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bretticus33 Ballot for 2021 Week 12

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Nov. 14, 2021, 3:25 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs Another weekend, another victory in which Georgia shows their the best team in the country.  Only question is still at QB where I'm not 100% convinced by Bennett, but he's surrounded by enough talent that he doesn't have to be incredible.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes The detractors will say they allowed 31 points, but they still won by 28 points because their offense is playing better than most in the country.  To me, they're the clear 2nd best team in the country.  I know Oregon has the head to head, but I don't put as much stock into early H2H games in Week 2 and really since then Ohio State has kept improving while UO has hit a bit of a wall.
3 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama was favored by 52.5 and still covered.  They look like they're hitting their stride and have an opportunity for a big win against Arkansas.
4 Cincinnati Bearcats For the 3rd or 4th straight week, Cincy really failed to take advantage and kill their opponent.  They drop a spot again because Alabama did what the Bearcats couldn't do.
5 Oregon Ducks Oregon won again and looked better than the final score suggested.  Thibs is maybe the best defender in CFB and Anthony Brown played his best game in a long time.  I have Oregon just outside a playoff spot largely because that loss to Stanford is looking worse and worse by the week, but a win over Utah might get them over the hump.
6 Michigan State Spartans Michigan State got back on track and Kenneth Walker boosted his Heisman resume.  Their pass defense is scary bad though and could lead to their downfall against Ohio State.  However a win puts them right back to where they were pre-Purdue.
7 Michigan Wolverines Michigan flipped the script and won at Penn State after it looked like Harbaugh would lose another big road game.  Michigan will depend on grounding and winning physical games, but they're also well built to do it.
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish It helped that UVA was missing their star QB, but Notre Dame didn't blow a 28-3 lead and won another game, their only blemish being a loss to Cincinnati.  They really shouldn't lose another game this season with just GA Tech and Stanford left.
9 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State's ground game exploded against TCU as they had their best win of the season.  They're currently tied with Oklahoma for the Big 12 lead but as of now they're looking like the best team in the conference.
10 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss won a big home game against A&M and their defense played their best game of the season although Devon Achane would say otherwise.  Ole Miss is my highest ranked 2-loss team
11 Baylor Bears Baylor rebounded extremely well and had their biggest win in years.  Gerry Bohanon didn't have a huge passing day but was effective via pass and run, and he'll be a Heisman contender next season.  They moved up 7 spots but they're behind Ole Miss because that loss to TCU is too bad to ignore.
12 Oklahoma Sooners The Sooners' bubble finally popped.  They'd been suffering from a weaker schedule and struggling with the weaker teams, but they blew it when they finally had their big chance.  The QB carousel is still going on and their offense is nowhere near as explosive and good as past ones.  They still hold a share of the Big 12 lead, but they've still got tough games against Iowa State and Oklahoma State coming up.
13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Wake Forest won again and have a 2 game lead atop the division.  However, the defense is still a major problem for the Deacons as they allowed another 42 points.  A road test at Clemson could clinch their spot in the ACC Championship game.
14 Texas A&M Aggies A&M had a letdown as Calzada had a stinker and Spiller was largely ineffective.  The Aggies have talent but they're so inconsistent.  They remain the highest 3-loss team because they still have the best singular win on the season over Alabama and their overall resume is still stronger than Wisconsin's.
15 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin had a strong win over Northwestern as they've hit their stride.  I wouldn't count out the Badgers in the Big 10.  Only reason they moved down a spot was because of Baylor leapfrogging a few teams.
16 UTSA Roadrunners UTSA is having a dream season as they remain one of 3 undefeated teams left in the country.  I love Sincere McCormick's talent and this team is legitimately fun to watch.  They only move down a spot because of Baylor's win.
17 Houston Cougars Houston still remains atop the AAC over Cincy thanks to having one more win in conference, and Houston is one of the best G5 teams.  They move over Louisiana for me.
18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Louisiana remains a 1-loss team but the loss to Texas is now starting to look kinda bad.  They're still a good team but Houston leaps over them.
19 Iowa Hawkeyes Oh how the Hawkeyes have fallen from being #2 in the nation and are hanging by a thread in a lot of their games.  There might still be another loss left in Iowa.
20 BYU Cougars BYU had a bye but gets to play Georgia Southern this weekend.  BYU is also in a position with the CFP to possibly make a NY6 bowl.
21 Pittsburgh Panthers Pitt scraped by a tough-to-beat UNC team and still hold a 1 game lead in the division.  I love Kenny Pickett but the team is inconsistent from week to week and within games themselves.  
22 San Diego State Aztecs SDSU is a good team, but I don't know how they're winning some of these games.  The Aztecs just know how to win close ones and they're the favorite to win the MWC.
23 Arkansas Razorbacks Arkansas improved to 7-3 but really struggled against LSU, who is proving to be tough to beat.  What Pittman has done with the program is amazing but a trip to Tuscaloosa awaits.
24 Utah Utes Utah is leading their division but a week after obliterating Stanford, the Utes struggled to beat Arizona.  A huge test awaits them when Oregon visits but it's a chance to make a statement.
25 Kentucky Wildcats It was Kentucky's turn for the scrimmage against Vanderbilt and they won.  They're 7-3 and while they're already eliminated from SEC championship contention, Mark Stoops is showing why he's one of the better coaches in the country.

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