Back to poll results >>

bwburke94 Ballot for 2018 Preseason

Ballot Type: Hybrid

Submitted: Aug. 16, 2018, 10:40 p.m.

Overall Rationale: This is primarily a computer ranking, with the top few teams (and the #25 spot) hand-selected.

Rank Team Reason
1 Clemson Tigers Clemson over Alabama is probably the single most questionable part of my ranking, and I'm fully aware of that. Clemson goes at #1 because they have much more of last year's team returning this year.
2 Alabama Crimson Tide I can't justify putting a team that lost 12 players to the NFL (four in the first round) in the #1 spot, but Alabama and Clemson are miles ahead of the rest of the field. With Clemson out of the way, Alabama is the clear #2.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Because of my heavy computer reliance, I can't give a justification for every team. Ohio State is the third member of the top 3 in most computer polls, but beyond that it gets complicated.
4 Georgia Bulldogs
5 Wisconsin Badgers
6 Oklahoma Sooners
7 Washington Huskies
8 Penn State Nittany Lions
9 Auburn Tigers
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11 Michigan State Spartans
12 Oklahoma State Cowboys
13 UCF Knights I still consider UCF the real national champions, but don't let that distract you from Virginia basketball losing to UMBC.
14 USC Trojans
15 Miami Hurricanes
16 TCU Horned Frogs
17 Stanford Cardinal
18 Mississippi State Bulldogs
19 Michigan Wolverines
20 Virginia Tech Hokies
21 LSU Tigers
22 Northwestern Wildcats
23 Boise State Broncos
24 Iowa Hawkeyes
25 North Dakota State Bison NDSU has a history of beating P5 programs, and has won six of the last seven FCS titles. Though the Bison's 2018 schedule is limited to FCS opponents, their history gets them the coveted #25 spot in my preseason poll.

Back to poll results >>