Ralph Russo's report card
The Athletic · AP Top 25 voter · 8 ballots this season, 6 graded · @ralphDrussoATH
This week's ballot (Week 7 poll, released Oct 18, grades after the games)
vs the Week 6 ballot · 3 new · out: Mississippi State, Nebraska, James Madison| # | Team | Last week | The AP poll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ohio State | ▲ 2 | AP 3 ▲ 2 |
| 2 |  BYU | ▲ 8 | AP 2 |
| 3 |  Miami | ▲ 3 | AP 1 ▼ 2 |
| 4 |  Notre Dame | ▼ 2 | AP 4 |
| 5 |  Indiana | = | AP 6 ▲ 1 |
| 6 |  Georgia | ▼ 5 | AP 5 ▼ 1 |
| 7 |  Texas Tech | ▲ 1 | AP 8 ▲ 1 |
| 8 |  Ole Miss | ▲ 9 | AP 7 ▼ 1 |
| 9 |  Utah | = | AP 10 ▲ 1 |
| 10 |  UCLA | ▲ 1 | AP 9 ▼ 1 |
| 11 |  Tennessee | ▲ 8 | AP 11 |
| 12 |  Alabama | ▼ 8 | AP 13 ▲ 1 |
| 13 |  Kentucky | ▼ 1 | AP 12 ▼ 1 |
| 14 |  Iowa | ▲ 2 | AP 15 ▲ 1 |
| 15 |  Houston | ▲ 6 | AP 14 ▼ 1 |
| 16 |  Wake Forest | ▲ 2 | AP 17 ▲ 1 |
| 17 |  Missouri | ▼ 2 | AP 22 ▲ 5 |
| 18 |  Florida | NEW | AP 20 ▲ 2 |
| 19 |  Texas | ▼ 12 | AP 19 |
| 20 |  Oklahoma State | ▼ 7 | AP NR |
| 21 |  Oregon | NEW | AP NR |
| 22 |  LSU | NEW | AP 18 ▼ 4 |
| 23 |  Boise State | ▼ 3 | AP 21 ▼ 2 |
| 24 |  Northwestern | ▼ 1 | AP 24 |
| 25 |  USC | ▼ 1 | AP 16 ▼ 9 |
Last week = the spot on this voter's previous ballot. The AP poll = the published consensus the same week; ▲ means this voter has the team higher than the poll.
Every ballot, week over week (8 ballots, 43 teams)
| Team | Pre | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| BYU | 15 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 2 |
| Miami | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Notre Dame | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Indiana | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Georgia | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Texas Tech | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Ole Miss | 13 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 8 |
| Utah | · | · | · | 17 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| UCLA | · | · | · | · | 20 | 20 | 11 | 10 |
| Tennessee | · | · | · | 15 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 11 |
| Alabama | 14 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| Kentucky | · | · | · | · | · | · | 12 | 13 |
| Iowa | · | · | · | · | 16 | · | 16 | 14 |
| Houston | 21 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 15 |
| Wake Forest | · | · | · | · | 22 | 22 | 18 | 16 |
| Missouri | · | · | · | · | · | 15 | 15 | 17 |
| Florida | 19 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 16 | · | 18 |
| Texas | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 19 |
| Oklahoma State | · | · | 21 | 22 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 20 |
| Oregon | 1 | 1 | 22 | 23 | 15 | 12 | · | 21 |
| LSU | 8 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 9 | · | 22 |
| Boise State | · | 20 | 23 | · | 19 | 19 | 20 | 23 |
| Northwestern | · | · | · | · | · | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| USC | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 24 | · | 24 | 25 |
 Mississippi State | · | · | · | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | · |
 Nebraska | · | · | · | · | · | · | 22 | · |
 James Madison | · | · | · | · | · | · | 25 | · |
 Pittsburgh | · | · | · | · | · | 21 | · | · |
 Duke | · | · | · | · | 23 | 25 | · | · |
 Louisville | 18 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 25 | · | · | · |
 Penn State | 24 | 24 | 19 | 18 | · | · | · | · |
 SMU | 20 | 19 | 17 | 20 | · | · | · | · |
 Tulsa | · | · | 20 | 21 | · | · | · | · |
 Western Michigan | · | · | 24 | 24 | · | · | · | · |
 Michigan | 12 | · | 25 | 25 | · | · | · | · |
 Texas A&M | 17 | 17 | 10 | · | · | · | · | · |
 Virginia | · | 15 | 14 | · | · | · | · | · |
 Oklahoma | 11 | 11 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 Washington | 16 | 21 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 Minnesota | 22 | 23 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 Navy | 25 | 25 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 TCU | 23 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Yellow = moved up or came in that week. Boxed = moved down. · = not ranked.
