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bretticus33 Ballot for 2022 Week 8

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 16, 2022, 2:20 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs The gap is closing, but I still have Georgia at #1. I think they have the most overall talent in the country and their win over Oregon is looking better and better by the week.
2 Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee FINALLY beat Bama and this is the best Volunteer team since the Peyton days. Their defense is a concern, but their offense is arguably the best in the country (alongside Ohio State). Hendon Hooker is the new Heisman favorite. The reason Tennessee is #2 is because they’ve now won 3 straight against ranked opponents (although them beating Florida and LSU knocked them out of the rankings).
3 Michigan Wolverines Michigan finally played a good team for the first time this season and they delivered with a big blowout win over Penn State in the Big House. The defense looked the part and the ground game absolutely ran over the Nittany Lions. Michigan solidified themselves as a CFP contender.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State didn’t play but still dropped 2 spots so why are they my #4 when others have them at #1 or 2? Well they have yet to get a signature win. Notre Dame clearly isn’t that good and Ohio State struggled against them. Meanwhile UGA beat UO, Tennessee beat Bama, and Michigan beat PSU. At this point of the season, resume starts playing an increasingly larger role and Ohio State’s is lacking.
5 Clemson Tigers DJU didn’t have a huge day but he was effective and Clemson got by a Florida State team that’s much better than recent years, but still rebuilding. There’s reason to be concerned with the Clemson defense that has been easier to beat and gave up nearly 500 yards to Florida State.
6 TCU Horned Frogs Nobody saw TCU being undefeated, top 10, leading the Big 12, and in play for the CFP but here we are. While Max Duggan didn’t have the best day, the offensive talent helped carry him a bit more. For my money, Sonny Dykes is the coach of the year and I’m sure it’s killing SMU fans who are stuck with a horse that poops on the field.
7 UCLA Bruins UCLA now stands alone as the favorite in the PAC-12 and the lone undefeated team in not just the conference but in LA. The Bruins were off this weekend in preparation for Oregon.
8 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss is undefeated but it’s hard to get a full read on the Rebels. They’re good enough to beat 90% of FBS but can also lose to just about anybody. The Rebels’ rushing attack won the day since Jaxson Dart had a rough time and their inconsistent defense couldn’t contain Tank.
9 Oregon Ducks Oregon was off this week, but they’ve played themselves back into being a favorite for the PAC-12. A home game against Chip Kelly’s UCLA will be their biggest test since Georgia.
10 Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State won’t be happy with how they lost to TCU. The Cowboys were in control of the game but blew it by trying to kill clock too early and taking their foot off the gas. As a result they let TCU back into the game and ultimately lost. Spencer Sanders didn’t play well and the defense showed a lot of weakness.
11 Alabama Crimson Tide This is definitely nowhere near Saban’s best team. Their offense can put up points, but their defense struggles against actual good offenses. If not for QB injuries to Texas they’d already have another loss on their resume. While Alabama could still win out the rest of the season, it’s hard to see the Alabama that we’ve seen so far beating Georgia. First up, they have to figure out their defense ahead of Mississippi State.
12 Syracuse Orange The Orange are 6-0, even if it’s not the most convincing with their resume and a sloppy win over NC State without Devin Leary. Syracuse should rightfully be excited with how their team has played this season, but they could win over a lot of people if they beat Clemson, or at least play them close, next weekend.
13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Wake Forest was off this weekend but get to move up due to top 10 chaos.
14 Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois is for real, at least in the Big 10 West. Another big win over Minnesota and Illinois is not just bowl eligible but on track to play for a Big 10 championship. The Illini are getting it done with a solid defense and the nation’s leading rusher Chase Brown.
15 Utah Utes A week after a crushing loss to UCLA, Utah rebounded by knocking USC from the ranks of the undefeated. It’s too early to write off the Utes from PAC-12 contention but while their offense has been humming, their defense has given up a lot of yards and points. Utah is through the toughest part of the schedule though.
16 USC Trojans The defense that helped keep USC afloat this season ended up sinking USC against Utah. No turnovers or pressure and a lot of yards and points given up. Caleb Williams’ had a Heisman-esque game that was wasted. USC now has work to do to make the PAC-12 championship and will need some outside help.
17 Penn State Nittany Lions Well that was ugly. Penn State got annihilated by Michigan on the road. The offense mustered just 10 points and their defense was completely incapable of stoping Michigan’s rushing attack. Penn State is still a good team but they’re not among the Big 10 elite.
18 Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State was off this weekend but they’re solidly the top program in the state after Oklahoma, whom they beat, beat Kansas
19 Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati was off this weekend but they’re still the leader to get the G5 spot in the NY6. However Tulane might have something to say about that.
20 Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky looks good with Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez on the field together, especially with Rodriguez getting nearly 200 rushing yards. Their defense shut down Mississippi State’s Leach Air Raid attack as well. However Kentucky is still well behind Georgia and Tennessee but with the chaotic nature of CFB, who knows?
21 Texas Longhorns Texas didn’t look as good as they did against Oklahoma and barely got past a bad Iowa State team. In fact, an Iowa State drop on a clear TD was the biggest reason why they won. Texas is clearly very talented but lack the consistency that makes them one of the nation’s very top teams.
22 Tulane Green Wave Tulane clinched bowl eligibility for the 4th time in 5 years and given the state of the AAC, they could be a contender for the conference and the NY6. They have arguably the best G5 win right now with their road upset over Kansas State. Willie Fritz took himself off the hot seat and then some.
23 North Carolina Tar Heels UNC is quietly 5-1 and they feel like they got forgotten thanks to their early season defensive woes. Their defense is still not good, but they’re definitely improved. Drake Maye could be a future Heisman contender.
24 Purdue Boilermakers There’s a lot of fringe top 25 teams and Purdue gets in thanks to being 5-2 and 3-1 in Big 10 play. Their only losses are to Syracuse and Penn State and by a combined 7 points. Purdue is good enough to beat most teams but the gap between Purdue and the Big 10 elite is still there. However, Spoilermakers so don’t count it out.
25 Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State fell to Kentucky thanks to their air raid attack getting shut down. It’s not the easiest offense to shut down and it’s great when it works, but when it doesn’t the offense is dead in the water. Against Kentucky, it was the latter. Against a vulnerable Alabama defense, we’ll see what version comes out.

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