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ikindalikelemons Ballot for 2023 Preseason

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Aug. 20, 2023, 2:48 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Who's back? Who's new? Which teams with potential have the coaching to live up to expectations? Nobody has all the answers, but we'll start here.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs If a program is coming off back-to-back titles, it's malpractice to drop them from #1. Yes, there's a new QB. However, Carson Beck's time has been three years in the making. It's his time. They won't be tested for awhile (same with Michigan), so if they drop without losing, it's only because other teams have compiled big wins in the meantime.
2 Michigan Wolverines This may be the best team top-to-bottom Harbaugh's had so far, and with his recruiting record the past couple years, it'll be his best shot for awhile too. They won't be tested for awhile (same with Georgia), so if they drop without losing, it's only because other teams have compiled big wins in the meantime.
3 LSU Tigers Maybe I'm too high on their returners, but the season lies ahead. Big game against FSU.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes Their core roster is probably the best in the country, but none of the potential QBs have much real tangible experience. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this team figures it out quickly and races to The Game at 11-0 if they get past PSU.
5 Alabama Crimson Tide Very similar to Ohio State and Georgia, but they have the worst QB situation of the three. If Tyler Buchner starts a game for Alabama, that would be an astounding indictment on the QB room. Julian Sayin can't get here fast enough.
6 Washington Huskies There's a large part of me that wants to rank them at 4/5, but I'll hold off for now. I'm very high on Penix and the Huskies return nearly all of their roster from 2022 that got better and better as the year progressed. Gonna call my shot right now in this little textbox and say Michael Penix Jr. wins the 2023 Heisman Memorial Trophy. (To be fully transparent, I also said Brandon Wimbush would be a Heisman contender in 2018 so don't listen to me)
7 Florida State Seminoles I'm not the only one high on the Noles, but this is where we start to get into what I consider to be the 'shaky' contenders. I believe in what Mike Norvell is cooking in Tallahassee, and a win over LSU would immediately vault them into my top 3 and ~ probably ~ remove some of the doubts I have.
8 Penn State Nittany Lions Always the bridesmaid. There's a real chance here, though. James Franklin has compiled a sneaky great roster, but whether or not they can beat one or both of the B1G East heavyweights listed above will come down to whether Drew Allar is the savior he's been billed as. I really kinda hope he is.
9 Tennessee Volunteers I think Joe Milton is a greatly improved passer. But he is a gunslinger, and gunslingers are dangerous. If this offense can keep it up from last year, though, they could have a good run in them. Bonus: they get Georgia at home.
10 Oregon Ducks No, Bo Nix will not win the Heisman, but he likely will win some football games for the Ducks. Utah has two straight Pac-12 titles and USC has Caleb Williams, but I really truly think the Pac-12 comes down to Oregon and Washington before they jump ship to the B1G.
11 Clemson Tigers Clemson reminds me an awful lot of Penn State. Roster capable of competing with a relatively inexperienced QB that will be trying to get the team on to the national stage.
12 Kansas State Wildcats The reigning Big 12 champs return a lot of firepower. I'm sure they'd love nothing more than going B2B and waving to Texas and Oklahoma as they leave for the SEC on a sour note.
13 Utah Utes Cam Rising is one tough sumbitch. He really deserves a fully healthy season and the chance to get a third straight Pac-12 title before he goes. Big chance to down Florida and get off on a good foot this season.
14 Tulane Green Wave They lost pieces, namely on offense, but they deserve enough respect to still be this high after beating USC in an INSANE Cotton Bowl last season.
15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame, to me, is largely nondescript but solid. After some bruises last season, ND closed strong and beat a good SCAR team in their bowl. They enter this season a bit under the radar but ready to do some damage. Gimme 9 wins from the Irish idk.
16 TCU Horned Frogs TCU may have been murdered on national TV in January, and as a UGA alum I enjoyed it. And while losing by 58 in the natty is a sour taste, what last year's run did do was put TCU on the map as a destination for recruits and especially transfer players. I feel like half of Bama's transfers this offseason ended up in Fort Worth. Sonny Dykes' roster this year may not be NY6 worthy, but rest assured TCU will be good for a long time.
17 USC Trojans This is sure to be low compared to where other people have the Trojans, and I get it. Caleb Williams is a Heisman winner, slam dunk #1 pick, and thrower of footballs for this team. That alone is worth a lot. Lincoln Riley's offense will be high-flying. Kliff Kingsbury coming in only helps that. My issue is on the other side of the ball. Yes, they brought in some very high profile transfers, UGA's own Bear Alexander chief among them. But good players can only hide so much, and Alex Grinch's defensive philosophy just has never lived up to his billing. Until proven otherwise, I am massively skeptical of the USC defense.
18 Oregon State Beavers I don't even know if DJ Uiagalelei will be the starting QB for the Beavs, but I do know that this team is ready to play spoiler and maybe even more in the last year of Pac-12 football. This team finished strong last year and returns a lot of talent. And you can bet that as they're being left behind in realignment talks, they'll have even more reason to play their asses off.
19 Texas Tech Red Raiders I love Joey Maguire and I love what he's building in Lubbock. The schedule for Tech is a daunting one, especially that Oregon date looming large in non-con play. Let's see what they can do.
20 Arkansas Razorbacks Arkansas might end up being a middle-of-the-road also-ran in the SEC West with Bama and LSU (and as some people will say, A&M). But Arkansas has my respect because I believe KJ Jefferson is one of the best returning QBs in the nation. With a players' coach at the helm and an influx of new talent to boot, Arkansas could be really fun this season.
21 Troy Trojans I ranked Troy high at the end of last season, and I'll continue to leave them here. Two of their first three games are against Kansas State and James Madison. That's a big opportunity there for the taking.
22 South Carolina Gamecocks Beamer Ball, baby. This is, in my opinion, a massively underrated roster. Spencer Rattler can carry this roster, but will he? The schedule doesn't do that many favors. They open in Charlotte with Drake Maye and UNC and play on the road in Athens, Knoxville, and College Station. I'd almost call that a war crime. But if they can go 2-2 or better against those 4, they should have a pretty good chance for a 9-win season.
23 North Carolina Tar Heels If you've read anything I've written so far: 1. Thank you 2. Why 3. You know that a great QB can sway me. Well, Drake Maye is a great QB. Nothing much else to say yet. Game 1 in Charlotte against SCAR will be fun.
24 UTSA Roadrunners What Jeff Traylor has done in San Antonio is nothing short of stupendous. UTSA has every chance to be a perennial bowl team and compete, starting next year, for a legit shot in a 12-team playoff. That's nuts to me. Two big non-con games in the first month at Houston and Tennessee. September will really show us if UTSA is here this year. I want to look all the way to the last week against Tulane, but let's not get ahead of ourselves yet.
25 South Dakota State Jackrabbits I'm a big proponent of FCS teams getting their due in this poll. I think I've ranked as many as 3 before. Might as well take the Jacks over a sea of mid-tier teams I don't trust (Yes, even Texas and Oklahoma).

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