Back to poll results >>

ToeInDigDeep Ballot for 2026 Week 9

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 26, 2026, 2:38 p.m.

Overall Rationale: This ballot privileges wins, and recognizes the achievement of undefeated and one-loss teams.

My contention is that losses can and should challenge priors folks have about teams from talent composites and preseason expectations. We've already seen a number of favorites get upset, and I contend that wins really do matter and losses must invite a reconsideration, or at least allow space for the teams that have not lost to rise to the top of the rankings.

Teams that have close losses to challenging opponents will rise in the next weeks, and and no one is being "punished" for not being ranked highly. There are now only three teams who are undefeated, and only 15 one-loss teams, so these groups are pretty special!

There will continue be a lot of movement throughout the season, but these teams are the ones who have won (and not lost) in the biggest contests on the field of play so far.

Perhaps more so than other submissions, I see all the conferences as being roughly equal in quality and the ballot will recognize strong performances or expectations from non-Autonomy conferences, so I include some expected conference champions or those with high expectations for the season.

Again, this will change wildly throughout the season in response to what happens on the field of play and I make an effort to avoid biases and poll inertia, even when it provides ballot submissions that differ from other national polls.

Rank Team Reason
1 UCLA Bruins Undefeated
2 Miami Hurricanes Undefeated
3 Utah Utes Undefeated
4 Ohio State Buckeyes Loss at Texas
5 Indiana Hoosiers Loss at Ohio State
6 BYU Cougars Loss at UCF
7 Arizona Wildcats Loss at BYU
8 Georgia Bulldogs Loss to Auburn
9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Loss at BYU
10 Kentucky Wildcats Loss to Alabama
11 Texas Tech Red Raiders Loss at Cincinnati
12 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Loss to Miami
13 Boise State Broncos Loss at Oregon
14 SMU Mustangs Loss at Louisville
15 Northwestern Wildcats Loss at Indiana
16 New Mexico Lobos Loss at Oklahoma
17 UTSA Roadrunners Loss at Texas
18 James Madison Dukes Loss at App State
19 Alabama Crimson Tide Loss to Georgia, at Tenn
20 Florida Gators Loss at Missouri, to South Carolina
21 Oregon State Beavers Loss at Houston, Texas Tech
22 Minnesota Golden Gophers Loss to Mississippi State, Purdue
23 Wisconsin Badgers Loss to Notre Dame, at UCLA
24 Houston Cougars Loss at Texas Tech, at Utah
25 Oklahoma State Cowboys Loss at Tulsa, at Houston

Back to poll results >>