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.


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Sep 13, 2026Week 3 Rankings for Ralph Russo
1Texas (56)
2-0Actual: 1
Highest: 1 - 56 Voters
Lowest: 5 - Murray Evans
1678
Points
2Notre Dame (1)
2-0Actual: 3
Highest: 1 - Rece Davis
Lowest: 7 - 2 Voters
1531
Points
3LSU (1)
2-0Actual: 7
Highest: 1 - Josh Furlong
Lowest: 13 - Dave Preston
1334
Points
4Miami (FL) (4)
2-0Actual: 5
Highest: 1 - 4 Voters
Lowest: 8 - 2 Voters
1452
Points
5Ohio State
1-1Actual: 6
Highest: 2 - 3 Voters
Lowest: 10 - Randy Johnson
1407
Points
6Georgia (3)
2-0Actual: 2
Highest: 1 - 3 Voters
Lowest: 8 - Stephen Means
1551
Points
7Indiana (3)
2-0Actual: 4
Highest: 1 - 3 Voters
Lowest: 8 - 2 Voters
1466
Points
8Alabama
2-0Actual: 10
Highest: 7 - Dave Preston
Lowest: 15 - Bob Asmussen
1068
Points
9Ole Miss
2-0Actual: 8
Highest: 4 - Murray Evans
Lowest: 13 - Jon Wilner
1216
Points
10Texas A&M
2-0Actual: 9
Highest: 4 - Brian Fonseca
Lowest: 12 - Koki Riley
1165
Points
11Texas Tech
2-0Actual: 13
Highest: 9 - 2 Voters
Lowest: 19 - Bob Asmussen
910
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
12Louisville
1-1Actual: 23
Highest: 12 - Ralph Russo
Lowest: NR - 10 Voters
244
Points
13USC
3-0Actual: 12
Highest: 8 - 4 Voters
Lowest: 23 - Brett McMurphy
944
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
14Virginia
2-0Actual: 25
Highest: 14 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - 26 Voters
182
Points
15BYU
2-0Actual: 11
Highest: 8 - Kirk Bohls
Lowest: 16 - Chris Carter
966
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
16Florida
2-0Actual: 27
Highest: 14 - Koki Riley
Lowest: NR - 49 Voters
83
Points
17SMU
2-0Actual: 16
Highest: 12 - 2 Voters
Lowest: NR - Creg Stephenson
636
Points
18Houston
2-0Actual: 22
Highest: 13 - Dylan Sinn
Lowest: NR - 10 Voters
292
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
19Penn State
2-0Actual: 14
Highest: 12 - 3 Voters
Lowest: NR - Ryan Zuke
692
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
20Tulsa
2-0Actual: 31
Highest: 20 - Ralph Russo
Lowest: NR - 63 Voters
18
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
21Oklahoma State
1-1Actual: 29
Highest: 21 - 4 Voters
Lowest: NR - 58 Voters
36
Points
22Oregon
1-1Actual: 21
Highest: 11 - Bob Asmussen
Lowest: NR - 19 Voters
324
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
23Boise State
1-1Actual: 28
Highest: 19 - Murray Evans
Lowest: NR - 49 Voters
57
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
24Western Michigan
1-1Actual: 30
Highest: 19 - Jon Wilner
Lowest: NR - 59 Voters
35
Points

EXTREME PICK

This pick is 5+ spots from the actual ranking.
25Michigan
2-0Actual: 19
Highest: 12 - Bob Asmussen
Lowest: NR - 5 Voters
382
Points
Ranked Teams Not on Ballot: 15-Tennessee17-Utah18-Iowa20-Missouri24-Oklahoma