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National-Sundae9427 Ballot for 2025 Week 15

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Dec. 1, 2025, 6:06 p.m.

Overall Rationale: How you look when playing the games matter. At this point in the season, we have enough tape on these teams to see what each team's strengths and weaknesses are. I compare teams based on record, the 12-0 teams, then the 11-1 teams, then the 10-2 teams, etc. How does each team look right at this point, who have they played, who have they beat and when, and who have they lost to and when. I take this information and compare it to the other teams in their group and rank them. I very clearly base my rankings on the eye test. If you struggle against inferior opponents down the stretch, that will show in the rankings.

Rank Team Reason
1 Ohio State Buckeyes Had them at #1 last week. Dominating win over Michigan on the road helps solidify the spot. Top 25 wins: Michigan (18) and Texas (7) Good Wins: Washington (18), Illinois (18) Losses: N/A
2 Indiana Hoosiers I debated putting them at #1 up until this week. With Ohio State's wins over Michigan and Texas, Indiana just doesn't have the wins to compete with the Buckeyes. Top 25 Wins: Oregon (10) Good Wins: Iowa (5), Illinois (53)
3 Georgia Bulldogs Very good win over Georgia Tech. Texas A&M's loss moves Georgia up a spot, and with how dominate they have been over the last few weeks, Georgia is clearly the best 11-1 team. Top 25 Wins: Georgia Tech (7), Texas (25), Ole Miss (8), Good Wins: Tennessee (3) Losses: Alabama (3)
4 Texas Tech Red Raiders I debated on swapping Oregon and Texas Tech since both were 11-1 and the loss Tech had was to an inferior opponent. I didn't because of how they haven't had a game decided by less than 20 points since (including a win over a top 10 BYU team). They also had their backup QB in, so that gives that loss an asterisk next to it. Top 25 Wins: BYU (22), Utah (24) Good Wins: Houston (24) Losses: Arizona State (4)
5 Oregon Ducks Clearly a top 5 team after wins over a very good USC and Washington team to end the season. Not the kind of dominate win they needed to jump ahead of Texas Tech, but they should prefer to be at 5 to play the G5 Champ in the 1st round. Top 25 Wins: USC (15) Good Wins: Washington (12), Iowa (2) Losses: Indiana (10)
6 Ole Miss Rebels Left no doubt against Mississippi State but the departure of Lane Kiffin might hurt them in the playoff. Can't punish the program for losing their head coach and play caller without seeing how the team plays without them though. They still have a lot of quality but there's a chance that they might not be the same team Top 25 wins: Oklahoma (8), Tulane (35) Good Wins: LSU (5) Losses: Georgia (8)
7 Texas A&M Aggies Losing to Texas isn't terrible, but it certainly doesn't give off that Texas A&M has been getting better through the season. With this result and the near disaster against South Carolina the Aggies seem to be moving in the wrong direction. Top 25 Wins: Notre Dame (1) Good Wins: LSU (24), Missouri (21) Losses: Texas (10)
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish After starting out 0-2, they've racked off 10 straight wins with a combined score of 440-143. Schedule was a bit lackluster but the way to overcome that is to blow out your opponents and for the most part they have. Top 25 Wins: USC (10), Navy (39) Good Wins: Pittsburgh (22), Boise State (21) Losses: Miami (4), Texas A&M (1)
9 BYU Cougars Recovered from the Texas Tech loss, which helps show that their 7-0 run to start the season wasn't a fluke. Should be in the playoff no matter the outcome of the Big 12 Championship game. Top 25 Wins: Utah (3), Arizona (6) Good Wins: TCU (31), Iowa State (14) Losses: Texas Tech (22)
10 Miami Hurricanes The last team on the bubble. Two bad losses to SMU and Louisville keep them out of the argument of whether they should be above ND or not. Answered the loss to SMU by reeling off 4 straight 20+ point wins. Another team that is moving in the right direction and could give teams some trouble in the playoff. Only thing that will keep Miami out of the playoff is if Alabama beats Georgia again. Top 25 Wins: Notre Dame (3) Good Wins: Pittsburgh (31), South Florida (37) Losses: SMU (6), Louisville (3)
11 Alabama Crimson Tide I know dropping them this low after the Oklahoma loss is egregious, but there are so many quality teams at 10-2. The reason they aren't placed behind Oklahoma after losing to them is simple, they dominated that game. Over 400 total yards of offense and held Mateer in check all game. How they didn't win blows my mind. They are clearly better. So, to me they don't deserve to be ranked behind Oklahoma. Top 25 Wins: Georgia (3), Vanderbilt (16) Good Wins: Missouri (3), Tennessee (17), LSU (11) Losses: Oklahoma (2), Florida State (14)
12 Oklahoma Sooners Their offense has been terrible. And that's being nice. This isn't the same team that beat Michigan. They are basically the South's version of Iowa. Championship caliber defense but a very sad offense. Mateer hasn't lived up to the expectations that he had to start the season, and the teams ahead of them are not only more balanced but can score points. Top 25 Wins: Alabama (2), Michigan (11) Good Wins: Missouri (11), Tennessee (6) Losses: Ole Miss (8), Texas (19)
13 Vanderbilt Commodores I moved them ahead of Utah because of the Tennessee win. Is Tennessee good? Yes, they've just played tough teams. And outside of a couple mistakes in the first half, Vanderbilt controlled this game. They definitely are better than I thought but to me, they just haven't been good enough against the upper level of teams. There's a difference between beating Tennessee/Missouri and beating Texas/Alabama. Vanderbilt has the first group down, just not the second which is why they aren't in the playoff picture. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: LSU (7), Missouri (7), Tennessee (21) Losses: Alabama (16), Texas (3)
