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Due_Connection179 Ballot for 2024 Week 13

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Nov. 17, 2024, 3:01 a.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. For my preseason poll, it will be a combination of players/coaches returning + incoming players (recruiting class + transfer portal). This season continues to be crazy. I'm going to start giving the undefeated power teams a little separation because of the craziness of this season.

Rank Team Reason
1 Oregon Ducks Last Week #1 at Wisconsin // Won 16 - 13 // Not really a good sign that they looked like the Oregon team against Idaho & Boise State, rather than the last 8 games, but after watching another undefeated fall, it's just good to keep on winning.
2 Indiana Hoosiers Last Week #2 // Bye Week
3 Ohio State Buckeyes Last Week #3 vs Northwestern // Won 31 - 7 // Went as expected.
4 Texas Longhorns Last Week #4 at Arkansas // Won 20 - 10 // Texas' rocky back half of the season continues. They are still the SEC favorites (somehow) and that's why they are my #4 team.
5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Last Week #6 vs Virginia // Won 35 - 14 // Went as expected. Notre Dame's best chance to finish #5 is to win out + Oregon wins out + Ohio State beats Indiana + Michigan beats Ohio State, so more-than-likely Notre Dame will be the #6 team heading into the playoff, which most Irish fans should love.
6 BYU Cougars Last Week #3 vs Kansas // Lost 13 - 17 // This is an embarrassing loss to have at home during an undefeated season. 3 - 6 Kansas came into Provo and dominated BYU defensively. BYU only drops to #6 for two reasons though: First, they still are my 3rd highest ranked predicted conference champion (behind Oregon & Texas). Second, they have the head-to-head win over SMU (and it's basically a coin flip on whether SMU or Miami will win the ACC).
7 SMU Mustangs Last Week #7 vs Boston College // Won 38 - 28 // Probably their worst game in ACC play. I have a feeling the locker room is already eye-balling the ACC Championship Game, and tbh, I can't blame them too much.
8 Miami Hurricanes Last Week #8 // Bye Week
9 Penn State Nittany Lions Last Week #9 at Purdue // Won 49 - 10 // Went as expected.
10 Alabama Crimson Tide Last Week #12 vs Mercer // Won 52 - 7 // Alabama jumped two spots after beating an FCS team because Tennessee's offense looks nearly flawed without a chance to repair this season, and because Boise State continues to struggle against the final stretch of Mountain West games.
11 Ole Miss Rebels Last Week #13 // Bye Week
12 Boise State Broncos Last Week #11 at San Jose State // Won 42 - 21 // This game was close until the 4th quarter, and Boise State is now in a position where, if Army somehow beats Notre Dame, the Broncos could be left outside the CFP.
13 Georgia Bulldogs Last Week #14 vs #10 Tennessee // Won 31 - 17 // Another 1st half struggle vs a CFP contender, but this time Beck & the offense turn it on the the 2nd half (not to mention the amazing defensive play). I believe Georgia needs A&M to beat Texas in a couple weeks to make the SEC Championship Game, but honestly, they need to watch out for those Yellow Jackets coming around the corner first.
14 Colorado Buffaloes Last Week #18 vs Utah // Won 49 - 24 // Colorado looked sloppy and still won this game by 25. It seems like they are hitting their stride at the right time, but they do have Big 12 Killer Kansas up next on the road. If they survive this week, then they have the walking dead Cowboys left the week after.
15 Tennessee Volunteers Last Week #10 at #15 Georgia // Lost 17 - 31 // Tennessee is not in a good position after blowing this game in the 2nd half. They are now the 4th ranked team in the SEC, but if Alabama & Ole Miss win out, then by the weird tiebreakers they would be sitting 6th, and I don't think the committee can justify 5 SEC teams this season, let alone 6.
16 Clemson Tigers Last Week #15 at #20 Pitt // Won 24 - 20 // Needed late heroics to beat Pitt, and that is why they drop behind Colorado this week. I do believe Clemson can sneak it's way back into the playoff, but it will need some help from either Miami or SMU losing because at max only 2 ACC teams are making the CFP.
17 Texas A&M Aggies Last Week #16 vs New Mexico State // Won 38 - 3 // Every SEC team has played at least 10 games, and Texas A&M remains as 1 of only 2 (Texas) that truly control their own destiny. Win out and they beat a top 5 Texas team + make the SEC Championship Game, which should guarantee a CFP spot.
18 Arizona State Sun Devils Last Week NR at #17 Kansas State // Won 24 - 14 // The Sun Devils are keeping the smallest of hopes alive in winning the Big 12 with this upset win over Kansas State. Arizona State controls it's CFP destiny if they go on the road to beat BYU then take care of business against Arizona in Rivalry Week.
19 Iowa State Cyclones Last Week #20 vs Cincinnati // Won 34 - 17 // Solid win last week, but they get jumped by Arizona State because the Cyclones no longer control their destiny and need a lot of help over the next two weeks to have any hope.
20 Army West Point Last Week #19 // Bye Week // Army is the lowest ranked team that still, technically, controls their own destiny. I fully believe that if the Black Knights go on the road and beat Notre Dame that the committee will be forced to place Army above of Boise State and into that final conference champion locked spot.
21 South Carolina Gamecocks Last Week NR vs #22 Missouri // Won 34 - 30 // Solid run of games to end the season, but that Alabama game must be playing in the heads of all Gamecock fans right about now.
22 Illinois Fighting Illini Last Week NR vs Michigan State // Won 38 - 16 // Nice to see Illinois strike back into the top 25.
23 Syracuse Orange Last Week NR at Cal // Won 33 - 25 // Will the Orange overlook UConn this week with the big game against Miami coming up?
24 Kansas State Wildcats Last Week #17 vs Arizona State // Lost 14 - 24 // The final nail in Kansas State's 2024 season's coffin has been placed. The only reason they remain in my top 25 is because they have a win over my now #25 team and 7 of the teams ranked 17th - 27th in my poll (Kansas State, Pitt, Missouri, Washington State, Louisville, Louisiana, and LSU) lost this week.
25 Tulane Green Wave Last Week NR at Navy // Won 35 - 0 // It feels un-American to put Tulane here after destroying our Navy, but Tulane has played their way back into CFP position, but they need to win out (including beating Army in the American title game) + they need Boise State to lose again.

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