Ralph Russo The Athletic (Brooklyn, NY) About: Ralph Russo is a Senior Writer for The Athletic, covering college football. Before joining The Athletic, he spent 20 years as the lead national college football writer for The Associated Press. He also previously worked as the AP's Mississippi-based sports writer and did a stint with The Denver Post. Ralph is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Fordham University.
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Aug 17, 2026 Pre-Season Rankings for Ralph Russo1 Oregon (14) 13-2 Actual: 2Highest: 1 - 14 Voters Lowest: 10 - Javon Edmonds 1597
2 Notre Dame (6) 10-2 Actual: 4Highest: 1 - 6 Voters Lowest: 10 - Chelsie Brown 1510
3 Ohio State (40) 12-2 Actual: 1Highest: 1 - 40 Voters Lowest: 7 - Kirk Bohls 1672
4 Georgia 12-2 Actual: 3Highest: 2 - 7 Voters Lowest: 8 - 2 Voters 1513
5 Texas 10-3 Actual: 5Highest: 2 - 10 Voters Lowest: 9 - Javon Edmonds 1483
6 Indiana (8) 16-0 Actual: 6Highest: 1 - 8 Voters Lowest: 9 - Chris Carter 1440
7 Miami (FL) (1) 13-3 Actual: 7Highest: 1 - Javon Edmonds Lowest: 9 - Michael Katz 1379
8 LSU 7-6 Actual: 11Highest: 5 - Javon Edmonds Lowest: NR - Tom Murphy 988
9 Texas Tech 12-2 Actual: 12Highest: 5 - Brett McMurphy Lowest: 23 - Jon Wilner 983
10 USC 9-4 Actual: 14Highest: 8 - BJ Rains Lowest: 25 - Brett McMurphy 839
11 Oklahoma 10-3 Actual: 10Highest: 7 - Josh Furlong Lowest: 17 - Randy Johnson 1047
12 Michigan 9-4 Actual: 16Highest: 10 - BJ Rains Lowest: 23 - Javon Edmonds 718
13 Ole Miss 13-2 Actual: 9Highest: 6 - 2 Voters Lowest: NR - Pat Welter 1102
14 Alabama 11-4 Actual: 13Highest: 8 - Matt Murschel Lowest: 20 - Brett McMurphy 904
15 BYU 12-2 Actual: 14Highest: 8 - Stephen Means Lowest: NR - Chris Carter 839
16 Washington 9-4 Actual: 17Highest: 10 - Brett McMurphy Lowest: NR - 6 Voters 501
17 Texas A&M 11-2 Actual: 8Highest: 7 - 3 Voters Lowest: 17 - Ralph Russo 1131
18 Louisville 9-4 Actual: 24Highest: 16 - Nicole Auerbach Lowest: NR - 19 Voters 198
19 Florida 4-8 Actual: 27Highest: 17 - Pat Welter Lowest: NR - 54 Voters 51
20 SMU 9-4 Actual: 19Highest: 12 - Kirk Kenney Lowest: NR - Ian Kress 434
21 Houston 10-3 Actual: 23Highest: 15 - Bob Asmussen Lowest: NR - 10 Voters 252
22 Minnesota 8-5 Actual: 38Highest: 22 - Ralph Russo Lowest: NR - 66 Voters 5
23 TCU 9-4 Actual: 30Highest: 23 - 3 Voters Lowest: NR - 63 Voters 11
24 Penn State 7-6 Actual: 18Highest: 14 - 2 Voters Lowest: NR - 3 Voters 482
25 Navy 11-2 Actual: 31Highest: 24 - 3 Voters Lowest: NR - 61 Voters 10
Ranked Teams Not on Ballot: 20-Tennessee 21-Utah 22-Iowa 25-Missouri
