Ballot Type: Human
Submitted: Oct. 2, 2022, 8:24 a.m.
Overall Rationale: Out: OU, A&M, Arkansas, Baylor, FSU; In, but I don't like it: Syracuse (I still think they're completely fraudulent and not one of the 25 best teams, but 5-0 is 5-0); Borderline ranked (no particular order): FSU, Duke, Maryland, Illinois, Purdue, James Madison, Washington State, LSU, Arkansas, Baylor
Rank | Team | Reason |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Despite nearly blowing a 28 point lead by the middle of the 3rd quarter, Alabama turned it around and finished with a solid win over a decent Arkansas squad. Bryce Young being hurt is concerning, as are their continued struggles on the road (not sure how much of the comeback to pin on Young being out and the offense needing time to figure things out vs. it being a hostile road environment; probably a bit of both) |
2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | I don't have them as #1 because I don't fully trust their defense yet, and the offense was very sloppy vs Rutgers. Still, one of 2 teams to win all their games by 8+ points (even though the opposition has always gone on to play horribly). |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | Laying an egg against Kent State and then proceeding to get completely outplayed for 2.5-3 quarters by a pretty bad Missouri team is not the mark of the (current) best team in the country. They've either drank the rat poison or just are not as good as we thought they were week 1. |
4 | Clemson Tigers | They stay at #4 because of their great NC State win and continued QB improvements, defense looked great too. |
5 | Michigan Wolverines | They were fine vs Iowa. Not the beatdown of the B1G championship, but still a solid 2 score win. JJ not struggling early was impressive against a very good defense on the road. |
6 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | They are in the inside track for the Big 12 championship, as well as (maybe) a playoff spot. However, the conference is extremely deep, so I wouldn't be surprised if they drop a game or 2 somewhere. I doubt they are that much better than the field. |
7 | USC Trojans | |
8 | Tennessee Volunteers | |
9 | Penn State Nittany Lions | Ugly win in ugly weather, but teams above them lost. |
10 | Ole Miss Rebels | |
11 | Oregon Ducks | |
12 | Utah Utes | |
13 | NC State Wolfpack | Not a horrible loss to Clemson, they were reasonably competitive. Still have an outside shot at a NY6. |
14 | UCLA Bruins | Good win vs Washington, their close wins earlier in the season are still very concerning. |
15 | Kentucky Wildcats | |
16 | Kansas Jayhawks | |
17 | TCU Horned Frogs | Impressive win vs Oklahoma (even if they're not very good and the win seems like less of an upset), but 5-0>4-0 so Kansas stays a spot ahead |
18 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | |
19 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | |
20 | Kansas State Wildcats | Oklahoma win looks less good, but they convincingly beat an ok Texas Tech team |
21 | BYU Cougars | |
22 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | I still think Minnesota is a good team, especially with Ibrahim. Purdue is also good (their 2 losses were both very close to wins). |
23 | Washington Huskies | |
24 | Cincinnati Bearcats | |
25 | Syracuse Orange | They have a put up or shut up game next week vs NC State. They win, I'll admit they're not frauds. |
Teams Ranked:
Rank | Team | Unusualness |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0.00 |
2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0.00 |
3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0.00 |
4 | Clemson Tigers | 0.00 |
5 | Michigan Wolverines | 0.00 |
6 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0.00 |
7 | USC Trojans | 0.00 |
8 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0.00 |
9 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 0.00 |
10 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0.00 |
11 | Oregon Ducks | 0.10 |
12 | Utah Utes | 0.00 |
13 | NC State Wolfpack | 0.36 |
14 | UCLA Bruins | 0.00 |
15 | Kentucky Wildcats | 0.00 |
16 | Kansas Jayhawks | 0.00 |
17 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0.00 |
18 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 0.00 |
19 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 0.09 |
20 | Kansas State Wildcats | 0.00 |
21 | BYU Cougars | 0.00 |
22 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | 0.98 |
23 | Washington Huskies | 0.00 |
24 | Cincinnati Bearcats | 0.00 |
25 | Syracuse Orange | -0.46 |