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GenialGiant Ballot for 2018 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 19, 2018, 12:28 p.m.

Overall Rationale: My ballot this week draws heavily on a team's performance in 2017, as we haven't had any actual football to watch this season. Once we're a few weeks into the season, I plan to bring in a computer model and switch over to a hybrid ballot, with increasing weight on the computer component as the season progresses -- I'll have more on that when I roll out my first hybrid poll. First N Out - FSU, NC State, and FAU

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide While Alabama has some position weaknesses that might weigh on them this season, they're the returning national champions and they haven't done anything to fall from first.
2 Clemson Tigers Despite falling short last season, the Tigers still find themselves ranked near the top as we approach the 2018 season.
3 Georgia Bulldogs While Georgia has lost some players to the NFL, I think they bring back a very solid team, good for #3 overall.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State went 12-2 last season, with their worst loss coming at a feisty Iowa, and I think they're in a good position to make another playoff push this season.
5 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin finished last season 13-1, with their only loss in the B1G Championship Game, and looks poised to have a similar performance again this season.
6 Auburn Tigers Auburn had a very good 2017, defeating national champion Alabama, and are looking good heading into 2018.
7 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State lost a fair amount on offense, along with their offensive coordinator, but they still look to be in a strong position this season following a very good showing last year.
8 Oklahoma Sooners 2017 Oklahoma performed very well, but I'm hesitant to rank the 2018 team higher until I see how they perform without Baker Mayfield.
9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame went 10-3 in 2017, with their worst loss coming against a hot Miami team; they look positioned to make another good run in 2018.
10 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State had some struggles last season, including a shellacking by Ohio State, but they went 10-3 and look poised for another good year.
11 Washington Huskies I was fairly unimpressed by the Huskies last season, as I think they benefited from a relatively weak schedule, and that carries over into my ranking here.
12 Miami Hurricanes While Miami will have some very strong positions this season, they have enough short on experience that I hesitate to rank them higher.
13 Stanford Cardinal Stanford got off to a rocky start last season, and didn't end the season the way they would have liked, but 10-4 is still nothing to sneeze at and Stanford looks to be in a good position going into the 2018 season.
14 USC Trojans The Trojans lost a couple tough games last season, but the bigger challenge for them will be overcoming the loss of Sam Darnold.
15 TCU Horned Frogs TCU went 11-3 last season, with two of those losses coming to Oklahoma; I think they're in good shape for 2018.
16 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State's 2017 record, 10-3, makes for a promising start to 2018, but Mike Gundy cut off his mullet, so who knows anymore.
17 Virginia Tech Hokies Virginia Tech, 9-4 in 2017, certainly benefited from a weak schedule last season, but they didn't really lose any games they shouldn't have and have a chance to prove themselves in 2018.
18 Mississippi State Bulldogs While getting a new head coach can be daunting for a program, Mississippi State looks like it will hit the ground running with former Penn State OC Joe Moorhead.
19 LSU Tigers Apart from a baffling loss to Troy, LSU had a strong 2017 campaign and looks to build on that work in 2018.
20 Northwestern Wildcats I think Northwestern is criminally underrated; while starting last season 2-3, the team reeled off eight straight wins and looks good going into 2018.
21 Iowa Hawkeyes Despite going 8-5 last season, three of Iowa's losses (and three of their wins) were within one possession and I think they end up a bit higher this season.
22 Michigan Wolverines Michigan went 8-5 last season, including losing their last three games; I'm not nearly as optimistic about their 2018 campaign as many others.
23 Boise State Broncos Boise State, 11-3 in 2017, looks to be slightly ahead of their G5 competition as the season begins.
24 UCF Knights UCF's undefeated season was certainly impressive, and I think they deserved more recognition than they received, but the loss of Scott Frost makes me dubious about a repeat performance.
25 Memphis Tigers Memphis had a very good season at 11-3 and look to be one of the better-positioned teams in the American this season.

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