JazzYotesRSL's Week 10 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue | Made it a little close at the end, but a good win over a tough Illinois team |
| 2 | Houston | Beating up a hapless West Virginia is a good way to start conference play, but it only gets tougher from here |
| 3 | UConn | +1 Two close wins in a Big East that looks just as tough as last year |
| 4 | Kentucky | +1 Florida was scary, but winning on the road against a conference rival is always a good thing |
| 5 | Kansas | -2 You were very lucky to be bailed out at home against TCU by a late flagrant foul |
| 6 | North Carolina | +3 UNC establishes themselves as the team to beat in the ACC with a convincing road win over Clemson |
| 7 | Tennessee | -1 Thank you for confirming that Ole Miss is not actually a competitor in the SEC this year. Unfortunately, UNC jumps you after a good week |
| 8 | Illinois | No movement. There’s no shame in a 5 point loss at Purdue, especially when you battled back all game |
| 9 | Arizona | +3 Well, that was one hell of a response after a disappointing loss to Stanford |
| 10 | Marquette | -3 I would have Seton Hall in the top 20 right now if they hadn’t gotten blown out by Xavier |
| 11 | Oklahoma | +2 A win over a quality team in Iowa State is a promising way to start conference play for the Sooners |
| 12 | Duke | +4 The Blue Devils have bounced back well after surprising losses to Arkansas and Georgia Tech, and should compete for the conference title in an unusually weak ACC |
| 13 | Baylor | +1 The game against Oklahoma State was a warning: you can’t take any team in the Big 12 for granted (except maybe West Virginia and UCF) |
| 14 | Wisconsin | +4 Convincing wins over Iowa and Nebraska establish you as a force to be reckoned with in the Big 10 |
| 15 | Colorado State | -4 There’s no great shame in losing at USU, but any loss hurts in a very competitive Mountain West |
| 16 | Creighton | +3 A quiet week for the Jays, who faced Georgetown and a Providence team that’s reeling after losing Hopkins for the year |
| 17 | Memphis | +3 FAU’s continued struggles makes Memphis the team to beat in the American this year |
| 18 | Auburn | +7 Blowing out Arkansas is a great way to start conference play. Auburn looks like a dark horse to claim the SEC, but Kentucky and Tennessee await |
| 19 | San Diego State | NR The Aztecs start conference play with blowouts of Fresno State and UNLV, but it gets harder, starting with a trip to the Pit next Saturday |
| 20 | Gonzaga | NR Gonzaga might not be the powerhouse we’ve come to expect, but they’re still head and shoulders above the rest of the WCC |
| 21 | BYU | -11 I’m not even mad at BYU. I’m mad at myself for falling for the smoke and mirrors. The well-oiled offense completely fell apart as soon as they ran into a good team |
| 22 | Nevada | NR The Wolfpack are yet another tough out in a loaded Mountain West this year |
| 23 | Clemson | -8 A rough week for the Tigers, as Miami and UNC remind us that maybe we shouldn’t expect them to compete for the ACC title |
| 24 | TCU | NR A great battle against Kansas that ended…controversially prevented the Frogs from winning a second straight game at Allen Fieldhouse, but this team looks legit |
| 25 | Utah State | NR Welcome Aggies, who remind the Rams that it’s really, really hard to win at the Spectrum |
Overall Rationale
Dropped out: FAU (17), JMU (21), Ole Miss (22), Utah (23), Providence (24) An interesting start to conference play. FAU continues to spiral, Kansas escapes TCU with some controversy, and Purdue edges out Illinois in a great game. Other teams I considered included Seton Hall, South Carolina, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, and Miami