Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 11, 2018, 9:06 a.m.
Overall Rationale: While three of the teams I ranked last week lost to unranked opponents (Michigan State, Northwestern, and Memphis), I am still confident in where I've placed teams (and, more generally, which teams I've placed here). My computer model is starting to provide some results that are a bit more than noise, but I doubt I'll be relying on it for a couple more weeks. First N Out - Texas A&M and Appalachian State
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Alabama continues to eviscerate over-matched opponents and maintains their first-place position. |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | With their dominant victory over South Carolina, Georgia jumps to second this week. |
3 | Clemson Tigers | By the end of the season, a two-point win over Texas A&M might look better than a blowout over South Carolina, but we're not at that point yet. |
4 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Rutgers' 2018 squad joins the ranks of teams the Buckeyes have run rough-shod over in the past few seasons; a more interesting game against TCU awaits. |
5 | Auburn Tigers | A trouncing of an FCS team doesn't give us much more information about Auburn; a highly-anticipated game against LSU will likely help on this front. |
6 | Oklahoma Sooners | Oklahoma's Kyler Murray continues to impress and Oklahoma continues its climbing of the ranks. |
7 | Wisconsin Badgers | Wisconsin keeps playing good football, but the teams below them are playing better football against better opponents, which explains the Badgers' slow drop from week to week. |
8 | Penn State Nittany Lions | The Nittany Lions absolutely dismantled Pitt in prime time and their week one opponent, Appalachian State, dominated their G5 opponent this week, both of which contribute to Penn State's rise. |
9 | Stanford Cardinal | Stanford took care of business against rival USC and find themselves comfortably in the top ten. |
10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Let's be clear, an eight-point win over Ball State is a poor performance for a top team, and Notre Dame suffers as a result. |
11 | LSU Tigers | LSU steamrolled their FCS foe, but a bout with Auburn should provide some more information about the two SEC West teams. |
12 | TCU Horned Frogs | Despite a sloppy start against SMU, TCU managed to put the game away in the second half and will hope to continue that efficiency into a game against Ohio State. |
13 | Virginia Tech Hokies | VT dominated FCS William & Mary, but their win over FSU looks less impressive given the Seminoles' struggles with FCS Samford. |
14 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | Oklahoma State has looked great this season, albeit against weak competition; a game against Boise State will hopefully help clarify how good the Cowboys are in 2018. |
15 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | Mississippi State defeated a Kansas State team that isn't as ferocious as previous versions, but the Bulldogs are 2-0 under Joe Moorhead. |
16 | West Virginia Mountaineers | West Virginia dismantled FCS Youngstown State and awaits their first real challenge when they play NC State. |
17 | Washington Huskies | The Huskies steamrolled an over-matched FCS squad but don't see any change in their ranking. |
18 | Miami Hurricanes | After a 77-0 rout of FCS Savannah State, Miami sees a moderate rise in their ranking, though this is due primarily to teams above them losing. |
19 | USC Trojans | The Trojans lost to rival Stanford in fairly convincing fashion and slip as a result. |
20 | Boise State Broncos | The Broncos took care of business against a bad UConn team and look ahead to a match-up against a ranked Oklahoma State team. |
21 | Iowa Hawkeyes | The Hawkeyes managed to stifle Iowa State and remain my dark horse top 25 pick, though this take is becoming slightly less hot over time. |
22 | Arizona State Sun Devils | The Sun Devils enter my top 25 after beating Michigan State, but it will take some time before we see if ASU is legit, the Spartans were over-rated, or both. |
23 | UCF Knights | UCF continues to beat up on teams and that will likely continue when the Knights take on hapless UNC. |
24 | Michigan State Spartans | The Spartans fell to Arizona State by three points and cling to a spot in the top 25. |
25 | Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors | Hawai'i is 3-0 and has beaten some marginally okay teams; it will be interesting to see what this team can do against better opposition. |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.00 |
3 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
4 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0.00 |
5 | Auburn Tigers | 0.00 |
6 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0.00 |
7 | Wisconsin Badgers | 0.00 |
8 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 0.28 |
9 | Stanford Cardinal | 0.00 |
10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0.00 |
11 | LSU Tigers | 0.00 |
12 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0.07 |
13 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 0.00 |
14 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0.85 |
15 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 0.00 |
16 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 0.00 |
17 | Washington Huskies | 0.00 |
18 | Miami Hurricanes | 1.00 |
19 | USC Trojans | 1.41 |
20 | Boise State Broncos | 0.00 |
21 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0.71 |
22 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 0.00 |
23 | UCF Knights | -0.42 |
24 | Michigan State Spartans | 0.31 |
25 | Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors | 0.00 |
Omissions:
Team | Unusualness |
---|---|
Oregon Ducks | 0.65 |
Michigan Wolverines | 0.50 |
Texas A&M Aggies | 0.06 |
Total Score: 6.26