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stripes361 Ballot for 2017 Week 3

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 11, 2017, 9:28 p.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma's defense is not quite at the level of Alabama's yet, but it also wasn't a liability against Ohio State. In fact, it was a strength, as it shut down JT Barrett all night. That, combined with a significantly better passing attack than the Crimson Tide, is enough to make Oklahoma the best team in the country headed into Week 3. The Sooners also have the best resume in the country. #1 on all accounts. On a related note, I've hyped Baker Mayfield as my Heisman favorite in all three of my polls now, and he is one of the two early frontrunners along with the sensational Lamar Jackson.
2 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama took care of business against Fresno State. The 41-10 scoreline could have been much bigger had the Crimson Tide really felt like burying the Bulldogs. You can trust Nick Saban's team to continue to be the most consistent in college football.
3 Washington Huskies Washington played Montana this week, so the expected blowout victory did not tell us much. After struggling against Rutgers in Week One, I have put the Huskies on notice. Another underwhelming performance against Fresno State or Colorado will cause Peterson's squad to start dropping on my ballot.
4 Clemson Tigers Clemson had one of the best statement wins of the season so far, befuddling a Gus Malzahn offense that looked completely outmatched. Kelly Bryant played better than the 14 Clemson points would indicate and should continue to grow throughout the season. If he can progress as expected, Clemson will be a true playoff contender...as long as they can beat Louisville next week.
5 Penn State Nittany Lions A week after praising Trace McSorley's accuracy, Penn State's QB looked off all day against Pat Narduzzi's defense. Perhaps the Pitt coach just knew how to rattle McSorley, or perhaps the rivalry jitters got to him. Regardless, James Franklin's team will need better performances out of him if they wish to repeat as B1G champions. With a bunch of loaded teams rounding out the Top 10, Penn State will start falling in my rankings if the offensive hiccups continue.
6 Ohio State Buckeyes If this were a "Resume" ranking, then the Buckeyes would have fallen much further. However, I expect Urban Meyer to right the ship. And the loss did come, after all, to my preseason #3 in a game which was pretty close until Ohio State lost their composure. For now, the Buckeyes remain in my top 10 but need to fix their offense to stay here. Might I suggest running more, perhaps even with actual running backs? Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins average 6.3 yards per carry on 16 rushes, and both running backs averaged more yards per carry than OSU averaged yards per pass attempt. Yeesh. Play to your strengths, people!
7 USC Trojans If this is your first time reading one of my ballots, keep in mind that USC was my preseason #10. The win over Stanford was truly impressive and the Trojans' 3-spot improvement over their preseason ranking is the highest of any team currently ranked in my Top 10. If USC continues to look more impressive than the teams in front of them, they will continue to rise. I still have questions about that defense which allowed Bryce Love to average 9.4 yards per carry. This is the main factor keeping them ranked behind the defensive juggernauts in the Top 6.
8 Louisville Cardinals The defense has been unimpressive (albeit against two very solid offenses) but the dynamic offense has been as good as any in the country (albeit against two porous defenses). The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, where a not-quite-elite offense will combine with a good defense to finish near the top of the ACC. Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, is off to a stellar start in his Heisman defense. With just 7 more passing yards against UNC, the Louisville offense would have broken both the 400 passing yard barrier and the 300 rushing yard barrier in the same game. How many times has that ever happened in major college football? Unfortunately, he will need to maintain that pace over the entire course of the season to have any shot at a Heisman repeat, as I fear the voters are quite reluctant to give any player a second trophy. He'll get a major boost this Saturday, though, when his Cardinals team knocks off Clemson at home.
9 Florida State Seminoles With one game canceled and another postponed due to Hurricane Irma, we will have to take a wait-and-see approach with the Seminoles and their new QB. FSU remains here by default as they begin preparations for the NC State game. James Blackman must take full advantage of the extra practice time he has been gifted.
10 Wisconsin Badgers It's fair to say that Wisconsin dominated Florida Atlantic. The Badgers had a 564-248 advantage in yards and a 29-9 "edge" in first downs. However, Wisconsin struggled to finish drives, resulting in an underwhelming final scoreline. The Badgers' season hinges on which of these two trends persists throughout the year.
