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Week 1 · 2026 season

The Who Cares Poll

Three Top 25s, three completely different methods, zero actual knowledge.

LSU's 51-10 demolition of Clemson, Oregon needing a last-second miracle vs. Boise State, Miami's 45-6 statement win over Stanford, Michigan's Hail Mary escape, and Clemson's total collapse all meaningfully shift things from the preseason baseline.

Fritch Top 25 host portraitFritch Top 25The house poll. Slightly more research than the other two. Slightly.
  1. 1LSU logoLSUPro players or not look pretty good.
  2. 2Ohio State logoOhio StateI guess we will see how good OSU is. They have a crazy amount of talent.
  3. 3Georgia logoGeorgiaWon by 60. The opponent wasn't much, but you can only beat what's in front of you, and Kirby Smart's crew didn't leave anything on the table.
  4. 4Texas logoTexasTied for the best title odds in the country, and they host Ohio State this weekend as a slight favorite. We'll know a lot more about both teams by Sunday.
  5. 5Indiana logoIndianaThe reigning champs looked like exactly that in a 52-16 win over North Texas.
  6. 6Miami logoMiami45-6 over Stanford with two players playing like legitimate Heisman candidates.
  7. 7Notre Dame logoNotre DameA team that can be uneven early and still finish a game with authority is a dangerous one.
  8. 8Alabama logoAlabamaHandled East Carolina as expected. Nothing measured yet, but nothing concerning either.
  9. 9Oklahoma logoOklahomaA real test looms — a trip to Michigan this weekend will tell us a lot more about where this team actually stands.
  10. 10Texas A&M logoTexas A&MQuiet, clean Week 1. No real signal sent yet in either direction.
  11. 11Tennessee logoTennesseeStill sorting out the quarterback situation. Talented roster, unresolved question at the most important position.
  12. 12USC logoUSCTheir title odds tightened after Week 1, a sign the market's starting to buy in more than it did in August.
  13. 13Oregon logoOregonA near-miss against an unranked opponent is a real red flag, not a footnote.
  14. 14BYU logoBYUUndefeated, but the schedule hasn't tested them yet. The résumé is still mostly hypothetical.
  15. 15Texas Tech logoTexas TechWon the opener, but lost starting quarterback Brendan Sorsby to an eligibility ruling over gambling violations. That's a real problem heading into conference play.
  16. 16Penn State logoPenn StateThirty-nine new faces on the roster. Too much roster turnover to know what this team actually is yet.
  17. 17Washington logoWashingtonQuiet, professional Week 1. Nothing that moves the needle, nothing that should worry anyone either.
  18. 18Virginia Tech logoVirginia TechNew coach James Franklin's debut ended in a 73-3 rout of VMI. Not a real measuring stick, but a clean, confident start.
  19. 19Cincinnati logoCincinnatiTook care of Boston College 34-15. Solid, unspectacular, exactly what a Week 1 game against a mid-tier opponent should look like.
  20. 20Pittsburgh logoPittsburghHandled Miami (OH) at home. A quiet, business-like start to the season. A team I think can suprise people.
  21. 21Utah logoUtahNothing alarming, nothing standout. A program still finding its identity early in the year.
  22. 22Louisville logoLouisvilleLooked good in parts. Looked good for first game even in a lose.
  23. 23SMU logoSMUClosed the week on the road at Florida State in a game that came down to the wire. Their margin for error going forward just got smaller.
  24. 24Virginia logoVirginiaWalked into Charlottesville and put 34 on NC State with a new quarterback looking comfortable from snap one. A legitimately encouraging start.
  25. 25UConn logoUConnSuprise! Handled an FCS opponent at home as expected. Not enough information yet to know where this team really belongs. But got on my radar for top 25!
Gary Top 25 host portraitGary Top 25Ranked on cold nachos, lottery scratchers and truck noises. Somehow right.
  1. 1Ohio State logoOhio StateSame spot they started, same result every week: everybody else's problem.
  2. 2Texas logoTexasTied atop the odds board, and next week they host Ohio State as a one-point favorite. That's not a game, that's a heavyweight fight with a marching band.
  3. 3Notre Dame logoNotre DameSlow out the gate against Wisconsin, then flipped a switch and won goin' away. Kinda like my truck on a cold mornin'.
  4. 4Indiana logoIndianaAin't lost since December 2024. That's longer than some marriages round here.
  5. 5Georgia logoGeorgiaWon by sixty. That's not a score, that's a phone number.
  6. 6Miami logoMiamiPut 45 on Stanford with two fellas playin' like Heisman winners. "The U is back" might actually be true this time.
  7. 7LSU logoLSUBeat Clemson so bad Lane Kiffin was practicin' jump shots on the sideline. Man wasn't coachin' no more, he was just havin' fun.
  8. 8Oregon logoOregoneeded a 62-yard miracle with under a minute left just to survive Boise State. Fancy uniforms don't stop a prayer from landin'.
  9. 9Texas A&M logoTexas A&MSolid team, solid odds, ain't done nothin' to move the needle either direction yet.
  10. 10Alabama logoAlabamaFine team, numbers just got 'em outside the top tier right now. Don't worry, still early.
  11. 11Texas Tech logoTexas TechWon the opener, then lost their quarterback to an ineligibility ruling over gambling violations. Son, you can't call plays from the sideline.
  12. 12Ole Miss logoOle MissOdds tightened up nice. New coach's first big move workin' out so far.
  13. 13USC logoUSCAlso tightened up, still got a ways to go before anybody takes 'em serious.
  14. 14Oklahoma logoOklahomaBig road test at Michigan comin' up. We'll know a whole lot more about this team by Sunday mornin'.
