Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 27, 2026, 8 a.m.
Overall Rationale: This felt bleak trying to fill out 25 after the first 13 or 14. Could be a lot of churn up and down based on week-to-week results. I'm interested to see how bad performances might affect the overall rankings this season whereas most years inertia just holds an order absent of losses. Teams I bumped down heavily this week: Penn State - I was high on them just off eye test early in the season, but concerns over the roster turnover seem to be completely justified, and they've done nothing so far to warrant staying around after a bad home loss. SMU - Ton of offense but still a shockingly close game against a bad team, and the win over Louisville was devalued. USC - Losing to Oregon is whatever, but 41 to Raiola, and looking back at their past results (26 to SJSU, 30 to Louisiana, 35 to Rutgers) the defense is just too bad to justify. Dropped out: Penn State (8), USC (13), Louisville (15), SMU (18), WVU (24). New this week: Mississippi State (13), Oregon (16), Kentucky (23), Auburn (24), Oklahoma State (25). Next few out, in rough order: Wisconsin, SMU, Nebraska, Wake, UTSA, Cincinnati, Penn State, USC
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
|
| 2 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
|
| 3 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
|
| 4 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
|
| 5 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
|
| 6 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
|
| 7 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
|
| 8 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
|
| 9 |
Florida Gators
|
|
| 10 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
|
| 11 |
LSU Tigers
|
|
| 12 |
BYU Cougars
|
|
| 13 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
|
| 14 |
UCLA Bruins
|
|
| 15 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
|
| 16 |
Oregon Ducks
|
|
| 17 |
Utah Utes
|
|
| 18 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
|
| 19 |
Houston Cougars
|
|
| 20 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
|
| 21 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
|
| 22 |
Duke Blue Devils
|
|
| 23 |
Kentucky Wildcats
|
|
| 24 |
Auburn Tigers
|
|
| 25 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
|
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 2 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.25 |
| 3 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.00 |
| 4 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 7 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.54 |
| 8 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
Florida Gators
|
0.00 |
| 10 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.09 |
| 11 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 13 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
UCLA Bruins
|
0.13 |
| 15 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.30 |
| 16 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.00 |
| 17 |
Utah Utes
|
-0.80 |
| 18 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
-0.60 |
| 19 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.75 |
| 20 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
0.00 |
| 22 |
Duke Blue Devils
|
0.00 |
| 23 |
Kentucky Wildcats
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
Auburn Tigers
|
0.09 |
| 25 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
|
-0.14 |