Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 4, 2019, 9:50 a.m.
Overall Rationale: Only one week of games means not nearly enough data to try to use my computer model, so I'm sticking with a human ballot this week. I'm happier with my top 15 or so than I was last week, which is something. First N Out: Mississippi State, Northwestern.
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Clemson Tigers | Clemson curb-stomped Georgia Tech, making clear that they're very much still a dominant team. |
2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Alabama's thrashing of Duke didn't have as much coverage as Clemson's win, but it was still a commanding performance. |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | Georgia fans didn't get the win they wanted against Vanderbilt, but it was a good win nonetheless. |
4 | Oklahoma Sooners | Oklahoma's offense obliterated Houston and, despite some potential concerns about their defense, I think the Sooners played well enough to jump into my top 4. |
5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | The Buckeyes took care of business against FAU and I think they're the team to beat in the B1G. |
6 | LSU Tigers | The Tigers looked good against an outmatched foe (pretty much the narrative for most of these teams), but they have a tough test ahead of them when they take on the Longhorns. |
7 | Texas Longhorns | Texas had a good opening to the season (it helps when you don't play Maryland), but a game against LSU should really help show where the Longhorns stand. |
8 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Outside of a muffed punt return, Penn State looked clean in all facets of the game against Idaho and has high hopes to compete for their division, their conference, and the championship. |
9 | Washington Huskies | The Huskies have a quarterback and, they hope, a team that can lead them to the playoff. |
10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Notre Dame seemed almost stunned by Louisville early Monday and I'm not sure how they'll react when the blows don't let up. |
11 | Texas A&M Aggies | Sitting just outside my top 10, Texas A&M has a chance to make a huge statement when they take on Clemson. |
12 | Florida Gators | The game against Miami may have been over a week ago, but I haven't forgotten how ugly it was. |
13 | Michigan Wolverines | Middle Tennessee State gave Michigan more than they may have wanted in their opening game and the Wolverines didn't perform quite to the level I expected from them. |
14 | Utah Utes | Utah put a beating on BYU to start the season and look like a solid team in the Pac-12. |
15 | UCF Knights | UCF's drubbing of a bad FCS team lost a little of its luster when other teams managed to do the same, but the Knights still look good so far this season. |
16 | Auburn Tigers | The Tigers survived a scare from Oregon to start the season 1-0. |
17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | A game that was close for too long, but the Hawkeyes managed to put away a decent RedHawks team in the second half. |
18 | Syracuse Orange | Syracuse romped over Liberty and still look like the biggest (only?) threat to another Clemson championship. |
19 | Wisconsin Badgers | The Badgers utterly dominated USF and jump up massively over last week. |
20 | Stanford Cardinal | Stanford beat a good Northwestern team and jump into my top 20. |
21 | Washington State Cougars | Carving up New Mexico State may not tell us as much as we'd like, but we can at least see the Cougars know what they're supposed to be doing this season. |
22 | Cincinnati Bearcats | Beating a P5 team is an accomplishment, even if that team is UCLA. |
23 | Boise State Broncos | Beating a P5 team is an accomplishment, even if that team is FSU. |
24 | Kentucky Wildcats | I'm still sitting pretty high on Kentucky; their win over Toledo was less impressive than they might have wished, but the Rockets are a tough team. |
25 | Oregon Ducks | The only 0-1 team on my ballot, Oregon actually moves up for me after playing Auburn close. |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.00 |
4 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0.00 |
5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0.00 |
6 | LSU Tigers | 0.00 |
7 | Texas Longhorns | 0.11 |
8 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 0.82 |
9 | Washington Huskies | 0.36 |
10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0.00 |
11 | Texas A&M Aggies | 0.00 |
12 | Florida Gators | 0.00 |
13 | Michigan Wolverines | -0.10 |
14 | Utah Utes | 0.00 |
15 | UCF Knights | 0.03 |
16 | Auburn Tigers | -0.48 |
17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0.44 |
18 | Syracuse Orange | 0.29 |
19 | Wisconsin Badgers | 0.00 |
20 | Stanford Cardinal | 0.00 |
21 | Washington State Cougars | 0.00 |
22 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 0.00 |
23 | Boise State Broncos | 0.00 |
24 | Kentucky Wildcats | 0.49 |
25 | Oregon Ducks | -0.72 |