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70stang Ballot for 2023 Week 6

Ballot Type: Hybrid

Submitted: Oct. 2, 2023, 12:22 a.m.

Overall Rationale: This poll is completely results and resume based. It is not intended to be predictive in any way. This is purely a report card for who has done what so far this season. The algorithm is based firstly on W-L record, secondly by strength of record, and thirdly by home-neutral-away games among wins and losses. The human adjustment parameters are only for teams that are equal in all of these categories, or for situations where head-to-head games are important. These parameters are extremely strictly controlled, and I hope very much not to have to use them.

Rank Team Reason
1 Penn State Nittany Lions There are only two teams in the country who are undefeated with 4 wins over P5 opponents. Penn State is the first of those teams, beating 4 P5 teams and 1 FCS team to be 5-0.
2 Louisville Cardinals Louisville is the second team in the country who is undefeated with 4 wins over P5 opponents, similarly beating 1 FCS team to round out their 5-0 record. They take the lower spot to Penn State based on quality of teams beaten.
3 Texas Longhorns Texas sits atop the 2nd Tier in this poll, which is (roughly) teams with no losses and 3 wins over P5 competition; They are undefeated with 3 wins over P5 opponents, winning two away games and one home game against those foes. They round out their 5-0 schedule with 2 wins against G5 opponents, and no FCS teams played.
4 Washington Huskies Washington comes next in 2nd Tier, with 3 P5 wins, two away and one at home, and 2 G5 wins rounding out their 5-0 record with no FCS opponents played. They take the 2nd spot in this tier to Texas due to human-adjusted quality of opponents.
5 USC Trojans USC is third in the 2nd Tier, with 3 P5 wins, two away and one at home, and 2 G5 wins to be 5-0 with no FCS opponents on the schedule. They take the 3rd spot in this tier due to Nevada, essentially, who may be the worst team in the FBS. Sorry Nevada and USC fans.
6 Oregon Ducks Oregon comes in fourth in the 2nd Tier, with 3 P5 wins, two away and one at home, 1 G5 win, and 1 FCS win to be 5-0. They sit lower than Texas/USC/Washington due to having an FCS team on the schedule, although if my human-adjustment parameters would allow me, I would have them over USC because Portland State is probably better than Nevada.
7 Maryland Terrapins Maryland sits at fifth in the 2nd Tier, with 3 P5 wins, one away and two at home, as well as 1 G5 win and 1 FCS win to sit at 5-0. With a P5 schedule of Virginia, Michigan State, and Indiana, they sit lowest in the 3 P5 win 5-0 category.
8 Florida State Seminoles FSU is sixth in the 2nd Tier, with 3 P5 wins, two away and one at home, and 1 G5 win, but only 4 total games played. They are lower than the teams above them in this tier due to only being 4-0.
9 North Carolina Tar Heels UNC finishes out the 2nd Tier in seventh, with 3 P5 wins, one at home, one neutral site, and one away, and 1 G5 win to bring them to 4-0. Once again, they are lower in this tier than a team like Maryland due to total number of games played.
10 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma takes first place in the 3rd Tier of this poll, which is undefeated teams with 2 P5 wins. Oklahoma won one away and one home game against P5 teams, and crucially went 3-0 against G5 teams including one away game to sit at 5-0 with no FCS opponents on the schedule.
11 Michigan Wolverines Michigan takes second in the 3rd Tier, with one away and one home win against P5 competition and 3 home wins against G5 competition, with no FCS teams on the schedule to go 5-0 so far. They take the back seat to Oklahoma here due to OU winning a G5 game away.
12 Fresno State Bulldogs Fresno State takes third in the 3rd Tier for this week's first G5 appearance. They are undefeated, and have wins over 2 P5 teams, both games being won away. They beat 2 G5 teams and 1 FCS team to be 5-0.
13 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia is fourth in the 3rd Tier, with one away win and one home win against P5 competition, as well as 2 G5 wins and 1 FCS win to be 5-0. They are lower than OU/Michigan due to having played an FCS school, and lower than Fresno State due to Fresno beating both P5 teams away.
14 Missouri Tigers Mizzou is fifth in the 3rd Tier, with one away win and one home win against P5 competition, as well as 2 G5 wins and 1 FCS win to be 5-0. They are ranked lower than UGA due to human-adjusted opponent quality.
15 Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky takes sixth in the 3rd Tier, with one away win and one home win against P5 competition as well as 2 G5 wins and 1 FCS win to be 5-0. They are ranked lower than UGA/Mizzou due to quality of opponents.
16 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State is seventh place in the 3rd Tier, with one home and one away win against P5 teams, as well as 1 G5 win and 1 FCS win. They are ranked lower than other teams in this tier with 5 games played, and above Wazzu due to strength of schedule.
17 Washington State Cougars Wazzu finishes out the 3rd Tier in eighth, with two home wins against P5 teams, one G5 win and one FCS win to be 4-0. Wazzu is ranked lower than the other teams in this tier due to number of games played, and lower than Ohio State due to playing both P5 teams at home.
18 James Madison Dukes JMU sits in first place in the 4th Tier, which is (roughly) undefeated teams with one win against P5 teams, also known as "The G5 Contender Tier." JMU is 5-0, with an away win at a P5 team, as well as 3 G5 wins and an FCS win to be 5-0.
19 Miami Hurricanes Miami is second in the 4th Tier, with one home win against a P5 team, 3 G5 wins, and an FCS win to be 5-0. They are ranked lower than JMU here due to the difference between home/away against a P5 team.
20 Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall is third in the 4th Tier, with one home win against a P5 team, 3 G5 wins, and an FCS win to be 5-0. They are ranked lower than Miami due to human-adjusted quality of opponents.
21 West Virginia Mountaineers At the top of the 5th Tier sits WVU. This tier is for teams with 1 Loss to P5 opponents, and 3 P5 wins otherwise. WVU has one away and two home wins against P5 competition, and lost their only game away at a P5 opponent. To round out their 4-1 record, they beat a single FCS team. They get the nod over Utah here due to human-adjusted quality of beaten opponents.
22 Utah Utes Utah sits in second in the 5th Tier, with 3 P5 wins, one away and two home. They beat 1 FCS team to be 4-1, losing away to a P5 team.
23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish ND tops the 6th Tier, which is teams with 1 P5 Loss, and 2 P5 Wins. ND has two away wins against P5 teams, and one home loss, as well as 2 G5 wins and 1 FCS win to bring them to 5-1. They sit above the other teams in this tier due to having played six total games.
24 Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa comes second in the 6th Tier, with one away and one home win against P5 teams, as well as an away loss. They beat 1 G5 team and 1 FCS team to be 4-1, and sit lower than ND due to total games played.
25 BYU Cougars BYU rounds out the 6th Tier and also my poll, having one away and one home win against P5 teams, as well as an away loss to a P5. They beat 1 G5 and 1 FCS to be 4-1, and sit lower than Iowa due to the quality of opponents played.

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