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T-Thugs Ballot for 2021 Week 5

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 26, 2021, 6:19 p.m.

Overall Rationale: I try my best to re-rank each team every week based on its resume so far this year. I tend to move teams pretty wildly week to week early on as there is a lot of inconsistency early with who has played quality opponents and who has not. by the end of the year, it will look more stable and more in line with other people's polls. There are teams that are obviously good enough to be one of the best 25 teams in the country that I have not included. For example, Florida. They are not in because they are 3-1 and their best win is Tennessee, which I think is a less good win than Oregon State. Florida plays Kentucky next week and will jump back into my rankings quickly. The same goes for teams like Ohio State, Auburn, Texas A&M, etc. They will get back in as they accumulate wins and as other teams lose too. 

Rank Team Reason
1 Arkansas Razorbacks The razorbacks currently have the best resume in college football, they are 4-0 with wins over Texas A&M (3-1) and Texas (3-1). Both were in fairly convincing fashion. If Arkansas beats Georgia, they'd lock themselves in here for a bit. 
2 Oregon Ducks Oregon has a pretty impressive resume as well. They have a win over Ohio State who is now 3-1 as well as a win over Fresno State who is 4-1 and I have ranked as a 1 loss team thanks to their win over UCLA. 
3 Alabama Crimson Tide The reigning champs are 4-0. Their best win is over Florida (3-1). They are probably the best team in the country and have a good chance to get back on top perhaps with a matchup vs. Ole Miss this coming weekend. 
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame is 4-0. Best win is Purdue who is 3-1 with a win over Oregon state (3-1). Also put a beatdown on Wisconsin but they are 1-2. I bumped ND over Penn State as ND beat Wisconsin by more and also Purdue's win over Oregon state looks better this week because Oregon State smoked USC while Auburn struggled with Georgia State.
5 Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State is 4-0. Best win is over Auburn (3-1). Wisconsin win doesn't really mean as much as now they are 1-2. Could end up being a decent win if they get some wins. 
6 BYU Cougars BYU is 4-0, with wins over 3-1 Arizona State and 2-2 Utah.
7 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State is 4-0. They have wins over Kansas State (3-1) and Boise State (2-2). They play Baylor this weekend in a battle of 4-0 teams. 
8 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss 4-0. Their best win is Louisville (3-1)
9 Michigan Wolverines Michigan makes a big jump after getting a win over Rutgers (3-1). That win may not look as good as Rutgers gets into conference play and has some real opponents. For now, its a 3-1 win. 
10 Georgia Bulldogs I think you could argue that Georgia is the best team in the country. They've looked pretty good, especially as the offense has picked up. However, their best win now is over Clemson (2-2) so I dropped them this week. They play Arkansas next week and could find themselves back at the top of my poll with a win. 
11 Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa is 4-0, but their wins are looking a bit less good this week. Iowa State is now 2-2, as is Indiana. They play 4-0 Maryland next week though and can get a nice boost back up with a win. 
12 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State is 4-0. Best wins are Miami (2-2) and Northwestern (2-2)
13 Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky is 4-0. Best wins are Missouri (2-2) and South Carolina (2-2). They play Florida this week so will either prove they belong here or get knocked out of the top. 
14 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma is 4-0, but struggling. Best win right now is over 2-2 West Virginia. They play Kansas State next week (3-1).
15 Baylor Bears Baylor jumps into my rankings at 4-0 with a win over Iowa State (2-2). They play Oklahoma State this weekend for a chance to make another statement. 
16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Deacons! Coming from nowhere. They're now 4-0 with an impressive beatdown of Virginia (2-2) this week. They have a game with Louisville this week, which could provide a nice win 
17 SMU Mustangs SMU is 4-0. Their best win is over 2-1 TCU. Also have a win over 2-2 Louisiana Tech. 
18 Maryland Terrapins Maryland is 4-0, but their best win is West Virginia (2-2). They have a big opportunity this week playing Iowa. 
19 UTSA Roadrunners UTSA is 4-0. Their best win is over Memphis (3-1)
20 Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati is 3-0. Best win is over Indiana (2-2). 
21 Boston College Eagles Boston College is 4-0. Best win is Missouri (2-2). Big game this week with Clemson, who despite me not ranking them is still the big name in the ACC. 
22 Fresno State Bulldogs Fresno State is 4-1. Their only loss is to Oregon and they have a good win over UCLA (3-1). 
23 UCLA Bruins UCLA is 3-1, only loss is to Fresno State. Wins over LSU (3-1) and Stanford (2-2). Big game coming up with Arizona State this weekend.
24 Texas Longhorns Only loss is to Arkansas. Have a nice win over Texas Tech (3-1) 
25 Purdue Boilermakers Purdue is 3-1. Only loss is to Notre Dame. Their best win is over Oregon State who is now 3-1 after blowing out USC in Los Angeles. 

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