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_THE__BOULDER_ Ballot for 2026 Week 8

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 20, 2026, 9:27 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Personal thoughts. I combine my thoughts on the individual games and the eye test, as well as trying to take SOS, SOR, and SP+ into account. Biased towards the Florida Gators

Changes from Last Week

Teams In:
Florida
LSU

Teams Out:
Nebraska
Mississippi St

Rank Team Reason
1 BYU Cougars BYU wins a top 10 match up. I had BYU at 6 last week and ND at 3. With that in mind, BYU currently has the single best win and is undefeated, making them #1 overall this week.
Oh and that trick play touchdown they had was magnifique.
2 Miami Hurricanes A close call at home against FSU. People will argue that Miami was bailed out (twice) in OT as both of FSU's long touchdown attempts were called in Miami's favor - 1 for holding, the other claimed to be an INT by Miami. I don't personally agree with either call, but I can see how the INT was not enough to overturn given the call on the field. The holding, on the other hand, seemed much more arguable.
Either way, this was an extremely entertaining game between conference & in-state rivals. FSU came to play and did look good on offense. Miami has been a team where I thought they might be one of the most complete teams in CFB this year. Their offense is still elite, even if I feel like they run too much of it through Toney. That being said, he is Mr. Reliable. Their defense needed some work though. I'm not convinced Norvell's issue is that he can't coach on the field; I'm more convinced that Novell's issue is that they have been recruiting nowhere up to Florida State's previous standards. I'm definitely convinced that Miami might have been in much more trouble if the talent gap wasn't as wide.

