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DarthYoda2594 Ballot for 2026 Week 8

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 18, 2026, 9:31 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Continuing w/ team explanations where I think they're warranted in the actual team section as opposed to here, with the exception of a couple teams I left unranked. Mississippi State - Hard to say, but clearly it's a one man team. Get Taylor back and win a game or two and you're easily back in. SMU - No resume and potentially will never have one. Loss is fine at best, pretty bad at worst. I just don't see it. JMU - Really just couldn't find a spot, I will give Texas the benefit of the doubt just because Tennessee win improved, don't want to drop Boise after a bye. They'll get in. Dropped out: Mississippi State (18), Wisconsin (21), Nebraska (23), Oklahoma State (25). New this week: LSU (19), Auburn (20), Florida (22), Oregon (25). Next few out, in rough order: James Madison, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, SMU, Mississippi State, North Carolina

Rank Team Reason
1 BYU Cougars Of the undefeateds, they now have the best win. Good enough for me
2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish If I'm going to put BYU #1, they arguably got shafted twice on the same play to beat #1 on the road. Hardly worthy of punishment. In a week where Miami, Utah, UCLA didn't look good, why not? Strange to think this game was a 1-2 matchup though.
3 Miami Hurricanes Somehow have looked worse every week. I still think they're not moving down because of pedigree, but it seems inevitable they drop one at some point.
4 Utah Utes
5 Texas Tech Red Raiders Houston win improves so they get the biggest bump
6 Ole Miss Rebels Very strange team. Sometimes unbeatable, and once completely awful. Florida moving back in helps that loss out, and obviously the best *performance* (not "win", I guess) of the weekend. Worthy to jump some of the other one losses if we're factoring in recency at all (which I tend to do about 1/3).
7 Georgia Bulldogs Home loss makes it worse. They'll be fine. 3.3% SP loss probability, chalking this up to more fluke than anything so they get the least punishment.
8 UCLA Bruins After re-evaluating it, they have no resume. May not play a ranked team until USC, if at all. Undefeated is undefeated and wisconsin is a solid team, but they might be capped here.
9 Ohio State Buckeyes Texas loss now looks actually pretty bad. Can't move them down too much more than this after a win over a top 10 team, but that could also be considered a fake win considering the final play, and future prospects look bad. I don't like to factor that in too much, but in this case more as a tiebreaker.
10 Tennessee Volunteers Likewise with OSU, Texas loss is worse. Although that was with Brandon, and the defense looks exceptional. Potentially 1 6 sack performance away from a #1
11 Indiana Hoosiers Tough. Also tough to evaluate, nebraska win got worse, best otherwise is Northwestern? Kind of a weak resume as well (maybe this is a Big 10 theme)
12 Kentucky Wildcats Silently been awesome
13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Silently been awesome (2)
14 Iowa Hawkeyes
15 USC Trojans
16 Houston Cougars Tough eval here as well - Great win, but defense highly suspect. Played a now top 5 team close. Otherwise nothing. Look forward to the Utah game this week
17 Alabama Crimson Tide Whatever, awful performance but road game vs. an equitable team. Still trust Russell to figure it out. Not going to punish them too much, Mississippi State win isn't diminished in my eyes for their non-Taylor performance, Georgia loss is still roughly the same to me, and Kentucky win looks better.
18 Northwestern Wildcats
19 LSU Tigers Too convincing to leave out. Ole Miss resume is going up and that comeback looks decent enough. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and the top of the next 5 (SEC hell)
20 Auburn Tigers Beat #1 you have to get in. No idea what this team is - kind of play a grindy style though that can potentially hang with anyone. Florida enters, Tennessee improves, so the two losses aren't bad either.
21 Missouri Tigers Tough week, but road, Florida win improves. Stay in for now.
22 Florida Gators Basically the straw stirring the drink of so many teams in the rankings right now. Can beat anyone and get blown out by anyone.
23 Texas Longhorns One more week. Looking at the upcoming schedule, it's conceivable they could go .500 or worse if they keep playing like this. Still beat Ohio State and I can't kick that.
24 Boise State Broncos
25 Oregon Ducks Whatever, someone has to be 25. I said in my rationale last week that beating Nebraska would go a long way. Whatever that was last night was not what i meant but I will stick to my word.

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