| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU | -- |
| 2 | Southern Cal |
 1 |
| 3 | Florida |
4 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | -- |
| 5 | Texas |
 3 |
| 6 | California | -- |
| 7 | West Virginia |
2 |
| 8 | Rutgers | -- |
| 9 | Penn State |
2 |
| 10 | Boston College |
4 |
| 11 | Ohio State |
5 |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
2 |
| 13 | South Carolina |
1 |
| 14 | Oregon |
4 |
| 15 | Nebraska |
6 |
| 16 | Kentucky |
10 |
| 17 | Alabama |
9 |
| 18 | Louisville |
3 |
| 19 | Georgia |
1 |
| 20 | Hawaii |
1 |
| 21 | Texas A&M |
2 |
| 22 | South Florida |
3 |
| 23 | Clemson |
1 |
| 24 | Missouri |
2 |
| 25 | Texas Tech |
1 |
Justifications, clarifications, observations:
I despise, despise, despise this ballot. Many teams moved up on default. I have no idea about the teams that debuted, at least as far as whether they deserve to be there or where they deserve to be in the poll. All I know is I can't come up with anyone else who deserves to be ranked.
That includes UCLA, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Tennessee. The only one of those that could argue for being ranked simply based on who they lost to, in my mind, is Tennessee, and they shouldn't have lost by 59-20 to Florida, in the Swamp or not.
Nos. 1-4 are a toss-up. This is where the resumes most strongly came into play. LSU has blown out two BCS-league teams and a decent mid-major. Southern Cal blew out one BCS-league team and a mediocre mid-major. Florida blew out a BCS-league team, a decent mid-major and Western Kentucky -- but all at home. Oklahoma blew out one BCS-league team and two mediocre-to-awful mid-majors.
Below that, chaos. Kentucky is a touch more impressive than Alabama. I guess. A few more debuts by teams I think are worthy of the Top 25, or at least not as unworthy as those I left out. Here's hoping this all straightens itself out eventually.
Any suggestions/comments welcome.