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nw____ Ballot for 2022 Week 3

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 13, 2022, 8:59 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs Is Georgia the only elite team in CFB? I think it is too early to say for sure but, right now, there is no one I'd take over them on a neutral field.
2 Ohio State Buckeyes This ranking is still more about what I think they *can* be than what they are. Their best win looks a lot worse now, probably (I know, I know, it's only week 2). Still, the defense looks much, much better and the offense will be just fine.
3 Alabama Crimson Tide Bama won but both their offensive and defensive lines looked... bad. Texas' offensive line is not very good but made Bama's defensive line look very meh at times. The defensive backs looked bad at times, though Texas does have fantastic receivers. Bama's receivers... may be a problem. I think they would've lost if Ewers hadn't gotten hurt. Their win over Utah State looks worse now, too. Do they deserve to be #3? Not sure, but I am willing to let the schedule play itself out without giving Bama the benefit of the doubt for a very sloppy performance.
4 Michigan Wolverines We may not really know anything about this team for a few months, but who are you gonna put in front of them until then if they continue winning in such dominant fashion? To their credit, they haven't played down to their competition to this point.
5 Arkansas Razorbacks Are they the #5 team in the country? I don't know. Are they one of the top-5 best coached teams in the country? Maybe! With the parity and chaos we've seen so far, I'll bet on Sam Pittman for now and let the schedule play itself out.
6 Oklahoma State Cowboys Redeemed themselves with a strong defensive performance against ASU (after giving up like a hundred points to CMU in garbage time). That defensive line is elite. I'm still not convinced Spencer Sanders is-- or even anything close.
7 Oklahoma Sooners Meh performance overall, which is what you get after an awful half followed by an above average half. Offense has to figure some things out, especially up front, where they've been pretty bad. Defensive line still doesn't look good enough to get the team where they want to go but they should continue to improve (and are already miles ahead of where they were).
8 Michigan State Spartans Another ranking that may wind up being too high but they deserve credit for what they've done so far, even if it has been against meh competition. Thorne has flashes of brilliance and flashes of... something else.
9 Kentucky Wildcats Great win over Florida. Don't think they are quite talented enough to stay this high but they are incredibly sound and very, very well coached.
10 BYU Cougars BYU does BYU things and wins a slug fest. I'd never want to play them in Provo. Team still isn't even at full strength, either!
11 Baylor Bears Tough loss but a pretty good one. That game was a coinflip they wound up on the wrong side of. Still wouldn't want to play them-- they punch hard.
12 Penn State Nittany Lions I've been higher on PSU than most. Some may be coming around. I like to be proven right, so we'll see.
13 Tennessee Volunteers Solid win over Pitt. Defense looked better! Impressed by how they managed anything against Pitt's defensive line.
14 Mississippi State Bulldogs Leach year, folks. They'll beat one team they have no business beating and lose to two they should smoke.
15 Clemson Tigers Another ugly win, but a win nonetheless. Held back by their QB and offensive line. Defense still looks good. Will that continue against better competition?
16 Utah Utes Tough to rank them in front of Florida but Florida has an extra loss now. This is a tough team.
17 Oregon State Beavers This is... also a tough team? Looking forward to seeing how far they go.
18 USC Trojans I want to see the defense against better competition before I move them up too much more, but the offense has looked very good overall (despite being shutout in the 2nd half by Stanford).
19 Ole Miss Rebels This was supposed to be a down year. We'll know more about whether it is once they start playing conference games.
20 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Hartman’s back. Looking as good as ever, too!
21 Cincinnati Bearcats I'm telling you, watch out for them. I am high on Arkansas, which explains their rating.
22 Kansas State Wildcats I think their win was more about how bad Mizzou might be this year. Martinez looked... bad. They'll go as far as he can take them and have a fantastic defensive line to support them along the way.
23 Florida Gators Tough loss but this team can still make a lot of noise. Anthony Richardson may... not be elite?
24 NC State Wolfpack I'll believe it when I see it. Almost left them off again.
25 Marshall Thundering Herd Are they the 25th best team? No. I'm willing to let this ranking shake itself out-- they deserve credit for what they just did!

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