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stripes361 Ballot for 2017 Week 8

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 16, 2017, 8:27 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Wins and losses do not really factor into this ranking. Performance against expectation is much more important for me. I also rely on the computers to check my thinking, which has led to several adjustments this season (e.g. Oklahoma State jumping to 12th this week).

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Reliable as always.
2 Georgia Bulldogs Struggled for a half against a weak team but recovered strongly in the 2nd.
3 Penn State Nittany Lions I have my doubts about Penn State at the moment but I have even more about the rest of the field. They need to beat Michigan decisively this weekend to prove they're a Top 5 team.
4 TCU Horned Frogs TCU jumps Wisconsin due to a strong showing on the road this weekend and Wisconsin's weak performance against Purdue.
5 Clemson Tigers I'm still a believer in Clemson, despite the loss...as long as Kelly Bryant returns.
6 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin has been pushing Top 5 all season but I can't put them in there until their passing game can prove a little more.
7 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State has been the hottest team in football the past two weeks. Have they actually fixed their offense or is this simply a case of beating up on the little guys? I'm guessing the truth is somewhere in between.
8 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma's 29-24 win against a 3-3 Texas which infamously lost to Maryland at the beginning of the year may look like a poor performance in the eyes of most pollsters. However, Texas has been quietly having a strong season since that opening day loss and are pushing the Top 25. Plus, this was a tough neutral site rivalry game. I give the Sooners credit for a strong win.
9 Washington Huskies Washington's defense is elite but the offense has failed several tests this year. I'm beginning to lose faith in the Huskies as a playoff-caliber squad.
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Irish get USC, Stanford, Miami, and NC State down the stretch. The playoffs are eminently attainable if they win out.
11 Auburn Tigers Auburn only drops 3 spots after losing to a talented LSU team which looks to be righting the ship. Road games against good teams are tough.
12 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State beat up on a week opponent but jump all the way to 12th after disappointing showings from a couple of the teams in front of them. At least the Cowboys looked convincing against an inferior team. Computers love them as well.
13 Stanford Cardinal Stanford is really picking up steam. I'm sure that ranking them two spots ahead of USC will rankle acolytes of head-to-head results but the Cardinal have been the best team in the Pac-12 over the past month.
14 Miami Hurricanes Miami slightly underperformed against Georgia Tech but I will cut them slack based on my high rating of the Yellow Jackets.
15 USC Trojans USC survived by 1 point at home against an unranked team. Their season of close calls against lesser teams continues.
16 Virginia Tech Hokies This team has a boatload of potential and a chance to fine-tune themselves against UNC and Duke. Could easily climb the rankings if they can establish more consistency.
17 NC State Wolfpack Slow start but took care of business in the second half. ACC Atlantic race is surprisingly wide open.
18 UCF Knights UCF's smallest margin of victory has been 27 points in a 40-13 win over Memphis. I wouldn't be surprised if they maintain that streak all season long.
19 Washington State Cougars The Cougars fall ten spots after being blown out by a mediocre Cal team. The road loss was not necessarily shocking, even to a team with no real bright spots on its resume, but the utter dominance on the part of the Bears was unthinkable.
20 Michigan Wolverines Michigan had yet another uninspiring performance. I have zero confidence in any aspect of their passing game and the computers have soured on them. Elite defense and strong run game are keeping them ranked.
21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Georgia Tech rises after nearly beating Miami. My poll emphasizes performance relative to expectation more than wins and losses. Accordingly, it is rewarding the Jackets for a tough fight.
22 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State is picking up steam and has great coaching going for it. The Spartans have a legitimate chance to go 6-2 or 7-1 in conference play and challenge for a division title.
23 West Virginia Mountaineers The Mountaineers' two losses have come by one score against VT and TCU. Those performances told us more about their quality than three blowout wins over horrible teams earlier in the season. They finally sealed the deal against a solid Texas Tech squad and should be capable of pulling off some even better wins as the year goes on.
24 Florida State Seminoles Even at 1-3, I had the 'Noles ranked #20 last week. All three of their losses had been competitive matches against Top 20 opponents. Unfortunately, their two road wins against ACC bottom feeders have also been competitive. Florida State need a decisive victory against Louisville this week to remain in my rankings.
25 LSU Tigers LSU has strung together two impressive wins, which seems to be more than most college football teams can say at this point. They also have a schedule which should set them up for much success down the stretch. JMU and Texas were runners-up for this spot.

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