Graded weeks
Week 7 (Week 6 poll)
#64 of 70 · 9-8 · -3.1 · poll -1.4Best call: Ohio State over Indiana, 19-15 (48% going in). Worst miss: Georgia over Auburn, lost 27-24 (88% going in).
| # | Team | That week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | L 24-27 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | L 24-28 |
| 3 | Ohio State | W 19-15 |
| 4 | Alabama | L 10-26 |
| 5 | Indiana | L 15-19 |
| 6 | Miami | W 43-35 |
| 7 | Texas | L 24-27 |
| 8 | Texas Tech | W 53-25 |
| 9 | Utah | W 27-24 |
| 10 | BYU | W 28-24 |
| 11 | UCLA | W 17-7 |
| 12 | Kentucky | W 21-13 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | L 32-35 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | L 0-31 |
| 15 | Missouri | L 3-31 |
| 16 | Iowa | — |
| 17 | Ole Miss | W 31-3 |
| 18 | Wake Forest | W 41-7 |
| 19 | Tennessee | W 26-10 |
| 20 | Boise State | — |
| 21 | Houston | W 35-32 |
| 22 | Nebraska | L 14-17 |
| 23 | Northwestern | W 24-21 |
| 24 | USC | — |
| 25 | James Madison | W 49-22 |
Week 6 (Week 5 poll)
#58 of 70 · 14-6 · -0.3 · poll +0.9Best call: Georgia over Alabama, 20-17 (22% going in). Worst miss: Texas over Oklahoma, lost 27-24 (80% going in).
| # | Team | That week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | L 24-27 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | W 58-7 |
| 3 | Georgia | W 20-17 |
| 4 | Ohio State | W 45-16 |
| 5 | Miami | — |
| 6 | Alabama | L 17-20 |
| 7 | Indiana | W 20-17 |
| 8 | Texas Tech | — |
| 9 | LSU | L 34-35 |
| 10 | Utah | W 41-24 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | W 42-28 |
| 12 | Oregon | L 15-17 |
| 13 | BYU | W 24-10 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | — |
| 15 | Missouri | W 27-6 |
| 16 | Florida | L 19-38 |
| 17 | Ole Miss | W 52-17 |
| 18 | Tennessee | W 24-17 |
| 19 | Boise State | W 38-31 |
| 20 | UCLA | W 17-15 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | L 17-21 |
| 22 | Wake Forest | W 38-14 |
| 23 | Northwestern | W 45-14 |
| 24 | Houston | W 35-16 |
| 25 | Duke | L 25-28 |
Week 5 (Week 4 poll)
#44 of 70 · 13-2 · +2.4 · poll +3.4Best call: BYU over TCU, 17-10 (56% going in). Worst miss: Florida over Missouri, lost 45-17 (62% going in).
| # | Team | That week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | — |
| 2 | Notre Dame | W 37-26 |
| 3 | Georgia | W 38-14 |
| 4 | Ohio State | W 31-14 |
| 5 | Miami | W 41-13 |
| 6 | Florida | L 17-45 |
| 7 | Alabama | W 56-23 |
| 8 | Indiana | W 47-15 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | — |
| 10 | LSU | — |
| 11 | Texas Tech | W 29-7 |
| 12 | Mississippi State | L 23-56 |
| 13 | Utah | — |
| 14 | Oklahoma State | — |
| 15 | Oregon | — |
| 16 | Iowa | L 14-31 |
| 17 | BYU | W 17-10 |
| 18 | Tennessee | W 24-14 |
| 19 | Boise State | W 37-18 |
| 20 | UCLA | — |
| 21 | Houston | W 27-17 |
| 22 | Wake Forest | W 57-3 |
| 23 | Duke | — |
| 24 | USC | W 25-21 |
| 25 | Louisville | L 28-31 |
Week 4 (Week 3 poll)
#50 of 69 · 14-7 · -0.9 · poll +0.2Best call: Oklahoma State over West Virginia, 41-24 (29% going in). Worst miss: Penn State over Wisconsin, lost 24-20 (86% going in).
