[NOTE: This week’s ballot is purely an exercise to make sure we’re all on the same page. No Mumme Poll results will be published. Don’t forget to go to the site and register.]
Picked a helluva week to start casting top eight ballots. Still, it could be worse. I could be trying to cobble together a top 25 ranking.
Here’s my cream of the crop:
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Baylor
- Mississippi
- Mississippi State
- Oklahoma
- TCU
- UCLA
Others considered: FSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M
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COMMENTS:
- Before anybody jumps my case about leaving FSU or Notre Dame out of my top eight, it’s still early. Besides, one of ’em will cut the other from consideration in a couple of weeks.
- I may be saying the same thing about the SEC West soon, too.
Get The Picture 
No Michigan State? Also, what is logically different about FSU/ND and MSU/Auburn or Baylor/OU. Not arguing who you chose because I don’t think anyone knows who will survive at this point, but the fact that teams will sort it out can be made in several instances on that list. And yes, this is a helluva week to start with blood flowing from the top of every conference. BYU says “thank you” to the conference scheduling officials, their stock just went way up. Another reason why conference champs for the Power 5 should get an invite. Saw Stinchcomb on Thursday of this week say that LSU was his #7 team in the West, and that was before they got blown out. Two of the top 4 teams definitely reside there, and all could end up with two losses or more.
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I assume #FSUTwitter will be invading shortly. It was nice knowing all of you.
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Did you make your ballot before the result from the UCLA game? They’ve looked fairly unimpressive all season to me, and now with a loss to Utah I can’t see them as a top 8 team. I’ve got –
FSU
MSU
Auburn
Ole Miss
Baylor
Zona
Alabama
Oregon
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Made my ballot this morning. Obviously, I like the Bruins more than you do.
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To be clear, I’m not bashing your ballot. Just checking.
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No worries. I didn’t think you were.
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I agree with you about Zona, Boots. It would not surprise me one bit if Zona won the PAC 12.
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You’re aware that UCLA lost to Utah at home last night, right?
If you are and you still put them in your top 8…holy hell.
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I am. I do. I have other one-loss teams there, too.
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I submitted my list and did not “project” who I thought would end up there at season’ end, rather I picked the eight based on this being decision time at this exact point. I expect to make significant revisions weekly as we learn more because we will have one, and two loss teams to be included by then.
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My first try. Maybe I didn’t put in as much effort as I should, but it was surprisingly easy. Has the ESPN score result page up at the same time. I felt like my marginal inclusions/exclusions wouldn’t have been much better had I spent an hour on it.
Made only one animosity decision: take a hike ND.
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Mac, how do you have MSU in there? They lost to Oregon and play no one. They’ll have to boat race the rest of their schedule to deserve to be there – did not look great against a mediocre Nebraska team.
Also can’t understand the UCLA pick senator.
Not to say they will be there at the end, but not sure how FSU and ND can be excluded at this point. First quarterfinal should be in Tally on the 18th – neither if them should be considered with a loss because of their schedules.
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Yes I did, they were the only one loss team I included. I did not include UCLA because they have been less impressive to me. I did include FSU although they would fall out with one loss if that occurs unless they start to click, they haven’t been impressive either but they are unbeaten and have the nation’s longest winning streak. They or ND will likely fall out when they play in a couple of weeks.
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Sorry, responded as if you asked if I had included them, not why. I thought they looked pretty darn good against Oregon on the road, leading until the 4th. They aren’t necessarily a favorite team but they seem solid on defense and adequate on offense to me. They look more capable of beating some of the other teams than say Alabama does even though both have one loss. That may change when I see how Bama plays a couple more of their tough games. I don’t disagree that their schedule may cause them to slide back if there are more impressive one loss teams. For right now, I see them as the best with one loss.
In my mind, you don’t have to lose to drop out, it is the cumulative effect of your games and others. At this point, it is a work in progress because all contenders haven’t played enough key games.
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Fair enough, I’m not sold that their performance against Oregon was much better than Clemson’s against us but can see where others would differ.
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UCLA ? Home lost to an unranked team, just saying.
Left Dawgs out of my top 8, if they beat Mizzo they be there. Same way with Miss St,, must win this upcoming week.
Florida State, Auburn, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Baylor, Alabama,
Oregon, Michigan State.
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Miss State dominating LSU in Red Stick and wiping the floor with A&M on Saturday wasn’t enough to get them in your top 8? That seems a high hurdle relative to the others on your list. Not arguing because anyone’s guess is as good as any other at this stage. It is just that we get blinded by polls which are based on last year’s, or last decade’s results. So Miss State and TCU start so far back they have to work through the clutter, but both of them have more impressive wins than the others, including FSU and ND. (Arizona is also a part of that, and BYU as well.)
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That’s a clown list, bro.
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I always admire the bravery of anonymous posters who can’t summon up their version of what they criticize. And you had to tweet about it, too!
Rest assured that your mockery has stung me to my very core.
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I don’t think you know what anonymous means, “Senator”.
Anyway, the fact that you don’t include an undefeated ND or the defending champs on the nation’s longest winning streak (FSU, in case you’re not aware) but include a team that just lost to Ole Miss definitely makes this a clown list.
No need to be so defensive. I’m just surprised you didn’t include UGA.
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You’ve mistaken a lack of concern for defensiveness, I’m afraid.
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But since you asked:
FSU
Auburn
Baylor
MSU
Oklahoma
ND
Ole Miss
TCU
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FSU
AU
Baylor
Mich St
UCLA
Ole Miss
Miss St
UGA
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