Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 14, 2026, 9:13 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Really hard to determine when so many top 15 teams are playing easy opponents, so I'm going by how dominant their possessions and stats were while also rewarding the teams with big wins
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
20 point comeback against #1, enough said |
| 2 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
Looks absolutely dominant |
| 3 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
Dominant win, not much competition |
| 4 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
ditto |
| 5 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
ditto again |
| 6 |
LSU Tigers
|
High on them for stomping Clemson, but Clemson may not be that good after a shaky game against Ga Southern |
| 7 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
Still crazy talented, but you can't blow that lead |
| 8 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
They scored a lot against a conference team |
| 9 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
Great wins, but defense gave up a lot late to Louisville |
| 10 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
Nice jump for handling ASU |
| 11 |
BYU Cougars
|
Good wins so far, not tested too much |
| 12 |
USC Trojans
|
3 wins help pull them up |
| 13 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
Complete win over P4 team |
| 14 |
Utah Utes
|
Dominant win over an SEC team moves you up |
| 15 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
Oregon St game a little close for comfort |
| 16 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
Started really slow |
| 17 |
SMU Mustangs
|
Bounced back after a close game |
| 18 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
Defense wins championships? |
| 19 |
Missouri Tigers
|
Big rivalry win helps a lot |
| 20 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
Squeaked out a win, offense did not look good |
| 21 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
Good looking team overall, but a close loss keeps them low |
| 22 |
Houston Cougars
|
Two good wins against really easy competition |
| 23 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
Michigan is tough, but you can't justify only scoring 10 points |
| 24 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
Looking good, but the jury is still out on NC State win |
| 25 |
Oregon Ducks
|
Just squeaked into the poll because of how dominant their offense was in game 1. Game 2 obviously a disaster, but there's still hope |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 2 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.15 |
| 3 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 4 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 7 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 8 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.00 |
| 10 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
0.00 |
| 11 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
USC Trojans
|
0.00 |
| 13 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
Utah Utes
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.00 |
| 16 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.00 |
| 17 |
SMU Mustangs
|
0.00 |
| 18 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.12 |
| 19 |
Missouri Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 20 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
0.01 |
| 22 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 23 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
Virginia Cavaliers
|
-0.15 |
| 25 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.00 |