With official ballots not being due until Wednesday, this ballot is open for argument.
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Cal | -- |
| 2 | Georgia | -- |
| 3 | Oklahoma | -- |
| 4 | Florida | -- |
| 5 | Missouri | -- |
| 6 | Ohio State | -- |
| 7 | LSU | -- |
| 8 | Wisconsin | -- |
| 9 | West Virginia | -- |
| 10 | Auburn |
 1 |
| 11 | Texas |
1 |
| 12 | Texas Tech |
1 |
| 13 | Kansas |
1 |
| 14 | South Florida |
2 |
| 15 | Arizona State |
2 |
| 16 | Alabama |
10 |
| 17 | Wake Forest |
4 |
| 18 | Clemson |
 8 |
| 19 | Illinois |
1 |
| 20 | Penn State |
1 |
| 21 | Tennessee |
6 |
| 22 | Brigham Young |
2 |
| 23 | UCLA |
3 |
| 24 | Cincinnati | -- |
| 25 | Utah |
1 |
Dropped Out: Oregon (#22), Virginia Tech (#23), Fresno State (#25).
Just Missed Out: Fresno State, Cal, Stanford, Oregon
--
Quick Thoughts:
- Bama makes its debut at No. 17. I thought they were too young, but they looked pretty ready to me by the end of their win over Clemson.
- Virginia Tech, who I've been down on all offseason, is now nowhere near my Top 25.
- Tennessee, who I had been I high on, drops a six-spot thanks to the road loss to His Coachness Sir Rick Neuheisel and UCLA. The Bruins, as a result, replace Oregon at No. 23. Should I switch Tennessee and UCLA at Nos. 21 and 23?
- Illinois takes a small drop to No. 19, but the Illini proved to me Saturday that they are definitely one of the Top 20 teams in America right now.
- I gave Wake Forest a bump, not because they blew out Baylor (they should), but because they have the look of a team who inherently knows how to win football games. With Clemson and Va. Tech choking, I think the Deacs become the ACC frontrunners.
- Utah rounds out the Top 25. Everyone seems to be sleeping on them thanks largely to all the spotlight on BYU this year.
- I'm having trouble with allowing myself to drop Fresno State out of the Top 25 after a solid road win at Rutgers. I want to put the Bulldogs back in, but who on my current Top 25 would have to go to make room?
- The "Just Missed Out" category features a lot of California flair. I was very impressed with Stanford in the Cardinal win over Oregon State.