Stephen Means’s 2026 Week 5 AP Ballot
Cleveland.com · 2026 AP Poll Voter
Stephen Means submitted a complete 25-team ballot for the 2026 Week 5 AP football poll. This ballot includes 6 teams outside the published Top 25 and omits 6 teams inside it.
Notable Ballot Omission
Tennessee · AP #15
Stephen Means left Tennessee unranked in the 2026 Week 5 AP poll. 68 of 70 voters included the team. 2 voters left it out.
Week 5 Ballot
Positive differences mean a higher vote than the AP rank; negative differences mean a lower vote.
| Vote | Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | #1 | 0 |
| #2 | Alabama | #6 | +4 |
| #3 | Notre Dame | #3 | 0 |
| #4 | Ohio State | #5 | +1 |
| #5 | Georgia | #2 | -3 |
| #6 | Miami | #4 | -2 |
| #7 | Indiana | #7 | 0 |
| #8 | BYU | #8 | 0 |
| #9 | Texas Tech | #11 | +2 |
| #10 | Utah | #12 | +2 |
| #11 | Pittsburgh | #25 | +14 |
| #12 | Missouri | #14 | +2 |
| #13 | Oklahoma State | #18 | +5 |
| #14 | Oregon | #13 | -1 |
| #15 | UCLA | #21 | +6 |
| #16 | Duke | NR | Voter Only |
| #17 | Florida | #16 | -1 |
| #18 | Ole Miss | #9 | -9 |
| #19 | LSU | #10 | -9 |
| #20 | Nebraska | NR | Voter Only |
| #21 | Iowa | #20 | -1 |
| #22 | Wisconsin | NR | Voter Only |
| #23 | Wake Forest | NR | Voter Only |
| #24 | Northwestern | NR | Voter Only |
| #25 | James Madison | NR | Voter Only |
| NR | Arizona | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Boise State | #23 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | Houston | #22 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | Kentucky | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Minnesota | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Mississippi State | #17 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | North Dakota State | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | SMU | #24 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | Tennessee | #15 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | USC | #19 | Omitted by Voter |
Biggest Outliers in This Ballot
| Voter | Team | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Means | Pittsburgh | #11 | #25 | +14 |
| Stephen Means | LSU | #19 | #10 | -9 |
| Stephen Means | Ole Miss | #18 | #9 | -9 |
| Stephen Means | UCLA | #15 | #21 | +6 |
| Stephen Means | Oklahoma State | #13 | #18 | +5 |
Added and Omitted Teams
Teams this voter includes outside the AP Top 25, and Top 25 teams they leave out.
| Voter | Team | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Means | Boise State | NR | #23 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | Duke | #16 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | Houston | NR | #22 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | James Madison | #25 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | Mississippi State | NR | #17 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | Nebraska | #20 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | Northwestern | #24 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | SMU | NR | #24 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | Tennessee | NR | #15 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | USC | NR | #19 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | Wake Forest | #23 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | Wisconsin | #22 | NR | Voter Only |
Conference Comparisons
2026 Week 5 · This ballot only. Positive placement means higher than the AP rank; additions and omissions stay separate.
| Conference / Group | Shared Teams | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | -2.29 | 0 / 2 | 7 |
| Big Ten | +1.00 | 3 / 1 | 5 |
| Big 12 | +2.25 | 0 / 1 | 4 |
| ACC | +6.00 | 2 / 1 | 2 |
| Pac-12 | — | 0 / 1 | 0 |
| American | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Mountain West | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Sun Belt | — | 1 / 0 | 0 |
| MAC | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Conference USA | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| FBS Independents | 0.00 | 0 / 0 | 1 |
Bars share a −6 to +6 scale. No shared ranked teams means no placement score (—). One ballot does not establish a lasting conference tendency.