BendrickLamar19 Ballot for 2026 Week 5
Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 27, 2026, 12:27 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Trying to lean 50/25/25 on who I think has the best resume, with who I think would win on a neutral site, and in general how it looks like they’ll project in the back half of the season. Obviously bias comes in, no poll is ever 100% consistent, but I’m doing my best to keep hopium, inertia, and bias to a minimum.
Also considered (in alphabetical order) - Cincinnati, James Madison, Kentucky, Michigan (Honorary #26), New Mexico, Penn State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
|
| 2 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
|
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
|
| 4 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
|
| 5 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
|
| 6 |
Florida Gators
|
|
| 7 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
|
| 8 |
LSU Tigers
|
|
| 9 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
|
| 10 |
Utah Utes
|
|
| 11 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
No disrespect intended, Northwestern is a great football team, but it’s a similar thing to where I ranked Georgia in previous weeks, where the other teams just have better resumes. |
| 12 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
|
| 13 |
BYU Cougars
|
|
| 14 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
|
| 15 |
Oregon Ducks
|
|
| 16 |
UCLA Bruins
|
|
| 17 |
Duke Blue Devils
|
|
| 18 |
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
|
|
| 19 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
This team is dangerously close to being 2025 Virginia where they’re very clearly not that good, but somehow just keep winning. |
| 20 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
|
😁 |
| 21 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
|
| 22 |
Boise State Broncos
|
|
| 23 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
|
| 24 |
North Dakota State Bison
|
|
| 25 |
Houston Cougars
|
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Texas Longhorns
|
0.00 |
| 2 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.12 |
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 4 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.09 |
| 5 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Florida Gators
|
0.00 |
| 7 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
0.74 |
| 8 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.58 |
| 9 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
-0.21 |
| 10 |
Utah Utes
|
0.00 |
| 11 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
-0.26 |
| 12 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
0.00 |
| 13 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 14 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.00 |
| 16 |
UCLA Bruins
|
0.00 |
| 17 |
Duke Blue Devils
|
0.04 |
| 18 |
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
|
3.55 |
| 19 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
-1.17 |
| 20 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.00 |
| 22 |
Boise State Broncos
|
0.00 |
| 23 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
North Dakota State Bison
|
0.00 |
| 25 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
USC Trojans
|
0.32 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
0.13 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
0.06 |
Total Score: 7.28