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CharlemagneOfTheUSA Ballot for 2023 Week 2

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 5, 2023, 1:09 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Weeks 0-3 = results + vibe test

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs Movement: (0) - Certainly not a perfect weekend for Georgia fans, but all in all they still performed well, and I have yet to see a reason to move them down!
2 Michigan Wolverines Movement: (0) - No Harbaugh? No problem! Michigan is definitely the team to beat in the B1G this year, at least as of now!
3 Alabama Crimson Tide Movement: (+1) - Alabama didn't stand out too heavily this weekend, but QB concerns at Ohio State help give the Tide a bit of a boost.
4 Florida State Seminoles Movement: (+6) - Was LSU overrated? Probably. Does FSU deserve a healthy bump after a dominant win? Hell yeah. Florida State fans should be overjoyed right now, and until proven otherwise, I have them as the team to watch in the ACC.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes Movement: (-2) - Their defense looks incredible, but they definitely need to work out what's going on at QB before I can reasonably put them above Michigan.
6 Penn State Nittany Lions Movement: (0) - Allar may just be the real deal, and that is absolutely huge for a Penn State offense that has been begging for elite QB play to really make this team scary. Games against Michigan and Ohio State will obviously decide where things really go, but it is easy to be optimistic down in Happy Valley.
7 USC Trojans Movement: (-2) - This movement down is less an indictment of USC and more my opinion on a couple other teams shifting. USC's offense is absolutely lethal, and I do believe they are currently the team to beat in the PAC-12. Once we see this USC defense against their conference we could very easily see them shift up into the very top of this list very quickly.
8 Oregon Ducks Movement: (+1) - I had them at 9 to open the season, and they go on to score the most points in a game by an FBS club since 2015. Was it against a bad FCS team? Absolutely, but an 81-7 win can never be a bad thing. Much like USC (and Washington), it all comes down to how their defense fares in conference play. A potentially big matchup against Texas Tech is slightly negated by the Wyoming upset, but it still could be a good barometer for the rest of the season.
9 Washington Huskies Movement: (+1) - Washington did a great job against a Boise State team that could very easily challenge for the MWC throne once more, and I would not blame you if you had them as your best in the PAC-12. As with the prior two, only time will tell.
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Movement: (+4) - Notre Dame with a legitimately great QB? This team might have an actual argument for playoff contention in pretty short order. Their tough schedule will show us if Hartman can carry this offense to glory, but they've certainly looked excellent so far!
11 North Carolina Tar Heels Movement: (+1) - I came into this season very high on UNC's chances, and they did me good to open the year, with a big win over South Carolina, including a shocking 9 sacks. Is this sustainable? Probably not, but if UNC's defense can be just okay, their highly talented QB play can bring them right up with Florida State at the top of the ACC.
12 Oregon State Beavers Movement: (+1) - Is DJU a legit QB? He certainly looked a lot better to open his tenure in the orange and black, and Damien Martinez is as scary as ever. This is a damn good team folks, expect them to have some big wins this year.
13 Utah Utes Movement: (+2) - Say what you want about Florida's quality, but going out with your third string QB (while missing a star TE) and winning against an SEC team is an impressive way to open the year. Insert lil ah meme here.
14 Kansas State Wildcats Movement: (+3) - My current pick for team to beat in the Big 12, they did exactly what was required of them in Week 1, and they benefit greatly from TCU's downfall. Keep an eye on this team, folks.
15 Tennessee Volunteers Movement: (+3) - An impressive domination of UVA shows this team can definitely still boatrace an opponent.
16 LSU Tigers Movement: (-9) - I do think that LSU has quite a bit of potential, but Week 1 exposed that they aren't quite there just yet. This is still a good team though, and it would not shock me to see them back up in the top 10 at some point this year. Equally as unsurprising though would be the team dropping to a fringe top 25 team. It's really down to how Kelly coaches this team back from this loss.
17 Oklahoma Sooners Movement: (+2) - Much like Oregon, their win isn't as impressive as the score would make it seem, but 73-0 is still 73-0. An excellent sign for Oklahoma fans after a rough 2022.
18 Tulane Green Wave Movement: (+3) - Not too much to say here, Tulane may be over-ranked based on last season, but they have yet to do anything to make me drop them!
19 Cincinnati Bearcats Movement: (+1) - I was apparently one of only 6 people to rank Cincy during the pre-season, but they did their job in Week 1. A much tougher matchup against Pitt will show whether they belong here or not.
20 Texas Longhorns Movement: (+5) - Is this team a top 10 team, like they will be in the AP? I highly doubt it. However, they do very much have a great opportunity against Alabama to prove me wrong. And I love to see an Alabama loss, so please prove me wrong!
21 Ole Miss Rebels Movement: (NR) - The first new team on my poll, Ole Miss just missed before, and won 73-7, so that combined with losses by teams like South Carolina and Texas Tech help move them on in!
22 Wisconsin Badgers Movement: (NR) - A deceptively tough matchup with Washington State is coming up very shortly, and could very quickly determine the direction this season will take for the Badgers.
23 Duke Blue Devils Movement: (NR) - Never thought I'd cheer for Duke, but Elko is really doing something special down there.
24 Fresno State Bulldogs Movement: (NR) - Go Bulldogs! A nice win over Purdue shows that Fresno State is never an easy win, a pattern that has held for several years now. A pretty easy schedule awaits them up until a potentially intriguing matchup with Wyoming on October 7th.
25 Clemson Tigers Movement: (-17) - The biggest drop of the poll (along with TCU, I guess), goes to Clemson, whose offense looked absolutely pitiful against Duke. Two separate drives made it to the one yard line only to score a grand total of 0 points. Their defense could still win them games, but if they don't figure out their offense quickly they'll soon be off this list entirely.

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