Ballot Type: Hybrid
Submitted: Sept. 28, 2026, 8:26 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Human poll assisted by modified SRS
BONUS RANKINGS:
First Five Out - 1. Boise State 2. Virginia 3. Duke 4. Texas A&M 5. Kansas State
Bottom Five - 1. Charlotte 2. Louisiana-Monroe 3. Northern Illinois 4. Bowling Green 5. UTEP
"Mid" Five - 1. Army 2. Memphis 3. Navy 4. Georgia Tech 5. Liberty
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
They are beating bad teams the way a really good team is supposed to. |
| 2 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
Yeah ... |
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
Dominating Oklahoma on the defensive side of the ball doesn't say a whole lot. Dominating them on the offensive side of the ball, however, is quite the accomplishment. |
| 4 |
Texas Longhorns
|
Very phallic performance from these guys last week. |
| 5 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
Was going to keep them at #1 until they got beaten, but they've fallen far enough in my computer poll that I can no longer justify it. |
| 6 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
|
| 7 |
LSU Tigers
|
|
| 8 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
|
| 9 |
Florida Gators
|
|
| 10 |
Utah Utes
|
|
| 11 |
BYU Cougars
|
|
| 12 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
Did a double take when I saw my computer poll, but they've been quietly taking care of business. |
| 13 |
Oregon Ducks
|
|
| 14 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
|
| 15 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
Maybe they didn't get the win, but they definitely proved they belong here. |
| 16 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
|
| 17 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
I swear this isn't sour grapes for beating my team. They barely moved in my computer poll, as their marquee wins are Michigan and Iowa State, both of which they barely scraped by. |
| 18 |
USC Trojans
|
My prediction is that USC will be sitting in the 15-25 range for the remainder of the season. |
| 19 |
UCLA Bruins
|
|
| 20 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
|
| 21 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
The Louisville win looks way less impressive in hindsight, and they got absolutely bodied by Florida. The LSU win may have been purely fueled by spite. |
| 22 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
My computer poll has some built in poll inertia that doesn't really go away until the latter half of the season. They may very well be a Top 10 team. |
| 23 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
Undefeated technically, but the last two wins have failed to impress. |
| 24 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
Michigan angered Football Jesus with extra seconds and overly conservative fourth quarter playcalling. They somehow remain in the Top 25 largely as the result of a lot similarly rated teams also crapping the bed. |
| 25 |
Houston Cougars
|
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.55 |
| 2 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.99 |
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
0.00 |
| 4 |
Texas Longhorns
|
-0.19 |
| 5 |
Indiana Hoosiers
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Miami Hurricanes
|
0.00 |
| 7 |
LSU Tigers
|
0.80 |
| 8 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
Florida Gators
|
0.00 |
| 10 |
Utah Utes
|
0.00 |
| 11 |
BYU Cougars
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers
|
1.77 |
| 13 |
Oregon Ducks
|
0.10 |
| 14 |
Texas Tech Red Raiders
|
0.00 |
| 15 |
Tennessee Volunteers
|
0.30 |
| 16 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
5.18 |
| 17 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
-0.30 |
| 18 |
USC Trojans
|
0.46 |
| 19 |
UCLA Bruins
|
0.00 |
| 20 |
Pittsburgh Panthers
|
0.00 |
| 21 |
Ole Miss Rebels
|
-0.80 |
| 22 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
-0.96 |
| 23 |
Virginia Tech Hokies
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.41 |
| 25 |
Houston Cougars
|
0.00 |