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Charlemagne42 Ballot for 2019 Week 8

Ballot Type: Hybrid

Submitted: Oct. 13, 2019, 12:42 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Hybrid mode with decreasing human weight each week. Full computer mode coming next week. Computer 95%, human 5%. FORMAT: (Original computer score +/- Human adjustment -> Final score; Original computer rank -> Hybrid rank). SELF-ASSESSMENT: 6 iterations (-10 from last week). 5% maximum human adjustment (-5%). 9 teams adjusted (-11). Human footprint size: 9.7 (-24.7)

Rank Team Reason
1 Ohio State Buckeyes (363 + 0 -> 363; 1 -> 1) Ohio State once again takes the top spot, keeping LSU at bay by shutting out BYE. (+0 from last week)
2 LSU Tigers (337 + 0 -> 337; 2->2) A two-score victory over also-pretty-good Florida is marred by defensive questions and a slow-starting offense. Alabama, Auburn, and the rest of the West loom. (+0 )
3 Wisconsin Badgers (310 + 0 -> 310; 3 -> 3) Another week, another shutout. Signs point to an undefeated matchup in the Shoe in two weeks. Signs also point to a rematch in the B1GCCG. (+2)
4 Alabama Crimson Tide (263 + 0 -> 263; 4 -> 4) Alabama is still working out wrinkles and mistakes, uncharacteristically late for this team. Still, they weren't hit with an embarrassing conference loss, which couldn't be said of two teams previously above them. (+2)
5 Auburn Tigers (257 + 0 -> 257; 7 -> 5) As Oregon continues to resemble a Pac-12 football-team-sized industrial shredder, Auburn's early win over them continues to look better and better. The Tigers have other shredders ahead of them, though - two of their remaining opponents are still ranked above them, down from three (!) last week. (+2)
6 Penn State Nittany Lions (238 + 3 -> 241; 7 -> 6) Penn State quietly wins again. Michigan next week, then Michigan State. Later this season, the Ohio State game seems like it will decide the East. (+2)
7 Boise State Broncos (243 - 3 -> 240; 6 -> 7) Boise is still in top form, knocking off the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors in a thrilling #MountainBestAfterDark game. Instead of stifling the potent Run'N'Shoot offense the Warriors run, Boise's game plan was to exploit their holey defense. It worked. (+5)
8 Clemson Tigers (210 + 10 -> 220; 11 -> 8) This is the last week I can keep boosting Clemson despite their actual on-field performance. Next week, if the Tigers can't prove they deserve this spot, they'll likely wind up outside my top ten. Still, they actually move up this week after proving the point against the Seminoles. (+1)
9 Oklahoma Sooners (217 + 0 -> 217; 9 -> 9) Finally a quality win for the Sooners! It would be just like Texas to go lose to KSU now, just to spite OU. Also, hold the phone, does OU have a passable defense?? (+1)
10 Baylor Bears (220 - 10 -> 210; 8 -> 10) With a skin-of-their-teeth, double-overtime win at home against a terrible Texas Tech team in the BUTT Bowl, whose name refers to the crew reffing the game, not the teams playing -- side note, the refs mis-called a fumble in OT1 which would have given Tech the game -- the Bears inexplicably move up. The win is a win, says the computer, no matter how many human equivocations we throw at it. (+7)
11 SMU Mustangs (209 + 0 -> 209; 12 -> 11) With Texas's loss, the Ponies thought they were now the premier football program in the north-central Texas region. Not so, as they've been jumped by the Bears. Getting jumped by bears sounds terrifying any time it happens, never mind when you're on vacation. (+2)
12 Minnesota Golden Gophers (215 - 10 -> 205; 10 -> 12) Another in the list of computer darlings that should really go away, please; the 6-0 Golden Gophers dance all the way up to #12 with a snowy romp over hapless Nebraska. And by the looks of their schedule, they have no excuse not to make it to 8-0 before tumbling to 8-5 again. (+9)
13 Florida Gators (197 + 0 -> 197; 13 -> 13) Back to normal for the Gators. They still lead their division, somehow. They should really hope Alabama loses to both LSU and Auburn. (-10)
14 Appalachian State Mountaineers (196 + 0 -> 196; 14 -> 14) With a mid-week victory over the Ragin' Cajuns, which might be their crowning win until bowl season, the Mountaineers establish themselves as firmly the #3 G5 team in the country, and defy the notion that you must have a horse mascot to be a highly-ranked G5. (+5)
15 Oregon Ducks (192 + 0 -> 192; 15 -> 15) Pac-12: "Help me, Ore-gon! You're my only hope!" (+1)
16 Georgia Bulldogs (191 + 0 -> 191; 16 -> 16) Yikes. So much for waiting for others to slip up. (-12)
17 Temple Owls (177 + 0 -> 177; 17 -> 17) Temple knocks off the undefeated Tigers! ...No, not *those* Tigers! (NEW)
18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (176 + 0 -> 176; 18 -> 18) I can't help you with your soft ACC-lite schedule, Irish. Not anymore. You'll be stuck down here until you beat a *real* team. When was the last time you played Clemson in the regular season? (-3)
19 Memphis Tigers (170 + 0 -> 170; 19 -> 19) How the mighty have fallen. Surprisingly, the Tigers haven't fallen *out*, but that's likely because the computer predicted Temple to win a very very close one. Which is exactly what happened. (-5)
20 Arizona State Sun Devils (156 + 0 -> 156; 20 -> 20) Squeaking by a beleaguered Wazzu squad is not how you move up. Very far, at least. (+2)
21 Texas Longhorns (154 + 0 -> 154; 21 -> 21) That game wasn't as close as the score looked. Without freshman mistakes from a championship-seasoned OU QB, Texas loses by four or five scores, not one score off of a garbage time TD. (-10)
22 Missouri Tigers (138 + 0 -> 138; 22 -> 22) I didn't *want* to rank Mizzou, but everyone else is bad. (NEW)
23 San Diego State Aztecs (130 + 0 -> 130; 24 -> 23) Smothering run defense. That is all. (NEW)
24 Utah Utes (128 + 0 -> 128; 25 -> 24) I guess if Oregon falls, Utah is supposed to pretend they have a chance at the playoff? Or is the Rose Bowl all the Pac-12 has to dream about anymore? (NEW)
25 Navy Midshipmen (121 + 6 -> 127; 26 -> 25) What's that on the horizon? (NEW) Dropped: Wake Forest (from 18), Wyoming (20), Washington (23), Michigan (24), Hawai'i (25) What a bloody week. If the trend holds, 4/8 schools at 1/ or below will drop out next week.

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