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thatoneguyD13 Ballot for 2025 Week 12

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Nov. 9, 2025, 12:57 p.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 results. 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 who are highly likely to make the playoffs, Tier 2: Playoff Teams who could conceivably win the championship but are behind Tier 1, Tier 3: Playoff Possibilities who are unlikely to compete for a championship, Tier 4: Teams with an outside shot at making the playoffs, Tier 5: Teams that are highly unlikely to make the playoffs, Tier 6: Teams that are eliminated from playoff contention. Tiers 5 and 6 don't enter into the top 25 until very late in the year.

Rank Team Reason
1 Ohio State Buckeyes Tier 1.
2 Texas A&M Aggies Tier 1. I am slightly more impressed with A&Ms resume than I am with Indiana's at this point. Though it's very close.
3 Indiana Hoosiers Tier 1.
4 Alabama Crimson Tide Tier 1.
5 Georgia Bulldogs Tier 2.
6 Ole Miss Rebels Tier 2.
7 Texas Tech Red Raiders Tier 2. This is an excellent football team. Their only loss was on the road by 4 to a top 30ish team with their 3rd string QB.
8 Oregon Ducks Tier 2. Iowa is always a tough place to win on the road.
9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Tier 3. ACC is theirs if they finish strong. Even a loss to UGA wouldn't hurt them much.
10 BYU Cougars Tier 3. Tough loss to TTU but if they win out they're still in the playoffs.
11 Virginia Cavaliers Tier 3. I don't think their resume merits this high of a ranking, but I consider head to head wins strongly and that keeps them above Louisville, who's ahead of Miami, who's ahead of ND for the same reason.
12 Louisville Cardinals Tier 3.
13 Miami Hurricanes Tier 3.
14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Tier 3.
15 Texas Longhorns Tier 3.
16 Oklahoma Sooners Tier 3.
17 USC Trojans Tier 4. If they win out they'll likely have one of the best two loss resumes in the country.
18 Vanderbilt Commodores Tier 4.
19 Utah Utes Tier 4.
20 Michigan Wolverines Tier 4.
21 Tennessee Volunteers Tier 4.
22 Pittsburgh Panthers Tier 4.
23 Houston Cougars Tier 4.
24 Cincinnati Bearcats Tier 4.
25 North Texas Mean Green Tier 4. The American roulette spins again.

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