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monkeymatt1836 Ballot for 2016 Week 4

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 18, 2016, 11:42 a.m.

Overall Rationale: At this point in the season it is clear that the top 8 or 9 teams have been head and shoulders better than everyone else. Beyond the top 9 so far, it has been a major crapshoot. There are a lot of teams in the 10-20 range who may be higher than they should be, but with Oklahoma, Ole Miss, ND all being 1-2 that opens up some spots in the middle of the poll. There is simply a lot of parity this year beyond the top 9. As always, my poll is based mainly off of strength of schedule, but the "eye test" plays a factor as well. 

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama got the Rebel monkey off their back and eeked out a win in Oxford. At this point in time there is definitely some holes in Alabama's game. Jalen Hurts very much looks like a true freshman when he drops back to throw the ball, but he makes up for it with his legs. Alabama's secondary gave up a ton of yards, and points, to Chad Kelly, but he might be the best QB they face prior to the playoffs. If Saban fixes their holes Alabama will be just fine. 
2 Louisville Cardinals Through the first 3 weeks Louisville has been the most dominant team in the country. They eviscerated a super talented Florida State team. Lamar Jackson had 4 more TDs and now has 18 total. If he keeps this pace up not only will he be at the Heisman ceremony, he should win it. The only thing standing in their way of winning the ACC is Clemson in 2 weeks. If Petrino gets his Cardinals to take this season week by week and not buy into the hype, they are good enough to contend for the national title. 
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State doesn't have down years, they reload. Every. Single. Season. The Buckeyes went into Norman and blew out Oklahoma, which is something that doesn't happen since Stoops took over in 2000. Oklahoma couldn't score on Ohio State's "basic defense." A vast majority of this Buckeye team had not been in a big time game before, and they passed their test with flying colors. Ohio State are contenders for the national title barring any major injuries. The scary part is the entire team is full of underclassmen. 
4 Houston Cougars Houston's game versus Cincinnati was a lot closer than the box score will tell you. It was a 1 score game with about 11 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Houston's defense took the game over, and made it so anyone who didn't watch the game doesn't know how close it was with a few pick sixes. Houston passed this week's test, but need to take it week by week and get a few blow outs to make sure they make the playoffs. 
5 Stanford Cardinal Stanford thoroughly dominated USC in Palo Alto. The offense didn't put up a ton of yards, or points, but it did enough to win the game. Christian McCaffrey had a solid night of 165 yards, 1 TD, and 5.5 yards per carry. Conference play starts next week for Stanford, and they look like the most complete PAC 12 team so far. 
6 Clemson Tigers Clemson didn't struggle against South Carolina State like they did in the first two weeks. They took care of business. Not much to say beyond they took out an 0-3 FCS team in dominating fashion, as they should. 
7 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State dares you to keep doubting them. Dantonio's Spartan squad has now won 67 games since the start of the 2010 season. They got their revenge in South Bend they have been waiting for since the 2013 Irish squad ruined their hopes at a national championship berth. Both of MSU's lines dominated the LOS. It seemed like MSU's RBs got 305 yards every carry. Tyler O'Connor played pretty well, and looked to be more than a game manager. The only bad part of MSU's performance was the secondary. DeShone Kizer carved them up most of the second half. If ND had more time, or decided to air the ball out earlier, they may have completed the comeback and won the game. 
8 Michigan Wolverines Michigan survived a scare against what seems to be a solid Colorado team. CU was up on Michigan for most of the first half before Michigan pulled away in the second half. If not for CU QB Sefo Liufau getting hurt early on in the second half, Michigan may have been in upset alert. Wilton Speight looked like a very average QB, and couldn't get much of a rhythm going. Michigan looked, and played, like they are the third best team in the Big East behind OSU and MSU.  
9 Washington Huskies The Huskies once again destroyed an inferior team, and looked good doing it. Their only mark at this point in time is they haven't played any decent teams. They open conference play next week @ Arizona, which is not a gimme game by any means. The real test will come in 2 weeks when Stanford makes their way to Seattle. 
10 Texas A&M Aggies The Aggies went into Jordan Hare and took out a solid Auburn. Auburn's offense may be a mess, but they might have one of the better defenses in the SEC. The Aggies are doing everything right to start this season. At this point in time they might be the second best team in the SEC West. 
11 Miami Hurricanes Miami so far is putting up a ton of points this season. So far they look like the third best team in the ACC. They went into Appalachian State, who is not a bad team, and destroyed them. The schedule is definitely there for Miami to reach 10 wins in Richt's first season. ACC play starts next week with a trip to Georgia Tech. 
