{
  "spec": "pointcast.25-disagreement-index/v1",
  "season": 2026,
  "board": "000",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-27T11:25:00-07:00",
  "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/disagreements",
  "machineEdition": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/disagreements.json",
  "question": "Which five teams does PointCast believe in more than ESPN preseason FPI?",
  "methodology": "The index compares PointCast Board 000 with the ESPN preseason FPI Top 25 as reported by College Football HQ on SI. It is a comparison between two differently framed rankings, not a claim of universal consensus.",
  "reference": {
    "name": "ESPN preseason FPI Top 25",
    "shortName": "ESPN FPI",
    "publishedAt": "2026-07-09",
    "checkedAt": "2026-07-27",
    "url": "https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/rankings/college-football-rankings-espn-top-25-preseason-poll-2026",
    "note": "ESPN Football Power Index order as reported by College Football HQ on SI. FPI is a predictive model, not an opinion poll; PointCast uses it here as one legible reference board, not as a universal consensus.",
    "rankings": [
      "Ohio State",
      "Texas",
      "Notre Dame",
      "Oregon",
      "Georgia",
      "Indiana",
      "Miami",
      "Alabama",
      "LSU",
      "Texas Tech",
      "Texas A&M",
      "Oklahoma",
      "USC",
      "Ole Miss",
      "Michigan",
      "Tennessee",
      "Penn State",
      "Florida",
      "Clemson",
      "BYU",
      "Missouri",
      "Auburn",
      "South Carolina",
      "SMU",
      "Iowa"
    ]
  },
  "disagreements": [
    {
      "team": "Penn State",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/teams/penn-state",
      "pointcastRank": 12,
      "referenceRank": 17,
      "pointcastDifference": 5,
      "stance": "PointCast is buying Matt Campbell’s organizing power before 39 transfers look like one connected team.",
      "reason": "Matt Campbell and 39 transfers: either an intelligently assembled machine or a very expensive group project.",
      "doubt": "The number 39 is also a warning about shared language, role clarity, and September chemistry.",
      "nextProof": "Look connected on third down before talent can cover the seams."
    },
    {
      "team": "BYU",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/teams/byu",
      "pointcastRank": 16,
      "referenceRank": 20,
      "pointcastDifference": 4,
      "stance": "Consecutive 11-win seasons are evidence. The Cougars have earned more than outsider courtesy.",
      "reason": "Consecutive 11-win seasons are evidence, not atmosphere.",
      "doubt": "New defensive leadership has to preserve the thing that made the last two seasons travel.",
      "nextProof": "Win when the offense is merely normal."
    },
    {
      "team": "Utah",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/teams/utah",
      "pointcastRank": 20,
      "referenceRank": null,
      "pointcastDifference": null,
      "stance": "PointCast is betting that years of developmental competence survive the end of the Kyle Whittingham era.",
      "reason": "Can the infrastructure survive the end of the Whittingham era? We believe it can—barely.",
      "doubt": "Institutional memory is not play-calling, recruiting, or fourth-quarter authority.",
      "nextProof": "Look unmistakably like Utah after the person most associated with “Utah football” is gone."
    },
    {
      "team": "Washington",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/teams/washington",
      "pointcastRank": 21,
      "referenceRank": null,
      "pointcastDifference": null,
      "stance": "The roster and returning structure are stronger than the volume of the national conversation.",
      "reason": "Quietly respected by models and preseason consensus; a perfect early candidate for “we noticed first.”",
      "doubt": "Big Ten travel turns respectable depth into a weekly stress test.",
      "nextProof": "Carry offensive efficiency across one cross-country conference trip."
    },
    {
      "team": "Boise State",
      "canonical": "https://pointcast.xyz/25/teams/boise-state",
      "pointcastRank": 24,
      "referenceRank": null,
      "pointcastDifference": null,
      "stance": "A national board needs an outsider benchmark. Boise is the first test of whether the poll watches beyond the largest brands.",
      "reason": "The outsider benchmark: the team that reveals whether this poll actually watches beyond the power brands.",
      "doubt": "The new Pac-12 carries opportunity and a weekly credibility tax.",
      "nextProof": "Beat the kind of opponent whose logo normally wins the argument before kickoff."
    }
  ]
}