What would your Top 25 look like after week 3? Or maybe just Top 10?
This is how I would vote based on THIS year, including competition faced and performance, and what is returning from LAST year. A lot can change.
1. Auburn
2. Texas A&M
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. LSU
6. Notre Dame
7. Alabama
8. Florida State
9. Ole Miss
10. South Carolina
11. Georgia
12. Baylor
13. UCLA
14. Arizona State
15. Arkansas
16. Missouri
17. BYU
18. Nebraska
19. Kansas State
20. Mississippi State
21. Clemson
22. Wisconsin
23. Florida
24. Kentucky
25. East Carolina
USC, Stanford, Michigan State, and Ohio State, GTFO of my Top 25. Clemson & Wisconsin, you got lucky.
People will say FSU is too low, but a 37-31 4th quarter rally win against unranked Oklahoma State and 37-12 against Citadel is all you've got to show for this year so far? That earns you an unquestioned #1 spot? Give me a break. Pretty much the same goes for Bama. A showcase 10 point victory against WVU impresses me just enough for a #7 spot, albeit mostly only due to pathetic competition.
My Top 3 is a tier of its own. Big dropoff before Oklahoma. Their showpiece win is Tennessee. I guess ours is Arkansas. We both won by 24 and I think Arkansas would soundly defeat UT.
Having Notre Dame that high isn't because I'm dying to "restore them to their rightful place" as actual pollsters do. I just think that a 31-0 win over Michigan, while they suck, is still so far better than the resumes of anyone below them in my rankings. Still plenty of time for them to take a tumble, but I'll wait until they do.
Arkansas, as much as I hate BERT, should be at least ranked in the Top 25 at this point. They're not in the top 40 schools receiving votes. Pretty ridiculous. I think if they were in the East, they would be in contention for Atlanta.