Ralph RussoThe Athletic (Brooklyn, NY)
Twitter: @ralphDrussoATH
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.


What do you think of this ballot?

-13

Your vote has been saved. Now why don't you let this pollster know what you thought of their ballot? Compose Tweet


Sep 8, 2026Week 2 Rankings for Ralph Russo

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
1Oregon (3)
1-0Actual: 6
Highest: 1 - 3 Voters
Lowest: 10 - 2 Voters
1422
Points
2Notre Dame (4)
1-0Actual: 3
Highest: 1 - 4 Voters
Lowest: 8 - 3 Voters
1512
Points
3Ohio State (46)
1-0Actual: 1
Highest: 1 - 46 Voters
Lowest: 6 - Kirk Bohls
1684
Points
4Georgia
1-0Actual: 2
Highest: 2 - 23 Voters
Lowest: 9 - 3 Voters
1532
Points
5Texas (2)
1-0Actual: 4
Highest: 1 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 9 - 4 Voters
1462
Points
6Indiana (8)
1-0Actual: 5
Highest: 1 - 8 Voters
Lowest: 9 - 4 Voters
1428
Points
7Miami (FL) (1)
1-0Actual: 7
Highest: 1 - Javon Edmonds
Lowest: NR - Brian Fonseca
1405
Points
8LSU (5)
1-0Actual: 8
Highest: 1 - 5 Voters
Lowest: 16 - Dave Preston
1315
Points
9Texas Tech
1-0Actual: 13
Highest: 8 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 20 - David Briggs
900
Points
10USC
2-0Actual: 14
Highest: 6 - Dylan Sinn
Lowest: 23 - Brett McMurphy
861
Points
11Oklahoma
1-0Actual: 11
Highest: 7 - Chelsie Brown
Lowest: 16 - Randy Johnson
1039
Points
12Alabama
1-0Actual: 12
Highest: 9 - 3 Voters
Lowest: 16 - Matt McGavic
910
Points
13Ole Miss
1-0Actual: 9
Highest: 4 - Stephen Means
Lowest: 14 - 2 Voters
1154
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
14Louisville
0-1Actual: 24
Highest: 14 - Ralph Russo
Lowest: NR - 22 Voters
163
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
15Virginia
1-0Actual: 25
Highest: 15 - Ralph Russo
Lowest: NR - 45 Voters
89
Points
16BYU
1-0Actual: 15
Highest: 10 - Kirk Bohls
Lowest: 18 - Chris Carter
840
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
17Texas A&M
1-0Actual: 10
Highest: 8 - 7 Voters
Lowest: 17 - Ralph Russo
1079
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
18Florida
1-0Actual: 27
Highest: 17 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 45 Voters
83
Points
19SMU
0-0Actual: 17
Highest: 14 - Kirk Bohls
Lowest: 23 - 2 Voters
501
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
20Boise State
0-1Actual: 26
Highest: 17 - Jon Wilner
Lowest: NR - 42 Voters
86
Points
21Washington
1-0Actual: 19
Highest: 14 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 5 Voters
489
Points
22Houston
1-0Actual: 22
Highest: 16 - Bob Asmussen
Lowest: NR - 12 Voters
214
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
23Minnesota
1-0Actual: 38
Highest: 23 - Ralph Russo
Lowest: NR - 66 Voters
4
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
24Penn State
1-0Actual: 16
Highest: 13 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - Andy Yamashita
621
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
25Navy
1-0Actual: 34
Highest: 21 - Dave Preston
Lowest: NR - 64 Voters
10
Points
Ranked Teams Not on Ballot: 18-Tennessee20-Utah21-Iowa23-Missouri