I’m voting in The Student Section Top 25 again this year. In the interest of transparency, I’ll publish my ballot here every week.
A note about my methodology: I try to reward achievement. I favor teams that beat quality opponents. Going on the road is a big plus. How you win matters, too.
In other words, I try to take the eye test out of the equation – except when it comes to judging the strength of opponents.
So here goes…
Blatant Homerism Top 25: Week 3
1. Ole Miss
2. LSU
3. Notre Dame
4. Northwestern
5. Michigan State
6. Texas A&M
7. UCLA
8. Ohio State
9. Oklahoma
10. Toledo
11. Iowa
12. Texas Tech
13. TCU
14. Florida
15. Miami
16. Florida State
17. Georgia
18. Clemson
19. Temple
20. Utah
21. California
22. Kansas State
23. Houston
24. Memphis
25. Oklahoma State
Just missed the cut:
Notes
*By way of comparison, my top 10 based on pure team strength:
1. Ohio State
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. LSU
(tie) Ole Miss
6. Notre Dame
(tie) Baylor
8. Texas A&M
(tie) Michigan State
10. Oregon
(tie) TCU
*Ole Miss makes for a clear-cut No. 1 by virtue of the Rebels’ win at Alabama.
*Flip flop LSU and ND if you’d like. The Tigers’ two wins rate a little better to me than the three the Fighting Irish have racked up, but the difference is negligible.
*I may have Memphis a little too low. Beating the brakes off Kansas doesn’t count for much. A win at Bowling Green does. Keep an eye on Oct. 17, when Ole Miss travels visits the Tigers.
*Iowa? Yes, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have two wins over Power 5 foes. At this point in the season, that’s nothing to sneeze at.
*If Tennessee wins at Florida this weekend, OU benefits by extension. Right now, I’m having a hard time figuring out if the Vols are back.
*Keep in mind that this approach produces highly fluid results. The only rankings worth worrying about are the last ones.
-Allen Kenney