  15. 15Michigan logoMichiganNeeded a Hail Mary just to beat Western Michigan. That ain't dominance, that's a lucky rabbit's foot.
  16. 16Vanderbilt logoVanderbiltQuietly sittin' in the mix with real championship odds. Nobody's talkin' about 'em, which is exactly how a sleeper stays a sleeper.
  17. 17Penn State logoPenn StateThirty-nine new fellas on the roster, still figurin' out what this team actually is.
  18. 18Boise State logoBoise StateAlmost pulled off the upset of the year against Oregon. Losin' by one score to a top-10 team on the road ain't nothin' to be ashamed of.
  19. 19Tennessee logoTennesseeStill figurin' out who's takin' snaps. Crockpot lid still shut.
  20. 20Duke logoDukeFine academic school, decent team, still not sure why Kevin won't stop talkin' about 'em.
  21. 21Washington logoWashingtonQuiet, steady, unremarkable. Exactly the kind of team that sneaks up on you in November.
  22. 22BYU logoBYUStill undefeated, still ain't proved much of anything yet.
  23. 23Florida logoFloridaNew coach, same old song. We'll see if this verse ends different.
  24. 24South Carolina logoSouth CarolinaGot a quarterback and not much else protectin' him.
  25. 25Missouri logoMissouriSolid, steady, unremarkable — and unlike some folks, ain't lost 41 points worth of face to nobody this week
Kevin Top 25 host portraitKevin Top 25Generated by a model nobody has seen, verified by nobody, delivered with total confidence.
  1. 1LSU logoLSU51-10 over a real ACC opponent (Clemson). Every offensive and defensive category has actual signal behind it. This isn't a good week. This is a complete data set.
  2. 2Miami logoMiami45-6 over Stanford, a legitimate Power 4 opponent, with two players producing Heisman-level efficiency numbers. QB and WR production categories both spiked to real, trustworthy highs.
  3. 3Ohio State logoOhio State56-3 over Ball State. Group of 5, but a real FBS defense to move the ball against. Combined with the best national title odds in the country, this is a fully valid data set.
  4. 4Texas logoTexas59-7, tied for the best odds in the country. Solid underlying data, currently a co-favorite heading into their showdown with Ohio State.
  5. 5Notre Dame logoNotre Dame41-13 over Wisconsin, a real Big Ten opponent. Uneven first half, but the full-game numbers are legitimate.
  6. 6Indiana logoIndiana52-16 over North Texas, a real FBS opponent. Streak intact, and unlike several teams below, this data is usable.
  7. 7Oregon logoOregon34-27 over Boise State. Real opponent, real data — and the data says something concerning: Defensive Efficiency was mediocre, allowing 27 points and needing a 62-yard touchdown with under a minute left to escape.
  8. 8Alabama logoAlabama~48-10 over East Carolina, a real FBS opponent. Clean, usable numbers across the board.
  9. 9Virginia logoVirginia34-8 over NC State, a real ACC opponent, with a new quarterback producing genuinely strong efficiency numbers in his debut.
  10. 10Cincinnati logoCincinnati34-15 over Boston College, a real ACC opponent. Solid defensive numbers on real data.
  11. 11Ole Miss logoOle Miss41-38 over Louisville. A real, high-quality opponent — but Defensive Efficiency allowed 38 points, which my model flags as a real concern behind the win.
  12. 12Penn State logoPenn State45-0 over Marshall, a real FBS shutout. Clean data, though not yet tested against a Power 4 opponent.
  13. 13Michigan logoMichigan13-12 over Western Michigan. Real opponent, but Offensive Efficiency was poor enough to need a Hail Mary. The data says this team has real problems even in a win.
  14. 14Florida logoFlorida66-21 over Florida Atlantic. Decent offensive output, but Defensive Efficiency allowing 21 points to a lesser opponent is a real mark against them.
  15. 15USC logoUSCBetting Odds tightened materially, but I don't have a confirmed, verified Week 1 opponent-quality data point for them yet. Provisional placement based on odds alone.
  16. 16Georgia logoGeorgia63-3 over Tennessee State — an FCS opponent. My model discounts this almost entirely. A 60-point win means nothing when it comes against a team playing a different level of football.
  17. 17Tennessee logoTennessee56-9 over Furman, also FCS. Same discount applies. The quarterback question remains completely unresolved by this game.
  18. 18Texas A&M logoTexas A&M50-0 over Missouri State, FCS. A shutout against a team this far below their level generates no meaningful Defensive Efficiency signal.
  19. 19Virginia Tech logoVirginia Tech73-3 over VMI, FCS. New coach's debut looks great on paper and means almost nothing statistically.
  20. 20BYU logoBYU63-7 over Utah Tech, FCS. Same issue. Undefeated against a schedule that hasn't actually tested anything yet.
  21. 21Oklahoma logoOklahomaNo confirmed Week 1 opponent data available to me yet. Their real test — at Michigan this week — will generate the first usable numbers of their season.
  22. 22Texas Tech logoTexas Tech33-10 over Abilene Christian, FCS — AND their starting quarterback was ruled ineligible over gambling violations this week. Invalid offensive data plus a real Roster Availability shock. This is the worst combination on the board.
  23. 23Washington logoWashingtonReal rivalry matchup against Washington State, but I don't have a confirmed final margin to score with confidence.
  24. 24SMU logoSMUPlayed a real Power 4 opponent (Florida State) on the road, but I don't have a confirmed final score to properly weight this.
  25. 25Louisville logoLouisvilleLost 41-38 to Ole Miss, but against real, ranked-caliber competition. My model values a competitive loss against real opposition over a hollow win against an FCS team — which is why they still make this list over several "undefeated" programs above them.