The Football House: Basel's Batman Tiers

I've been thinking a lot about football lately. Between the Football House show, our Top 25, and my 2025 NFL Breakdowns with Jordan Laube, I've been locked in on the gridiron. However, whenever I've wanted to take my mind off previewing dark horse players and researching big questions for several programs around the country, I've read comic books, specifically Batman.

In an attempt to combine my two recent obsessions, here are some Football House Top 25 statistics, visualized with stills from Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League.

Tier 1: The Top Dogs

Represented above by DC's Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, the following three schools have been ranked in 49 out of 49 Football House Polls:

• Alabama

• Georgia

• Ohio State

Each school has been ranked at #1 overall on multiple occasions. However, only Georgia (in 2022) and Ohio State (in 2024) have finished the season as Football House National Champions. Michigan, the 2023 Football House National Champion, has appeared ranked in 41 of 49 polls. Like the DC Trinity, these three programs have set the standard of College Football greatness in this decade.

Oregon and Ole Miss just missed the cut for this tier, having been ranked 48 times out of 49 possible polls.

Tier 2: Pretty Solid!

Represented by this iconic shot from the BTAS episode Be a Clown, the following schools may have missed the Top 25 on a few occasions, but have always received at least one vote in every poll:

• Oregon (48 Top 25 appearances, 1 appearance receiving votes)

• Ole Miss (48 Top 25 appearances, 1 appearance receiving votes)

• Tennessee (47 Top 25 appearances, 2 appearances receiving votes)

Penn State just missed the cut here, receiving at least 1 vote in 48 of 49 polls.

Tier 3: Deep Freeze

In an attempt to save his dying wife Nora, Victor Fries developed an advanced cryogenic preservation system that would ultimately lead to his transformation into the villain Mister Freeze. When looking at our polls since 2022, it's clear that several programs have come into contact with his formula:

• Houston (Last ranked 9/6/2022, our first-ever poll)

• Michigan State (Last ranked 9/18/2022)

• Arkansas (Last ranked 10/2/2022)

• Baylor (Last ranked 10/16/2022)

• Wake Forest (Last ranked 10/30/2022)

• Cincinnati (Last ranked 11/20/2022)

• UCF (Last ranked 12/4/2022)

• Troy (Last ranked in the final 2022 poll)

• Mississippi State (Last ranked in the final 2022 poll)

Tier 4: Arkham Asylum

It's been a rough start to the decade for these programs. In 49 polls from the Football House, no school on the above graphic has ever received a vote from our team. Notable power conference members on this graphic include:

• Auburn (17-21 record from 2022-Today)

• Virginia (12-23 record from 2022-Today)

• Cal (17-22 record from 2022-Today)

• Stanford (9-28 record from 2022-Today)

• West Virginia (21-18 record from 2022-Today)

• Northwestern (12-25 record from 2022-Today)

While FBS newcomers Delaware and Missouri State have also never received votes, I felt that it was unfair to include them on this graphic of programs in despair.

Tier 5: New Adventures on the Horizon

While times may be tough for the programs depicted in Tier 4, there remains a beacon of hope. Depicted here with the Tim Drake Robin from The New Batman Adventures, three programs (Colorado State, Western Kentucky, and Purdue) all received their first ever votes in the Football House 2025 Preseason Poll.

Who will join these three schools in the second Football House poll of the year? Can any teams break out of Arkham Asylum and get on track for success? Find out tomorrow when the next Football House Top 25 releases on the blog. Same bat time, same bat channel!