Ralph Russo’s 2026 Week 8 AP Ballot
The Athletic · 2026 AP Poll Voter
Ralph Russo submitted a complete 25-team ballot for the 2026 Week 8 AP football poll. This ballot includes 1 team outside the published Top 25 and omits 1 team inside it.
Notable Ballot Omission
Houston · AP #18
Ralph Russo left Houston unranked in the 2026 Week 8 AP poll. 67 of 70 voters included the team. 3 voters left it out.
Week 8 Ballot
Positive differences mean a higher vote than the AP rank; negative differences mean a lower vote.
| Vote | Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ohio State | #2 | +1 |
| #2 | Miami | #1 | -1 |
| #3 | Georgia | #3 | 0 |
| #4 | Indiana | #4 | 0 |
| #5 | Utah | #6 | +1 |
| #6 | UCLA | #7 | +1 |
| #7 | BYU | #8 | +1 |
| #8 | Notre Dame | #5 | -3 |
| #9 | Kentucky | #9 | 0 |
| #10 | LSU | #15 | +5 |
| #11 | Texas | #11 | 0 |
| #12 | Ole Miss | #12 | 0 |
| #13 | Tennessee | #16 | +3 |
| #14 | Alabama | #10 | -4 |
| #15 | Texas Tech | #13 | -2 |
| #16 | Wake Forest | #14 | -2 |
| #17 | Missouri | #23 | +6 |
| #18 | Florida | #17 | -1 |
| #19 | Oklahoma State | #24 | +5 |
| #20 | Boise State | #20 | 0 |
| #21 | Northwestern | #20 | -1 |
| #22 | Arizona | #22 | 0 |
| #23 | SMU | #19 | -4 |
| #24 | Wisconsin | #25 | +1 |
| #25 | UTSA | NR | Voter Only |
| NR | Cincinnati | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Houston | #18 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | Iowa | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Minnesota | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | New Mexico | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Oregon State | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | South Carolina | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | USC | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Virginia Tech | NR | Both Unranked |
Biggest Outliers in This Ballot
| Voter | Team | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Russo | Missouri | #17 | #23 | +6 |
| Ralph Russo | LSU | #10 | #15 | +5 |
| Ralph Russo | Oklahoma State | #19 | #24 | +5 |
| Ralph Russo | Alabama | #14 | #10 | -4 |
| Ralph Russo | SMU | #23 | #19 | -4 |
Added and Omitted Teams
Teams this voter includes outside the AP Top 25, and Top 25 teams they leave out.
| Voter | Team | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Russo | Houston | NR | #18 | Omitted by Voter |
| Ralph Russo | UTSA | #25 | NR | Voter Only |
Conference Comparisons
2026 Week 8 · This ballot only. Positive placement means higher than the AP rank; additions and omissions stay separate.
| Conference / Group | Shared Teams | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | +1.00 | 0 / 0 | 9 |
| Big Ten | +0.40 | 0 / 0 | 5 |
| Big 12 | +1.00 | 0 / 1 | 5 |
| ACC | -2.33 | 0 / 0 | 3 |
| Pac-12 | 0.00 | 0 / 0 | 1 |
| American | — | 1 / 0 | 0 |
| Mountain West | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Sun Belt | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| MAC | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Conference USA | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| FBS Independents | -3.00 | 0 / 0 | 1 |
Bars share a −3 to +3 scale. No shared ranked teams means no placement score (—). One ballot does not establish a lasting conference tendency.