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stripes361 Ballot for 2017 Week 15 & Bowls

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Dec. 5, 2017, 9:52 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Sorry guys, I'm feeling extra snarky in my analysis today. Take comfort in the fact that if I ranked you in my Top 25 then I obviously think you're a good team.

Rank Team Reason
1 Oklahoma Sooners Baker Mayfield was my preseason Heisman favorite (you can check my ballot history for confirmation). I'm still onboard the hype train. Mayfield for Heisman! Boomer Sooner! Congrats to the Big 12 Champs!
2 Clemson Tigers Clemson climbs all the way to #2 on the strength of a dominant win against Miami. Congrats to the ACC Champs!
3 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia shoots up to #3 after crushing Auburn. Behind Clemson because it only took Dabo Swinney one chance to beat the other Tigers. Congrats to the SEC Champs!
4 Ohio State Buckeyes Congrats to the Big Ten Champs! 
5 Alabama Crimson Tide If you had beaten Fresno State and Colorado State on the road, I might have ranked you #4. Maybe consider some G5 home-and-homes, guys...
6 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State was one first down against Ohio State away from being in a CFP play in game against Wisconsin. They are 6 points in Top 20 road games away from being undefeated in one of the toughest divisions in college football and everyone's unanimous #1. Their 10-2 record will ensure that they are underrated in most polls but I fully expect them to win decisively in the Fiesta Bowl...assuming their beleaguered offensive line can hold off a staunch Huskies' front seven. 
7 UCF Knights If this were a resume poll, I would have UCF in my Top 4. They have as many top 25 wins as Alabama, without the loss, and their 40-13 stomping of Memphis stands as one of the most impressive regular season wins for any team. One underrated performance is their 41-31 road win against Navy. Navy's 6-5 record and G5 status leave them overlooked by most but UCF handed the Midshipmen their only home loss of the season (and only regular season conference home loss in program history) and their biggest margin of defeat. That's right: the Knights beat the Midshipmen more decisively in college football's coolest stadium than ranked Notre Dame and Memphis teams managed on their own fields. Congrats to the AAC Champs! 
8 Auburn Tigers Q: Is Auburn the best three loss team in college football?A: No one really gives a crap. 
9 Wisconsin Badgers Everyone on Wisconsin except for Alex Hornibrook impressed me this past weekend. Can we please get a left-handed quarterback who throws better than that Jose kid from the Dr. Pepper challenge? As a fellow southpaw, I'm begging you.
10 TCU Horned Frogs TCU managed to look only mildly horrible instead of completely horrible this weekend, preserving their Top 10 status. 
11 USC Trojans Congrats to the Pac 12 champs!
12 Stanford Cardinal Bryce Love picked the wrong college football season/position/offensive system/century to win a Heisman. It will likely go to one of the QBs. But, hey, at least he has an education from Stanford. 
13 Washington Huskies The Huskies might get more love if their games weren't scheduled on Shanghai time. Winning their division might have helped, too. 
14 Miami Hurricanes Orange Bowl prediction: 5-3 Miami
15 Memphis Tigers Memphis went 10-0 outside of Spectrum Stadium, home of the only undefeated team in college football. No one else in the country can claim to have suffered their only losses to an undefeated squad. Mike Norvell's offense is the real deal. 
16 Oklahoma State Cowboys If Mike Gundy's defense could hold teams under 62 points, they could be the best team in the country. 
17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Brian Kelly's football teams are like an automated rotisserie. You don't have to roast them because they roast themselves. 
18 NC State Wolfpack NC State jumps LSU this week based on other results. The Wolfpack's near miss against Clemson looks even better while the Tigers' victory against Auburn has lost some of its luster. 
19 LSU Tigers Sorry for emphasizing a quality loss over an actual win. But you guys did lose to Troy...
20 Iowa State Cyclones I'm hoping that the Cyclones haven't already had their best season of the 21st century...
21 Michigan State Spartans Can you imagine Miles Bridges at DE or TE for this team? 
22 Virginia Tech Hokies I'm so glad it's basketball season now. See you guys on January 3rd. 
23 Louisville Cardinals All aboard the Lamar Jackson for Heisman (runner up) Hype Train! Choo Choo! 
24 Northwestern Wildcats 9-3 is impressive. Three overtime wins...not so much. But hey, it beats the heck out of overtime losses (looking at you, Texas!)
25 Fresno State Bulldogs Surprise! I'm keeping Fresno State ranked ahead of Boise this week. Both teams have such similar resumes: road losses to Top P5 teams (Washington, Alabama, Washington St), a horrible home loss apiece (UNLV, Virginia) and a head to head split. Most pollsters will make the fact that Boise's home win came one week after Fresno's the deciding factor. I prefer aggregate to sequencing in this case. Fresno's victory was more impressive: they get to be 25-A to Boise's 25-B. Congrats to both teams on a great season! 

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