| # | Team | That week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | W 20-17 |
| 2 | Ole Miss | L 28-52 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | W 49-10 |
| 4 | Miami | W 52-3 |
| 5 | Ohio State | W 42-19 |
| 6 | Georgia | W 41-13 |
| 7 | Indiana | W 29-23 |
| 8 | Alabama | W 49-18 |
| 9 | LSU | W 35-6 |
| 10 | Louisville | L 27-30 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | W 49-14 |
| 12 | BYU | — |
| 13 | Florida | W 52-28 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | W 31-24 |
| 15 | Tennessee | L 17-20 |
| 16 | USC | L 27-41 |
| 17 | Utah | W 31-17 |
| 18 | Penn State | L 20-24 |
| 19 | Houston | W 42-28 |
| 20 | SMU | W 34-24 |
| 21 | Tulsa | L 6-34 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | W 41-24 |
| 23 | Oregon | W 41-27 |
| 24 | Western Michigan | L 7-32 |
| 25 | Michigan | L 19-20 |
Week 3 (Week 2 poll)
#23 of 68 · 15-3 · +2.1 · poll +1.1Best call: BYU over Colorado State, 41-23 (38% going in). Worst miss: Texas A&M over Kentucky, lost 31-21 (91% going in).
| # | Team | That week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | W 30-6 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | W 27-10 |
| 3 | LSU | L 24-32 |
| 4 | Miami | W 33-20 |
| 5 | Ohio State | W 59-3 |
| 6 | Georgia | W 45-17 |
| 7 | Indiana | W 38-0 |
| 8 | Alabama | W 50-36 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | W 32-24 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | L 21-31 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | W 28-26 |
| 12 | Louisville | W 41-31 |
| 13 | USC | W 42-35 |
| 14 | Virginia | L 27-38 |
| 15 | BYU | W 41-23 |
| 16 | Florida | W 44-39 |
| 17 | SMU | L 31-41 |
| 18 | Houston | L 26-28 |
| 19 | Penn State | W 55-13 |
| 20 | Tulsa | — |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | — |
| 22 | Oregon | — |
| 23 | Boise State | — |
| 24 | Western Michigan | W 28-21 |
| 25 | Michigan | W 52-17 |
Week 2 (Week 1 poll)
#69 of 69 · 12-5 · +0.7 · poll +3.1Best call: Boise State over Memphis, 38-20 (36% going in). Worst miss: Navy over Florida Atlantic, lost 38-30 (65% going in).
| # | Team | That week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | L 31-39 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | W 52-0 |
| 3 | Ohio State | L 23-24 |
| 4 | Georgia | W 70-20 |
| 5 | Texas | W 24-23 |
| 6 | Indiana | — |
| 7 | Miami | — |
| 8 | LSU | W 45-14 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | W 35-24 |
| 10 | USC | W 49-30 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | L 10-17 |
| 12 | Alabama | W 45-17 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | W 41-9 |
| 14 | Louisville | — |
| 15 | Virginia | — |
| 16 | BYU | W 28-17 |
| 17 | Texas A&M | W 48-20 |
| 18 | Florida | — |
| 19 | SMU | — |
| 20 | Boise State | W 38-20 |
| 21 | Washington | W 16-14 |
| 22 | Houston | — |
| 23 | Minnesota | L 13-38 |
| 24 | Penn State | W 27-9 |
| 25 | Navy | L 30-38 |
Green = the call was right (the higher-ranked team won). Ballots come from the AP's published voter ballots and grade on the games after each poll's release.