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Mynameisdiehard Ballot for 2024 Week 15

Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Dec. 3, 2024, 9:55 a.m.

Overall Rationale: Heavier weight on record, weighing overall strength of record with results, comparing head to head and weighing strengths of wins/losses.

Rank Team Reason
1 Oregon Ducks Consensus #1
2 Boise State Broncos Watched this team numerous times. They look like one of the best teams in the country and I expect them to be a dark horse in the playoff. The 3 point loss to Oregon does not seem like a fluke. Highly underrate nationally just do to the name. Hopefully they get over the dreaded rematch hump this week in the CCG. Honestly for me, even barring the results this weekend I think they deserve a spot. Unfortunately, I do not see the committee adding an extra G5 team over an SEC team, even if they are an undeserving 3 loss team.
3 Texas Longhorns Weighing 1 loss teams, they have basically an equal SOS to Penn St. but look better and their loss was to a higher ranked team (in my rankings). Honestly, though, 3 & 4 is a toss up and the results this weekend will make the ultimate decision for my "playoff" rankings.
4 Penn State Nittany Lions See above
5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Cruising into the playoffs. One of the sneakiest hot teams in CFB right now. Could easily be top 4 next week. Makes me feel like the playoff should be formatted that if any independent team at least makes top 4 then they get one of the first round byes.
6 SMU Mustangs Another underranked team imo. They have mostly dominated even the best teams they have played. Held back by the weaker schedule and by BYUs collapse at the end of the season weighing them down. Not necessarily a playoff lock pending the results this weekend, but they are very much inside right now and would take a blow out loss to even reconsider.
7 Georgia Bulldogs Best 2 loss team. I am keeping them here pending the results of this weekends CCG, which is mostly in line with the CF ranks, besides me ranking Boise & SMU higher than the committee.
8 Tennessee Volunteers I mistakenly had Tennessee ranked higher than I wanted to in a rushed ranking last week. Correcting that this week, as UGA should be above them. Lock for the playoff either way for me.
9 Ohio State Buckeyes Loss to Michigan does not look good. They still have strong results though and a 1 point loss to the number 1 team (which should have been a win barring a costly mistake) leaves them here for me. Lock for the playoff.
10 Indiana Hoosiers OSU's loss drags them down, but they have done what they needed this season. Many are talking about their low SOS, but it is right in line with Notre Dame who no one is questioning. I have no doubt this team could take it to a 3 loss SEC team.
11 Arizona State Sun Devils ASU is one of the hotter teams in CFB right now. If they win the Big 12, they deserve to be in for me, although not on a bye unless Boise loses.
12 Army West Point It sucks the Navy matchup doesn't come until after the playoffs are announced, I think this will ultimately leave them out, but the way this season has shaked out with many top teams underperforming, I honestly think a 1 loss Army is deserving of a 12 spot in the playoff.
13 BYU Cougars End of season collapse sucks for them. Pretty much out of the running for playoff barring some major catastrophe.
14 Iowa State Cyclones Controls their destiny. If they beat ASU they are in, simple as that.
15 Miami Hurricanes The losses to GT and Syracuse are bad. There is no sugar coating it. 2 losses with this level of SOS, when people are questioning 1 loss teams at the same level is unacceptable imo. They should be out of the playoff since they have no chance to win their conference.
16 UNLV Rebels Here because they have a chance to sneak in if they beat Boise on the rematch. Only lost to them by 5 earlier in the season, and a 3 point loss to Syracuse who has taken down some good teams. In the playoff if they can pull off the upset!
17 South Carolina Gamecocks Tough to rank. Probably the 1 SEC team that has impressed with wins. One of the hotter teams right now. Yes they lost to Bama & Ole Miss, but SC doesn't have the horrendous losses like them. Still undeserving IMO, but if I was forced to pick 1 3 loss SEC team (outside of UGA if they lose) it would be SC.
18 Alabama Crimson Tide Back to my SEC hate (slightly kidding). 3 loss teams in the SEC do not deserve a spot. End of story. There are numerous actually good 1 and 2 loss teams in CFB this year that do not have as near as bad of losses as Bama and these teams below. Anyone above deserves an at large spot before Bama and it is a disgrace the committee is expected to put them in. I hope they get blown out in game 1, but let's be honest the committee won't care because it keeps lining ESPNs pockets.
19 Ole Miss Rebels Ehh, same thing as above. Can't lose to Kentucky and expect a playoff birth in my world.
20 Clemson Tigers Tough loss to SC. They are close in the rankings for me, but this drops Clemson out of the playoff and only path in is to beat SMU.
21 Colorado Buffaloes Statement win, but with no chance to make the CCG, not much farther they can go.
22 Missouri Tigers Just one of those teams that won the games they should have and got blown out in the games they had a chance to prove.
23 Syracuse Orange Decent middle of the road team. Good wins for a 3 loss.
24 Illinois Fighting Illini Honestly same as above
25 Memphis Tigers They have been skirting on the edge of my rankings for a while. The win against Tulane is enough to give this 2 loss team some respect finally.

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