Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 25, 2026, 12:26 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Trying to lean 50/25/25 on who I think has the best resume, who I think would win on a neutral site, and in general how it looks like they’ll project in the back half of the season. Obviously bias comes in, no poll is ever 100% consistent, but I’m doing my best to keep hopium, inertia, and bias to a minimum.

Also considered (in alphabetical order) - Cincinnati, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri (Honorary #26), USC, UTSA

• Ballot
• Analysis

Rank	Team	Reason
1	Miami Hurricanes
2	Ohio State Buckeyes
3	Georgia Bulldogs
4	UCLA Bruins
5	Utah Utes
6	BYU Cougars
7	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	One of those situations where I really want to rank Notre Dame higher but I can’t justify ranking them above a team who just beat them a week ago
8	Indiana Hoosiers
9	Alabama Crimson Tide
10	Kentucky Wildcats
11	Wake Forest Demon Deacons
12	Texas Longhorns
13	Ole Miss Rebels
14	Texas Tech Red Raiders
15	LSU Tigers
16	Arizona Wildcats
17	Florida Gators
18	Houston Cougars
19	Tennessee Volunteers
20	Oklahoma State Cowboys
21	Northwestern Wildcats
22	Boise State Broncos
23	Wisconsin Badgers
24	SMU Mustangs
25	New Mexico Lobos

Teams Ranked:

Rank	Team	Unusualness
1	Miami Hurricanes	0.00
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	0.00
3	Georgia Bulldogs	0.13
4	UCLA Bruins	0.00
5	Utah Utes	0.00
6	BYU Cougars	0.05
7	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	0.00
8	Indiana Hoosiers	-0.21
9	Alabama Crimson Tide	0.00
10	Kentucky Wildcats	0.00
11	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	0.00
12	Texas Longhorns	0.00
13	Ole Miss Rebels	0.00
14	Texas Tech Red Raiders	0.00
15	LSU Tigers	0.00
16	Arizona Wildcats	0.00
17	Florida Gators	0.00
18	Houston Cougars	0.00
19	Tennessee Volunteers	0.00
20	Oklahoma State Cowboys	0.81
21	Northwestern Wildcats	-0.16
22	Boise State Broncos	0.00
23	Wisconsin Badgers	0.00
24	SMU Mustangs	-0.23
25	New Mexico Lobos	0.00

Omissions:

Team	Unusualness
Missouri Tigers	0.15

Total Score: 1.74