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hurricaneatx Ballot for 2023 Week 6

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 2, 2023, 5:37 p.m.

Overall Rationale: "Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern." Like most human rankings, this is a blend of both a power ranking (reasoning whether higher ranked teams would beat lower ranked teams a majority of the time on a neutral field) and resume ranking (reasoning whether higher ranked teams have proven themselves against competition). The most recent head-to-head results are important, but lose influence the further removed they are from the present. Results against common competition are a useful gauge, but are often not reliable tools to gauge the gap between teams. I don't put much importance in the specific ranking of a team, so teams of similar strengths can be bit "liquid" and move around the poll a bit. Admittedly, I am quite busy, so I don't watch many individual games. I am a Texas Longhorns fan, which could influence my perception. I think analytics like ESPN's FPI efficiencies and strength of record can be useful aids to identify fringe teams whose records don't jump of the page, but have demonstrated success and deserve a shout in a top 25 poll. [Teams in the ranking suburbs (no particular order): Air Force, UCLA, Louisville, Clemson, LSU] (Teams in the ranking exurbs (no particular order): JMU, Tennessee, Memphis, Tulane, Syracuse, West Virginia, Kansas, Rutgers, Iowa, Wisconsin, Wyoming)

Rank Team Reason
1 Washington Huskies Not the greatest outing away against a middle-of-the-road Arizona team, but so far they've been one of the most efficient teams in the country and an absolute monster on offense. That October 14 matchup against a stout Oregon team will be a great measuring stick.
2 Michigan Wolverines Michigan could arguably be the #1 team in the country right now, putting a stranglehold on every team they've come up against. Unfortunately, the big tests for Michigan wait until November, making them a bit tricky to evaluate against the top teams.
3 Texas Longhorns Slow starts have plagued the Longhorns, but they've been able to put games away by the fourth quarter with great depth in the trenches. Blowing out ranked Kansas at home was a strong showing, but an injured QB Jalon Daniels for Kansas probably distorted that outcome a bit.
4 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia's one of if not the most stacked team in the country. They've taken care of business in their games so far this year, but have struggled against mid-tier competition in the past few weeks. It'll be an interesting test next week to see how the Georgia defensive line can combat Kentucky's 6.5yd/att rushing attack.
5 Ohio State Buckeyes
6 Penn State Nittany Lions
7 Florida State Seminoles
8 Oregon Ducks
9 Oklahoma Sooners I think last season's poor showing and a lackluster strength of schedule so far this year are holding Oklahoma back in most polls, but I think Oklahoma's pretty legitimate this year. Their rushing offense is suspect, but they've provably improved significantly on defense.
10 USC Trojans A championship-caliber offense paired with a very questionable defense: I think we all expected that.
11 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama's finding their groove with Jalen Milroe at the helm, and sports a defense that can match up with anyone in the country. Their game next week at Texas A&M will be a pretty good barometer.
12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
13 North Carolina Tar Heels
14 Washington State Cougars
15 Miami Hurricanes
16 Duke Blue Devils Duke nearly snatched the upset against Notre Dame but couldn't hold it together on the final, crucial drive. I think Duke's about as good as their ranking has been indicated, so they're still very much in that 10-20 tier.
17 Ole Miss Rebels
18 Oregon State Beavers
19 Missouri Tigers
20 Kentucky Wildcats
21 Kansas State Wildcats
22 Utah Utes When will Cameron Rising be back?
23 Fresno State Bulldogs
24 Texas A&M Aggies
25 Maryland Terrapins I think Louisville, Air Force, or UCLA could reasonably be in this spot. I'll give the nod to Maryland for this week on account of their three consecutive blowouts following an oddly close game against Charlotte in week 2. Let's see how they deal with Ohio State, though I don't think they'll fare too well in Columbus.

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