Equivalent-Yard3824's Week 8 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn | (+0) Best team in the nation dominates a top 25 opponent, still beats out Tennessee in every ranking system besides record, but since schedules are not made equally I'm happy to keep ranking Auburn #1 |
| 2 | Tennessee | (+0) After escaping Illinois they laid the hammer by 50 on a hapless 300+ team. Still a strong #2, but if they played Auburn right now on a neutral floor they'd be slight underdogs. |
| 3 | Iowa State | (+0) After 6 Q4 games in the non-Con I'm excited to see them more consistently against top programs, but they've proven themselves already. |
| 4 | Duke | (+0) Retook the nations top DRtg score with dominant wins over GM and GT, @ SMU will be their first big test in Conference play after the new year. |
| 5 | Alabama | (+1) Escaped a battle with North Dakota but I like that their only 200+ game was a road game in Non-Con, elite scheduling so far. |
| 6 | Florida | (+3) What an awesome test in effectively a road game against UNC, to withstand the comeback, lose the big lead but stay strong and hold onto the win. |
| 7 | Kansas | (+1) One of the best ceilings in the nation, but remains to be seen if they can work out the issues that caused them to drop the two road games, Big 12 road games won't be any easier. |
| 8 | Marquette | (-1) Xavier is obviously no slouch, but this group has lost a bit of sheen from their early hot streak and won't get a chance to truly prove themselves against the elite until February. |
| 9 | Gonzaga | (+1) The talent is obviously there, but not being able to clutch out a victory in their biggest tests leaves them with one of the biggest dichotomies between resume and metrics thus far. |
| 10 | Oregon | (+7) Almost the reverse Gonzaga where they've gone 3-1 against teams in my top 25 and 5-1 against top 100 teams, but they lack a top 20 offense or defense to this point. |
| 11 | Kentucky | (-6) Got ran out of the Gym in the final 5 minutes against OSU, the defensive lapses are becoming harder to ignore |
| 12 | Texas A&M | (+0) Continue to just muck up games and out hustle teams, going to struggle against teams that can keep them off the boards, if any exist. |
| 13 | UConn | (+0) As much as everyone wants to think 'Uconn is back!' struggling against Xavier and Butler isn't exactly a great sign and shows some of the Maui issues remain. |
| 14 | Houston | (-3) Houston will have plenty of chances to prove their metrics aren't a fluke with big wins in conference play, but for now I have to keep dropping them in favor of teams with better proof. |
| 15 | Mississippi State | (+5) Memphis is a great team and MSU effectively ended the game in the first 7 minutes and coasted from there ... on the road. |
| 16 | Ole Miss | (-2) The W/L record is nice, but just 9 of those wins were against Q3/4; they've shown up in their chances against big programs but they might not be ready for the challenge of the SEC |
| 17 | Oklahoma | (+13) Oklahoma deserves credit for being 12-0, but their two big wins are against Arizona who has lost all 5 Q1 games they've played and Michigan who is just 4-3 against top 100 opponents. |
| 18 | Illinois | (+4) This is one where I'll admit the resume isn't up to par, but the metrics agree with my eye sight and bringing Tennessee to the buzzer was a big pass on the eye test to show thse metrics are legit |
| 19 | Purdue | (-3) I can't drop them too much for predictably getting thrashed by AU, but they've failed more tests than they've passed recently, just 3-3 against my top 30. |
| 20 | St. John's | (+1) St. John's next chance to fully 'prove it' won't come until February's games against MU and UConn, but I'm still a believer until proven wrong. |
| 21 | Cincinnati | (+2) I said they would need to prove it and back to back wins over Xavier and Dayton at least proves they belong in the conversation |
| 22 | Dayton | (-7) Only Auburn, Alabama, and Memphis have more Q1A wins than Dayton, but there are definitely flaws that have been exposed and keep them lower on my rankings. |
| 23 | UCLA | (-4) Beating the pants off lesser opponents and the Oregon win are doing a lot of heavy lifting for a team with a mediocre resume heading into a showdown with the Zags |
| 24 | San Diego State | (+12) If I'm going to rank some teams with bad resumes but good metrics, it's fair I do the opposite. SDSU has proven they can hang with anyone, but still just 1-2 in Q1 games. |
| 25 | Pitt | (+6) A lot of contenders for #25 this week, Pitt slides in with solid metrics a Q1A win @ OSU and no bad losses |
Overall Rationale
Next 5: Memphis, Texas Tech, Maryland, MSU, Baylor Tried to take into account a lot of the feedback I've received the last few weeks to make sure I'm accurately reviewing full resumes, I feel like this poll more accurately blends true resumes, my personal eye test, and the advanced metrics, though obviously no poll can be perfect.