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swodaem2005 Ballot for 2016 Week 2

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 6, 2016, 6:59 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Rankings were based on a combination of  preseason ranking and performance in Week 1.  In most instances, preseason ranking only served to solidify relative rankings when teams had similar Week 1 performances.  Top 10 with justifications.

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama was my preseason number one ranked team, and there were very few red flags Week 1.  The defense appeared elite, and the offense ultimately produced efficiently following rocky starts by Barnett and Hurts.  
2 Florida State Seminoles Florida State has the best win among preseason championship contenders.  Their first half performance doesn't signal as dominant a performance as Alabama, but their comeback victory over a very good Ole Miss deserves a rankings bump.
3 Clemson Tigers Clemson's offensive performance against Auburn is difficult to interpret.  Auburn's preseason expectations were not high, but they are still a quality P5 opponent with enough play makers on defense to reasonably conclude that their performance against Clemson was not a fluke.  Barring a disaster performance, it's still reasonable to expect Clemson to be a national championship contender - but Florida State's win against Ole Miss merits a jump in the rankings.
4 Michigan Wolverines Michigan dominated a road weary Hawaii.  Michigan did nothing to cede ground, their past two performances dating back to the bowl win against Florida signals absolutely nothing but dominance.  
5 Houston Cougars Probably has the best win in the FBS at this point.  Looked absolutely the part of a P5 championship contender program.  They may need some help to peek into the playoff hunt, but not much.
6 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State's young core played lights out - their offense looked dynamic and JT Barrett should be on early Heisman Hype boards.  Some losses   and weak performance by others justify a big ratings bump.  
7 Stanford Cardinal Stanford wasn't dominant, but not awful against Kansas State.  This performance may be retroactively ranked better or worse based on how K-State performs, but as of now Stanford holds firm.  
8 Washington Huskies Washington appears to be what they were billed as coming into the season - dynamic, athletic, and stingy.  Another win that could be viewed as better or worse depending upon how horrible Rutgers proves themselves to be this year - but as of now I'm feeling convinced.  
9 Wisconsin Badgers Not spectacular, but solid against quality competition.  Wisconsin deserves the benefit of the doubt given the quality of their win.  If they can escape this season with one win and LSU doesn't turn out to be horrible, they could still be in the playoff hunt.  
10 Texas Longhorns Quality win over Notre Dame - the defense appeared shaky against an elite offense from Notre Dame but the talent is there defensively and now the scheme is there on offense.  I'm not sure Texas is back, but they're back in my rankings as of now because they have one of the best wins in football.
11 Georgia Bulldogs
12 Louisville Cardinals
13 Iowa Hawkeyes
14 Michigan State Spartans
15 Texas A&M Aggies
16 Oklahoma State Cowboys
17 Tennessee Volunteers
18 TCU Horned Frogs
19 Baylor Bears
20 Oregon Ducks
21 Pittsburgh Panthers
22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
23 Ole Miss Rebels
24 WKU Hilltoppers
25 Oklahoma Sooners

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