Sport: College Sports Category: Transactions

Polling experiment suggests analytics don't favor Big Ten teams

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 3, 2026, 2:47 PM

Last updated Jun 3, 2026

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Summary

A recent analysis by Sam Khan Jr. and Austin Mock in The Athletic generated contrasting Top 25 rankings for college football programs. Khan's rankings prioritize roster construction, placing Indiana first, followed by Ohio State and Oregon, while Mock's analytics-based list has Ohio State and Oregon at the top but Indiana at sixth. Both rankings feature seven Big Ten teams but vary in order. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel's rankings align more closely with Khan's. This debate comes as teams prepare for the upcoming season, with insights expected to evolve as the summer progresses and games begin.

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Key Details

•Khan ranks Indiana first based on roster and transfer portal.
•Mock's analytics list places Indiana sixth after Ohio State and Oregon.
•Both rankings feature seven Big Ten teams but in different orders.
•Stewart Mandel's rankings align more closely with Khan's.
•Insights will continue to evolve as preseason approaches.

Latest Updates

2:47 PMYahoo Sports — Can't Wait For Saturday Polling experiment suggests analytics don't favor Big Ten

What they're saying

"
Jun. 3—*** As I have written in this space often, I like most of what they do at The Athletic. But Tuesday's piece by Sam Khan Jr. and Austin Mock was a particular stroke of genius. Wanting to update their post-spring rankings, Khan and Mock provided Top 25s using different criteria. Khan based his on roster construction and use of the transfer portal. Mock relied simply on the analytics. ...
— Yahoo Sports

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