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HieloLuz Ballot for 2025 Week 13

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Nov. 16, 2025, 7:32 p.m.

Overall Rationale: I use a computer ranking which is a pure resume based points system. Teams are assigned a tier based on their rating (1-7). Points are gained for wins, subtracted for losses, based on the opponents tier. Small modifiers for game closeness and SOS based on Opponent's record. | I use this to sort teams into buckets, then give ranks based primarily on quality wins (top 50 teams), worst losses, and head to head. | | | | Week 12 | Biggest Risers: T136= Clemson (+23) , T25= Houston (+17) | Biggest Drop: T136= Louisiana Tech (-23) , T25= Louisville (-14) | New teams: Virginia, Wake Forest, Houston | Dropped from rankings: Louisville (13), Illinois (23), Iowa (25) | Next 5: East Carolina, Louisville, Navy, Illinois, Pitt | Worst Team UMass (-293.371) | | | | Playoff projections *Conference Autobid | | Rose: 1. Indiana* | Sugar: 4. Georgia | Cotton: 3. Texas A&M* | Orange: 2. Ohio State | 5 v 12: 15. North Texas* @ 5. Texas Tech* | 6 v 11: 11. Miami (FL)* @ 6. BYU | 7 v 10: 10. Alabama @ 7. Notre Dame | 8 v 9: 9. Oklahoma @ 8. Ole Miss | | | |

Rank Team Reason
1 Indiana Hoosiers Quality Wins: Oregon |2|, Illinois |3|, Iowa |4|, Old Dominion |4|, Kennesaw State |4| Losses: None Indiana still holds the best wins of the top tier, holding onto the #1 rank.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes Quality Wins: Texas |3|, Washington |3|, Illinois |3| Losses: None Bucket B ↓
3 Texas A&M Aggies Quality Wins: Notre Dame |2|, Missouri |3|, LSU |4| Losses: None Undefeated record and decent wins will keep them at the top of Bucket B for now.
4 Georgia Bulldogs Quality Wins: Ole Miss |2|, Tennessee |3|, Texas |3| Losses: Alabama |2| Has better wins that TAMU at this point, but the loss will keep them from jumping.
5 Texas Tech Red Raiders Quality Wins: BYU |2|, Utah |3|, Houston |3| Losses: Arizona State |4| Wins are equal to Georgia's (also has better wins that TAMU), but their loss is worse. Bucket C ↓
6 BYU Cougars Quality Wins: East Carolina |3|, Arizona |3|, Utah |3|, Iowa State |4| Losses: Texas Tech |2| They'll be the top of Bucket C since they take care of business, but that blowout loss to Texas Tech gives them no room for error.
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Quality Wins: USC |3|, Navy |3|, Pitt |3|, Boise State |4|, NC State |4| Losses: Miami (FL) |2|, Texas A&M |2| They have so many quality wins, but none that are top tier wins. Though they are blowing all of these quality teams out.
8 Ole Miss Rebels Quality Wins: Oklahoma |2|, Tulane |3|, LSU |4| Losses: Georgia |2| They have the least number of quality wins within this Bucket, but they have the only win over a playoff tier team in Oklahoma. But they have played 5 bad teams close, and I can't move them any higher than the bottom of this bucket. Bucket D ↓
9 Oklahoma Sooners Quality Wins: Alabama |2|, Michigan |3|, Tennessee |3| Losses: Ole Miss |2|, Texas |3| The best team of Bucket D thanks to a couple of quality wins, including the huge head to head win over Alabama this week.
10 Alabama Crimson Tide Quality Wins: Georgia |2|, Vanderbilt |3|, Missouri |3|, Tennessee |3|, LSU |4| Losses: Oklahoma |2|, Florida State |4| They still have the best and most quality wins of anyone, but another loss hurts them and gives them no room for error going forward.
11 Oregon Ducks Quality Wins: Iowa |4| Losses: Indiana |1| I honestly have no idea where to put them. They've only played 2 quality teams all year (though beating Minnesota is what made Minnesota not a quality win). They have 2 prove it games to end the year, and with a 1-1 finish I assume they'll make the playoff.
12 Miami Hurricanes Quality Wins: Notre Dame |2|, USF |3| Losses: Louisville |3|, SMU |3| They have a pair of quality wins, but their losses are on par with Alabama as the worst of this bucket, and their wins are much worse. Leaving them below Oregon as well since they've had a number of close games. Bucket E ↓
13 USC Trojans Quality Wins: Michigan |3|, Nebraska |4|, Iowa |4| Losses: Notre Dame |2|, Illinois |3| They have the best wins of this Bucket, and though their losses are slightly worse, the wins put them at the top of the bucket.
14 Utah Utes Quality Wins: Arizona State |4|, Cincinnati |4| Losses: Texas Tech |2|, BYU |2| Only losses are to 2 playoff teams, but they lack any signature wins, holding them just below USC.
15 North Texas Mean Green Quality Wins: Navy |3| Losses: USF |3| Better win than JMU and equal loss will keep them slightly ahead in the G5 race for now.
16 James Madison Dukes Quality Wins: Old Dominion |4| Losses: Louisville |3| Old Dominion slips back into tier 4 and becomes a quality win once again. They're the lowest of their bucket still due to the overall weak schedule. Bucket F ↓
17 Vanderbilt Commodores Quality Wins: Missouri |3|, LSU |4| Losses: Alabama |2|, Texas |3| Identical resume to Michigan, but they've played closer in their losses.
18 Michigan Wolverines Quality Wins: Washington |3|, Nebraska |4| Losses: Oklahoma |2|, USC |3| See Vandy.
19 Virginia Cavaliers Quality Wins: Louisville |3|, Florida State |4| Losses: Wake Forest |3|, NC State |4| Wins are on par with Vandy and Michigan, but their losses are worse.
20 USF Bulls Quality Wins: North Texas |3|, Boise State |4| Losses: Miami (FL) |2|, Memphis |3|, Navy |3| 3 losses is hard to keep very high, but their wins are on par with the rest of the bucket. Keeping them above GT still since their Opp win % is very high at 57%.
21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Quality Wins: Wake Forest |3| Losses: NC State |4| They've only played 2 quality teams so far (Opp. win % is 41%, which is the lowest of any ranked team, next closest is JMU at 46%, lowest in all FBS is 39%). All that said, they're going at the bottom of the bucket. Bucket G ↓
22 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Quality Wins: SMU |3|, Virginia |3|, Kennesaw State |4| Losses: Georgia Tech |3|, NC State |4|, Florida State |4| They have among the best wins of anyone in this Bucket, and none of their losses are bad.
23 Texas Longhorns Quality Wins: Oklahoma |2|, Vanderbilt |3| Losses: Ohio State |1|, Georgia |2|, Florida |5| Also among the best wins out of this bucket, and while the loss to Florida is bad, there are bad losses from multiple teams at this point, and the Oklahoma win is the best single win of any of these teams.
24 Tulane Green Wave Quality Wins: East Carolina |3|, Memphis |3| Losses: Ole Miss |2|, UTSA |5| Only team left that has two tier 3 or higher wins, and as with Texas, lots of teams have a bad loss around here.
25 Houston Cougars Quality Wins: Arizona |3|, Arizona State |4| Losses: Texas Tech |2|, West Virginia |6| Slightly worse wins and losses than Tulane, but I think the pair of quality wins puts them as the last team ranked. Other Bucket G teams are: ECU, Louisville, Navy, Illinois, Pitt, Washington

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