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Due_Connection179 Ballot for 2023 Week 8

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 16, 2023, 9:21 p.m.

Overall Rationale: I watch games all day Saturday then for the games I don't watch I go through the games play-by-play (plus read articles; listen to podcasts) to see what happened instead of just looking at the box score. Every 4 weeks I also do a "reset of my polls to make sure I'm looking at everything from film to SOS to key wins. I was very busy this week, so I only had time to give reasons for the top 12 (which honestly the top 12 is the only thing I feel good about in my poll).

Rank Team Reason
1 Washington Huskies Last Week #2 vs #6 Oregon (Won 36 - 33) Oregon-Washington is a candidate for "Game of the Year" and with Washington coming out on top, they now have my "best win of the season" to go along with "destroying everyone they are supposed to destroy." They were my pre-season pick to win the CFP this season, to go along with Michael Penix Jr winning the Heisman (which he is now the front runner on a majority of boards). Next Week vs Arizona State
2 Georgia Bulldogs Last Week #1 at Vanderbilt (Won 37 - 20) I believe this game puts Georgia below .500 ATS this season to go along with losing their best offensive player in Brock Bowers. It's very hard for me to start putting teams above the Back-to-Back Champion, but their play this season as been subpar to say the least. Next Week is a Bye Week
3 Oklahoma Sooners Last Week #3 was a well deserved Bye Week. Next Week vs UCF
4 Florida State Seminoles Last Week #4 vs Syracuse (Won 41 - 3) Great, dominate win by the Seminoles. Playing in the ACC means that (if their records stay the same) whomever out of the Big Ten Trio ranked #5 through #7 come out on top of that division will probably jump them in the end, but if both of the ACC Powers this season stay undefeated (UNC) then that Championship Game will be full of CFP drama. Next Week vs #18 Duke
5 Ohio State Buckeyes Last Week #5 at Purdue (Won 41 - 7) Nice complete game vs a notorious upset-bid team. Next Week vs #6 Penn State (Game of the Week)
6 Penn State Nittany Lions Last Week #7 vs UMass (Won 63 - 0; nothing to talk about here) Next Week at #5 Ohio State
7 Michigan Wolverines Last Week #8 vs Indiana (Won 52 - 7) The Wolverines are doing everything they are supposed to do against the level of competition that they have played so far. The problem is every team above them has wins that are better than Michigan's best (and some have multiple wins better than Michigan's best). Keep cruising though, and they will make the CFP once again. Next Week at Michigan State
8 North Carolina Tar Heels Last Week #9 vs Miami (Won 41 - 31) The score is a little closer than what it felt like last week, but UNC stays undefeated either way. Just like FSU, they have a pretty easy schedule going to the ACC Championship Game (depending on how healthy Riley is for Duke when they play). Next Week vs Virginia
9 Oregon Ducks Last Week #6 at #2 Washington (Lost 33 - 36) I couldn't say enough of how good this game was. Both teams were very aggresive on 4th down and in the Red Zone (leaving some points on the board), but hopefully we get a rematch in the PAC 12 Championship Game. Next Week vs Washington State
10 Texas Longhorns Last Week #11 was a Bye Week. Next Week at Houston
11 Alabama Crimson Tide Last Week #13 vs Arkansas (Won 24 - 21) This is the worst Alabama team that Nick Saban has coached since before his first National Championship with them, yet somehow they are 6 - 1. This feels like a 9 - 3 team, and I don't know how long they can keep squeking out some of these close games. Next Week vs #22 Tennessee
12 Oregon State Beavers Last Week #14 vs #16 UCLA (Won 36 - 24) Welcome to Alabama of the Northwest. Next Week is a Bye Week
13 Louisville Cardinals Logic of #13 through #15 is Louisville dominated Notre Dame who in turn dominated USC
14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
15 USC Trojans
16 Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss and Mizzou are basically the same team on film, but Ole Miss finished off LSU whereas Mizzou couldn't.
17 Missouri Tigers
18 Duke Blue Devils Duke with a 100% healthy QB is an ACC Championship contender, without him they look like a 6 - 6 team.
19 Air Force Falcons The run of G5 has started! Air Force and James Madison are a coin flip to me right now, and Tulane is probably the most complete G5 team (besides that 2nd half vs Ole Miss).
20 James Madison Dukes
21 Tulane Green Wave
22 Tennessee Volunteers I don't like any of the teams ranked #22 through #27 (#26 Utah and #27 UCLA) but here we are.
23 LSU Tigers
24 Liberty Flames
25 Iowa Hawkeyes

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