The AP Top 25, the Coaches Poll, and the playoff committee's once it starts ranking in November. Who moved, and by how much.
Rankings
2026 AP Poll: Week 7
1▲1Georgia Bulldogs (66)6-0
2▲1Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1)6-0
3▲1Miami Hurricanes (2)5-0
4▲1Ohio State Buckeyes5-1
5▲2Indiana Hoosiers (1)6-0
6—Alabama Crimson Tide5-1
7▼6Texas Longhorns4-1
8—BYU Cougars5-0
9—Ole Miss Rebels4-1
10▲1Texas Tech Red Raiders5-0
11▲1Utah Utes5-0
12▲9UCLA Bruins5-0
13▲1Missouri Tigers5-1
14▲1Tennessee Volunteers5-1
15NEWKentucky Wildcats5-1
16▲1Mississippi State Bulldogs4-1
17▲3Iowa Hawkeyes5-1
18—Oklahoma State Cowboys4-1
19—USC Trojans6-1
20▲2Houston Cougars5-1
21NEWWake Forest Demon Deacons5-1
22▼12LSU Tigers4-2
23—Boise State Broncos5-1
24—SMU Mustangs4-1
25NEWNorthwestern Wildcats4-1
Polls are votes, not the WizLine — we publish them because they're how the season gets talked about. What we actually project is on the matchups board.
Three rankings, three different jobs
The AP Top 25 is voted by writers, the Coaches Poll by the people on the sideline, and the College Football Playoff committee's list — which starts in November — is the only one that decides anything. The first two are opinion with a long memory. A team that starts the year at number 3 tends to fall a few spots at a time, not straight out.
That memory is exactly why a model and a poll disagree. Ours re-rates every team off what has actually happened, week to week, with no preseason anchor and no reputation to protect — so it will put an unranked team over a ranked one without hesitating. The gap between the two lists is usually where the week's live games are, and every one of them is priced on the matchups board.
A ranking also moves the line. By kickoff the market has priced the reputation along with the team, which is why "they're ranked" is not an edge on its own — the number already knows. What's worth reading is where a projection and the consensus part company, and whether that call has been landing.
How the WizLine has done, 2026
Every college game we price gets graded against the result — 522 calls settled so far this season. The record sits here whether it's good or not.
Moneyline372-8182% hit
Spread20-1459% cover
Total23-582% hit
Team total3-4sample still small
Research signals from a statistical model, not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed. 21+, please play responsibly (1-800-GAMBLER).
Common questions
What's the difference between the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll?
Different voters. The AP Top 25 is voted by sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the sport; the AFCA Coaches Poll is voted by active head coaches. Coaches see fewer games than the writers do and tend to move teams more slowly, so the two lists usually agree at the top and diverge from about 15 down.
When do the College Football Playoff rankings start?
Early November, and they run weekly until Selection Day. The CFP committee ranks independently of both polls and is the only one that decides the bracket — the AP and Coaches polls carry no official weight at all.
Why do computer rankings disagree with the AP poll?
They're measuring different things. A poll is a human judgment that carries memory — a preseason number 3 slides slowly even after a bad month, because voters move teams a few spots at a time. A model has no memory and no loyalty: it re-rates every team off what happened on the field, so it will happily put an unranked team above a ranked one when the results say so. That gap is usually where the interesting games are.
How often do the polls update?
Weekly through the season, normally Sunday afternoon for the AP and Coaches polls once Saturday's results are in. This page picks each one up within hours of release, and shows the movement against the previous week rather than just the current number.
Does being ranked make a team more likely to cover?
No — and that's the useful part. A ranking moves the line as much as it moves the odds, so the market has already priced the reputation by kickoff. What we publish is a projection for every game against that line, graded afterwards, so you can see where the WizLine and the consensus part company. Research, not advice.
