Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Aug. 26, 2021, 9:58 a.m.
Overall Rationale: Power Poll - on a neutral field my #6 team would beat my #7-#25 team for example. It's mostly forward looking, so while wins and losses matter, the goal is to be predictive. This would not be the same as if I had to submit a playoffs rankings which would be most deserving based on resume, but I've found that towards the end of the season, the teams that perform at the highest level will tend to align closely with the teams that are the best from a power poll standpoint. These are subjective choices based on extensive preseason research, watching as many games as possible (I try to watch 4 games every time slot often flipping around), going over every available advanced metric, and an aggregation of all the info and experience I've learned/gained through years of doing this. Early on I rely a lot on my preseason research - which includes things like knowing the OL depth of most P5 teams and a good bit of G5 times - but I'm quick to adapt when it's clear my preseason forecasts are off or players massively improve/decline. 
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | |
2 | Oklahoma Sooners | |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | |
4 | Clemson Tigers | |
5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | |
6 | Iowa State Cyclones | |
7 | Penn State Nittany Lions | |
8 | Arizona State Sun Devils | |
9 | Texas A&M Aggies | |
10 | Cincinnati Bearcats | |
11 | Wisconsin Badgers | |
12 | NC State Wolfpack | |
13 | North Carolina Tar Heels | |
14 | TCU Horned Frogs | |
15 | Oregon Ducks | |
16 | USC Trojans | |
17 | LSU Tigers | |
18 | Utah Utes | |
19 | Miami Hurricanes | |
20 | Ole Miss Rebels | |
21 | Indiana Hoosiers | |
22 | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | |
23 | Florida Gators | |
24 | Washington Huskies | |
25 | Iowa Hawkeyes | This is my best guess for the preseason as of the submission date/time, but there are a lot of teams I've been swapping in and out near the bottom, and I might end up with a slightly different set of rankings by the time the season starts.  |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
2 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0.00 |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.03 |
4 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | -0.25 |
6 | Iowa State Cyclones | 0.00 |
7 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 1.92 |
8 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 6.49 |
9 | Texas A&M Aggies | 0.00 |
10 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 0.00 |
11 | Wisconsin Badgers | 0.00 |
12 | NC State Wolfpack | 13.09 |
13 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0.00 |
14 | TCU Horned Frogs | 9.04 |
15 | Oregon Ducks | 0.00 |
16 | USC Trojans | 0.00 |
17 | LSU Tigers | 0.00 |
18 | Utah Utes | 0.55 |
19 | Miami Hurricanes | 0.00 |
20 | Ole Miss Rebels | 1.20 |
21 | Indiana Hoosiers | 0.00 |
22 | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | 0.00 |
23 | Florida Gators | -2.05 |
24 | Washington Huskies | -0.03 |
25 | Iowa Hawkeyes | -0.93 |
Omissions:
Team | Unusualness |
---|---|
Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 4.23 |
Texas Longhorns | 0.52 |
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 0.35 |
Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0.13 |
Total Score: 40.82