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jalexjsmithj Ballot for 2023 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Overall Rationale: My only pure “eye test” (even though we haven’t seen anything) poll of the year! I think some of my takes may be seen as hot due to different perceptions of conferences.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs N/a
2 Texas Longhorns I think the crux of my argument here, is that Texas is getting under ranked because of disrespect to the Big 12 Conference. Compare Texas’s odds to win their conference compared to any other P5 that’s not UGA. Some may argue that the Big 12’s strength is a reason to not vote Texas highly, but the conference odds specifically take into account the strength of the competition and they tell a story that UT should be dominant. Some may argue that the Big 12 isn’t any good and that’s why Texas shouldn’t be ranked highly and I’d point to a laundry list of evidence that the Big 12 might have been the second best conference in college football.
3 Michigan Wolverines Returning QB, great schedule, great infrastructure with the lines on both sides of the ball.
4 LSU Tigers QB experience, skill position talent, and a couple of already known all world guys pushes LSU past Bama.
5 USC Trojans Hopefully another year of development and additional strong recruits beefs up the lines and defense while Caleb is still on the roster.
6 Alabama Crimson Tide This ranking is essentially just a nod to how strong the 2021 class was for Bama. But this was a team last year where it felt like the offense was dragged by a 2 man tandem, and they’re both gone.
7 Clemson Tigers This isn’t a regular QB departure, this is a back up who essentially took a job from an incumbent starter. Still a top 5 recruiting class in 2021, impressive since they only took 19 commits.
8 Ohio State Buckeyes Facing more in-conference competition than ever
9 Florida State Seminoles Hype train! And well earned, returning QB, Keon Coleman’s addition, and now having shown a tendency to win against other high performing teams.
10 Kansas State Wildcats Extremely strong QB and OL. I think the impressiveness has been slightly overlooked. The Oklahoma State blow out was memorable, but they did the exact same thing to Baylor. Beating TCU was a huge accomplishment. Played better than indicated vs Bama before losing control.
11 Utah Utes The early tests without Rising may be problematic but the program reliability has been earned here.
12 Oregon Ducks Strong legacy QB, recruiting strength in the trenches may be a bit underrated.
13 Penn State Nittany Lions I think I’ll be one of the low people here, but I think I’ve been pretty consistent dinging non returning QBs (with the possible exception of Clemson). I’ll be interested to see if they truly dominate WV, who at the very least, is strong in the trenches.
14 Washington Huskies Returning QB and several good portal additions, but an up year for the conference generates a ton of competition.
15 TCU Horned Frogs I think the QB play may actually improve and I think the WR corps can maintain the same level. The defense is talented, the big question mark is around the OL.
16 Oregon State Beavers A ton of stability to build on promising year with a potential improvement at QB.
17 Tennessee Volunteers I’ve got a lot of faith in the schematics, but I think there’s a lot more uncertainty than what’s being let on.
18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish I may be showing a bit too much respect here.
19 UCLA Bruins Big believer in the schematics and system, and I think the reliability/floor UCLA has created for themselves will long term do wonders for them.
20 Boise State Broncos QB and style changes last year completely change the season for Boise.
21 NC State Wolfpack Plagued by QB injuries last year, and have signed an immediate impact QB who has been elite before. Extremely high floor, and a bit of post hype sleeper effect with the high preseason ranking last year.
22 Baylor Bears Returning and talented QB, established extremely talented skill position weapon in Baldwin, strong OL, and talented young RB. Solid recruiting foundation and a defense that I trust more due to Aranda.
23 Wisconsin Badgers Strong OL, RB, D, and a transfer high performing QB makes them a true wills card with upside. Coaching change made an immediate attitude impact evident in last year’s bowl game.
24 Texas Tech Red Raiders Great vibes, vet QB, a defense that might be even better.
25 Oklahoma Sooners DG is a strong QB, and the schematics man’s offense look easy. An assumed improvement in defense is important for finishing in the top 1/2 of the conference.

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