stripes361 Ballot for 2018 Week 15 & Bowls
Ballot Type: Hybrid
Submitted: Dec. 3, 2018, 7:57 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Performance/team quality ranking, based primarily on ESPN's FPI and Football Outsiders' S&P+ rankings. Not intended to be a resume ranking. Teams moved up and down from their spots in the computer rankings based on eye test, coaching, QB play, and other subjective factors.
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
|
| 2 |
Clemson Tigers
|
|
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
Georgia remains at 3 after exceeding expectations against Alabama. They are capable of beating any team in the country on a neutral field. |
| 4 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
|
| 5 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
|
| 6 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
|
| 7 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
|
| 8 |
UCF Knights
|
Normally I drop teams after major long-term injuries, and this #8 ranking more closely reflects where I think UCF is with Milton rather than without, but the Knights have proven to be resilient to change before, so I am keeping them here for now. |
| 9 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
|
| 10 |
West Virginia Mountaineers
|
|
| 11 |
Washington Huskies
|
|
| 12 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
|
| 13 |
Fresno State Bulldogs
|
Fresno jumps Boise due to beating them on the road. If it were in Fresno, I may not have swapped the teams for a 3-point OT win. |
| 14 |
Boise State Broncos
|
|
| 15 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
|
| 16 |
Florida Gators
|
|
| 17 |
Utah Utes
|
Embarrassingly, I omitted Utah last week. Their prior ranking was at #13 two weeks ago. Although I had Washington higher ranked and Utah played them tight, I am dropping them for the lack of ability to move the ball against good defenses. Utah's own defense is legit, though. |
| 18 |
LSU Tigers
|
|
| 19 |
Washington State Cougars
|
|
| 20 |
Missouri Tigers
|
|
| 21 |
Auburn Tigers
|
|
| 22 |
Texas Longhorns
|
Texas jumps a few spots after a respectable performance against Oklahoma. |
| 23 |
Utah State Aggies
|
|
| 24 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
|
| 25 |
Stanford Cardinal
|
Honorable Mention: Appalachian State. With Utah's inclusion after being accidentally dropped, App State tumbles out of the rankings. They could have jumped Stanford with a better performance against Louisiana. |
Teams Ranked:
| Rank | Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
0.00 |
| 2 |
Clemson Tigers
|
0.00 |
| 3 |
Georgia Bulldogs
|
1.23 |
| 4 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
|
0.00 |
| 5 |
Ohio State Buckeyes
|
0.00 |
| 6 |
Oklahoma Sooners
|
-0.80 |
| 7 |
Michigan Wolverines
|
0.06 |
| 8 |
UCF Knights
|
0.00 |
| 9 |
Penn State Nittany Lions
|
0.84 |
| 10 |
West Virginia Mountaineers
|
1.04 |
| 11 |
Washington Huskies
|
0.00 |
| 12 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs
|
1.41 |
| 13 |
Fresno State Bulldogs
|
0.55 |
| 14 |
Boise State Broncos
|
1.54 |
| 15 |
Texas A&M Aggies
|
1.04 |
| 16 |
Florida Gators
|
-0.12 |
| 17 |
Utah Utes
|
0.00 |
| 18 |
LSU Tigers
|
-1.08 |
| 19 |
Washington State Cougars
|
-2.02 |
| 20 |
Missouri Tigers
|
0.23 |
| 21 |
Auburn Tigers
|
4.00 |
| 22 |
Texas Longhorns
|
-0.98 |
| 23 |
Utah State Aggies
|
0.00 |
| 24 |
Iowa Hawkeyes
|
0.70 |
| 25 |
Stanford Cardinal
|
0.00 |
Omissions:
| Team | Unusualness |
|---|---|
Kentucky Wildcats
|
2.00 |
Syracuse Orange
|
1.45 |
Army West Point
|
0.37 |
Northwestern Wildcats
|
0.08 |
Total Score: 21.54