Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Oct. 12, 2025, 11:30 a.m.
Overall Rationale: Each week, I re-rank all the teams based on their resumes so far this year.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
Ohio State is 6-0 with a nice set of wins including Washington (5-1, defeated Maryland), Illinois (5-2, defeated USC), Texas (4-2, defeated Oklahoma), and Minnesota (4-2) |
| 2 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
Indiana has a solid argument for the top spot but I just thought Ohio State's resume was a little deeper. Very nice wins over Oregon (5-1), Illinois (5-2, defeated USC), and Iowa (4-2) |
| 3 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
Ole Miss is 6-0 with nice wins over LSU (5-1) and Tulane (5-1) |
| 4 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
Miami is still looking excellent. they are 5-0 with nice wins over Notre Dame (4-2), South Florida (5-1, defeated North Texas), and Florida State (3-3) |
| 5 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
Texas Tech is 6-0 with nice wins over Utah (5-1, defeated Arizona State), Houston (5-1) and Kansas (4-3) |
| 6 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
Texas A&M is 6-0 with nice wins over Notre Dame (4-2), Mississippi State (4-2, defeated Arizona State), and Auburn (3-3) |
| 7 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
Alabama is my top 1 loss team. They have the best set of wins in the country with wins over Georgia (5-1), Missouri (5-1) and Vanderbilt (5-1). Only loss is to Florida State (3-3) |
| 8 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
Georgia is 5-1 with a very nice win over Tennessee (5-1). Also have a win over Auburn (3-3) Only loss is to Alabama (5-1) |
| 9 |
BYU Cougars
|
BYU is 6-0 with a nice win over Arizona (4-2) |
| 10 |
USC Trojans
|
USC is 5-1 with a nice win over Michigan (4-2, defeated Nebraska). Only loss is to Illinois (5-2). Huge game with Notre Dame next week to determine if USC is a playoff contender. |
| 11 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
Oklahoma is 5-1 with a nice win over Michigan (4-2, defeated Nebraska). Loss to Texas (4-2). Also beat Auburn (3-3) |
| 12 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
Nebraska is 5-1 with a nice win over Cincinnati (5-1, defeated Iowa State). Also beat Maryland (4-2). Lost to Michigan (4-2) |
| 13 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
Tennessee is 5-1 with a nice win over Mississippi State (4-2, defeated Arizona State) |
| 14 |
Cincinnati Bearcats
|
Cincinnati is 5-1 with a nice win over Iowa State (5-2, defeated Iowa). Also beat Kansas (4-3). Lost to Nebraska |
| 15 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
|
Georgia Tech is undefeated at 6-0 but they don't really have impressive wins. Best wins are Clemson (3-3) and Wake Forest (3-2). If Clemson keeps winning, they'll move up. |
| 16 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
Virginia is 5-1 with a nice win over Louisville (4-1, defeated Pitt). Also beat Florida State (3-3, defeated Alabama). Lost to NC State (4-3) |
| 17 |
Tulane Green Wave
|
Tulane is 5-1 with nice wins over Northwestern (4-2) and Duke (4-2). Lost to Ole Miss (6-0) |
| 18 |
Oregon Ducks
|
Oregon is 5-1 with a win over Northwestern (4-2). Their resume looks a lot weaker since Penn State isn't really a quality win. They'll have plenty of chances to move back up. Only loss is to Indiana (6-0) |
| 19 |
Utah Utes
|
Utah is 5-1 with a win over Arizona State (4-2). Lost to Texas Tech (6-0) |
| 20 |
Washington Huskies
|
Washington is 5-1 with a win over Maryland (4-2). Lost to Ohio State (6-0) |
| 21 |
Missouri Tigers
|
Missouri is 5-1 with a win over Kansas (4-3) and South Carolina (3-3). Only loss is to Alabama (5-1) |
| 22 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
|
Illinois is 5-2 with a nice win over USC (5-1). Lost to Ohio State (6-0) and Indiana (6-0) |
| 23 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
Michigan is 4-2 with a nice win over Nebraska (5-1). Lost to USC (5-1) and Oklahoma (5-1) |
| 24 |
Texas Longhorns
|
Texas is 4-2 with a nice win over Oklahoma (5-1). Lost to Ohio State (6-0) and Florida (2-4) |
| 25 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
Louisville is 4-1 with a nice win over Pitt (4-2). Lost to Virginia (5-1). Other teams I considered for a ranking: South Florida, LSU, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Notre Dame, Memphis |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.03 |
| 2 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 3 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.70 |
| 4 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
-0.05 |
| 7 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 8 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.20 |
| 10 |
USC Trojans
|
1.30 |
| 11 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
0.60 |
| 12 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
2.75 |
| 13 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
Cincinnati Bearcats
|
1.62 |
| 15 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
|
-0.23 |
| 16 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
0.01 |
| 17 |
Tulane Green Wave
|
4.76 |
| 18 |
Oregon Ducks
|
-1.18 |
| 19 |
Utah Utes
|
0.00 |
| 20 |
Washington Huskies
|
0.08 |
| 21 |
Missouri Tigers
|
-0.19 |
| 22 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
|
0.00 |
| 23 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
1.82 |
| 24 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 25 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
LSU Tigers
|
2.30 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.68 |
Vanderbilt Commodores
|
1.17 |
Memphis Tigers
|
0.72 |
USF Bulls
|
0.76 |
Total Score: 21.17