in the fourth quarter. |
9 |
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Tier 3. Tough road loss, but the Bama win is keeping them highly ranked. |
10 |
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Tier 3. Alabama's death has been greatly exaggerated. |
11 |
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Tier 3. |
12 |
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Tier 3. Big of a letdown game after blowing out Illinois last week, but they handled it. |
13 |
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Tier 3. Tough road win against a team I still have ranked. |
14 |
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Tier 4. Wins over Clemson and Florida don't look as impressive as they once did, although they hung around @Ole Miss all game. |
15 |
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Tier 4. |
16 |
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Tier 4. |
17 |
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Tier 4. |
18 |
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Tier 4. Their first real dominant win of the season. And the Iowa win looks better every week. |
19 |
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Tier 4. Barely escaped. But 5-0 is 5-0. |
20 |
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Tier 4. The hardest team to rank this week. With a head to head win over Florida State, I was tempted to move them up, but the loss to NC State is rough, especially with their loss to VT. Let's see how they handle the rest of their schedule, which is full of winnable games. |
21 |
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Tier 4. Getting better every week. |
22 |
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Tier 4. |
23 |
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Tier 4. Solid bounceback win against USC. |
24 |
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Tier 4. Not going to hold an OT loss to a top 15 team against them too much, especially as their Arizona State win keeps looking better. |
25 |
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Tier 4. Bit of a logjam here at 25, but Memphis keeps winning. |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 |
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0.00 |
2 |
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0.00 |
3 |
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0.00 |
4 |
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0.04 |
5 |
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1.04 |
6 |
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0.00 |
7 |
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-0.05 |
8 |
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0.16 |
9 |
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1.38 |
10 |
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0.00 |
11 |
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0.08 |
12 |
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-1.42 |
13 |
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0.31 |
14 |
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0.04 |
15 |
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0.55 |
16 |
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0.00 |
17 |
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-0.71 |
18 |
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-0.70 |
19 |
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0.00 |
20 |
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0.34 |
21 |
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0.00 |
22 |
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-0.82 |
23 |
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0.00 |
24 |
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0.00 |
25 |
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0.00 |