Miami has some interesting games coming up - Pitt, @ Notre Dame , Duke, VT. I'm no longer as convinced that Miami will walk through this schedule.
3 Texas Tech Red Raiders Since the Houston game, TTech has been not been breezing through their schedule as much as I would have liked to see from them. They have some potential tests coming up in the next month in Arizona & @Oklahoma St. I won't be surprised if they are undefeated going into the Big 12 CG, but I also don't think this team is nearly as good as it was last year, so I won't be surprised if they drop one or both of the two games I mentioned above. This game was more of a step in the right direction though. They did fumble on the goal line at the beginning of the game, showing some of the offensive issues that I think have been prevalent in this team, but then they pick-6ed only a few plays later, and continued to move from there. They are undefeated, and have a good win in Houston (I have them at 14th, currently), which I think should put them high in the rankings. But I also won't be surprised if they move down by the end of the season.
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Losing by 4 on the road to a good BYU team. Per the Big 12, ND was owed an extra attempt, even if the PI no-call was justified, as there was supposed to be 1 more second on the clock. I still think ND is good, and they seem to have developed their downfield passing a bit which is good. Theoretically, the only real test on left on their schedule should be Miami. If they don't beat Miami, I'm fairly certain they won't make the CFB unless there are a lot of 3-loss teams that are in the playing field (which is entirely possible given the chaos that has occurred so far this season). But, for right now, this team barely lost on the road to another top 10 team and I think deserves a top-5 spot (prior to this weekend, I had ND at 3, BYU at 6). Because the game was so close, and on the road, I don't feel that it is warranted to drop ND much farther than that.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes OSU's offense did not look great out there. I have said it before, but I am worried that this team relies on Jeremiah Smith too much, and Smith was relatively limited on Saturday. Both he and Bo Jackson were limited by a good Indiana defense. They ended up winning this game by inches, and now Julian Sayin is hurt and their backup, Luke Fahey, did not look good. They have a bye before they end up playing USC on Halloween. If Sayin isn't back, I'm not sure how that will go. USC is not very good, but the OSU offense left a lot to be desired with Sayin out, and, frankly, didn't even look good with him in. Sayin is supposed to be out at least a couple weeks. This could spell some issues for this OSU team.
6 Indiana Hoosiers Indiana lost this game by literal inches. While their offense struggled throughout the game, they did have a good chance to walk off with the win at the very end and it fell through. This year's offense, as I have mentioned before, is nowhere near the level of last year's. But that defense looked very good yesterday, with their main mistake being giving up a 38 yard touchdown to Smith. Indiana doesn't have a lot of firepower left to play against - Michigan might have more potential now that they're looking at a QB change, but USC is the only other team with much of a pulse on their schedule, even if I don't think USC is very good.
7 Utah Utes This game against Colorado was much closer than I think Utah should have let it be. Colorado is not good. Granted, the score only got as close as it did as Colorado scored with over a minute left and was unable to make anything happen despite forcing Utah to punt. This is the first time I've seen Utah relatively limited this year. I think they're a good squad and I'm hoping this was just a bad game, but they must be careful not to let it happen again. They play Houston this upcoming weekend, which should be a good test. The Holy War this year could very much be a Top 10 matchup.
8 Georgia Bulldogs Lost at home to an unranked Auburn. Stockton looked terrible out there. Leading up to this game, he had been one of, if not the best, QB in terms of QBR. Three total turnovers (2INTs, 1FUM), a limited rushing game, very out of character game for UGA. Auburn basically out-Georgia'd the Bulldogs and it was something to see. I thought Smart had drilled those kinds of games out of his QBs, as they tend to be efficient even if not the best out there, but this was certainly not a good game for them. Bye week then the Cocktail Party on Halloween.
9 Ole Miss Rebels Absolutely blew out Mizzou's back. I had been pretty positive on Mizzou after they dealt with UF and TAMU handily, as that offense looked to be flying high and I was very sure that Ole Miss's defense would not be able to handle it. But handle it they did. Mizzou had 39 total rushing yards and no TDs despite 339 passing yards - Austin Simmons threw an interception though. The Rebels only forced one turnover, however, which is pretty crazy given the score disparity. Instead, they allowed a FG early, Mizzou missed a FG in Q2, and then proceeded to never get close to the endzone again. Did not expect this performance but it was a welcome sight.
10 Tennessee Volunteers This offense still needs work, but this defense is quite good, and they showed it against Alabama. Russell has been one of the better QBs in this league and he looked terrible out there, with the Vols collecting turnovers early on and ending any chance Alabama had with one final interception. MacIntyre seems to be the better out of Tennessee's options, but I wouldn't say he played especially well. That rushing offense went well, however, as they rode DeSean Bishop into the ground - 32 carries, 159 yards, and 2 TDs. He only averaged 5 YPC, which is good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't like he was breaking off big plays all the time. Instead, they were methodical and, ultimately, were able to run it down Alabama's throats.
11 Houston Cougars Houston moves up from #14 for me after a close win at home to a good OKST team. Conner Weigman threw for 5TDs, 343YDs on 24/33, and 1INT. The Houston offense rushed for 162 yards. In total, over 500 yards of offense. They started off slow - throwing an INT on their first drive, but the defense managed to hold OKST to a FG. The Houston offense scored a TD on the next drive and never trailed again - although OKST kept it close and was trying to get the lead. A good game, and these boys play Utah this upcoming weekend. Looking forward to this Big12 game and its implications. Houston has the ability to potentially go 11-1, 10-2 given their schedule. Due to the loss to TTech, I don't think they have a shot at the Big12 Title Game, but this team has some playoff potential.
12 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama's offense was stifled. I'd say their defense did fairly well - they did come away with an INT and forced a FUM but were unable to recover it, if I recall correctly. But their offense was outmatched in Neyland stadium. Only 201 total yards, 4 turnovers. Quite ugly. Quite the dismantling. Alabama has a TAMU team that has been facing some severe hardships and currently sits at 4-3 after a win vs Citadel this past weekend. Very much a get-it-right opportunity for Alabama as they look to get back into shape before a bye week and then LSU the first weekend of November.
13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Destroyed Cal. As mentioned in previous weeks, I am really enjoying this Demon Deacon offense. Gio Lopez threw for 4TDs, no INTs, and 267 yards on 16/23 throws. Wake also had 3 50+ yard rushers with 2 rushing TDs. They look good out there. Although they weren't enough to compete with Miami, they still played the Hurricanes fairly well and, looking at their schedule, there's no reason the Demon Deacons can't win out. They have some decent teams in Virginia, SMU, and Duke still left on the schedule, but none of these are teams I would currently consider to be scary. Worth taking seriously, but not scary.
14 Kentucky Wildcats The Wildcats are looking fairly good this year - other than the blowout against Alabama. Last week, I had them at 21. I don't think this far of a jump is typically warranted given the win they just had, but they are being assisted by several teams that I had in front of them also having lost. Those teams being Mizzou, OKST, and Miss St. While I do have them ranked 1-2 spots higher than I would probably want them to be, I do think they can & should beat pretty much every team behind them in their current states (Mizzou and Florida are kind of toss ups for me as I am unsure which version of each of those teams Kentucky will face).

