non-bluebloods get hosed on both fronts. For example, the viewers/voters see a small school have a good year and they are willing to rank them high until they reach around #15-#-10. Then they start to peak because their schedule against their annual conference opponents isn’t terribly tough. But if you look back to the last two to three years you’d see that the team is consistently good and that should help them be considered better than what just their current season is showing.