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stripes361 Ballot for 2017 Week 10

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 31, 2017, 6:06 a.m.

Overall Rationale: These ratings are meant to be purely predictive and not a reflection of resume or "merit". Close losses to higher ranked teams can see you move up; close wins against bad teams can see you move down. I would generally pick a higher ranked team to beat a lower ranked team on a neutral field.

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Some teams have better wins but I am going to trust Saban's coaching edge until this team really struggles.
2 Georgia Bulldogs Computers are a little lower on the 'Dawgs than I am but I think this team has really been coming together over the course of the season and will peak at just the right time.
3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish I was hesitant to jump Notre Dame too far after their USC win but now they have two straight dominant performances against top competition. The Irish are the real deal. Josh Adams has as good a case for the Heisman Trophy as anyone in the country.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes My preseason #1 has been dominant over the past month and finally got a big win to prove that they have turned things around. I believe the Oklahoma loss is in the past for this team.
5 Penn State Nittany Lions 1-point loss on the road to the #4 team? Sounds like a #5 to me.
6 TCU Horned Frogs I think that the result this weekend is more a good win for Iowa State than a bad loss for TCU. The Frogs should rebound and get themselves back into the playoff hunt in November.
7 Clemson Tigers Clemson keeps taking care of business and only drops this week because Ohio State and Notre Dame were so impressive.
8 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma jumps undefeated Wisconsin this week after beating a quality Texas Tech 49-27. That's better than anything the Badgers have done this season.
9 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin doesn't control their schedule but they do control their performance. They have struggled against Purdue and Illinois over the last three weeks. They have an elite defense but desperately need to show some more offense to break into my Top 5.
10 Washington Huskies Washington feasted on some more cupcakes this week, handily defeating a bad UCLA team. Have they righted the ship or will they still struggle against quality competition?
11 Auburn Tigers Auburn stays put after a bye week.
12 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State had a sloppy, mistake-filled win against West Virginia. Their defense needs to get better to have any shot at the Playoff.
13 Virginia Tech Hokies Virginia Tech's offense has been inconsistent all season and does not appear to be progressing too much. Josh Jackson and Sean Savoy have impressed me with their play on the field almost as much as with their alliterative, movie star names. However, I think the Hokies may have reached their ceiling already.
14 Miami Hurricanes Beat a 1-8 team with its third-string quarterback 24-19. Ouch. Can they keep up their close game magic for the fifth contest in a row or will Guildenstern finally flip a tails? Despite playing a fairly pedestrian schedule so far (credit for a very good win against GT, albeit at home by one point) they haven't had any true blowouts against any FBS opponent. They did dominate the scoreline against Duke but lost both the time of possession and first down battles and only outgained the Blue Devils 409-349. My picture of a Top 10 team is one which can dominate lower-tier competition. A win against Virginia Tech would certainly boost my opinion of the Hurricanes.
15 Stanford Cardinal I'm actually giving a Bryce Love-less Stanford a pass for that no-show against Oregon State for the time being. However, their losses to USC and San Diego State are looking more worrisome as the season goes on. They drop a couple spots to #15 this week.
16 UCF Knights UCF had a worrisome first-half defensive performance against Austin Peay. Is this an anomaly or a portent of future struggles? For now, I don't know, so they get to stay put.
17 USC Trojans USC looks to be back on the right track after an impressive showing against Arizona State. Their looming showdown with Arizona this coming Saturday will likely decide the Pac-12 South championship.
18 Iowa State Cyclones Iowa State keeps churning out impressive performances. FPI is still slightly down on them but Sagarin loves the Cyclones and so do I. I'm hoping we can get some college gAMESday action going on next week. First, they have to win an early game in Morgantown.
19 Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State has several impressive blowout victories at this point, marred only by a two-game stretch against Georgia and Auburn that knocked them off of many people's radar. After scrimmaging UMass this week, a win against Alabama would certainly catch the nation's attention.
20 NC State Wolfpack I can't fault NC State too badly for a lopsided loss to Notre Dame. They will need to regroup quickly for a de facto Atlantic Division championship game against Clemson this week. Expect a close one.
21 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Georgia Tech's most recent performance was uninspiring but they still have big games against Virginia Tech and Georgia left on the schedule.
22 Michigan State Spartans The Spartans had some flaws exposed in a tough road loss to Northwestern. They will need to play better the next two weeks to take control of the Big 10 East Division, a race in which they still control their own destiny.
23 LSU Tigers LSU took care of business against Ole Miss but were a bit underwhelming. Even a close loss against Alabama this week would be an impressive showing for the Tigers.
24 Texas Longhorns Texas is only 4-4 but has three losses to ranked teams, including two in overtime. (In the old days, they'd be a 4-2-2 twice-defeated team right now). They haven't lost to an unranked opponent, or by more than five points, since Opening Day. They also sport an impressive road win against Iowa State.
25 Washington State Cougars JMU, although still undefeated, have played themselves out of the picture with too many offensive struggles against FCS opponents. This spot could have gone to Michigan. In all honesty, I don't really trust either team at the moment but I feel that the Cougars are less one-dimensional than the Wolverines at the moment.

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