They're sitting at 6 wins, 4-1 in conference, with wins over A&M, LSU, SCAR, and now Oklahoma. I can't get the best read on them - they don't seem to be a highly offensive team but their offense seems to produce when it's needed. They've had some close games - LSU & SCAR were won by the skin of their teeth, while TAMU was a 2 score game (10 points) and Oklahoma a 1 score game (8 points). The win against OU was also a bit of a comeback, as they were down a touchdown before scoring 2 unanswered touchdowns to take the lead. Will Stein seems to be doing what needs to be done but has also benefited from a bit of luck, and you need luck as much as you do skill, conditioning, and the works. I don't know if I'm as confident in this team winning out as I am some others - they still have some very tricky teams on their schedule like Tennessee, Florida, Mizzou, and Louisville - but even splitting those 4 would make this a 9-win team (assuming they beat Vandy, which is likely). This is a decent-to-good Kentucky team, and I'm curious to see where they go.
15 UCLA Bruins UCLA is currently undefeated with notable wins being over Oregon, Wisconsin, and maybe Purdue(?) with the Wisconsin victory coming this past weekend. In any other year, wins over Oregon & Wisconsin might be big reasons to like this team. Wisconsin isn't bad, per se, and I think they're trending in a positive direction than the last few years, but I'm hesitant to call them good as of yet. Despite being undefeated, I am hesitant to rank them much higher. With Iamaleava out, I do have some big questions about this UCLA team. Dieffenbach did play well enough to get them a win but got no touchdowns - 22/33 for 264YDs and 1 INT. The running game was decent with Woods & Thomas averaging over 4YPC. Their leading rusher, Wayne Knight, on the other hand, was very inefficient on the day, averaging only 1.8YPC on 13 carries.

There are very beatable teams on this schedule, however, and I can almost see a world where this team limps into their final game against USC undefeated. They do not play any more of the B1G's heavy hitters until then, with maybe the exception of Michigan the weekend before Thanksgiving, but they are a team who is still working on getting their act together. I don't particularly think USC is that great either, but it seems to be the most dangerous game remaining on the UCLA schedule. If they do make it, I'll be very impressed, but I'll need to see them get back to scoring in bunches before I'm confident in their ability to really compete. Back to back games with only 17 points is concerning, even though I know they're on their backup QB. Unfortunately, Nico Iamaleava is out for the season, which doesn't leave me with much confidence at this time.
16 Iowa Hawkeyes Bye, but benefited from other teams ahead of them losing. I had Iowa at #17 last week.
17 Missouri Tigers That was an absolute beat down by Ole Miss. I was incredibly surprised as, given the performances by Mizzou since the Miss St game, I thought this was a team who, quite frankly, might have seen a change from Mizzou teams of the past. Granted, there's still a lot of time for them to make up ground. They have games against Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky still left on their schedule, which are not easy games, and I won't be surprised if they drop 2 of 3 in that stretch. But they still have the potential for a 9-10 win season if they can get back to playing how they did against UF and TAMU.
18 Northwestern Wildcats Close win over Michigan State. I like Northwestern this year - they've been producing offensively and it's been fun to watch - but they didn't win this game quite convincingly. Last week, I had them at #23. They have moved up, but this is partially due to teams ahead of them moving down.
19 Arizona Wildcats Bye, but benefited from other teams ahead of them losing. I had Arizona at #20 last week.
20 Oklahoma State Cowboys Now 4-2 with an inexplicable loss to Tulsa and a loss in a tight game @ Houston, I think it's worth overlooking the Tulsa game somewhat given how they've played since. Obviously, by record, they have one of the worst losses in the P4, and that is hard to overlook. But I don't think it's worth dropping them out of the rankings yet. I am generally a subscriber to the idea that losing close on the road to an opponent ranked higher than you is not grounds to move you very far. Last week, I had Houston at 14, OKST at 16. If this loss were in a vacuum, I'd probably have only dropped OKST to 17 or 18. However, it is their second loss, which, especially when you consider who that first loss was to, pushes them down a tad farther than 1-2 spots for me.
21 James Madison Dukes Another big Margin Of Victory to bring the Dukes to 7-0. With GA Southern somehow being the only team that has really tested JMU this year (missed a 52 yard FG to tie the game with less than 1 minute left) JMU has a very plausible case for going undefeated. Sun Belt Billy is showing that he can dominate that conference, and their offense has been flying high. Given that they are undefeated, I have them as the top G6 team in the nation. Although there is an argument against them in terms of them not having played any P4 teams, ESPN currently has the Dukes at 23 overall in SOR (but 131 in SOS). That 23 ranking sits them 2 spots above the other major G6 contender, Boise State. I couldn't tell you who would win out of those two teams, so I have them right next to each other in terms of ranking.
22 Boise State Broncos Bye. Rank stays the same.
The Oregon loss is not looking quite as good as it did when the season started. Granted, Oregon is on a backup QB, but this still acts as a bit of a blemish on an otherwise good record. While Boise is behind JMU on current SOR, they are well ahead in SOS, sitting at 59 (they have some good competition to play, including Oregon State). I'm not sure which of the two teams would win right now, but they are def my top two options for G6.
23 Florida Gators Incredible work to get this win on the road with a backup QB (who should arguably start, given that performance). This game did not start out great. Went down 17-3 after some poor defense (tackling was terrible to start) and allowing a punt return for a Texas TD. Took a bit for Jones to settle in as well, but he, ultimately, looked tremendous out there (for a first ever start on the road, in Austin, against a typically great defense like Texas), overall going 22/35 for 155 YDs passing, 2TDs, 0INTs, and 10 carries for 49YDs. He ran hard in this game but also ran smart, taking slides where appropriate and putting his fully body into it where appropriate also. Jaden Baugh, although not quite as efficient, got back to his ground & pound ways, rushing 91 yards on 25 carries and for 1TD. Florida was able to score a touchdown to make it 17-10 before the half, indicating they had some life, but then they really turned it around in the 2nd half, tying the game through a long and methodical 15 play drive right out of the gate, chewing up 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter.

