Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Sept. 7, 2022, 4:29 a.m.
Overall Rationale: Week 2 Update - I have a policy not to overreact too much to week 1 as it's difficult and hard to prepare for a huge week 1 crowd, teams are more likely to make mistakes in communication and sloppy decisions due to rust, and it's often very humid where players - regardless of conditioning levels or depth - have a hard time adjusting to the temperature. So ultimately I try to stick to my preseason projections as a main baseline, even though I will make adjustments between injuries and things appearing meaningfully different on teams compared to my preseason preconceptions. The main change from the preseason is Sam Hartman being medically approved to play as Wake is a top 25 team with Hartman at QB. Week 2 HM (next 10 in no order): Kentucky; Cincinnati; Houston; Ole Miss; West Virginia; South Carolina; UCLA; SMU; Oregon State; Syracuse Methodology: 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. 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 along with watching replays & condensed replays), 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. Of course I'll preface all this by saying 2022 after the top 3 feels like a crapshoot so the order of the top 25 matters less in the preseason this year than maybe any other year I've done this.
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.00 |
3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0.00 |
4 | Michigan Wolverines | 0.00 |
5 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 1.13 |
6 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 2.81 |
7 | NC State Wolfpack | 2.03 |
8 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
9 | Tennessee Volunteers | 2.50 |
10 | Texas A&M Aggies | 0.00 |
11 | BYU Cougars | 1.26 |
12 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0.00 |
13 | Utah Utes | 0.34 |
14 | Baylor Bears | -0.22 |
15 | Oklahoma Sooners | -1.13 |
16 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 4.64 |
17 | Florida Gators | 0.00 |
18 | Kansas State Wildcats | 6.80 |
19 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 0.05 |
20 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | -0.58 |
21 | Miami Hurricanes | 0.00 |
22 | Pittsburgh Panthers | -0.27 |
23 | Michigan State Spartans | -1.12 |
24 | Wisconsin Badgers | -0.63 |
25 | USC Trojans | -0.83 |