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Jpkun Ballot for 2017 Week 2

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 5, 2017, 1:26 p.m.

Overall Rationale: A human ranking. I added rationales for several of the teams I ranked. At this point in the season, I am not confident in my rankings at all. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and criticisms. 

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Solid win against showcasing their stout defense. The offense may have potential issues this year. Forced numerous back-to-back turnovers.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes Began the game slow, but their high level of talent shone through as the game went on. Offense needed some time to get into rhythm, but that should be expected.
3 Clemson Tigers The exodus of Deshaun Watson and other NFL talent seems to have been replenished with other excellent players as Clemson looked more or less flawless. Although the opponent was one it was expected to destroy, their play must be reassuring to fans of Clemson. Especially with Deondre Francois out for FSU, it seems likely that Clemson might lead the ACC again.
4 Oklahoma Sooners Looked great under their new head coach. Mayfield only missed one pass. Much like Clemson, their opponent was nowhere near their level. It was a convincing game. Next week's game at Columbus may be critical for deciding whether the B1G or the Big 12 is left out--like it did last year.
5 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State looked to have some trouble in the beginning of the game, being a bit sluggish, but definitely picked up speed and rhythm as the game went on. Flawless game for them, recording a dominant shut out. It will be interesting to see how their fair against Pitt, a rival that that cost them a berth in the playoff last year. 
6 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State delivered a strong offensive performance as expected against a pretty good team. Their defense is probably not as stout as the other teams in my top 10, but pure offensive firepower will likely keep them in the game against any of the other teams they face. 
7 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin, like many other teams this week, faced more of a challenge than expected early in the game. Wisconsin quickly blew open a lead in the second half and never looked back. If the offense is improved from last year, I think Wisconsin will be a scary foe to face. 
8 Washington Huskies Washington played one of the more interesting games of the first week against Rutgers. Rutgers played a surprisingly stout defensive game and game Washington a game. Although Washington did not cover the spread, I think this has more to do with Rutgers' improvements.
9 Michigan Wolverines Michigan's defense gave up a field goal in the opening drive and then largely shut down Florida's offense. Michigan's defense has been able to replace key starters from last year and shut down a Florida offense that was supposed to be improved from last year. However, it remains unclear whether Michigan's defense is good or Florida's offense is just bad. Michigan's offense showed a little bit of improvement, playing against a Florida defense that was expected to be quite good--the offense was able to establish the run game and other than the two back-to-back pick-6s resulting in 14 of Florida's 17 points, Michigan's offense was quite good at moving the ball. Where they struggled is with getting the ball in the end-zone. 
10 LSU Tigers LSU showed a clean and strong defensive performance against visiting BYU. I don't really have much to say other than they played sound football. If LSU's new offense can move the ball like it was unable to do last year, I think the Tigers will have a successful year. 
11 USC Trojans USC played a disappointingly close game with Western, who lost their NFL talent and their head coach. The score does not indicate how close the game really was. Like usual, USC won in the end on their much superior athleticism. That being said, I think next week's showdown with Stanford will be eye-opening and crucial. In recent years, Stanford has been quite a frustrating opponent for SC--Stanford is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the two. Between this game and OU-OSU, I am so excited for saturday!
12 Stanford Cardinal
13 Florida State Seminoles Played decently well against Alabama, but lost their starting QB. Excellent defense, but the offense seemed to struggle against the Alabama defense, which I guess is to be expected. It will be up to their backup to save their season, which up until Saturday, looked like a playoff year. 
14 Auburn Tigers
15 Georgia Bulldogs
16 Miami Hurricanes
17 Kansas State Wildcats
18 Washington State Cougars
19 Virginia Tech Hokies
20 USF Bulls
21 Louisville Cardinals
22 TCU Horned Frogs
23 Maryland Terrapins
24 Tennessee Volunteers
25 Colorado Buffaloes

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