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bgr308 Ballot for 2018 Week 2

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 4, 2018, 1:21 p.m.

Overall Rationale: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XYpT2cl_Sor4HqJzvWrsdNgOjW1eLtB9wbKysRJi8Qk/edit?usp=sharingThe link above shows how I came up with my rankings. First I went through every single team in FBS, made a first cut, cut that down to a top 40, broke those down into 5 tiers, and then ranked the top 40. I also come up with a new set of rankings from scratch every week.

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide After dominating Louisville in Orlando, Alabama has shown they are the best or close to the best team in college football this year. Dominated a Power Five team defensively and threw the ball really well behind QB Tua Tagovailoa. Next test for the Crimson Tide will be in Oxford against Ole Miss 9/15.
2 Clemson Tigers Clemson took care of business against Furman, with both QBs (True Freshman Trevor Lawrence and returning starting Kelly Bryant) seeing time. Behind a nasty defense and efficient offense, Clemson is the clear favorite to win the ACC for a fourth straight year.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State easily handled one of the other OSU's (Oregon State) in the first game of Urban Meyer's suspension. However, Urban returns to practice this week, but will not coach in game until after the TCU game on 9/15. That TCU game will be a good measuring stick for this team,as Ohio State hosts Rutgers this week. 
4 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma, in what many thought was a chance at an upset by Lane Kiffin's FAU Owls, made it clear early that it was not so. The Sooners, led by new starting QB Kyler Murray scored early and often, including a blocked punt returned for a TD (probably helps having a Beamer on the staff). The Big 12 should be tough this year, also including two intriguing OOC games against UCLA and Army. Oklahoma should still be the favorite to win the conference.
5 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia is another one of many teams that took care of business Saturday with a 45-0 win over good FCS team Austin Peay. Fromm played well, and both him and Justin Fields saw time. However, there was no dominate performance from any of the extremely talented Bulldog RBs, missing Zamir White with injury. UGA is currently on a collision course with Alabama in the SECCG, but will be tested @LSU and by Florida and Auburn.
6 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin RB Jonathon Taylor and QB Alex Hornibrook had good performances Saturday against WKU as the Badgers knocked off the Hilltoppers 34-3. Wisconsin should still be the favorite to win the B1G West, but will have to go through Iowa City, Ann Arbor, and Happy Valley to get there. 
7 Auburn Tigers Auburn had the best win this Saturday of any team in college football, after knocking off Washington in a close game in Atlanta. The defense played well, holding the Huskies to 16 points, 5/14 on 3rd down, forcing two turnovers from Browning, and forcing a game-clinching intentional grounding penalty. Looking forward, Auburn will look to avenge their loss to LSU last season on their way to defending their SEC West title. 
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish If Auburn didn't have the best win on Saturday, it was Notre Dame. The offense had a good first half, but sputtered in the second against Michigan's stout defense. The defense looked good: forcing two turnovers, keeping Michigan's offense to a per rush average of 1.8 yards and 17 points. The Irish passed their first test of the season, but will have to play Stanford, @Virginia Tech, and Pitt in three consecutive weeks. 
9 Washington Huskies The Huskies suffered a tough loss Saturday in a defacto Auburn home game, but it is easy to see the positives. Browning, despite two turnovers, looked decent for much of the game. The defense, although they allowed only 21 points, could use improvement, after giving up first downs on half of Auburn's third downs. However, Washington is still the favorite in the Pac-12, and should end the season still in the playoff conversation.
10 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State eeked out a win Saturday against a good App State after a missed Mountaineer field goal sailed wide right to send the game into OT. However, the rushing attack was productive in the first game without Saqoun Barkely, with 204 yards and 4 touchdowns (RB Miles Sanders and QB Trace McSorley each had 2 scores). The defense, after allowing 28 points in the fourth quarter, came up big with an interception to seal the win. The Nittany Lions should still make noise in the B1G East and the playoff talk. An early 'Whiteout" game against Ohio State might decide the East.
11 West Virginia Mountaineers West Virginia did what many expected them to, beating Tennessee soundly. Will Grier threw 5 touchdown passes in his return from a hand injury last season and should be a Heisman candidate if he stays healthy. WR David Sills also had a big day. The defense played well enough, but WVU's season is likely tied to its star QB. A non-conference game against NC State in two weeks will be more of a test for Grier and WVU than the Volunteers were.
12 LSU Tigers LSU, in the lone Saturday night game, defeated Miami 33-17 in a game that never felt that close. The defense played well early, getting a pick 6 in the first quarter to go up 27-3. Rosier had pressure in his face all night, which gave the Miami offense fits. Transfer QB Joe Burrow could have played better after completing less than 50% of his passes, but he might not have to if the defense and run game stay productive. The Tigers travel to Auburn and Florida and hosts Georgia in the next month and a half. We will know a lot more about the team after those games.
13 USC Trojans USC is another team that took care of business Saturday, despite a slow start against UNLV. Freshman QB JT Daniels played well, as did freshman WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. USC will be tested early against Stanford this weekend, but still should win the Pac-12 South.
