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ikindalikelemons Ballot for 2026 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 17, 2026, 12:57 p.m.

Overall Rationale: It's the preseason who really even has a rationale. However, i'll be damned if I rank a random SEC or B1G team (Iowa, Penn St, Tennessee, Mizzou, etc.) instead of a couple G6 teams I'm high on. #25 in my preseason poll shall go to the FCS team I believe will win the title this season.

Rank Team Reason
1 Oregon Ducks I like the returning production, and Dante Moore is arguably the best returning QB in the highest-impact situation.
2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish This team could be terrifyingly deep, and I really like CJ Carr's development. This is probably the team I'd least like my beloved Georgia Bulldogs to match up against.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes I mean it's Ohio State.
4 Georgia Bulldogs Alumnus status aside, the Dawgs return a ridiculous amount of production for still being one of the youngest teams in the country.
5 Miami Hurricanes I'm a Darian Mensah believer, even if I'm not as much of a Cristobal believer.
6 Indiana Hoosiers I'm a Cignetti believer, even if I'm not as much of a Josh Hoover believer. Putting them this low feels insane to me, but a portal program is going to be risky, even if Cig is as phenomenal as we know he is.
7 Texas A&M Aggies Everything from here to like 18 is a crapshoot to me. I reordered them like twelve times, but I think I have talked myself into Marcel Reed and the litany of defensive stars in College Station
8 USC Trojans I'm higher than many on USC, and I'm prepared to eat crow if Lincoln Riley's team wilts again. This is a lot of impact returning, and a lot of opportunities on the schedule to prove that. I think 10-2 would net them a playoff spot, and that's my expectation.
9 Texas Longhorns I grew up--literally--watching Peyton Manning every single Sunday from my seats in the RCA Dome (RIP) and Lucas Oil Stadium. Arch is not him. There's a lot of talent though, and one of my former students is a freshman CB so I'll give them a top 10.
10 BYU Cougars A lot of this hinges on the development of Bear Bachmeier, which I'm buying for now.
11 Ole Miss Rebels One of the hardest teams to evaluate. All the portal programs are, really, but this felt like a lot of moving pieces. Won't be surprised if they go up or down in a volatile motion in my rankings once the season starts.
12 Oklahoma Sooners There's a lot of great pieces there, but Mateer's volatility scares me a bit. Therefore, I put them smack in the middle of my big pack of who knows.
13 Texas Tech Red Raiders They paid for a lot of skill and it's been proven to work for them last season. But they went after Sorsby for a reason, and nobody can be sure if Will Hammond is ready.
14 Utah Utes New coach, lots of new faces. But I like Devon Dampier in just about any college offense.
15 LSU Tigers I'm lower on LSU than many, and I may get flak. Kiffin got himself a lot of proven players, but I'm still shaky on Sam Leavitt. The injury concerns aside, I just don't see a lot in his game that elevates a team the way he'll need to week in and week out against a tougher schedule than he saw at ASU.
16 Washington Huskies Even I'm sick of hearing me talk about QBs, but Demond Williams is an elevator. I think Fisch is making the right moves progressing the program in the wake of DeBoer leaving too.
17 Alabama Crimson Tide Do I think Alabama is a better team than #17? Yes, I do. Do I have any clue who their QB is? No, I do not. No named leader, no benefit of the doubt in my rankings.
18 Houston Cougars Now I personally hope they hand the keys to Keisean Henderson. I don't think they're gonna win the Big 12 this year, but I think they're good and I think they can build toward being a solidified playoff contender in 2027. 2026 should be a building year while still having the potential to contend for a Big 12 title and potential playoff berth.
19 Louisville Cardinals This is more about my belief in Jeff Brohm than anything, but there's a lot of potential impact players in Louisville, even if I'm a bit wary of them.
20 Boise State Broncos Admittedly, I don't really know what the new Pac-12 is going to look like this year. But I do know that Boise State looks like they should run it.
21 Navy Midshipmen I feel like every time I'm buying on a service academy, they let me down. So I'm prepared for that. BUT, I think they actually have the talent to win the American and shoot for the playoff. Plus I wanna see what happens if the Army-Navy game has playoff implications.
22 Clemson Tigers I don't know if Swinney has the chops anymore to be honest. The talent is still there, and I'm fully ready to drop them if LSU kicks their teeth in, but I'm interested to see if it can parlay the talent into a 9-10 win season again after a bizarre-looking 2025.
23 California Golden Bears I didn't want to cop out with one of the mediocre B1G or SEC teams, and I think JKS is a star in the making. Also this is my team in an online dynasty I do with my friends so I'm playing homer for fun.
24 UNLV Rebels Sneaky good team, Dan Mullen can probably coach circles around most of the rebuilt Mountain West, maybe the Alex Orji renaissance finally happens, idk.
25 South Dakota State Jackrabbits My predicted FCS Champions

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