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Prof_Pie Ballot for 2023 Week 7

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 10, 2023, 8:13 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Gut and feeling (as well as comparing wins and losses for some of the closer teams)

Rank Team Reason
1 Ohio State Buckeyes So far the hardest undefeated schedule in my opinion. That close win at Notre Dame really pulls them up for me. That's not an easy place to win, and Notre Dame is not a push over team.
2 Michigan Wolverines Similar reason as to where the Buckeyes are ranked. Just not a schedule quite as difficult (up to this point)
3 Penn State Nittany Lions Clear, dominant, decisive wins over their opponents. It's really their consistency that ranks them here.
4 Oklahoma Sooners They beat Texas, a top 4 team at the time, and they were close enough to the top 4 already to have earned this spot.
5 Florida State Seminoles Virginia Tech almost made them blink. This, coupled with the odd play vs BC and the close Clemson game keeps FSU just out of the top 4 for me.
6 Georgia Bulldogs Close games against South Carolina and Auburn. As good as this team is, they certainly don't look as good as the teams ahead of them. Strength of schedule is also lacking for this team at this time.
7 Washington Huskies Very close with Arizona, made me pause. But the consistency of the team in dominance up to that point has them just ahead of the ducks going into Saturday. Coming off of a bye could be crucial for them.
8 Oregon Ducks The Texas Tech game is holding them back a bit for me. However, they've been dominant since then. This team is really tied with Washington for me at this point, and their dominance (or lack thereof) on Saturday has the potential to leap frog them past #6.
9 Texas Longhorns Gutsy game against the Sooners but just shot themselves in the foot and could quite maintain their momentum. Made the game a toss-up that OU took full advantage of.
10 USC Trojans There was some odd play against Colorado and Arizona. I don't think this team is currently as great as people think they are, but there's definitely potential to go on an absolute tear in the latter half of the season. I'm looking for them to respond but so far, I'm only hearing crickets.
11 North Carolina Tar Heels Inconsistent is the word I'd use. I could excuse the home opener but Pittsburg saw the endzone too many times. I'm not sure the team has the stamina to enter AND maintain a top 10 spot at this point, which keeps them just outside the gates for me.
12 Alabama Crimson Tide That home loss to Texas is really haunting them, especially after we saw problems with the Texas team this week. On top of that, Texas A&M was too close for comfort and showed that while Alabama is still really good, they don't appear to be great.
13 Louisville Cardinals Undefeated Louisville is scary, and this time it looks to be a very team-centered push rather than having an offense built around a Heisman candidate. This team is smart and knows how to play, but their strength of conference schedule appears to be lacking. I think they may be hitting their ceiling, but teams in front of them could always mess up. Additionally, if they make it to the ACC title game, the outcome of that could seriously leapfrog them over a lot of other teams depending on how other seasons shake out.
14 Ole Miss Rebels Lost only to Alabama. They look pretty good, but I have doubts about their talent ceiling. I think they're building something that has steam-roller potential, next year. Right now, close wins against Tulane and a not-good LSU team are weighing them down for me. Too much ugliness on the field.
15 Washington State Cougars That loss against UCLA hurt them. But gutsy wins over Oregon State and a very good Wisconsin give them the over, for now.
16 Duke Blue Devils Elko is that guy, and if it hadn't been for that Notre Dame loss, they'd be cooking. That being said, they've remained strong and that early season win against Clemson has me feeling like this team could really punish some people who think they're overrated.
17 UCLA Bruins The WSU win was impressive but the anemic loss to the Utes is still ringing in the back of my head. I think they need another convincing ranked win for me to push them up to the top 15.
18 Utah Utes Great season opener against a not-so-great Florida team, but the loss to Oregon State coupled with the close Baylor game keeps them from greatness.
19 Oregon State Beavers If it weren't for other games out of their control, I think the Beavers could make a case for 18. But as far as the top 15, they've got work to do. The WSU loss was bad enough, but to then almost collapse against Cal has me wondering if the team is too tired for their own good.
20 Tennessee Volunteers That big loss to a mediocre Florida team is really hurting them. They just haven't had the chance since to prove themselves as a top 15/10 team. But with games against Texas A&M and Alabama coming up, they have a great climbing opportunity. They just have to deliver.
21 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin is good and deserves to be ranked. That WSU loss is haunting them but the Cougars, as it turns out, are a great team. The dominant win over Purdue AT Purdue I think is impressive, and they kept that WSU game close too. So give me the Badgers just outside the top 20. I think if they had more opportunity, they'd show us something incredible. They're certainly more convincing than a certain 2 loss team from Louisiana.
22 Kentucky Wildcats Did they get dominated by Georgia? Yes. I'm pretty sure the Dawgs were taking out some frustrations. That being said, Some pretty sizable wins against the mid-tier of the SEC I think earn them the benefit of the doubt and keep them 4 up in the poll.
23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish The heartbreaker against OSU was bad enough, but to then get embarrassed by Louisville when you're the favorite? No way are you cracking top-20. I think playoff chances are dashed at this point for the Irish, but the USC game could earn them an argument as to why they should live out their mid-season in the top 15.
24 Kansas Jayhawks They've lost to Texas, but their performance in their other games has by and large been significantly more consistent and impressive than the likes of LSU and Miami, and I feel that earns them this spot. It's theirs to lose though, and these back-to-back Oklahoma games may be the thing that finally breaks them.
25 Missouri Tigers Did they lose to LSU? Yes. Is LSU good? No. That's it. That's the tweet. But seriously, the LSU game was CLOSE and they have been keeping things close all season. I think the team is a little streaky and probably won't pull it out next week but, for now, I think Missouri has more than earned the right to be here at #25, even if it's fleeting.

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