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galacticdude7 Ballot for 2026 Week 5

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 27, 2026, 9:08 a.m.

Overall Rationale: based on current results plus my predictions for the remainder of the season

Rank Team Reason
1 Texas Longhorns Predicted Record: 12-0
2 Georgia Bulldogs Predicted Record: 12-0
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: @Texas (23-24)
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Predicted Record: 12-0
5 Indiana Hoosiers Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: Ohio State

Comment: The tight game against Northwestern felt more like a lower team giving the defending Champs its best shot than anything that would cause me to question Indiana as a team. I did swap them with Notre Dame, but its really a thin margin in my perception between those teams.
6 Miami Hurricanes Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: @Notre Dame
7 BYU Cougars Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: Notre Dame
8 Texas Tech Red Raiders Predicted Record: 12-0

Comment: I'm not all that confident that the Red Raiders will actually go 12-0 this season, but I'm even less confident in any of their opponents being able to knock them off, so here they stand.
9 Florida Gators Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: @Texas, Georgia
10 Tennessee Volunteers Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: Texas (17-20), LSU

Comment: This is a good example of why I use this Predicted final record stuff in my evaluations for this poll. I expected Tennessee to lose to Texas, so their loss doesn't really hurt my perception of them as a team. If anything keeping it as close as they did with the team I and many others consider number 1 in the country actually improved my perception of them as a team. In any case the result that I expected to happen did indeed happen, and my perception of the team didn't decrease, so why should I drop them in my rankings?
11 Alabama Crimson Tide Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: Georgia, @Tennessee
12 Oregon Ducks Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: @Oklahoma State (31-39), @Ohio State

Comment: It's always a tough judgement call when determining if a result is just an upset or if its indicative of something fundamentally wrong with the team, and after beating USC in the Coliseum with Dante Moore out for most of the game, I'm willing to call the loss to Oklahoma State just an upset for the time being.
13 Ole Miss Rebels Predicted Record: 9-3

Losses: @Florida (28-52), at Texas, Georgia
14 LSU Tigers Predicted Record: 9-3

Losses: at Ole Miss (24-32), Alabama, Texas
15 Utah Utes Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: BYU
16 Iowa Hawkeyes Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: Ohio State

Comment: Kind of wish they played a few other tough opponents, because this is the kind of team to go 11-1 and cause the SEC slappies to melt down if they make the playoffs.
17 USC Trojans Predicted Record: 9-3

Losses: Oregon (27-41), Ohio State, at Indiana
18 SMU Mustangs Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: @Louisville (31-41), @Notre Dame
19 Michigan Wolverines Predicted Record: 8-4

Losses: Iowa (20-19), Indiana, @Oregon, @Ohio State

Comment: As heartbreaking as that loss was, it didn't really move the needle down on Michigan for me all that much. Maybe its just homer optimism, but the offense and defense looked pretty good and that this game was lost by a young team making sloppy mistakes against a team that will make you pay for them.
20 Houston Cougars Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: @Texas Tech (26-28), @Utah
21 UCLA Bruins Predicted Record: 9-3

Losses: @Oregon, @Michigan, USC
22 Wisconsin Badgers Predicted Record: 8-4

Losses: Notre Dame (13-41), @UCLA, USC, @Iowa
23 Penn State Nittany Lions Predicted Record: 9-3

Losses: Wisconsin (20-24), USC, @Michigan
24 Louisville Cardinals Predicted Record: 10-2

Losses: Ole Miss (38-41), Wake Forest (27-30)

Comment: Oof, way to trip and fall on your face after securing a big win against SMU last week.
25 Boise State Broncos Predicted Record: 11-1

Losses: @Oregon (27-34)

Comment: Congrats Boise State, you are the first G6 team that I feel confident enough in to rank. Just don't screw up and you'll secure the G6 Playoff invite.

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