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quantum_jedi Ballot for 2026 Week 4

Ballot Type: Computer

Submitted: Sept. 21, 2026, 1:03 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Resume ranking that evaluates teams based on who they beat/lost to. More points are awarded for beating good teams and less points are subtracted for losing to good teams. Preseason rankings are evaluated based on weighted previous two year's performance, returning production, and team talent composite. Beating an FCS opponent is awarded minimally, but losing is punished. Ranking score is modified by strength of opponent and travel distance to away games. Early season rankings are influenced heavily by strong non-conference wins (e.g., beating two decent teams is rewarded more than beating a single strong team and an FCS team) though this is biased by preseason rankings. Score accumulates throughout the season, so points are awarded based on the models perception of teams at the time. Higher weighting is given to big wins over losses.

Next five out: Missouri (33.58), Clemson (33.48), Kentucky (32.68), Louisville (32.02), West Virginia (31.71)

Rank Team Reason
1 Texas Longhorns (53.14, +0) Not the best showing from Texas, but pulled away from UTSA in a hangover game with a big orange showdown next week
2 Ole Miss Rebels (51.61, +6) What a game! Fantastic win for the Rebels, but no rest with a resurgent Florida next.
3 Duke Blue Devils (44.71, +0) Duke stays near the top of these rankings with another win over a "power" team in Stanford, but the pack is rapidly catching. Duke is a solid team, but still overvalued by the model in the early season.
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (44.09, +7) Good win for the Irish over what seems to be a more disciplined Michigan State team. Would like to see more from the offense, but defense is amazing as advertised. Good luck Purdue...
5 USC Trojans (42.99, -1) The cross country travel has been hard for B1G teams, but USC looked shakey on defense letting Rutgers move the ball, seemingly, at will. Massive "prove it" matchup against Oregon next.
6 Michigan Wolverines (42.57, -1) That was a nervy first half for the Wolverines against an awful UTEP, but offense came alive in the second half. That win over Oklahoma is doing a lot to prop up this team and I'm not convinced this team (or Oklahoma) should be ranked at all. A very interesting game against Iowa next in what should be an absolute slog.
7 Texas A&M Aggies (41.94, -5) Why is A&M still this high? After getting dominated by Kentucky at home, this makes me question the models weights... The Aggies are on fraud watch for me but have a chance to make a statement over LSU next week.
8 Alabama Crimson Tide (41.85, -2) Weird game for the Tide. Maybe FSU is actually better than expected, but Alabama has some issues to fix. Good news is they get to work on this against a struggling South Carolina next.
9 BYU Cougars (41.84, -2) Don't let the final score deceive, this was a dominant win for BYU over Colorado State. Maybe this is looking too far ahead, but I am getting very excited for October 17th.
10 Texas Tech Red Raiders (40.89, +7) Really good win for Texas Tech over a good Houston team. It remains to be seen if this team is as good as last year, but Tech is finding ways to win close games.
11 Georgia Bulldogs (40.78, -1) Georgia really should be ranked significantly higher after obliterating the Hogs. This team is excellent.
12 Miami Hurricanes (40.35, +7) Darian Mensah is good.
13 Vanderbilt Commodores (39.80, +1) Gifted a miracle by NC State in a game Vandy should have lost. The Dores keep winning and have an intriguing game against Auburn next. That said, I hope Jared Curtis stays because he looks legit.
14 Indiana Hoosiers (38.94, -1) Vaporized an awful WKU team. Warm-up games end for the reigning champs with a surprisingly feisty Northwestern coming to Bloomington.
15 Oregon Ducks (37.08, -3) Dude, what is going on with Dan Lanning? Maybe the expectations are starting to get to him? A win over USC next week would do a lot to stabilize emotions in Eugene.
16 LSU Tigers (36.45, -7) On the losing side of a highly entertaining game at Ole Miss. Sam Leavitt is still the same as at ASU and needs to be better if LSU is to match the talk.
17 Florida Gators (36.21, +14) Good win for the Gators over Auburn. Florida is so much better with Sumrall at the helm. I'm very interested in next week's game against Ole Miss.
18 Kansas State Wildcats (35.80, +15) Kansas State and Avery Johnson is a fun, chaotic watch. I'm not totally convinced this team is good but they are heading in the right direction with Optimus Klein in control
19 Tennessee Volunteers (35.60, +1) Another year of Tennessee looking like paper tigers. Texas coming to Knoxville with be a huge test for the Vols to prove that they can compete.
20 Pittsburgh Panthers (34.99, +4) Is Pitt good? I really don't know, but the Panthers are undefeated and will stay that way with Bucknell next.
21 UCLA Bruins (34.48, +2) Good win for UCLA at home over Purdue. This team is much improved but a tricky cross country trip to Maryland is next.
22 Ohio State Buckeyes (34.08, +0) A team that should be ranked much, much higher but all the model sees is that they lost close to Texas and their biggest win to date might be Ball State? Expect the Buckeyes to rocket up the rankings list over the next few weeks.
23 Oklahoma Sooners (33.84, +10) I am not happy that Oklahoma is still ranked. New Mexico is a scrappy team, but oh boy do the Sooners have problems on offense...
24 Mississippi State Bulldogs (33.75, +15) What a fantastic start to the season for Mississippi State! Interesting pairing of two good, but probably not great teams, with Mizzou coming to Starkville.
25 Utah Utes (33.70, -10) Utah did what Washington couldn't and crushed Utah State. However the Utes drop due to other teams having better wins this week. Regardless, this Utah team is really good.

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