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Due_Connection179 Ballot for 2022 Week 7

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 10, 2022, 12:24 p.m.

Overall Rationale: See weeks 2 & 5 for my full overall rationale, don't feel like posting two paragraphs in here. This is my 2nd time submitting this because the 1st session timed out. Very bummed and probably won't put in full what I just wrote out...only took 3 hours...

Rank Team Reason
1 Alabama Crimson Tide Last week #1 won vs Texas A&M 24-20. Won with a back up QB who was trying to give A&M the game with 3 turnovers. Next week: at #7 Tennessee
2 Georgia Bulldogs Last week #2 won vs Auburn 42-10. Expected a big win after the showing at Missouri last week. Expecting another this week. Next week: vs Vanderbilt
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Last week #3 won at Michigan State 49-20. Beating Michigan State this season isn't special. Pretty crazy that the AP voters jumped Alabama after this game. Next week: Bye Week
4 Clemson Tigers Last week #4 won at Boston College 31-3. Won by what they should've won by. Clemson's defense stays elite and I really need to see Clemson's offense play good for more than 2 quarters at a time. Next week: at Florida State
5 Oklahoma State Cowboys Last week #5 won vs Texas Tech 41-31. Started out slow losing 24-20 at half, but turned it on in the 2nd for a 10-pt win. They really need to avoid that slow start next week. Next week: at #10 TCU
6 USC Trojans Last week #6 won vs Washington State 30-14. First solid win of their PAC-12 conference schedule where it wasn't a nail-bitter at the end. We will see if it carries over to next week. Next week: at #17 Utah
7 Tennessee Volunteers Last week #9 won at LSU 40-13. I didn't have LSU ranked last week and that's because I don't think they are that good. Tennessee dominated LSU from start-to-finish to set up their biggest game since the Peyton Manning-era. Next week: vs #1 Alabama
8 Penn State Nittany Lions Last week #8 had a Bye Week. Next week: at #9 Michigan
9 Michigan Wolverines Last week #7 won at Indiana 31-10. At halftime this game was 10-10, so Michigan's first 6 quarters of B1G play have looked very shaky. They can't afford a slow start next week. Next week: vs #8 Penn State (Michigan is my lock to lose this week)
10 TCU Horned Frogs Last week #17 won at #16 Kansas 38-31. This was the best game of the season to end in regulation. A defensive show in the first half, then both teams started throwing offensive haymakers in the second half with the Horned Frogs coming out on top. Next week: vs #5 Oklahoma State
11 Ole Miss Rebels Last week #10 won at Vanderbilt 52-28. Not a big surprise here, just glad we didn't see a hangover from the Kentucky win. Next week vs Auburn
12 UCLA Bruins Last week #18 won vs #11 Utah 42-32. Probably the most impressive win last week as they were the better team for the entire game. Next week is a much deserved Bye Week.
13 NC State Wolfpack Last week #13 won vs Florida State 19-17. Another close win on the schedule, but this one looks fine with Florida State being decent this season. They do need to find more consistancy on offense if they want to shoot at a big bowl. Next week at Syracuse (NC State is my lock of the week to win)
14 Oregon Ducks Last week #14 won at Arizona 49-22. Another week, and another week I can't believe they are back in my top 15 after their week 1 loss. Probably has the best chance to win-out in the PAC-12, so we might see the Ducks top 10 by the end of this season. Next week Bye Week
15 Kansas Jayhawks Last week #16 lost vs #17 TCU 31-38. Kansas is my top ranked team to lose last week and I really wanted to make them my best 1-loss team over NC State & Oregon, and they will have a chance to jump Oregon next week with them being on a bye. Next week at Oklahoma
16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Last week #15 won vs Army 45-10. Normally teams that win in my rankings don't get jumped, but both TCU & Kansas looked great in their game so I rewarded them both. Wake Forest is still a very good team with minor defensive issues, but that will hopefully be fixed during the season. Next week Bye Week
17 Utah Utes Last week #11 lost at #18 UCLA 32-42. Unlike their loss at Florida week 1 Utah just looked like the worse team for this whole game. Should've been a 17-pt loss, but a pick 6 with under 30 seconds left made it "just" a 10-pt loss. Best 2-loss team in the FBS right now, but it's going to be hard to keep them above the 1-loss teams under them if those teams keep winning. Next week vs #6 USC
18 Kentucky Wildcats Last week #12 lost vs South Carolina 14-24. Levis was hurt and their offense looked stagnant because of it. No excuse to lose to a bottom-tier SEC like this at home, and Cincinnati having troubles with USF saved them from falling further. Next week vs #23 Mississippi State
19 Cincinnati Bearcats Last week #20 won vs USF 28-24. Cincinnati played a bad USF team to the wire and won by less than a TD. They have played their way back from a week 1 loss at Arkansas, but with Arkansas falling and Tulane & Kansas State continuing to win, Cincinnati could be falling back more than rising going forward. Next week Bye Week
20 Tulane Green Wave Last week #24 won vs East Carolina 24-9. Tulane has been a quiet, solid team this season with one "speed bump" vs Southern Miss. They have a good win at #21 Kansas State to go along with a good win at Houston. With a definitive win at USF, that will give me the confidence in Tulane to finally jump Cincinnati as the top G5 team in the country. Next week at USF
21 Kansas State Wildcats Last week #25 won at Iowa State 10-9. All I can say is they survived a game they probably shouldn't have. Iowa State is known for upsets during their conference schedule and they almost provided us with one. Kansas State is in for a much needed bye week. Next week Bye Week
22 James Madison Dukes Last week NR won at Arkansas State 42-20. Duuuuukes. They continue to roll through their schedule and stay undefeated. With Cincinnati's loss to Arkansas now looking worse, James Madison is slowly closing the gap on who the current best G5 school is. Next week at Georgia Southern
23 Mississippi State Bulldogs Last week NR won vs Arkansas 40-17. I like Mississippi State a lot this season, but I am hesitant on putting them to high with their loss at LSU earlier this season. Playing at Kentucky with Kentucky coming off of two straight losses is going to be interesting. Next week at #18 Kentucky
24 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Last week NR won vs Louisiana Monroe 28-21. Next up from the Fun Belt are the Chanticleers. I'm sitting here hoping that both James Madison & Coastal Carolina run the table to play each other undefeated on 11/26 for a great Thanksgiving game. Next week vs Old Dominion
25 Illinois Fighting Illini Last week NR won vs Iowa 9-6. The only blimish on their schedule right now is a 23-20 loss at Indiana in a rivalry game. Other than that, they have a +111 point differential in their five wins. I have Minnesota (ranked #26) winning this game, but I'm cheering for the Fighting Illini to continue their great season. Next week vs Minnesota

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