11 Michigan Wolverines Wilton Speight put up decent numbers against a not-horrible Cincinnati defense. The defense held the Bearcats to 200 yards of total offense. Michigan has a forgiving schedule over the next month as they try to iron out the wrinkles in their performance and prepare to challenge Penn State and Ohio State for the East Division title. I'm not convinced that their offense has what it takes but the defense is as good as anybody else. Very similar to the teams immediately above and below them on this list.
12 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia had a road win against a team ranked on my previous ballot, giving them one of the best resumes around. However, their offense and its 4.9 yards per pass attempt in this game still concern me. They will have a bear of a time cracking my top 10 as long as these struggles continue.
13 LSU Tigers LSU has feasted on weak opponents so far, giving their upcoming game against Mississippi State an extra sense of urgency. A lot hinges on this contest for the Tigers, both in terms of perception and postseason ramifications.
14 TCU Horned Frogs TCU flew under the radar with a very impressive 28-7 road win over Arkansas. As it turns out, Gary Patterson can still coach. His trademark defense will get the ultimate test over the next three weeks, as they have to face Chad Morris' SMU squad, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia in consecutive games.
15 Auburn Tigers Auburn's offense looked broken against Clemson. Kevin Steele's excellent defense is the one thing which kept them from dropping out of my Top 20 altogether. Fortunately, the Tigers get to face Mercer, Mizzou, Miss St. and Mississippi over the next four weeks. What a pleasantly alliterative and pleasantly mediocre (with one exception) group of teams.
16 Miami Hurricanes Much like Florida State, Irma has us in a holding pattern over Miami. Their first real test may not come until October.
17 Oklahoma State Cowboys Having ascended 4 spots already from my preseason ranking of #21, the Cowboys have had the largest rise of any team in my rankings thus far. The defense held a weak South Alabama squad to 175 yards and 12 first downs on Saturday. If they can continue this trend in Big 12 play, they have every chance of winning a conference title. First, let's see if they can stop a faltering Pitt offense on Saturday.
18 Stanford Cardinal Stanford has fallen into the pack of talented yet inconsistent teams in the lower end of my rankings after their loss to USC. Among other things, the Trojans exposed the vaunted Cardinal D as, well, talented yet inconsistent. USC converted a staggering 10 out of 12 third down attempts against a unit which must have been pining for Canadian rules. On the plus side, David Shaw has a real star in Bryce Love.
19 Washington State Cougars Washington State struggled on both sides of the ball for large portions of their #Pac12AfterDark contest against Mountain West foe Boise State. The team showed great resilience in erasing a 21-point deficit and winning in triple overtime. However, the Cougars' performances must improve if they hope to win a North Division championship.
20 Virginia Tech Hokies Virginia Tech may have jumped higher in the rankings if it weren't for a somewhat shaky offensive performance against the FCS Blue Hens. Josh Jackson continues to be up-and-down, as expected for a freshman, and should be much more up than down by the end of the season. The defense has the ingredients to play with anybody.
21 Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee took care of business this week against an overmatched Indiana State. Next up: their first true road test of the season against hated Florida. I think we can count on some Butch Jones magic, but will they look good in the process?
22 James Madison Dukes JMU played a completely overmatched East Tennessee State this week. Norfolk State should not be any tougher. Dukes have to continue to win big to maintain this ranking.
23 Oregon Ducks Oregon looked dominant at times against Nebraska, outgaining the Huskers by a thoroughly convincing 566-361 margin in total yards. Despite that advantage and four takeaways, they ultimately won by only one touchdown. Should that close final scoreline be unconcerning or exasperating for Ducks fans? I still haven't figured that out and we may not get our answer until the meat of the schedule shows up in October. This team could end up Top 15 or it could end up unranked. Stay tuned.
24 Florida Gators Florida lost its tuneup game to the weather. Now, they have to transition straight from Michigan to Tennessee. If the offense can't make a major turnaround in two weeks' time, the Gators might disappear from the rankings for a while.
25 Mississippi State Bulldogs There's quite a few teams that could have gone in this spot. Duke had a highly impressive 41-17 win against Northwestern. South Carolina has a good collection of trophies, with both NC State and Missouri on their resume. Kansas State projects to be solid all year long and has the advantage of great coaching. Even Notre Dame had a case to stay, as they went neck-and-neck with my #12 team in a one-point loss. Ultimately, though, I love the total package which Dan Mullen has assembled in Starkville. So does FPI, which has the Bulldogs ranked 19th.

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