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Here we are in week three of the college football season, and we have not the least bit of clarity except perhaps at the very top of the ballot. The Oklahoma Sooners, by virtue of victory at the Florida State Seminoles, have clearly established themselves as the best team in college football with Alabama and LSU nipping at their heels.
Michigan State and Auburn finally dropped off my ballot as the Tigers dropped a game at Clemson, and Michigan State was derailed at mercurial Notre Dame. Next week, we should have a bit more clarity as most teams start to get into the meat of their schedules, or at least get out of the cupcake zone.
I still have questions about a good number of the teams on my ballot. Many of them have yet to win a game over a team with a winning record, and to me, that is an important barometer for how good a team is, as is winning on the road.
Here is my ballot:
A Sea of Blue Ballot - Week 4
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 4 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 5 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 6 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | -- |
| 7 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 8 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -- |
| 9 | Texas A&M Aggies | -- |
| 10 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -- |
| 11 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -- |
| 12 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 13 | Florida St. Seminoles | -- |
| 14 | West Virginia Mountaineers | -- |
| 15 | Florida Gators | -- |
| 16 | Texas Longhorns | -- |
| 17 | South Florida Bulls | -- |
| 18 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 19 | Baylor Bears | -- |
| 20 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | -- |
| 21 | Michigan Wolverines | -- |
| 22 | Clemson Tigers | -- |
| 23 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 24 | North Carolina Tar Heels | -- |
| 25 | Illinois Fighting Illini | -- |
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
A few observations:
- I am incredibly skeptical of Illinois, but next in line for me was Houston or FIU. Couldn't go with either of them yet, but they are hanging around.
- Despite losing to the Sooners, Florida State is a very good football team, and they will be right there at the end if the teams at the top stumble. Their schedule is very favorable.
- North Carolina is one of the few in the top 25 who has yet to play a team with a current losing record.
- LSU gets West Virginia next. Good game, that one. It will be the third ranked opponent this year for the Tigers.
- I docked South Carolina for that close game against Navy. They don't seem to be the kind of team that is going to wind up top ten in the end, but they have been better than others.
- South Florida is making me nervous. They look like a dangerous team.
- None of Arkansas' opponents have won a single game this year.
That's all I have. Please let me have your feedback so I can correct any egregious oversights or slights.