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nw____ Ballot for 2022 Week 15 & Bowls

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Dec. 4, 2022, 2:42 p.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs Gave up more points against a backup than would be ideal, but scored a lot more than I thought they would, too.
2 Michigan Wolverines A more decisive win over Purdue would've been nice, but can't fault them really. Didn't get spoiled.
3 Ohio State Buckeyes I honestly don't think they deserve to be here because of the way they lost to Michigan. However, there just aren't many (any?) better cases for this spot than tOSU's. I think they should have to play Michigan again to make it to the national championship, though, as they should have to prove they deserve it by bouncing back from what Michigan did to them a few weeks ago.
4 TCU Horned Frogs Tough but close loss. I still think they deserve to be here based on their record and the way they lost.
5 Tulane Green Wave They are here because of their H2H win over K-State. Really good team. Seriously. USC better not take them lightly. They don't have nearly as much talent as the Trojans, but they are playing extremely well right now. While I don't think they should actually be *this* high, I would feel comfortable putting them at #10. But they absolutely deserve credit for beating K-State. As long as they have a better record than K-State, I will have an extremely hard time ranking them after the Wildcats.
6 Kansas State Wildcats Conference championships should matter, imo. I almost wanted to put them in the top 4, especially since tOSU did not make their championship game.
7 Tennessee Volunteers Also thought about putting them into the CFP instead of Ohio State, but the loss to South Carolina really hurt them. If their two losses had been close and to very good teams, I might've given them the edge (or at least more seriously considered) over tOSU. But you don't get to pass tOSU (a one loss team) when one of your own losses is against South Carolina.
8 Alabama Crimson Tide They have a decent case for getting in to the CFP given that their losses were extremely close and to good teams. I think their resume is better (I'd go so far as to say *WAY* better) than Tennessee's, but the H2H loss has to mean something, imo.
9 Utah Utes Conference championships have to mean something. I would have them higher if it weren't for the loss to Florida (which honestly was a game they should've won). Their losses are pretty close losses, though I think the UCLA loss is a bit misleading, as that game was not as close as the final score suggests.
10 Penn State Nittany Lions Great season so far. Firmly 1st place in the 2nd tier of the B1G.
11 USC Trojans They got ran out of Vegas. They should probably count themselves lucky they didn't have to play UGA or Michigan.
12 Washington Huskies Not much to report given they didn't make their conference championship, but this is a really good team. DeBoer has a strong case for COTY, imo.
13 Clemson Tigers With Klubnik they might be a top-5 team. Too bad they didn't start him earlier. Sheesh.
14 Oregon State Beavers Not much to say given they didn't make their conference championship
15 Oregon Ducks Not much to say given they didn't make their conference championship
16 UCLA Bruins Not much to say given they didn't make their conference championship
17 Florida State Seminoles Not much to say given they didn't make their conference championship
18 Troy Trojans Absolutely blasted Coastal. Whew. They might luck out and keep Sumrall for another year, but he is likely to be a very hot commodity in the near future.
19 UTSA Roadrunners Took care of UNT after a thrilling comeback the game before. Worried about a hangover. They didn't have one.
20 Sacramento State Hornets This is a good team and they deserve to be here until proven otherwise. It doesn't seem like many teams want to be in the top-25 this year.
21 South Alabama Jaguars Can't ignore that record this late in the season, especially when one of their losses was a TIGHT one against UCLA.
22 LSU Tigers LSU is a good team and, even though they lost last week (with their backup QB getting considerable playing time, not that there is much that would've changed the outcome), they deserve credit for a great season.
23 South Carolina Gamecocks Not much to say given they didn't make their conference championship.
24 Fresno State Bulldogs Great win over Boise. With Haener, they'll be a tough draw in the bowl game.
25 Illinois Fighting Illini I can't rank Texas again. I just can't. They have the ability to be a top-15 (or better) team, but they don't play like it very often. I also can't rank NC State. They lost to Boston College. How can a team that lost to Boston College be in the top-25? I also can't rank Notre Dame (aka Green Iowa)-- see Marshall and Stanford games. I also can't rank Mississippi State who seems to poop themselves at the very sight of an above average opponent. No one seems to want to be here. Illinois is a really good team that only *just* lost to Michigan. They deserve credit for a great season.

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