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smartkeg Ballot for 2026 Week 4

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 22, 2026, 1:17 a.m.

Overall Rationale: I heavily weight current-season performance, opponent quality, game control, efficiency, margin, and the eye test, while using prior-season performance, returning talent, and preseason expectations only as supporting evidence of underlying team strength. Wins and losses are evaluated in context: a strong performance against an elite opponent can be more informative than a dominant win over a weak opponent, while a competitive loss to a great team can be more valuable than an unimpressive win over a mediocre one. Conversely, a poor performance against a weak opponent is meaningful negative evidence. Other supporting evidence: quarterback play and performance in high-leverage situations.

Goal: rank who I believe are the best teams right now.

Rank Team Reason
1 Ole Miss Rebels Best resume in the country. Louisville + LSU are now two legit wins, and Chambliss continues to perform in high-leverage situations.
2 Texas Longhorns Best win in the country and looks dominant.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 1-point road loss to Texas is still a more impressive performance than anyone behind them.
4 Georgia Bulldogs Dominant and have a comprehensive road conference win. They're in over Miami with pretty much the same season due to faith in Kirby Smart/Gunner Stockton.
5 Miami Hurricanes Dominant and have a comprehensive road conference win.
6 Indiana Hoosiers Look great but it's hard to put them higher than this due to the quality of their opponents. Defending champs get their respect.
7 Alabama Crimson Tide Kentucky was a good win and Florida State is now looking reasonably respectable, although giving up 36 keeps Alabama below the elite tier for me.
8 LSU Tigers Damn near completed the comeback against the new #1. Demolishing Clemson gives this team an impressive resume and within striking distance of what I view as the elite group. Their QB is very shaky.
9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3–0, consistently good, albeit sometimes sloppy, but still lacking a major opponent.
10 BYU Cougars Same as above: 3–0 and consistently good albeit sometimes sloppy, but still lacking a major opponent.
11 Louisville Cardinals A close neutral-site loss to #1 Ole Miss and a 10-point win over SMU. Can contend for the ACC.
12 Utah Utes Consistent and dominant. Will have more tests as their season goes on.
13 USC Trojans 4–0 and explosive offensively. Some defensive issues that keep them below Utah.
14 Michigan Wolverines Another undefeated team with glaring issues, although I feel much better about them than Week 1.
15 Tennessee Volunteers Had them at 11 last week for looking great in a road test against Georgia Tech. They haven't played anyone to justify them over other teams but they will certainly have a chance to prove themselves this weekend against Texas.
16 Texas Tech Red Raiders Close win against a good Houston squad.
17 UCLA Bruins 3 FBS wins and convincing wins against decent squads in Cal, SDSU, and Purdue. I have faith in Chesney and his offense.
18 Penn State Nittany Lions Sloppy win at Temple keeps them a bit lower than other teams who looked more consistent.
19 Mississippi State Bulldogs Road win at SC who I was high on. Gets nod over Florida for what looked like a better opponent.
20 Florida Gators 44–39 at Auburn is a legitimate road win.
21 Missouri Tigers Haven't done enough to be higher, but they have a P4 road win.
22 West Virginia Mountaineers Beat a Virginia team that was looking strong this season, worthy of a T25 nod after that.
23 Kentucky Wildcats Beat a strong looking A&M team and I think they are incredibly well coached. Looked good against Bama during the first half even though that game blew up for them.
24 Iowa Hawkeyes A consistent team that has dominated its schedule so far. The resume isn't impressive enough to move them much higher.
25 SMU Mustangs Good win against a competitive FSU team but a tough loss to Louisville.

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