Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 13, 2026, 12:24 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Head-to-head prevails.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
Statement win. Team to beat, especially once the kinks got ironed out |
| 2 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
Rice is fine, but still undefeated |
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
Move up because of some other things that happened |
| 4 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
Ditto |
| 5 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
Ditto |
| 6 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
ASU is a little better than Oregon State, and the Aggies dominated by more |
| 7 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
Oregon State isn't amazing (better than most teams' competition, though), and the Raiders let it stay a little close |
| 8 |
LSU Tigers
|
Jump Ohio State |
| 9 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
Losing to #1 in a close one limits the fall |
| 10 |
USC Trojans
|
Good win; move up two spots |
| 11 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
Move up two spots for other teams' performance |
| 12 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
Ditto |
| 13 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
Ditto |
| 14 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
Ditto |
| 15 |
Missouri Tigers
|
Move up three spots because Washington also fell |
| 16 |
Florida Gators
|
Move up three spots because Washington also fell |
| 17 |
Washington Huskies
|
Win means they fall behind Mizzou and Florida; Oregon/Oklahoma make sure they don't fall in absolute terms |
| 18 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
Move up two |
| 19 |
BYU Cougars
|
Ditto |
| 20 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
Ditto after a gutsy Cy-Hawk win |
| 21 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
Back in the rankings after a great game against OU |
| 22 |
Oregon Ducks
|
Still ranked; Boise fell out because of this fall, but that win/preseason expectations keep them in the mix (just) |
| 23 |
South Carolina Gamecocks
|
No change |
| 24 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
No change, though beating the ODU curse is promising |
| 25 |
Western Michigan Broncos
|
Replace Boise because that team lost to #22, and Western all but won against #21. |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 2 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.15 |
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.07 |
| 4 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
0.12 |
| 7 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.96 |
| 8 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 10 |
USC Trojans
|
0.00 |
| 11 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.20 |
| 13 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
Missouri Tigers
|
1.05 |
| 16 |
Florida Gators
|
1.27 |
| 17 |
Washington Huskies
|
2.34 |
| 18 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
1.00 |
| 19 |
BYU Cougars
|
-0.75 |
| 20 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.00 |
| 22 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.00 |
| 23 |
South Carolina Gamecocks
|
0.27 |
| 24 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
0.00 |
| 25 |
Western Michigan Broncos
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
Utah Utes
|
1.43 |
SMU Mustangs
|
1.14 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
0.57 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.43 |
Total Score: 11.75