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SleepsWithBlindsOpen Ballot for 2023 Week 7

Ballot Type: Hybrid

Submitted: Oct. 8, 2023, 10:07 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Based on an algorithm that awards/subtracts points based on wins and losses in accordance with difficulty of opponent. The selector breaks ties and makes executive adjustments as seem appropriate.

Rank Team Reason
1 Louisville Cardinals Louisville has been a top team in the algorithm since the start. The win over ND combined with the total of 5 P5 wins, more than anybody in the country, gives Louisville the #1 spot.
2 North Carolina Tar Heels UNC back up to #2 after their beatdown of Syracuse
3 USC Trojans USC doesn't win pretty, but they win and the algorithm likes winning.
4 Florida State Seminoles FSU is similar to USC. Outside of the LSU game, FSU's play has raised a lot of question marks. The ACC has no other ranked teams below FSU after Miami and Duke's recent losses.
5 Oklahoma Sooners Boomer Sooner. Up 6 spots to number 5 after beating Texas.
6 Michigan Wolverines Michigan has been steadily climbing in the algorithm. After starting the season against 3 G5 opponents, Michigan has outscored its conference opponents 128-24.
7 Penn State Nittany Lions T7 - Penn State has a strong resume so far, but their big first inflection point comes in two weeks against Ohio State
8 Washington Huskies T7 - I think UW is the strongest looking team in the PAC, but the Huskies face a big test this week against Oregon.
9 Georgia Bulldogs Georgia is very slowly creeping up the rankings as they beat their conference opponents. While their showing against Auburn wasn't particularly impressive, they asserted themselves as the top SEC East team with their big win against UK.
10 Texas Longhorns The top 1 loss team. Great wins against #12 Alabama and #22 Wyoming, but the one blemish being a loss to Oklahoma. Deserving of a top 10 spot.
11 Iowa Hawkeyes This team has been sneaky. Only one loss on their resume to a #7 Penn State, but two conference wins and a win in El Assico. One of the ugliest teams to watch play football, but consistently winning. The algorithm basically excuses their blowout loss and prefers them over both Ohio State and Michigan at this point in the schedule.
12 Alabama Crimson Tide Top team in the SEC West. After a disappointing loss to #10 Texas, the Crimson Tide have done a good job beating their SEC opponents.
13 Oregon Ducks Potentially a tad underrated by the algorithm. Oregon has looked very strong and will have the opportunity to jump into the top 10 if they win against Washington.
14 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State's season has started slow, but as the conference match ups go on, they'll be looked at more favorably by the algorithm. Similar to Oregon, their schedule is back heavy, so they'll gain spots as they play more.
15 Kansas Jayhawks A tough loss against Texas 2 weeks back was avenged by a 29 point win against UCF. Still a solid 1-loss team, but will likely be left on the outside looking in when the Big 12 Championship comes around.
16 Maryland Terrapins While the Terps looked good in the first half, the loss to Ohio State tumbles Maryland from 9 to 16 this week.
17 Ole Miss Rebels With wins over Georgia Tech (the Hurricane Slayers) and LSU, Ole Miss is good enough for a top 20 spot.
18 Colorado Buffaloes The Buffs are the top 2-loss team in the algorithm. While they didn't look good at Oregon, they played strong against #3 USC and reeled in their first conference win this week against Arizona State.
19 West Virginia Mountaineers The Mountaineers have the chance to make a run for the top 4. WVU is undefeated in conference play so far and their only loss is against a #7 Penn State.
20 Utah Utes Utah hasn't looked great without Cam Rising, but has managed itself a 4-1 record. But the Utes have to go through the gauntlet this month, playing USC, Oregon, and Washington in a 4 week period.
21 James Madison Dukes Our newest G5 overlord, the JMU Dukes. Unfortunately not eligible for post season play, but they're going to enjoy the top 25 ranking.
22 Wyoming Cowboys I didn't see this coming, but Wyoming took out Fresno State this week and is now 5-1 with its lone loss being to #10 Texas. They have a legitimate shot at being the G5 representative in the NY6 bowls. I'm all for the Cowboys from Laramie.
23 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin has rebounded from its early season loss to Washington State to slide into the #23 spot. BIG West supremacy is on the line this week as the Badgers take on the Hawkeyes.
24 Fresno State Bulldogs Loss to Wyoming tumbles Fresno from #10 to #24. Unfortunately, the weaker conference slate probably won't be enough to keep Fresno ranked for much longer.
25 LSU Tigers The computer put LSU at 28 and Mizzou at 24, so I bumped Mizzou down and LSU up based on the recent H2H.

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