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Express_Dinner7918 Ballot for 2026 Week 8

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 19, 2026, 4:40 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Resume based. Undefeated teams are given preference when needed.

Rank Team Reason
1 BYU Cougars Well this was a bit of a shock. Even if we won I had no intention to put them this high, but the events of last week outside our game kinda left me no choice. This ranking may not stick but I don’t care. The path to the playoffs is much easier now and this season can truly be special. Don’t screw it up for me cougs.
2 Miami Hurricanes With your rival losing a heartbreaker out west, you could prove you were number #1 to me. But letting Florida State of all teams take you to double OT is concerning. I think you’re a bit more talented than BYU, but you don’t have the statement victory they do yet.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes You cut it very close with Indiana. But a win is a win and you’re clearly the best one loss team. Better hope your backup qb is a stud or things could go downhill fast for you.
4 Ole Miss Rebels At this point, I only have to assume either you’re cursed playing in the Swamp or you were too busy partying after the lsu win to care. Probably both. Otherwise you’re the best team in the SEC.
5 UCLA Bruins Turns out losing Nico I’m-a-get-injured-for-ya didn’t matter much against a team and fanbase that cares much more about baseball at the moment (lol dodgers).
6 Texas Tech Red Raiders Good news; you had an offense.
Bad news; it was against a bad team, so you probably need to take the performance with a grain of salt
7 Utah Utes Not so easy to win a night game against a post-Travis hunter Colorado is it? Your lucky Isaac Wilson’s latteral was a forward pass or else you could have been in real trouble.
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre dame plays another top team and loses? How shocking! /s

In all seriousness they played hard and took advantage of BYU’s mistakes as best they could ( except for the interception). Sure you probably got hosed at the end, but don’t go three and out after getting gifted an interception and it doesn’t come down to it. And for the fans who are tuned out or calling the season a wash chill out; it’s one loss. Beat or keep it close with Miami and you should be fine.
9 Indiana Hoosiers The win streak was saved by a lucky foot in the endzone, so it’s only fitting it ends with an unlucky foot out of the endzone. Football is truly a game of inches.
10 Georgia Bulldogs You’re lucky you beat Bama last week or else you would have dropped from the top 10. By far the most embarrassing loss of the week.
11 Kentucky Wildcats You escaped Norman with a win, but going scoreless for half the game will not lead to many wins.
12 Iowa Hawkeyes On bye; moved up due to losses above them.
13 Houston Cougars Your defense did their absolute best to lose you the game by allowing a 96 yard touchdown drive, but you pulled through. Your D will need to be at their best in Salt Lake.
14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Like Iowa last week you avoided the late night west coast curse. The fans who watched got to enjoy your defense shutting out the home team for 3 quarters. Keep it up and a playoff spot is yours for the taking.
15 Tennessee Volunteers You still have severe problems offensively and can’t rely on your defense to bail you out every game, but your defense was lights out today. Congrats on the best day you’ve had in a while.
16 Alabama Crimson Tide Kelon Russel seems to have a problem playing teams north of Tuscaloosa. Deboar needs to win out and/or make the playoffs or he might be run out of town.
17 Arizona Wildcats It may be against the worst secondary in the conference, but Noah Fafita had a monster game. He absolutely deserves a statue outside the stadium in the future.
18 Northwestern Wildcats Well it was incredibly ugly win against your former coach, but a win nonetheless. Enjoy the semi-bye week against Rutgers (I don’t care that they won last week, they still suck).
19 James Madison Dukes You have the most wins this season and just took sunbelt title hopeful Georgia State to the cleaners. Keep it up and back to back playoff appearances are possible.
20 Boise State Broncos You may be better than the Dukes, but you don’t have the win to prove it yet imo.
21 SMU Mustangs Well you were the only p4 team with a loss or less not already on the list, so you can rejoin for now.
22 LSU Tigers You may be ranked, but you’ll need to win some road games before I take you seriously as a playoff team.

Dropped: Texas #9, Mississippi State #13, Missouri #15, Oklahoma State #17, New Mexico #23
New: Tennessee #15, SMU #21, LSU #22, Florida #23, Auburn #25
23 Florida Gators You’re an enigma. One week your blowing out ranked teams or going blow for blow with them and look like playoff material; the next your getting blown out by ranked and unranked teams alike and look like you’ll miss bowl season entirely. So what are you? We may not know until week 12

Explaining the cuts: Texas: loses yet again. Arch Manning is clearly not the future at qb and you face an uphill road to re-enter the playoff conversation. Mississippi State: You didn’t even score on LSU. You’re fighting for bowl eligibility at this point. Missouri: After blowing out Florida you got blown out by the team Florida blew out. Not a good sign you couldn’t score on Ole Miss’ pedestrian defense. Oklahoma State; The offense going cold in the second quarter ended up being the difference between victory and defeat. Your game plan of returning to 2010s era big 12 football won’t work against the top defenses in the sport. New Mexico: You needed a second half comeback to beat Hawaii, a team one loss away from sitting on the couch in December. We’ll see if you be back any time soon after you face the Bison.
24 Oregon State Beavers Another conference game, another phenomenal performance offensively. Keep it up and your a playoff dark horse.

Next 5 up: Oklahoma State, USC, Missouri, Mississippi State, Texas.
25 Auburn Tigers Congrats on beating Georgia on the road Auburn. Better hope you beat LSU or your stay here will be very brief.

Ap poll omissions not previously covered:
USC: You have still given me no reason to take you seriously when your best wins are against 3 loss teams and lost to the only ranked team you have played so far.

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