This is why I post the ballot as early as I can, to “reality test” it and see what appears out of order. Here was my rationale for each of those rankings, with respect to which I welcome feedback:

1. Cincinnati and Texas both went undefeated through the regular season and lost in the postseason by a convincing margin. The Bearcats beat seven teams with winning records and four teams with losing records. The Longhorns beat seven teams with winning records and five teams with losing records. Cincy beat No. 15 Pitt on the road, No. 16 West Virginia, and decent Rutgers and Oregon State teams (both on the road and both by comfortable margins). Texas beat No. 20 Nebraska at a neutral site, No. 23 Oklahoma State on the road, and No. 25 Texas Tech. It was a close call, but, on the whole, I thought Cincinnati had the slightly better overall body of work, as the Bearcats beat seven teams that won eight or more games.

2. Penn State closed with a narrow win at a neutral site in a sloppy game, but what else did the Nittany Lions do this year? Their eleven wins came against Division I-AA Eastern Illinois and seven teams that finished with losing records. Only three of PSU’s victories came against teams that finished above .500: LSU (whose best win was a penalty-aided last-second comeback against a mediocre Georgia team), Northwestern, and Temple. The Lions faced the two toughest teams on their schedule (Iowa and Ohio State) at home and the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes both beat Penn State convincingly.

3. The ‘Canes beat five teams with winning records (as did USC, Pitt, and West Virginia, the three teams ranked immediately behind Miami) and their four losses were respectable. Three of Miami’s four losses were either on the road or at a neutral site, two of them were by margins of a touchdown or less, and all four of them came against teams that finished with eight or more wins. The Hurricanes also carded a convincing win over ACC champion Georgia Tech, giving them a more impressive scalp than many teams. Although I could have elevated the Trojans over Miami, USC was dragged down by its loss to a Washington club that finished 5-7.

That’s why I ranked those teams where I did, but, as always, I invite questions, constructive criticisms, and persuasive cases for alternative poll positions. Thanks for raising those points, tankertoad.

Since my evaluation of a team’s record changes on a weekly basis (as their record changes, and as the records of the teams they’ve played change), I don’t look back to the previous week’s rankings when compiling this week’s rankings.

Believe me, it turns my stomach to rank Georgia Tech in the top ten, but the Yellow Jackets beat Clemson twice and they beat Virginia Tech. Their three losses all were respectable: only one of them was at home and all of them were against teams that won eight or more games. Besides, since I’m being asked to give the Longhorns credit for hanging tough with Alabama in the fourth quarter before falling by a double-digit margin, shouldn’t I give the same credit to our in-state rival? When Iowa lined up for what turned out to be a fake field goal with the score 17-14, I was sure the final score was going to be 21-20.

I have the Hokies ranked right behind the Engineers. It wouldn’t seem right to drop the Ramblin’ Wreck below the Gobblers, since GIT beat VPI head-to-head, won the conference title, and finished with a better record. If I were to entertain arguments about dropping the Golden Tornado, though, a good place to focus would be on the fact that five of their ten wins over Division I-A opposition were by a touchdown or less, whereas only one of their three losses came in a one-score game.

I was impressed by the fact that Florida beat nine teams with winning records while the Broncos beat just six. However, that number is a little misleading, since the Gators beat four teams that finished 7-6 (Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Florida State).

Ultimately, I placed Boise State ahead of Florida for two reasons. First of all, going undefeated counts for something, particularly since the Sunshine State Saurians lost to ‘Bama badly in a neutral site game. Secondly, the Broncos’ two best wins (over Texas Christian and Oregon) were better than the Gators’ two best wins (over Cincinnati and Louisiana State).

Wisconsin beat Miami, but the next-best win in the Badgers’ ledger was an overtime victory over Fresno State in Madison, while Wiscy’s losses to Ohio State and Iowa were not close. The Hurricanes lost four games, one of them to Wisconsin, but all four of Miami’s losses were to teams that finished with eight or more wins. Only one of those losses was at home and two of them were by a touchdown or less. The ’Canes also get a big boost from beating Georgia Tech handily.

Likewise, the Mountaineers beat ten-win Pitt and nine-win Rutgers, as well as taking care of a decent East Carolina team. (The Pirates took the Razorbacks to the wire in a neutral site game heavily dominated by Arkansas fans. The Hogs previously took the Gators to the wire in the Swamp. I give West Virginia credit for defeating ECU.) None of WVU’s four losses came at home and three of them were to teams that finished with eight or more wins.