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ScaratheBear Ballot for 2023 Week 3

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 12, 2023, 2:25 a.m.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs (0) Cupcake win. Dawgs invite South Carolina to town for the SEC opener as a big step up in competition. Biggest concern for me is our run blocking. Our O-Line has gotten pushed around in that aspect against 2 cupcakes. Need a big step up against SEC competition.
2 Michigan Wolverines (0) Cupcake win. JJ McCarthy looks phenomenal through 2 games, Blake Corum had a really good game, and the defense is stout. Wolverines are currently playing without HC Jim Harbaugh and are basically memeing their way through the first 3 games of the schedule. Got another cupcake against Bowling Green next week before Big 10 play starts.
3 Texas Longhorns (+9) First serious game on the list. Texas walked into Bryant Denny as "underdogs" and looked nothing of the sort. Quinn Ewers looked excellent, throwing for 350 yards and 3 TDs as the defense made Jalen Milroe and the Tide offense look pedestrian. Steve Sarkisian's gameplan ran circles around Alabama as the Horns comfortably beat the tide 34-24. If the Horns can keep that level of play up throughout the season, watch out. Texas jumps to 3 for an excellent game against the Dark Lord himself.
4 Florida State Seminoles (-1) Cupcake game for the Noles. Jordan Travis wasn't great, but the run game ran for over 300 yards at an 8 ypc clip. They're only dropping because I think beating Alabama in Bryant Denny is more impressive than beating LSU at a neutral site. Another cupcake next week before a huge week 4 game against Clemson. Noles hoping to end Clemson's hopes early this seaosn.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes (0) Cupcake win. People are very low on Ohio State right now, but think it was obvious that they played a conservative game against an overmatched opponent. Kyle McCord played well and established himself as QB1. The defense looks really good and capable of matching up with anyone, and of course all it will take for the offense to get going is some chemistry between the most talented WR corps in the country and the QB position. OL remains a concern, so watch for improvement there as they take on WKU next week.
6 Penn State Nittany Lions (0) Cupcake win. Drew Allar looks really good, the ground game ran for over 300 yards, the defense held Delaware to 140 yards. Schedule turns back up a notch as they travel to Illinois. Don't know if this Penn State team has any really notable weaknesses, but I'm keeping them below Ohio State until proven otherwise.
7 USC Trojans (0) Cupcake win? Stanford is technically P5, but looked like the worst team that USC has played thus far. Caleb Williams is, to this point, cruising to a 2nd Heisman win. The defense stepped up and looked much improved, but still don't think it matters given how much offensive firepower the Trojans have at their disposal. The Trojans travel to voodoo land against Arizona State next week before a T25 matchup against Colorado.
8 Washington Huskies (0) Cupcake win. Huskies and USC look like very similar teams to this point. Think USC's offense is a step up, but Washington's defense looks feisty. Michael Penix is excellent, and like the Trojans he has a gluttony of firepower available to him.
9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1) Is there a hotter team in the country than Notre Dame? NCSU kept the game competitive for as long as they could, but Notre Dame grinded the Pack down, forced mistakes, and capitalized. Sam Hartman looked more mortal against P5 competition, but did plenty to win the game for the Irish. The Irish get one more tuneup game against CMU before the first serious test of the season against Ohio State.
10 Kansas State Wildcats (+3) Don't look now, but this KSU team is really, really good. Make no mistake, Troy is a really good G5 team and walked into Manhattan with the countries 2nd longest win streak and K State handled them comfortably (minus some phenomenal catches from Troy WRs). Walker Howard is as good a QB as you could hope for, the defense is stout as can be, and Chris Klieman is a great coach. The Cats travel to Mizzou for some SEC action before starting their Big 12 slate against an upset minded UCF team.
11 Alabama Crimson Tide (-7)
12 Tennessee Volunteers (-3)
13 Ole Miss Rebels (+5)
14 LSU Tigers (0)
15 Utah Utes (-4)
16 Oregon Ducks (-1)
17 Duke Blue Devils (-1)
18 North Carolina Tar Heels (-1)
19 Oklahoma Sooners (+3)
20 Miami Hurricanes (New)
21 Oregon State Beavers (+3)
22 Clemson Tigers (-1)
23 Colorado Buffaloes (New)
24 Iowa Hawkeyes (New)
25 Washington State Cougars (New)

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