PlactusTX Ballot for 2026 Week 2
Ballot Type: Hybrid
Submitted: Sept. 7, 2026, 11:38 p.m.
Overall Rationale: First divide teams into tiers, then sort within each tier. For early season polls, tiers are based on preseason projected finish, with spot adjustments made and to be completely reevaluated once there are enough results to do so. I made one mistake last week that has been corrected, and one small change (for early season, I-AA teams count as Tier 7) that resulted in some minor shuffling.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
LW: 1 | W Wisconsin | Tier 1, win over Tier 3 team |
| 2 |
LSU Tigers
|
LW: 2 | W Clemson |
| 3 |
Oregon Ducks
|
LW: 3 | W Boise State |
| 4 |
Texas Longhorns
|
LW: 4 | W Texas State | Tier 1, win over Tier 5 team |
| 5 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
LW: 5 | W North Texas |
| 6 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
LW: 6 | W Ball State | Tier 1, win over Tier 6 team |
| 7 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
LW: 7 | W Tennessee State | Tier 1 |
| 8 |
SMU Mustangs
|
LW: 8 | W Florida State | Tier 2, win over Tier 4 team |
| 9 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
LW: 10 | W East Carolina | Tier 2, win over Tier 5 team |
| 10 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
LW: 11 | W Stanford |
| 11 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
LW: 12 | W Missouri State |
| 12 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
LW: 15 | W Marshall | Tier 2, win over Tier 6 team |
| 13 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
LW: 16 | W Northern Illinois |
| 14 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
LW: 13 | W Abilene Christian | Tier 2 |
| 15 |
BYU Cougars
|
LW: 14 | W Utah Tech |
| 16 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
LW: 18 | W Louisville | Tier 3, win over Tier 3 team |
| 17 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
LW: 19 | W North Carolina State | Tier 3, win over Tier 4 team |
| 18 |
USC Trojans
|
LW: 17 | W San Jose State, W Fresno State | Tier 3, wins over Tier 5 and Tier 6 teams |
| 19 |
Washington Huskies
|
LW: 20 | W Washington State | Tier 3, win over Tier 5 team |
| 20 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
LW: 22 | W Miami (Ohio) |
| 21 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
LW: 24 | W Ohio | Tier 3, win over Tier 6 team |
| 22 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
LW: NR | W Texas-El Paso |
| 23 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
|
LW: NR | W Alabama-Birmingham |
| 24 |
Arizona Wildcats
|
LW: 23 | W Northern Arizona | Tier 3 |
| 25 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
LW: 25 | W VMI |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.56 |
| 2 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.43 |
| 3 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.34 |
| 4 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
-0.10 |
| 7 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 8 |
SMU Mustangs
|
1.38 |
| 9 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.24 |
| 10 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
-0.82 |
| 11 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.66 |
| 13 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
1.46 |
| 14 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 16 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
-0.27 |
| 17 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
0.14 |
| 18 |
USC Trojans
|
-0.32 |
| 19 |
Washington Huskies
|
0.00 |
| 20 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
3.49 |
| 21 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
4.01 |
| 22 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
-2.16 |
| 23 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
|
1.73 |
| 24 |
Arizona Wildcats
|
0.14 |
| 25 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.86 |
Utah Utes
|
0.66 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.31 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
0.02 |
Total Score: 20.09