14 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State won a game that was a lot closer than many Spartan fans think it should have been. The defense could have been better, with Utah State converting on over half of their 3rd downs and passing for over 300 yards. However, the defense stifled the run game, but allowed 2 rushing TDs. QB Brian Lewerke played well, although he threw a pick six. Michigan State fans should be grateful for Connor Heyard, as he scored 2 TDs that allowed MSU to survive the scare against the Aggies. Expect MSU to still make noise in the B1G East, as they host Michigan and Ohio State.
15 Stanford Cardinal Saturday, Stanford beat a good SDSU team 31-10. Junior QB KJ Costello played very well, throwing 4 TDs and 332 yards. WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside caught 3 of those TDs to go with his 226 yards on only 6 rerceptions The defense allowed Juwan Washington (possibly the next great Aztec RB) 158 yards and a TD. Stanford hosts USC Saturday, which will be almost surely be one of the biggest games of Stanford's schedule.
16 TCU Horned Frogs TCU, like most teams Week 1, took care of business against an FCS team. The offense played well putting up 55 points without turning over the ball. The defense got 3 takeaways while only allowing 7 points. We'll see how good TCU is this year when the face off against Ohio State. However that game goes, TCU should still finish near the top of the conference.
17 Virginia Tech Hokies The Hokies had a big Monday night, beating FSU in Tallahassee 24-3. The young defense played really well, with 14 TFLs and 5 takeaways. The offense could have played better, especially in the second half; however, they did not make many mistakes, giving up no turnovers and winning the field position battle easily. Can't expect to get 5 turnovers a game, but the Hokies defense this game showed why Bud Foster gets a paycheck. The special teams unit also had a blocked punt for a touchdown. Virginia Tech's next test will be at Duke, but they should remain undefeated until October 6th, when they host Notre Dame. VT's three hardest games for the rest of the season are in Blacksburg.
18 Mississippi State Bulldogs Another team that easily took down their FCS opponent, the Mississippi State Bulldogs beat SFA 63-6. QB Thompson threw for 364 yards and 5 TDs, but had only a 42 percent completion percentage. Offense also scored 4 rushing touchdowns. The defense shut down the Lumberjacks, forcing them to go 3-18 on third down and forcing a turnover. The starting QB Fitzgerald returns next week after being suspended for the opener. Bulldogs travel to Manhattan this weekend, and will surely be tested late in the year against conference opponents, but the talent and coaching should be there.
19 Boise State Broncos Boise State impressively dominated a Troy team on the road that won 11 games last season and won the Sun Belt. Rypien threw 4 TDs and no interceptions, and the defense forced 4 turnovers. Boise's most challenging game will almost certainly be a trip to Stillwater in two weeks. The Broncos are the favorite in my eyes to be the Group of 5's New Year's 6 representative.
20 UCF Knights UCF still has not lost a game since the 2016 Cure Bowl, as they easily handle rival Connecticut in the Civil ConFLiCT. The offense played incredibly well, led by Milton's 5 TD, as they were 9-11 on third downs and only had to punt the ball once. The defense allowed a lot of yards, but created 3 turnovers. UCF will be tested in their two Power Five games this year against UNC and Pitt, as well as travelling to Memphis and USF. The race for the New Year's 6 bid will be an interesting one this year.
21 Michigan Wolverines Michigan struggled at times on the road against Notre Dame, especially on offense, as they turned over the ball twice and only had 58 passing yards. However, despite Shea Patterson not being able to find the endzone, he put up over 225 yards and had a completion percentage of 66 percent. The defense allowed two touchdowns on Notre Dame's first two drives, but then shut the Irish down for much of the second half. The Wolverines still have a nasty defense, and will have a few games to get the offense going before going into the nasty back half of the schedule.
22 Miami Hurricanes Miami struggled against LSU for much of the game, as the Canes went down 27-3 at halftime. Rosier played poorly for much of the game, completing only 15 of 35 and throwing two interceptions (one of whihc was returned for a touchdown). The defense allowed a couple of big plays, but played better than the score looks. Miami's home game against Florida State will surely be tough and emotional. They also have to travel to BC, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech; the last one being a game that might decide the Coastal. Despite losing this game, Miami is clearly the most talented team in the ACC Coastal and still should be considered the favorite.
23 Oklahoma State Cowboys Thursday night, Oklahoma State showed that they might not miss Rudolph as much as people thought (still a huge loss), as Taylor Cornelius threw 5 TDs and an interception against Missouri State. Two Runningbacks also went over 100 yards rushing. The offense won't be as good as it was last year, but the Pokes should still make noise in the Big 12, but it will be hard to beat any of OU, WVU, and TCU.
24 Northwestern Wildcats Northwestern won a tight game Thursday night against conference rival Purdue. It was a close game, but it seemed the Wildcats were in control for most of the game, as Purdue scored twice late to get it close. The defense forced 3 turnovers and RB Jeremy Larkin rushed for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. Game could have been won by Purdue if not for a costly unnecessary roughness penalty late. Northwestern hosts Michigan in three weeks, which should show if the Wildcats are able to make a push in the B1G West.
25 Florida Gators Florida might have an offense this year! Feliepe Franks threw 5 TD's and was mostly mistake free in Dan Mullen's debut as Florida head coach against FCS team Charleston Southern. The Gators won't score 50 points a game this year, but the offense looks as if it it greatly improved. The defense played well while missing a few key players, but did give up a lot of yards on the ground. The special teams also look greatly improved. First real test will come this weekend when Kentucky looks to beat Florida for the first time since 1986.

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