Stephen Means’s 2026 Week 8 AP Ballot
Cleveland.com · 2026 AP Poll Voter
Stephen Means submitted a complete 25-team ballot for the 2026 Week 8 AP football poll. This ballot includes 3 teams outside the published Top 25 and omits 3 teams inside it.
Notable Ballot Omission
Tennessee · AP #16
Stephen Means left Tennessee unranked in the 2026 Week 8 AP poll. 68 of 70 voters included the team. 2 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 | Utah | #6 | +5 |
| #2 | UCLA | #7 | +5 |
| #3 | Ohio State | #2 | -1 |
| #4 | Miami | #1 | -3 |
| #5 | BYU | #8 | +3 |
| #6 | Notre Dame | #5 | -1 |
| #7 | Indiana | #4 | -3 |
| #8 | Georgia | #3 | -5 |
| #9 | Wake Forest | #14 | +5 |
| #10 | Kentucky | #9 | -1 |
| #11 | Northwestern | #20 | +9 |
| #12 | SMU | #19 | +7 |
| #13 | Texas Tech | #13 | 0 |
| #14 | Boise State | #20 | +6 |
| #15 | Arizona | #22 | +7 |
| #16 | Texas | #11 | -5 |
| #17 | Alabama | #10 | -7 |
| #18 | Florida | #17 | -1 |
| #19 | New Mexico | NR | Voter Only |
| #20 | Ole Miss | #12 | -8 |
| #21 | Wisconsin | #25 | +4 |
| #22 | Houston | #18 | -4 |
| #23 | LSU | #15 | -8 |
| #24 | Iowa | NR | Voter Only |
| #25 | USC | NR | Voter Only |
| NR | Cincinnati | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Minnesota | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Missouri | #23 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | Oklahoma State | #24 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | Oregon State | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | South Carolina | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Tennessee | #16 | Omitted by Voter |
| NR | UTSA | NR | Both Unranked |
| NR | Virginia Tech | NR | Both Unranked |
Biggest Outliers in This Ballot
| Voter | Team | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Means | Northwestern | #11 | #20 | +9 |
| Stephen Means | LSU | #23 | #15 | -8 |
| Stephen Means | Ole Miss | #20 | #12 | -8 |
| Stephen Means | Alabama | #17 | #10 | -7 |
| Stephen Means | Arizona | #15 | #22 | +7 |
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 | Iowa | #24 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | Missouri | NR | #23 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | New Mexico | #19 | NR | Voter Only |
| Stephen Means | Oklahoma State | NR | #24 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | Tennessee | NR | #16 | Omitted by Voter |
| Stephen Means | USC | #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 | -5.00 | 0 / 2 | 7 |
| Big Ten | +2.80 | 2 / 0 | 5 |
| Big 12 | +2.20 | 0 / 1 | 5 |
| ACC | +3.00 | 0 / 0 | 3 |
| Pac-12 | +6.00 | 0 / 0 | 1 |
| American | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Mountain West | — | 1 / 0 | 0 |
| Sun Belt | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| MAC | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| Conference USA | — | 0 / 0 | 0 |
| FBS Independents | -1.00 | 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.