12 Florida State Seminoles Florida State lost 63-20 and it was not as close as the score indicates. They got thoroughly ran through by Lamar Jackson's Cardinals. There are clearly issues with FSU's defense, evident after this game and the Ole Miss game. The offense was completely neutralized until the 4th quarter when the Cardinal backups were in. The only positive out of this game was Florida State's kick return unit.  FSU has the talent to make a NYE6 bowl, but their shot at a playoff berth is probably out of reach. FSU is on the outside looking in for an ACC title going forward, and need some help from other teams to reach their preseason goals. 
13 Wisconsin Badgers Oh boy, Wisconsin survived against a bad Georgia State team that came into Camp Randall and gave the Badgers a major scare. The recipe to beat the Badgers is take away their ground game and force them to air the ball out, and Georgia State did just that. Wisconsin's biggest flaw as a program is the inability to recruit and develop QBs. If Wisconsin can get any semblance of a passing game, they can contend for the Big Ten West. If not, it could be a long season for the Badger faithful and another return to a mid table Big 10 bowl. 
14 Arkansas Razorbacks Woo Pig Sooie. Arkansas blew out a lesser team, which it seems like is something that has not happened in awhile. Bielema had his team clicking against Texas State. Arkansas has racked up some solid wins so far this season, but they face a tough test in Texas A&M next week. 
15 Florida Gators The Gator defense has every bit impressive as it was last season, and the offense has been rolling, which was an issue last year after Will Grier got suspended. This week, the Gators dispatched a bad North Texas team, but QB Luke del Rio got hurt in the process. They face rival Tennessee next week, and if they don't have del Rio under center it could be a tough game for the Gators. With a healthy del Rio, the Gators look to be the favorites to win the SEC East. 
16 Utah Utes Utah 2016 is taking care of business so far. They have beaten their easier teams by a few scores, and took care of hated rival BYU in Week 2 in a defensive battle. They face USC in Week 3, which they should win. 
17 Georgia Bulldogs Average looking Georgia scraped out a win against below average looking Mizzou. True freshman QB Jacob Eason had to throw the ball 55 times in order to get UGA the W. UGA's offensive line is so bad, they are limiting what Nick Chubb, who is one of the top RBs in the nation, can do. Still, the SEC East is so bad UGA might just be playing in Atlanta in December. 
18 Tennessee Volunteers Despite all their talent, this years Tennessee squad looks and plays like an average team. They went into the 4th quarter against a MAC team only up 21-19, at home. If they are simply playing down to their competition they need to get their heads out of their asses with SEC play starting. The way the Vols are playing it would not be surprising at all if they end the season with 4 or 5 losses. 
19 Texas Longhorns Texas so far this season is playing like a typical Big 12 team. Put up a ton of points on offense, and give up a ton of points on defense. Despite losing to Cal, Texas still seems like the team to beat in the Big 12. Don't be surprised if the Big 12 has a 2 or 3 loss champion. 
20 Nebraska Cornhuskers Mike Riley finally got a win against the Ducks, and he only had to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to get it done. Much maligned Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong had a day in which he didn't cause Nebraska fans to pull their hair out. Nebraska's offense performed well enough to get them the win, but their defense had an average day. Oregon shot themselves in the foot more than Nebraska took control of the game and won. If Oregon had simply kicked the PAT after each TD instead of going for 2, they may have won. 
21 North Dakota State Bison Despite being an FCS team make no mistake, the 5 time reigning, defending FCS national champions could give plenty of teams in the Top 25 a battle. They went into Iowa City and outcoached, out played, and out manned the Hawkeyes. NDSU controlled the LOS on both sides of the ball, and ran the ball at will in the second half. They held the vaunted Iowa RBs to -7 yards rushing in the second half. NDSU is a giant fish in a small pond, and perhaps it is time they make the jump to Divison 1. 
22 Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa may have lost to NDSU, but this is not a bad Hawkeyes team. There is enough talent on both sides of the ball to win the Big Ten West. If they made fewer mistakes, they would have beaten the Bison. Iowa had an opportunity to ice the game in the 4th quarter, but Greg Davis's play calling reverted to it's old very conservative self, which is one reason the Hawkeyes lost the game. A lot of Iowa's mistakes are fixable, and expect the Hawkeyes to rebound next week against Rutgers. 
23 Western Michigan Broncos Western Michigan is the MAC team to beat this year. They have dominated the state of Illinois by beating Northwestern in Week 1, and destroying Illinois in Champaign this past weekend. Don't be surprised if PJ Fleck's Broncos are 12-0 at the end of the season and eyeing a bid for an NYE6 bowl. 
24 Arizona State Sun Devils Despite nearly stumbling against UTSA on the road, ASU is still 3-0 and have a solid win against Texas Tech. They have a big test next week in @ Cal. 
25 LSU Tigers LSU almost blew it against a bad Mississippi State team. Brandon Harris finally got benched for Danny Etling, who is below average, but still better than Harris. Leonard Fournette put up a solid game, and is probably the only reason LSU is still ranked. Through 3 games LSU has just looked like a bad team, and don't be surprised if they are toward the bottom of the SEC West standings.

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