Florida went up 2 scores in the 4th, but I did get scared after they let up a Texas touchdown to let Texas close the lead to 27-24. That 4th Down long play was infuriating, and my heart was racing during the 4th quarter. I actually called my cardiologist friend and told her I might need her to check on me because of what Gator football does to my body. Of course, the punt on the Gators' drive after the Texas TD was not inspiring or calming either, but that Arch fumble was perfectly timed to restore my faith in football again.

This team has a bye before the Cocktail Party. Florida has obviously been up & down this season and I won't be surprised if they continue that cycle against Georgia (in Atlanta, btw, due to Jags stadium renovations). That being said, who knows? Maybe they will surprise us yet again. Either way, I hope Sumrall's kids keep roasting him for embarrassing performances. I will literally pay them to keep it up.
24 Texas Longhorns Two losses in a row for the Texas Longhorns. I still think this team is a top 25 team, although I certainly dropped other teams other teams for 2 losses. Texas's wins vs OSU and Tenn are what are propping this team up - obviously these are good wins - but I'm not sure how Texas plans to bounce back. They have a tough game this weekend as they host Ole Miss. Ole Miss has been exposed before, but they have also played and beaten some good competition. If Texas's QB woes continue, they could be in real trouble as their next 4 games have obvious danger potential. Ole Miss, followed by Miss St, Mizzou, and LSU, in that order. Miss St's danger potential depends on the health of their team, as they were without their 3 best players against LSU this past weekend, and Mizzou needs to bounce back from a thrashing by Ole Miss, but being wounded doesn't mean they're not dangerous. Very curious to see what happens to this former #1 Team.
25 LSU Tigers LSU jumps back in the rankings for me at #25. At 5-2, I definitely think LSU is a decent-to-good team, but they have not won the hardest games that have been on their schedule, so that's why they fell out for me. LSU obviously started out hot in destroying Clemson, had a rough first half vs LTech before taking off in the second half, lost to Ole Miss, destroyed a TAMU team that has not been performing well, tuned up against McNeese, then lost in OT @ Kentucky, before getting a clean sheet while dismantling a Miss St team that is currently a shell of its former self due to injury. Although I am certain Miss St is a decent-to-good team when fully healthy, none of LSU's wins have been against particularly impressive teams.

I think ESPN agrees with me here that as, by the numbers, LSU is in a weird spot, and I don't think has earned much more than possibly being a top 20-25 team. LSU is 27th in SOR and 25th in SOS. Despite their two losses and no marquee wins as of yet, FPI has them at #8. However, LSU is 2nd in Remaining SOS, with games against Auburn, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas. They absolutely have chances to prove their worth over this stretch, although my guess is that they will pick up 3 out of those 5 games. Perhaps I am harsher than other pollsters, but I foresee an 8-4 to 9-3 year for the Tigers.

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