Back to poll results >>

LightningDusty Ballot for 2025 Week 13

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Nov. 16, 2025, 12:40 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Casual Fan Takes and Resumé

Rank Team Reason
1 Indiana Hoosiers =
2 Ohio State Buckeyes =
3 Texas A&M Aggies = Y'all may have just pushed Shane Beamer right into the fire. Choking a 30-3 lead is insanity.
4 Georgia Bulldogs ↑1 Georgia unfortunately may be peaking at the right time. They clinched a playoff spot today.
5 Texas Tech Red Raiders ↑2 One of the most consistently dominant teams in the nation in a sneakily good and deep conference.
6 Ole Miss Rebels = Despite his best efforts, Lane Kiffin managed to defeat Florida. Some of those cute playcalls left me scratching my head. This should've been an easy win, but Ole Miss was sweating for most of the gane. Credit them for not falling into the trap.
7 Oregon Ducks ↑1
8 BYU Cougars ↑1
9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ↑1 Objectively, you could easily slide them down like five spots and I wouldn't argue much. However, being a one loss team in a power conference still deserves credit and respect, even if the ACC is a dumpster fire.
10 Oklahoma Sooners ↑4 Got a streak ending win that opens the door to the playoff if you handle business against two middling SEC teams.
11 Alabama Crimson Tide ↓7 Something is seriously wrong with your offense. No running game and alarming regression from Ty Simpson. You better bring your A game to the Iron Bowl. They'd love nothing more than to ruin your season.
12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish ↓1 Wanna know why I didn't have Pittsburgh ranked? That's why. I knew they were an average team propped up by their lackluster competition.
13 Utah Utes ↓1
14 USC Trojans ↑2 USC and Michigan have slightly better resumés than Vanderbilt, in my eyes. That's why I moved them ahead. There's barely anything separating the trio, though. All have plausible playoff paths. USC and Michigan's are brutal, needing to beat Oregon and Ohio State respectively. Vanderbilt is a more manageable with Tennessee, but don't overlook Kentucky.
15 Michigan Wolverines ↑2
16 Vanderbilt Commodores ↓1
17 Miami Hurricanes ↑2 They're going to slither into the playoff as a 10-2 at-large. I can just feel it. Ugh...
18 Virginia Cavaliers ↑2
19 North Texas Mean Green ↑2 The American cannibalism is getting out of control. It's up to you to keep the conference in the playoff conversation. I suppose Navy and Tulane are also viable contenders, but all of these teams could very well end up with another loss before selection day comes. A NEW CHALLENGER IS APPROACHING!!!
20 James Madison Dukes ↑2 It's all lining up beautifully for James Madison to make the playoff. They just need a bit more help! Shellacking Appalachian State certainly doesn't hurt your case.
21 Texas Longhorns ↓8 Texas has the most bizarre and baffling resumé in all of college football. A blowout loss to Georgia countered by crushing defeat of Oklahoma. The hideous Florida loss somewhat hidden by a solid win over Vanderbilt. The ultimate quality loss to Ohio State. What is Texas? Would a 9-3 Texas have any playoff argument if they defeat an 11-0 Texas A&M on rivalry weekend?
22 Tennessee Volunteers ↑3 Tennessee and Missouri and the textbook definition of good. They beat everyone they're supposed to, and usually hang tough with the big boys. Maybe Florida can ruin that next week... I don't feel confident.
23 Missouri Tigers ↑NR
24 Houston Cougars ↑NR By far the weakest two loss P4 team, but hey, look on the bright side. You could finish 10-2! Double digit wins are always worth celebrating. Don't take them for granted.
25 Arizona State Sun Devils ↑NR The Texas Tech win is among the best in the country, and their overall resumé isn't too shabby. The loss to Mississippi State sucks, but it could be worse. There's a few more teams who could've gone here. In all honesty, this week's rankings were among the easiest to determine. RECEIVING VOTES (Fringe Top 25): Illinois, Nebraska, Arizona, Navy, Tulane.

Back to poll results >>