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Ethanol-Muffins Ballot for 2026 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 20, 2026, 10:57 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Reports from Fall Camp, Talent Carryover, Coaching Staff, Schedule as a whole when doing preseason only, after preseason it becomes based on the body of work

Rank Team Reason
1 Ohio State Buckeyes
2 Miami Hurricanes One of the easiest schedules in the country, great coaching, great talent
3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Same as miami, easy schedule with great coaching and talent
4 Georgia Bulldogs Lots of returning young talent and Kirby has proven himself as a coach
5 Indiana Hoosiers
6 Oregon Ducks Questions regarding QB and offense after Will Stein left
7 Texas Longhorns Lots of potential, unlike what the media says it isnt so much about Arch for me as it is the offensive line and while I believe they can get it done to win I dont know how many games it will cost them
8 Texas Tech Red Raiders Team looks great this year and will likely win the big 12, though they certainly wont win any PR contests
9 Oklahoma Sooners Amazing defense, likely top 5 in the sport, offense has questions. If they can get the offense going easily can win it all.
10 Ole Miss Rebels Talent for a playoff run, questions surround new coach
11 Texas A&M Aggies
12 Michigan Wolverines Whittingham is a proven coach and Michigan enables him to get the talent he needs to go all out
13 BYU Cougars
14 Tennessee Volunteers Young QB keeps em in the teens, good defense will carry them to wins, I dont know if the offense will be good enough for a playoff berth
15 LSU Tigers Lots of talent but also lots of questions, Kiffin’s consistency in stretches of difficult games, something he never really had to deal with at Ole Miss and how he responds to trap games. Leavitt’s leg injury is still something I have questions on.
16 Penn State Nittany Lions Rhule is a good coach but it remains to be seen if the talent he brought over from Iowa State will be enough to finish above teens
17 Alabama Crimson Tide Don’t see Deboer doing great for Alabama expectations, 8-4 9-3 miss the playoffs and the fans who got used to Saban will be going crazy
18 Louisville Cardinals Brohm is a solid coach, Louisville has good talent and I think the only ACC team that could possibly beat Miami
19 Iowa Hawkeyes Same ol Iowa, very dependable to be in the high teens/low 20s. Safe bet to put here.
20 UCLA Bruins Cheney is an up and comer I have a lot of faith in this season, I wouldnt be surprised to see UCLA finish top 25
21 Navy Midshipmen Best G6 team imo, I think they will be the playoff bid for the G6
22 California Golden Bears Another up and coming coach I’m gambling on with the preseason poll, I think Lupoi can bring Cal back to some level of prominence
23 Missouri Tigers Much of Drink’s success came from his former OC, unsure what results will be with new OC and Hardy injury likely taking him out at least 3-4 weeks based on Drink’s comment at Media Days
24 Utah Utes New coach dont know what to expect bur B12 feels weak this year and could potentially do well enough for top 25 finish
25 USC Trojans Fall camp injuries hurting outlook

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