It’s definitely an inexact science like any poll, more so because I don’t see many teams “in person.”
To be honest, there are about 15 teams that simply reload and get the “tradition” benefit, then I take a look at coaching staffs and give a bit of a “bump” to those with proven coaches, scour any type of online intel (MaxPreps, newspapers, this board, social media, 247 recruits, etc) and then put my personal touch on things in terms of strong regions annually.
Really hard for a 1A/2A school and even most 3A ones to crack the initial list but opportunities are there once the season starts.