Not an NIU direct topic, but more adjacent...

• Liberty is undefeated and holding at #25.
• Toledo is 10-1 and hasn't cracked the top 25.
• James Madison is undefeated and sitting at #18
• Troy is 8-2
• Iowa is 8-2 and not on the AP poll... somehow
  

Meanwhile Notre Dame is 7-3 and we're supposed to believe they're the 20th best program in the country with such illustrious wins over (checks notes):

• 4-5 Navy
• 6-4 FCS Tennessee State
• 5-6 Central Michigan (yeah... i know... save it)
• 2-8 Pitt
  

Plus Oklahoma State is 7-3 and #24. After losses to Southern Alabama, Iowa State and UCF.

I know there is always ND bias, and the whole poll thing has been debated before, but dang this year seems genuinely way out of whack at the moment.

That school has to be terrible for it to get knocked out of the top 25, and it takes the entire year to get to that point. They're like the old Weebles Wobble but they don't fall down (yes I'm old).

Everyone has a bias. Apparently many have a bias against Notre Dame. They're about where they deserve to be.

Liberty, Toledo and JMU are not deserving of top 25 rankings IMO. Resumes are very, very weak. Name even one decent win.

Iowa is ranked #16 in the CFP rankings, which is really the only one that matters this time of year.

Oklahoma State has a really bad loss to USA, but they also have wins over Kansas State, Kansas, West Virginia and Oklahoma.

I think SOS has become a big ingredient. Toledo has the 128th weakest schedule. Liberty 131st. That’s 6 and 3 from the bottom.

And a lot of it is where you start in the preseason. JMU finished 2022 ranked so they were going to start the season near top 25.

Who have they beaten? Even Iowa hasn't beaten anyone really.

Liberty has beat the worst conference slate possible.