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stripes361 Ballot for 2019 Week 8

Ballot Type: Hybrid

Submitted: Oct. 13, 2019, 9:27 p.m.

Overall Rationale: This is a forward-looking, predictive ballot. It is not a resume ranking. I start with an aggregate of the FPI and SP+ computer rankings and then adjust the teams based off of several "human" factors, including coaching, QB play, roster balance, eye test, and injuries. Because it is forward-looking, long-term injuries can significantly alter a team's ranking even before on-field performance has been affected.

Rank Team Reason
1 Ohio State Buckeyes
2 Alabama Crimson Tide
3 Clemson Tigers
4 LSU Tigers LSU could very reasonably be higher based on their play so far this season. Alabama are basically only higher at this point because of the amount of reverence I have for Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney but the Tigers' on-field performance thus far has been nothing short of spectacular.
5 Oklahoma Sooners
6 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin is now ahead of Georgia and would have jumped even higher had LSU and OU not accumulated impressive wins this week themselves. Wisconsin is now a Tier One team in my mental accounting and the margin between them and any of the Top 5 is razor thin. Badgers are up to 5th in FPI and 4th in SP+.
7 Penn State Nittany Lions
8 Georgia Bulldogs
9 Oregon Ducks
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11 Florida Gators Florida roughly matched my expectations for the LSU game so they don't fall. The defense was somewhat disappointing but Kyle Trask's continued emergence has significantly boosted my perception of their offensive strength.
12 Texas Longhorns By the same token, Texas met expectations against OU and, therefore, does not fall this week.
13 Auburn Tigers
14 Missouri Tigers
15 Utah Utes
16 Michigan Wolverines Michigan added yet another unconvincing win to their resume, nearly surrendering a huge lead to Illinois before pulling away at the end.
17 Iowa Hawkeyes
18 Iowa State Cyclones
19 Washington Huskies
20 USC Trojans
21 Baylor Bears
22 Texas A&M Aggies
23 UCF Knights
24 Cincinnati Bearcats
25 Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota was clinical against Nebraska and jump an increasingly strong field of contenders for the #25 spot. For the first time this season, I feel like there is a substantial surplus of deserving teams. Honorable Mention: Boise State, SMU, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Memphis, South Carolina, Tulane, App State

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