Polling - Week 7: Alabama on top
Any way you slice it, Saban's team is No. 1.
I've been voting in CrystalBallRun.com's weekly top 10 poll this season, and for the sake of transparency, I'm going to start publishing my ballot here.
For the record, while I have opinions on the objective strength of teams, I try to rank strictly based on "body of work." My goal is to recognize accomplishment, so I attempt to reward teams that play and beat the best overall competition in the most impressive fashion. As a result, my ballot tends to fluctuate significantly throughout the season, especially early in the year.
CrystalBallRun.com Power Rankings Ballot – Week 7
1. Alabama
2. Stanford
3. Clemson
4. Miami
5. Ohio State
6. Oklahoma
7. Oregon
8. UCLA
9. Michigan
10. Florida State
Just missed the cut: Missouri, Northern Illinois, Texas Tech, Baylor, Louisville
Notes:
*Oregon is starting to look every bit Alabama's equal on the field, but the Crimson Tide's resume to this point is unmatched. 'Bama owns the best win of the season for any team (at Texas A&M) to go along with dominant wins over two solid squads in Virginia Tech and Ole Miss.
*Sure, Oklahoma at No. 6 looks like homerism, something I know all too well. How many other teams out there can claim a double-digit road win over an opponent of Notre Dame's caliber? Beating TCU last weekend helps the Sooners' case. Hell, I'd feel justified homering it up even more at this point.
*Am I overrating Clemson? A win over Georgia in Death Valley is nice, but the rest of the slate so far has been pretty flimsy.
*Yeah, I know – Michigan has generally looked more RichRod than Bo so far. The Wolverines remain undefeated, though, and, again, a win over Notre Dame should count for something.
*Watch out for Florida State. Jimbo Fisher has built a roster nearly as talented as any in the country, and winning at Clemson would qualify as a win nearly on par with what Alabama beating Aggies.
*Games that could have a major effect on next week's rankings:
- Missouri at Georgia;
- Oregon at Washington;
- Michigan at Penn State.
Mizzou, UO and the Wolverines could all make major moves with wins.
*As I said, still a ton of football left to play this season. I imagine these rankings will swing pretty wildly in the next few weeks.