Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 17, 2018, 2:12 a.m.
Overall Rationale: For the first four weeks of the season, my rankings are still influence by my preseason evaluations, with those evaluations having less influence each week. By week five my rankings are based solely on resume. First tier out: Texas A&M, Texas, San Diego State, Utah, Arizona State, Missouri
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Last week: 1 |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | Last week: 3 |
3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Last week: 4 |
4 | Clemson Tigers | Last week: 2 |
5 | Oklahoma Sooners | Last week: 6 |
6 | LSU Tigers | Last week: 12. I said I wasn't a believer in LSU before the Miami game, and I said it again this week before they played Auburn. Now LSU has two great wins and arguably the best resume in the country, which bumps them up to six. |
7 | Stanford Cardinal | Last week: 10 |
8 | Auburn Tigers | Last week: 5. Auburn doesn't drop a ton despite the loss. I feel like I learned more about LSU than Auburn--I still have the same concerns that I did last week for the Tigers but the same strengths are definitely still there. I considered putting Penn State, and Notre Dame all ahead of Auburn but in the end the Tigers' win against Washington was a better resume point than anything PSU or ND have. |
9 | Washington Huskies | Last week: 9 |
10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Last week: 11 |
11 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Last week: 8. I know there's a lot of people who don't like the idea of moving a team down after a win (or moving a team up after a loss) but Notre Dame has looked really disappointing for two consecutive weeks while Stanford remains strong, Penn State seemed to get past its defensive struggles it saw against App State (although against poor competition as well), and Washington added a solid win in its comfortable victory over Utah. |
12 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | Last week: 12 |
13 | West Virginia Mountaineers | Last week: 15 |
14 | TCU Horned Frogs | Last week: 13. TCU only drops one spot this week, which is as much to do with the teams that were beneath them last week as anything. But Ohio State is, obviously, a really good team and TCU proved they can run with them. Q U A L I T Y L O S S |
15 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | Last week: NR (37). This is one of the biggest rankings jumps I've ever had, and the biggest so far this year. Ok State was another team I wasn't too high on this offseason--they were my preseason #40. Playing (FCS) Missouri State and South Alabama did nothing to help them move up but Boise State was their first chance to prove me wrong and show that they do belong in the top 25. I still feel like this is pretty high for the Pokes, but I'm being objective and that Boise State win is more impressive than anything any of the teams immediately below them has done. Duke has an argument with three solid wins, even if their Northwestern win took a hit this weekend. |
16 | Boston College Eagles | Last week: 18 |
17 | Duke Blue Devils | Last week: 22. Duke moves up after a solid win over Baylor. A second half surge from the Bears made this win look closer than it felt. Despite throwing three TDs, Quentin Harris showed some obvious deficiencies in the passing game--something to keep an eye on. |
18 | Oregon Ducks | Last week: 17 |
19 | UCF Knights | Last week: 21 |
20 | Virginia Tech Hokies | Last week: 20. That FSU win looks less impressive every week, but the Hokies keep their spot. |
21 | Miami Hurricanes | Last week: 23 |
22 | Iowa Hawkeyes | Last week: 24 |
23 | Boise State Broncos | Last week: 16 |
24 | Wisconsin Badgers | Last week: 6. Wisconsin barely hangs on to being ranked after a bad loss to BYU. Three weeks in I still don't think anyone knows exactly what this BYU team is--but they're clearly not the dumpster fire they were last season. That being said, Wisconsin still had no business losing to them. One or two plays go differently and we're talking about the Badgers looking disappointing in a close victory and they're still in the top 10. |
25 | Michigan Wolverines | Last week: NR (27) |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.00 |
3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0.00 |
4 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
5 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0.00 |
6 | LSU Tigers | 0.00 |
7 | Stanford Cardinal | 0.00 |
8 | Auburn Tigers | 0.38 |
9 | Washington Huskies | 0.31 |
10 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 0.00 |
11 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0.00 |
12 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 0.00 |
13 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 0.00 |
14 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0.35 |
15 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0.00 |
16 | Boston College Eagles | 0.79 |
17 | Duke Blue Devils | 0.28 |
18 | Oregon Ducks | 0.00 |
19 | UCF Knights | 0.00 |
20 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -0.56 |
21 | Miami Hurricanes | 0.00 |
22 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0.00 |
23 | Boise State Broncos | 0.32 |
24 | Wisconsin Badgers | -0.15 |
25 | Michigan Wolverines | -0.36 |