Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Aug. 17, 2018, 4:08 p.m.
Overall Rationale: If you came to look at my poll to call me an idiot:    1. Let me assure you, I am fully aware that I am an idiot.    2. It is a preseason poll -- we know very little at this point and it doesn't matter at all. 
| Rank | Team | Reason | 
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alabama Crimson Tide | Death, taxes, etc. | 
| 2 |  Georgia Bulldogs | Only games that weren't 2+ touchdown wins last season: a 1 point win on the road against Notre Dame (10-3, #11) with a true freshman QB starting the second game of his career, a 6 point win in the Rose Bowl against OU (12-2, #3) and the Heisman winning QB who has the two highest single season passer ratings in the history of college football, and a 3 point loss against the machine ranked ahead of them. They return one of the best true freshman QBs in recent memory.   Recruiting classes 2016-2018 ranked 6th, 3rd, 1st.  | 
| 3 |  Clemson Tigers | Best defensive line in the country. Been one of the best teams in the country the past three years.  | 
| 4 |  Michigan State Spartans | (DISCLAIMER: Probably going to be higher than most people on Michigan State, I am aware of that) They went 10-3 last season, finishing ranked #15, and they return 92% of last year's production, more than any other team in the country. Mark Dantonio has proven his coaching ability, finishing with 10+ wins 6 of the past 8 seasons.  | 
| 5 |  Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Really good team last year, and they are returning a lot this year. They have a pretty damn brutal schedule though, so their win total at the end of the season may not accurately reflect how good they are.  | 
| 6 |  Wisconsin Badgers | Chryst has given us no reason to doubt he can get Wisconsin to 10+ wins. A lot to replace, but I'm assuming they have some under-recruited mid-westerners to fill roster holes.  | 
| 7 |  Washington Huskies | Two good seasons in a row, a proven coach, and a stud QB returning.  | 
| 8 |  Auburn Tigers | Auburn hasn't shown they can string two good seasons together in the past decade... but here I am, thinking this is the year they buck the trend despite playing Washington OOC, @ Mississippi State, @ Georgia, and @ Bama.  | 
| 9 |  Ohio State Buckeyes | Obviously talented. Putting them here for now because their coaching situation is up in the air (who are we kidding? They are going to bring Urban back, they don't give a shit) | 
| 10 |  Miami Hurricanes | Good team last year, returning a pretty nice amount of production per Bill C, and a proven coach.  | 
| 11 |  Oklahoma Sooners | Not 100% confident in Lincoln Riley without an other-worldly good QB. We'll see.  | 
| 12 |  TCU Horned Frogs | Gary Patterson. | 
| 13 |  Penn State Nittany Lions | Have been solid for 2 straight years. Have a really good coach. But also lost one of the best RBs in the country.  | 
| 14 |  Stanford Cardinal | They have a running back who is pretty good.  | 
| 15 |  Michigan Wolverines | This feels about where they should be, based on some decent success in Harbaugh's first two years followed by a down season from which they are returning most of their players.  | 
| 16 |  USC Trojans | Losing a LOT from last year, but they always have good enough athletes to compete.  | 
| 17 |  West Virginia Mountaineers | Will is a good QB. Dana has sweet hair.  | 
| 18 |  FAU Owls | ALL ABOARD THE LANE TRAIN!!! | 
| 19 |  UCF Knights | Pros: returning some really good players from an undefeated season.    Cons: losing a really good coach from an undefeated season.    | 
| 20 |  Arizona Wildcats | Tate and Sumlin were a match made in heaven.  | 
| 21 |  Iowa State Cyclones | Betting on Campbell this season. Blind faith. | 
| 22 |  Mississippi State Bulldogs | Good team last year, but they're losing a fantastic coach and also their star quarterback was last seen with his foot dangling off his leg like like a bandanna-bindle hanging off the end of a hobo's stick.  | 
| 23 |  Oklahoma State Cowboys | Three top 15 seasons in a row, and a proven head coach... but they rank 120th out of 130 in returning production. Gonna have to wait and see how the new guys do.  | 
| 24 |  Boise State Broncos | Just feels right having them about here. | 
| 25 |  South Carolina Gamecocks | No clue, honestly.  | 
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness | 
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 | 
| 2 |  Georgia Bulldogs | 0.15 | 
| 3 |  Clemson Tigers | 0.00 | 
| 4 |  Michigan State Spartans | 1.60 | 
| 5 |  Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 1.35 | 
| 6 |  Wisconsin Badgers | 0.00 | 
| 7 |  Washington Huskies | 0.00 | 
| 8 |  Auburn Tigers | 0.00 | 
| 9 |  Ohio State Buckeyes | -0.39 | 
| 10 |  Miami Hurricanes | 0.00 | 
| 11 |  Oklahoma Sooners | -0.80 | 
| 12 |  TCU Horned Frogs | 0.18 | 
| 13 |  Penn State Nittany Lions | -0.38 | 
| 14 |  Stanford Cardinal | 0.00 | 
| 15 |  Michigan Wolverines | 0.00 | 
| 16 |  USC Trojans | 0.00 | 
| 17 |  West Virginia Mountaineers | 0.00 | 
| 18 |  FAU Owls | 2.96 | 
| 19 |  UCF Knights | 0.00 | 
| 20 |  Arizona Wildcats | 4.65 | 
| 21 |  Iowa State Cyclones | 3.86 | 
| 22 |  Mississippi State Bulldogs | 0.00 | 
| 23 |  Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0.00 | 
| 24 |  Boise State Broncos | 0.00 | 
| 25 |  South Carolina Gamecocks | 0.00 | 
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness | 
|---|---|
|  Virginia Tech Hokies | 0.75 | 
|  Florida State Seminoles | 0.51 | 
|  LSU Tigers | 0.32 | 
|  Texas Longhorns | 0.00 | 
Total Score: 17.91