Who's really played the best thus far through the first half of the college football season?

Most agree that the AP Top 25 Poll has become fatally flawed, thanks to a combination of human voter bias, time zone issues, mistakes and the sheer number of games, which makes following each one in detail virtually impossible.

These issues start in the preseason polls, which are no more than lightly educated guessing based on recruiting rankings, coaches, the transfer portal, success in the previous season and conference affiliation. Even in season, the polls have become so unreliable and...