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jchall3 Ballot for 2021 Week 2

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 7, 2021, 5:11 p.m.

Overall Rationale: My overall approach is to start in week 1 with teams ranked on the anticipated result if they played on a neutral field in the upcoming week (analogous to a power index). As the season progresses the ranking will then consider actual on field results with more emphasis placed on results as the season goes on. So for example, in week 7 the poll with be roughly weighted as 50% of what the anticipated result would be (a power index) and 50% of actual results (a resume). By the final poll I will rate teams based solely on what they actually achieved on field with good wins rewarded and bad losses punished.As a whole, I will rank teams week to week based on the whole of the team. Everything will be considered from in hard objective in game statistics to abstract subjective metrics such as game control. Injuries (both in game such as player being "banged up" as well as players being out) will be considered in the poll. Each team represents more than the sum of its parts and this is to be considered a through and through human poll.In an effort to avoid "poll momentum", I will conduct each poll independent of previous weeks. It would be more likely for a team to be "jumped" during an off week, for example, than for a team to increase (or decrease) in ranking due to unexpected wins and losses of other teams.Finally, as a point of emphasis I will avoid "meme" or "peoples" picks. I view the r/CFB as if it was a legitimate poll wire and take my picks very seriously. If a team is or is not on my poll it is due to both their anticipated and actual results.WEEK 2: Rankings are still heavily favored towards a "predictive" (or power) ranking however the first results are factored in. While those may not have much impact on my ranking in and of themselves they have a huge impact on how I think teams would fare week to week. As such expect to see some big moves and the poll to stabilize more as we go into the mid-season.

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Any doubt this team was the best in the country was erased on Saturday. Homerism aside, there is not a compelling argument as to why anyone would beat this team if they lined up on Saturday. Clear No. 1 
2 Georgia Bulldogs 10 points, losing the turnover battle, but finding a way to win? If that's not Georgia football I don't know what is (oh the opposite of that you say?) Georgia will find their offense but with that defense they may not need to go trade TD for TD with anyone (say number 1).
3 Ohio State Buckeyes On the road in the rain with a Stadium rocking... yet they still cruised on big plays to victory. While others may see their play (particularly that of Stroud) as suspect, I see a QB that got it figured out and made the plays he needed to make. With a litany of talent no reason that OSU isn't in my top three.  
4 Texas A&M Aggies Despite a slow start the Aggies did what they needed to do and put up big numbers in the 2nd half. I still expect this tam to be red hot at the right time and lethal to anyone they meet. 
5 Oklahoma Sooners Bit of a fall here from No. 1 to No. 4 in my poll, but Oklahoma looked human against Tulane. Too early to tell now (Tulane may have a great season) but they still need to find their stride. Fully expect Oklahoma to start rolling soon.
6 Clemson Tigers It was ugly. Cant say it any other way. The 3 year honeymoon with T Lawrence is over. Highly suspect O-line puts Clemson at the bottom of the top tier of CFB. However they still have plenty of time to hone their skill so long as they avoid more offensive stumbles. 
7 Cincinnati Bearcats Like a knife through butter Cincinnati did what plenty of schools failed to do this weekend: cakewalk through their opener. Still yet to be seen if they can break into the S-tier of college football but a solid performance that has them primed to ascend.
8 Iowa State Cyclones It wasn't pretty. Much like many schools who failed to stroll out against their inferior foe, Iowa State looked suspect at times. However they still have the talent to compete for the Big-12 and have a golden opportunity to build early momentum this weekend.
9 Oregon Ducks A surprisingly good Fresno gave the ducks all they could handle, yet the Ducks rode out on top. It still remains to be seen what they can achieve with their talent but not stumbling out of the gate is worth something.
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Yikes, nearly a front-page Sunday story ND did what it needed to do and slipped out with a win. Questions remain but they are still in a tier above than other teams. Look for Brain Kelly to spare his team and get them moving.
11 Iowa Hawkeyes So... full disclosure I had no idea Iowa was primed for a break out. But man did they look sharp. Results here are not a huge impact but the team had all the pieces they needed to have in place at the right time. huge opportunity to have a great weekend.
12 Ole Miss Rebels Do not sleep on kiffin. Ole Miss has somehow managed to stay quiet and yet Matt Corral is primed and ready to give anyone in the SEC West fits. Far and above my "bravest" pick, I think Ole Miss is a landmine in waiting. 
13 Penn State Nittany Lions ....then you don't love B1G Football! Hey it is what it is. For now, they need an offense to get rolling but should it kick into gear then watch out. They have the talent at defense to stay in the game with nearly anyone. 
14 UCLA Bruins Its only sissy if you say so.... and boy did UCLA get the last laugh. While I am not sure they have the talent to rise too much further Chip Kelly has the pieces in place to be dangerous to anyone that throws gumbo in their face.
15 Texas Longhorns While many had them tee'd up to be a Sunday morning meme Texas did what they needed to do. Sark still has a ways to go but I do think the winds in Texas are finally blowing in the right direction.
16 Florida Gators Uhh their could be trouble brewing for the Gators. Just one year removed from trading points with Bama, their offense is suspect. While I do think Dan Mullen is one of the more underrated coaches in CFB, he will have his work cut out for him before Bama comes calling. 
17 Wisconsin Badgers Not a great outing. While I don't think they played any better or worse than PSU its hard to see them climbing much higher without some big improvements in offense.
18 Virginia Tech Hokies I really feel like I missed this one. The hokies looked great and I can't say I am surprised. Maybe they can make a run at things this year, but the ACC is still to be seen. 
19 Miami Hurricanes The sky isn't falling and the world isn't ending, but Miami is not Alabama. Miami comes out of the game intact and hopefully can build on where they need to be. Not a terrible fall here as I don't think many teams on this list would have fared much better.
20 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers When you are a ranked team holding up the banner for the little guys you have to take care of business, and that they did. Not much more to ask other than "where is the ceiling?" I am rooting for these guys but can't really put them much higher at this time.
21 Auburn Tigers Did anyone hear about Auburn this weekend? No? Well thats great news. Because they went out, took care of business, and looked sharp. Given Auburns' ups and downs this off season its all you can ask. And hey don't forget they have experience at QB- maybe Gus was the problem?
22 UCF Knights Except Gus is Gus and he Gus'd it up. Sure it doesn't fly at Auburn maybe but UCF pulled out the win. 573 yards against a team many had ranked high, and yet those of us that know Gus (cough cough Alabama fans) weren't surprised. I expect this team to pull off some great wins... if not spectacular losses.
23 North Carolina Tar Heels Yeah it wasn't a great day. Sometimes the storybook isn't very kind and Mack Brown's UNC Tar Heels struggled to move the ball. While they still have plenty of talent questions remain.
24 Utah Utes
25 Arizona State Sun Devils

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