Josh Pate's College Football Commissioner's Poll: Top 25 Rankings & Analysis

Commissioner's Poll Overview

• 🎙️ The Commissioner's Poll, generated by Flex Power, is presented as a distinct ranking system, separate from models or power ratings.
• 💡 The poll emphasizes winning games and actual results over preseason expectations or projections.
• ⚠️ Acknowledges potential controversy, particularly regarding the placement of teams like Notre Dame and Illinois.

Team Rankings and Justifications

• 🏈 Notre Dame is ranked 25th due to having two close losses but a perceived weaker win compared to Texas.
• 🚀 Texas is ranked 21st, ahead of Notre Dame, due to a stronger win over Oklahoma.
• 📉 Illinois is excluded from the top 25 due to a significant blowout loss, despite having two losses like Notre Dame and Texas.
• 📈 Cincinnati is ranked 20th, ahead of Nebraska, with the rationale that head-to-head results are less critical at this stage of the season compared to playoff resume considerations.
• 🌟 USF is highlighted as a potential G5 playoff team, currently ranked 17th.
• ⚔️ Missouri is ranked 15th after a competitive game against Alabama, with an upcoming tough road game against Auburn.
• 🧐 Oregon is ranked 10th, with the argument that their win over Penn State was significant, and Penn State's subsequent struggles do not diminish Oregon's achievement.
• 🐘 Alabama is ranked 6th, ahead of Mississippi (ranked 7th), due to having three top-15 wins, despite Mississippi's undefeated record.
• 🏆 Miami is ranked 1st, with a superior resume to Ohio State, despite Ohio State being ranked #1 in the JP poll and favored by models.

Poll Methodology and AP Voter Influence

• 🔍 The poll creator notes that AP rankings have recently aligned more closely with the Commissioner's Poll, suggesting increased voter attention to ballot quality.
• 💡 This alignment is attributed to voters paying more attention when their ballots are scrutinized, implying a positive service to college football.
• 🗓️ A scheduling error from the previous week, where a poll was released prematurely, is mentioned as a lesson learned for timely release.