Ballot Type: Hybrid
Submitted: Aug. 20, 2022, 1:42 p.m.
Overall Rationale: Without hard data, this comes after a conglomeration of various polls mixed with my own preseason perceptions of these teams.
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Ohio State Buckeyes | I love this offense and think Jim Knowles will maximize the defensive talent. My early favorite for national champions. |
2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | It's Bama. Enough said. |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | Although they lost a lot, Kirby has what it takes to keep Georgia at the top. |
4 | Clemson Tigers | Expect last year to be more of a blip. The main thing to watch here is how the new staff steps up. |
5 | Texas A&M Aggies | Loads of talent. I think getting past 8-4 is on the horizon this season. |
6 | Oklahoma Sooners | A lot of talent here, too. I'm very high on what Venables can do with this roster. |
7 | Michigan Wolverines | The offense should be really good. Defense may struggle somewhat, but I doubt it'll be enough to keep Michigan out of the top-15 at any point this season. |
8 | Utah Utes | Good returning production and expectations are high. |
9 | Baylor Bears | I think Baylor repeats as B12 champs. |
10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Good roster, but is Marcus Freeman to green? Possibly. |
11 | Oregon Ducks | I liked the HC hire, and perhaps Lanning can get more out of his guys than Cristobal, who I think somewhat underachieved. |
12 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | I like Gundy-ball and think he's got a roster capable of high-level competition this season. |
13 | Michigan State Spartans | Time to see if Mel Tucker's last season was an aberration. I'm leaning towards MSU being competitive throughout his tenure. |
14 | NC State Wolfpack | Devin Leary is a really good QB that can carry this team far. |
15 | Ole Miss Rebels | Big fan of Lane's offense, but the question is how much the offense misses Corral. |
16 | Arkansas Razorbacks | I like the way this team plays. |
17 | Wisconsin Badgers | If Graham Mertz upgrades to serviceable game manager, Wisconsin will be back in Indy. |
18 | Pittsburgh Panthers | Pitt over Miami because Pitt has much more continuity just by virtue of Narduzzi still being there. |
19 | Miami Hurricanes | I think Cristobal is overrated. |
20 | Cincinnati Bearcats | They lost a lot, but Fick had proven to be a very good coach. |
21 | Kentucky Wildcats | Football school. I expect 8-9 wins and fringe top-25 all season long. |
22 | Iowa Hawkeyes | Never count out the Hawkeyes and this defense. Defense will keep Iowa in contention all season. |
23 | USC Trojans | Lincoln Riley can maximize offensive talent here, especially with his slew of OU transfers. It remains to be seen how quickly this team can gel after years of mostly underwhelming performances under Helton. |
24 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Too much talent to not be top-25, but too many questions because of the last two seasons to crack the top-20. |
25 | Houston Cougars | Fringe top-25 program. |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0.43 |
2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.00 |
4 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
5 | Texas A&M Aggies | 0.25 |
6 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0.27 |
7 | Michigan Wolverines | 0.00 |
8 | Utah Utes | 0.00 |
9 | Baylor Bears | 0.00 |
10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -0.06 |
11 | Oregon Ducks | 0.08 |
12 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0.00 |
13 | Michigan State Spartans | 0.00 |
14 | NC State Wolfpack | 0.00 |
15 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0.64 |
16 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 0.00 |
17 | Wisconsin Badgers | 0.00 |
18 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 0.00 |
19 | Miami Hurricanes | 0.00 |
20 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 0.00 |
21 | Kentucky Wildcats | 0.00 |
22 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0.00 |
23 | USC Trojans | 0.00 |
24 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 0.00 |
25 | Houston Cougars | 0.00 |