First of all, this is not a pre-season poll. It is a Power Index calculation used to determine strengths and weaknesses of all Division I teams and to rate them accordingly.
Polls, usually conducted by the Coaches, AP, and others will be released closer to the start of the football season. Those are beauty contests and have been used as part of the old BCS system. We live in different times now.
The four teams selected to play for the national championship will be selected by a committee that will use data like this Power Index to make their choices for the field. Similarly, the selection committee will also use data to determine the best of the Group of 5 from the mid-major conferences for their one entry into an Access Bowl.
College football fans are going to have to get used to the idea that college football "polls" as we once knew them, will not be as relevant as they were in days gone by. We are in a new paradigm for the sport and only time will tell how well the system will work.
Quite frankly, I can see a scenario where an undefeated mid-major team gets ranked in the Top 25 in both major college football "polls" but is passed over for another Group of 5 team with 2 or 3 losses but deemed to be more worthy because of strength of schedule.
This is not a national conspiracy against Marshall, but it certainly will take a while to figure out exactly what teams are expected to do to earn a bid to an Access Bowl. Trust me, there will be a lot of complaining at the end of the season...just like the talk you hear following the NCAA Basketball Selection Committee when they announce their field. Someone always feels left out or overlooked.