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GatorBolt Ballot for 2023 Week 4

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Sept. 17, 2023, 11:16 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Mix of eye-test, resume, and how I feel about their chances the rest of the way.

Rank Team Reason
1 Georgia Bulldogs Bad news: It does feel like they've taken a step back, nothing wrong with that after how unreal the past two years have been. Good news: A lot of the SEC has taken a step back too, and they're still the team to beat until somebody does.
2 Michigan Wolverines Can't really take a lot away from the first 3 games, and not like they were alone sleepwalking yesterday. Still, I think they're the best team in the B1G.
3 Florida State Seminoles This is the week of the sleepwalkers. I'll give them a bit of a reprieve since there's rumblings that yesterday was a flu game, not to mention sucky weather. Does help that the LSU win looked better this week. However, a huge test to see if FSU is back with a trip to Death Valley.
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish I've just been very impressed by Sam Hartman, and last week's game against NC State is a game that past ND games bottle. I really am a believer they pull it off against Ohio State.
5 Washington Huskies Just really impressed with how the eye test has looked for them this season. I get that Michigan State is moribund but the Huskies going on the road and blowing them out is still impressive.
6 Texas Longhorns Well, they almost got caught in the trap. I'll give them some of a pass since the Horns weren't alone in sleepwalking and I think Wyoming is better than people give them credit for. That said, I think their win vs Alabama says more about Alabama than Texas.
7 Ohio State Buckeyes Kind of skeptical about them based off the first two games, but the WKU game really quelled some of my fears. Still, we will find out a lot about them in South Bend.
8 Penn State Nittany Lions They took care of business against Illinois, even if it wasn't pretty. I think they're capable of sneaking up on Michigan and Ohio State.
9 Oregon Ducks Dominant game against Hawai'i. Next week against Prime's Buffs should be fun.
10 USC Trojans Bye week definitely didn't hurt them. And with ASU not looking good next week may be another stress-free weak for Trojans fans.
11 Utah Utes Took care of business against Weber State. Not the flashiest game, but 3-0 heading into Conference play is very good for the Utes.
12 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss is my second highest ranked SEC team. These are the end times. But still, with the conference having a rough Non-Conference schedule, getting a win at Tulane and beating GT isn't bad. With Bama looking very mortal, I have talked myself into the Rebs pulling it off.
13 Oregon State Beavers A solid win against San Diego State, no complaints about that. Now time for their first big test with the PAC-2 Championship game this week.
14 North Carolina Tar Heels Not quite sure what to make of this team, but beating a South Carolina team that gave Georgia some fits and beating Minnesota is enough for me to rank them highly. And I'll just say the App State scare is just App State things.
15 Washington State Cougars I'm bullish on Washington State this year, and perhaps that Colorado State win got more impressive. Still, a big test awaits in the Beavs.
16 Duke Blue Devils Am I in the right College Sports poll? Still, I've been very impressed by the turnaround Elko has pulled off and I'm getting the feeling what caught Clemson week 1 says more about Duke. Now time for a matchup that will definitely be less heralded than on the court in UConn.
17 Oklahoma Sooners Solid win against Tulsa. I do think we will learn more about the Sooners.. well, soon. But for now I'm comfortable ranking them up here.
18 LSU Tigers Just a victim of their record being ranked in this range. But still, a huge performance against Mississippi State and the last two weeks are a great bounceback for Daniels
19 Alabama Crimson Tide Feels weird ranking them this low under Saban. But geesh losing by multiple scores at home and having an ugly game at USF does not inspire confidence. Hard not to doubt them against Ole Miss.
20 Miami Hurricanes I'm still not quite sure on Miami this year, but they've definitely taken some strides in Mario year 2. Just trepid to rank them higher until we find out if their win against TAMU says more about the Aggies or the Canes.
21 UCLA Bruins I guess the defining feature of Chip Kelly's time at UCLA is how quietly solid they can be. The Utah game will be a huge bellwether for the season though.
22 Colorado Buffaloes This is the program that will be #1 in watercooler discussions on Monday, but much lower in actual rankings. Just can't rank them too much higher after that scare from CSU, and without Hunter I think the Oregon game will be daunting. But the fact that Deion has transformed a 1-11 program that was legitimately dead into primetime viewing is nothing but remarkable, and I feel that he has done enough to earn the vindication even if losses will come.
23 Missouri Tigers I wasn't quite sure what to make of Mizzou this year, but they played their hearts out and got a nice win against a former Big 8/12 friend.
24 Kansas State Wildcats I feel that un-ranking them would be undeserved for losing by a 61 yarder on the road.
25 Fresno State Bulldogs Feel like giving them a road since winning two buy games is legitimately impressive, and I do feel a G5 deserves love in this poll. I'm willing to give them a pass for the EWU scare since EWU has tripped up FBS teams before.

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