14 Utah Utes I moved them below Vandy because they just haven't had the level of wins that Vandy has. Their best win is Arizona State, Vandy's is Tennessee. Both are 8-4, but they are both at a different level. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: Arizona State (32) Losses; BYU (3), Texas Tech (24)
15 Virginia Cavaliers All they needed to do is win. They clearly aren't one of the best 12 teams on the field, but the current playoff structure allows them to play however they want as long as they win. No ranked wins, squeaked by some very average teams, and facing a Duke team that they beat in Durham by 17. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: Louisville (3) Losses: Wake Forest (7)
16 North Texas Mean Green Yes, I know that they face inferior opponents on a weekly basis when compared to P4 teams, but they are arguably one of the best passing offenses in the country. The South Florida loss isn't horrible, a 9-3 team in the American with 2 of their 3 losses against teams ranked in my Top 25 and the other was on pace to an AAC Champ. appearance before November hit. They haven't played many of the quality AAC opponents like Tulane, Memphis, or ECU but Western Michigan is a good G6 win and so is Army Top 25 Wins: Navy (14) Good Wins: Western Michigan (3), Army (7) Losses: South Florida (29)
17 James Madison Dukes James Madison continues to get disrespected by the committee. Well I won't do that. They have been great this year. And when I say great, I mean they are one quarter away from being 12-0. Dominating wins over CCU, App State, and ODU. Sole loss was to an 8-4 Louisville team that was tied going into the 4th quarter. Like I said, one quarter from an undefeated season. Top 25 Wins: Good Wins: Old Dominion (36) Losses: Louisville (14)
18 Tulane Green Wave I wasn't sold on this team after the UTSA loss. I don't know how you can be considered one of the better teams in your conference when you lose like they did to an average conference opponent. But wins over Northwestern, Duke, ECU, Army, and Memphis will help erase that loss. This AAC game may be the 3rd or 4th best Championship game this week. Top 25 Wins: Good Wins: Duke (7), ECU (7), Army (7), Memphis (6) Losses: Ole Miss (35), UTSA (22)
19 Texas Longhorns The win over Texas A&M helps make them the best 9-3 team in my book. Wins over A&M, Vandy, and Oklahoma show that they are better than most programs, but they've been inconsistent. Like letting Georgia score 21 points in one quarter on you inconsistent. 3 top 25 wins but an 8-point loss to a 4-8 SEC team inconsistent. Arch came on in the last few games. If they can improve their run game just a bit and keep this level of defense, Texas may just be a top 5 team next season. Top 25 Wins: Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma Good Wins: N/A Losses: Florida (8), Georgia (25), Ohio State (7)
20 USC Trojans They don't get the kind of love that a school like Michigan or Texas are getting but USC is damn good. You don't beat Iowa without being good. Lincoln is moving this program in the right direction, and with great recruiting classes, they may be able to compete in the next year or two. Top 25 Wins: Michigan (18) Good Wins: Iowa (5), Nebraska (4) Losses: Illinois (2), Notre Dame (10), Oregon (15)
21 Michigan Wolverines Ohio State is just too good right now. Bryce Underwood struggled all game. They have the brand and the QB to attract talent for the next few years, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them come back and compete for a playoff spot. They had a lot of turnover last season and breaking in a Freshman QB is tough. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: Nebraska (3), Washington (17) Losses: Oklahoma (11), USC (18), Ohio State (18)
22 Navy Midshipmen Another severely underrated program in the eyes of the committee. Losses to Notre Dame and North Texas, two of the best programs they've faced. Wins over South Florida (something North Texas couldn't do), and Memphis. This is a quality team. They aren't flashy, but they run one of the most complex offenses and Horvath should be a Heisman finalist with how well he's played. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: Memphis (11), South Florida (3) Losses: North Texas (14), Notre Dame (39)
23 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets A good football team that just lost their way in November. 3 losses in their last four and the sole win was a nailbiter against a 2-10 ACC team. They are basically Virginia where they games didn't go their way. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: N/A Losses: Georgia (7), Pittsburgh (14), NC State (12)
24 Arizona Wildcats They've had a terrific November. Wins over Cincinnati, Baylor, Arizona State, Colorado, and Kansas and most of them were convincing wins. If only they could've flipped that Houston game and we might be talking about them in the same conversation as Utah where they just needed a few teams to lose on Rivalry Week to get into the playoff. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: Arizona State (16) Losses: Iowa State (25), BYU (6), Houston (3)
25 New Mexico Lobos Have to give some love to the Mountain West. Racked off 6 straight conference wins, including a San Diego State team that I had in my Top 25 last week. I was debating on putting UNLV here, but New Mexico just has better wins with SDSU, UNLV, and UCLA. Top 25 Wins: N/A Good Wins: San Diego State (6), UNLV (5), UCLA (25) Losses: Michigan (17), Boise State (16), San Jose State (7)

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