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jalexjsmithj Ballot for 2026 Week 5

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 29, 2026, 10:52 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Ratings are result of a weighted average that is .9 anecdotal human eye test rankings and .1 the Colley Matrix. That weight will shift .1 towards the colley for every week remaining in the season.

As always, Big 12 bias.

Rank Team Reason
1 Miami Hurricanes I think Miami has the clear best combination of power in the trenches, high end but responsible QB play, and elite skill talent. I saw them in person vs Wake, and the power of their run game blew me away. Wake kept it close via passing, but even then, with the added context of Miami had both starting corners out, I think they’re just the best team.
2 Texas Longhorns Ohio st win speaks for itself, as does Tennessee. Offense has some questions but that defense is becoming unquestionable from havoc perspective.
3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish A bit of inertia benefit, but the recipe of elite scrimmage play on both sides off the ball, strong QB play, and elite play in the secondary goes a long way.
4 Oklahoma State Cowboys I know the shit will be coming since it’s my flair. But the point here, is that in a vacuum an elite win and a bad loss is worth more than elite loss. And that’s the battle of OSU v OSU here. Now, the pushback here is, yeah but with the eye test, Ohio state is better duh. And I’m sorry, but that Oklahoma State win over Oregon tells the story of a team that has tier 1 upside. They functionally crushed Oregon, who only kept it close with 14 points off turnovers and outgained them by more than 300 yards. WV was a huge win in a hostile environment and it was done by rotating through 12 (12!) defensive linemen, the kind of depth in the trenches Big 12 hyflying offenses have always missesd Mesemaker is playing QB like the type of difference maker who can make up the difference of many other talent gaps.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes Good loss, great talent. Inertia
6 Florida Gators I’ll be honest, I think if they play Ole Miss next week I’m taking Ole Miss, but I can’t ignore the h2h.
7 Ole Miss Rebels I still think they are clearly tier 1 team. Closer to Texas than they are to Mississippi State.
8 Alabama Crimson Tide Brand and inertia
9 Oregon Ducks Still a great lower tier 1 team.
10 LSU Tigers Tier 1 team in that environment.
11 Indiana Hoosiers We know nothing but I love Hoover from his TCU days, and faith in the ecosystem.
12 Georgia Bulldogs
13 BYU Cougars
14 UCLA Bruins
15 Texas Tech Red Raiders
16 Mississippi State Bulldogs
17 Iowa Hawkeyes
18 Duke Blue Devils
19 Cincinnati Bearcats
20 Auburn Tigers
21 Utah Utes
22 Houston Cougars
23 West Virginia Mountaineers
24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
25 Boise State Broncos

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