Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 20, 2026, 5:51 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Early season polls are always a tough balancing act between preseason expectations, rewarding beating supposedly good teams, blowing out bad teams, and how much to punish "quality losses". I am a much bigger fan of later in the year when we can go entirely by the resume.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
#1 till proven otherwise. Last Week: #1 |
| 2 |
Texas Longhorns
|
Best win in the country. Last Week: #2 |
| 3 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
Best pair of two wins in the country. Last Week: #13 |
| 4 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
Still think they are the most talented/"best" team and the metrics tend to agree. Last Week: #4 |
| 5 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
Taking care of business so far. First true test this week. Last Week: #6 |
| 6 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
Didn't love the performance against MSU. Last Week: #5 |
| 7 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
Didn't exactly show out against Wake Forest but a win is a win Last Week: #7 |
| 8 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
Important B12 win over Houston gives them a good mark on their resume even if they haven't been impressive so far. Last Week: #11 |
| 9 |
LSU Tigers
|
Not gonna kill a team for losing by one score on the road against a ranked team. Bounceback opportunity vs TAMU....Clemson might just be bad though. Last Week: #3 |
| 10 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
Shrug....numbers say this is around a top 10 team....giving up nearly 40 to FSU though.... Last Week: #8 |
| 11 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
Getting the job done early in the year. Last Week: #14 |
| 12 |
USC Trojans
|
Speaking of giving up a lot of points to subpar teams....RUTGERS? we'll find out if this team is real next week. Last Week: #10 |
| 13 |
BYU Cougars
|
Y'all exist I suppose? Last Week: #12 |
| 14 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
The post-Franklin era is off to a solid start...schedule lines up very nicely for them this year. Last Week: #15 |
| 15 |
Utah Utes
|
BTA so far this year. Last Week: #16 |
| 16 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
Huge road game against Michigan next week. Last Week: #17 |
| 17 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
Apologies for being low on y'all. Impressive win against SMU last week. Last Week: NR |
| 18 |
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
|
For people who don't like this team being ranked, y'all can be HUGE Arkansas fans this week. Last Week: #21 |
| 19 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
|
Very good at home, very bad on the road, test against a WVU team who has looked good so far. Last Week: #22 |
| 20 |
Oregon Ducks
|
That's certainly one way to bounce back from a loss. Last Week: #23 |
| 21 |
Boise State Broncos
|
If no one watched a game does it still count? Last Week: #24 |
| 22 |
Western Michigan Broncos
|
I am SO excited for this game next week. Gameday is cowards for not coming here. Last Week: #25 |
| 23 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
Can you all win a normal game? No? Fine....just keep doing it then. Last Week: NR |
| 24 |
SMU Mustangs
|
Great back and forth road game against a good Louisville team. Will keep them in the rankings for now. Last Week: #19 |
| 25 |
Houston Cougars
|
Man you were UP 10-0....still a very valiant effort will keep them in the rankings. Last Week: #20 Lot of teams I wanted to consider ranking this week! Between Florida, Miss St, VT, WVU, and NDSU....love a week where I'm not struggling to find 25 teams. DROPPED: #9 TAMU (really y'all?), #18 UVA (lol) |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.35 |
| 2 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 3 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.00 |
| 4 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.29 |
| 5 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.00 |
| 7 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 8 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.26 |
| 9 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.34 |
| 10 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 11 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.13 |
| 12 |
USC Trojans
|
0.00 |
| 13 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
Utah Utes
|
0.00 |
| 16 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
0.00 |
| 17 |
Louisville Cardinals
|
0.00 |
| 18 |
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
|
1.50 |
| 19 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
|
5.83 |
| 20 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Boise State Broncos
|
3.82 |
| 22 |
Western Michigan Broncos
|
1.71 |
| 23 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
SMU Mustangs
|
0.00 |
| 25 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
Florida Gators
|
0.62 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
0.44 |
Missouri Tigers
|
0.41 |
Duke Blue Devils
|
0.00 |
West Virginia Mountaineers
|
0.10 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
0.01 |
Total Score: 15.82