Back to poll results >>

iliketoupvotepuns Ballot for 2019 Week 3

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 9, 2019, 11:12 p.m.

Overall Rationale: As always, I will add reasoning with any teams that are particularly noteworthy in terms of where they rank, especially if my perception seems different than the public.I take into account talent(eye test and recruiting), advanced analytics, past games and potential based off of future schedule and projections.

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide I had Alabama as the best team in the nation for the first 2 games and they have done nothing to make me think otherwise so far. They have slaughtered their two opponents so far. We will see if they belong as we go along.
2 Clemson Tigers Clemson looked dominant against Georgia Tech, but looked like it had a couple of weaknesses against Texas A&M. Nevertheless, they coasted to a comfortable win where the final score was not indicative of how not close the game was. Clemson deserves to keep their top 2 spot until proven otherwise, particularly considering they easily have the best chance to make the playoff between their talent and schedule.
3 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma's offense this year somehow looks just as good as their unprecedented offense from last year. With their defense looking slightly better as well, and every other Big 12 team having exploitable flaws, Oklahoma looks like a probable conference champion and playoff team yet again.
4 LSU Tigers I'll admit it, I was not a Burrow believer to start the year. Although I thought he was above average, I had no faith in him to lead LSU to a completely different level on offense. I was wrong. That said, I think people are going a little too far considering LSU racked up yards on a Texas team that had to replace 8 starters from last year's defense and I had pegged as slightly overrated by the community at large anyway. Even so, LSU has proven to even the most cynical doubters that they are a top 5 team and a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. I have them jumping several other very good/great teams to the number 4 spot this week.
5 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia has looked good, but LSU and Oklahoma so far have looked better.Based off of these performances, I dropped Georgia two spots this week. Regardless, if Georgia plays at an elite level for the rest of their season, their destiny is in their hands.
6 Ohio State Buckeyes
7 Auburn Tigers Auburn's defense looks legit and definitely looks like the most talented defense in the nation through two weeks. If Bo Nix can shake off the freshman faults as he gains experience, they will be a solid team that can potentially achieve double digit. I'm not sure I believe they will do that or that they will be able to consistently find an offensive sparkplug once they enter conference play, but for now they have notched one of the best wins in the country and deserve a top 10 ranking for it.
8 Michigan Wolverines Michigan looked really bad against Army, but I think Army is a solid G5 team and that fewer possessions increases game variance, potentially making up for talent deficiencies. For that reason, and the fact that I am not overly sold on any of the other teams I was considering jumping Michigan, I haven't dropped them too far and still consider them a top 10 team. FOR NOW.
9 Utah Utes Utah is the last best hope for the PAC 12, and I think they really could make a run at the playoffs. That said, I think that would require them to play nearly perfectly to not succumb to the PAC 12 After Dark shenanigans, but think they deserve a high ranking considering their talent, performance, and potential right now.
10 Florida Gators
11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
12 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin is back to normal? Even if their competition was either clinically depressed from a long losing streak(USF) or just plain old not good(Central Michigan) Wisconsin has been beating ass and looked well rounded from both sides of the ball. Count them down as the Big Ten West favorites for now.
13 Penn State Nittany Lions Despite a sluggish start, Penn State turned on the gas in the second half. I'm not too worried about them at the moment and still see them as a top 15 team.
14 Iowa Hawkeyes El Assico will tell us both everything and nothing on Saturday about the Hawkeyes as a team. Looking forward to what is sure to be a particularly ass-y game!
15 Texas Longhorns While Texas' defense looked really bad against LSU, Texas will only face a few teams that can punish Texas in the same way. With 8 new starters this year, I think the defense will get better as they go along. That said, the offense played better than I expected, especially considering their lack of running back depth, and Ehlinger kept the Longhorns in the game by seemingly sheer force of will.
16 Oregon Ducks Oregon took out their post-loss rage on Nevada, and with divisional rival Washington dropping to Cal, is the front runner in their division. They went punch for punch even in the Auburn game, and I see few teams left on their schedule that can clamp down on Oregon like Auburn did. If Oregon rebounds and Auburn remains good, they even have the talent for an outside shot at the playoffs.
17 UCF Knights UCF continues to destroy inferior G5 teams. Water is wet. UCF stays ranked.
18 Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M clearly didn't have the horses to run with Clemson in the Tiger's house, but they at least didn't get blown out. Texas A&M clearly has offensive problems, and I am not a Kellen Mond believer. He's an above average quarterback, I don't really see him as anything better than that. Texas A&Ms defense looked better than I thought though. Definitely still a contender for the top half of the SEC West, even despite their schedule.
19 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State found some offense last week. Maybe that answers some questions about them, but we will have to see against stronger competition if they can keep it up. 
20 Washington Huskies Given how fuck-y that game was, and considering it was a 1 point loss, I am still buying Washington as a poll team and top PAC 12 team.
21 Boise State Broncos
22 Virginia Cavaliers #7in7. Do it for the memes, Cavs.
23 TCU Horned Frogs I'm a Gary Patterson believer, and think TCU is a darkhorse in the Big 12.
24 Washington State Cougars
25 Maryland Terrapins Although I think Syracuse was overrated(not ranked in either of my two polls so far) Maryland has looked legit enough that they deserve some recognition. Welcome to the top 25, Terps,

Back to poll results >>