zags-not-zogs's Week 12 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | (Prev: 1) Likely the unan #1 |
| 2 | Michigan | (3) Will they return to form? If they do, almost no one can beat them. But they look different right now in a bad way |
| 3 | UConn | (4) The metrics are starting to slide a bit. But the resume is undeniable |
| 4 | Duke | (8) After a slump last week, they bounced back hard this week with a dominant road sweep of Cal and Stanford |
| 5 | Purdue | (5) Two close wins over good teams |
| 6 | Gonzaga | (9) Excellent showing (especially defensively) with 1-2 of their best players out in their games this week. Impressed with the supporting cast. |
| 7 | Houston | (10) Looking better and better. They are beginning to grow into their improvement |
| 8 | Michigan State | (8) Now the #1 defense in the country. A very solid showing this week |
| 9 | Nebraska | (12) Unbeaten Nebrasketball comes for us all. So pumped for them! Metrics are starting to catch up to their resume |
| 10 | Iowa State | (2) Obviously bad showing this week. Still think they are a great team, but they have some reconfiguring to do |
| 11 | Illinois | (13) A "meh" showing this week. But their metrics continue to climb |
| 12 | Texas Tech | (14) Good home stand against BYU! Can they sustain their lack of depth? |
| 13 | Virginia | (16) Impressive sweep of the Louisville and SMU road trip. The Wahoos might be top 10 good at this point in the season |
| 14 | Florida | (17) Rumors of their death were greatly exaggerated. Awesome win at Vandy and Oklahoma |
| 15 | Vanderbilt | (6) My faith in this team is somewhat shaken––mostly from the Texas game. We'll see how they rebound |
| 16 | BYU | (7) I've admittedly been praying on their downfall. But there are some real concerns here, especially in the post |
| 17 | Alabama | (18) Close shave at Oklahoma. Nothing this team does indicates a top 10 caliber. But they seem to fit in the 15-20 range |
| 18 | Kansas | (20) Amazing week for the Jayhawks. Get past the drama! |
| 19 | Saint Louis | (22) Legitimately a very fun team. Hope they can land a good seed |
| 20 | Clemson | (Next 10) Great follow up to last week's performance. |
| 21 | St. John's | (Next 10) Don't look now, but the Johnnies might be reviving their season |
| 22 | Louisville | (21) No shame in losing to UVA. So many teams in this range lost, and I trust the Cards more than most of them |
| 23 | Utah State | (19) You'll drop a few on the road in conference play. That's okay––but don't let it happen too many times |
| 24 | Iowa | (Next 10) Followed up a strong push at Purdue with a drubbing at Indiana |
| 25 | Miami (OH) | (Next 10) Gotta respect the strength of record at this point. Metrics are way behind sadly. But I want them to have their moment in the sun |
Overall Rationale
Dropped out: North Carolina (15), Georgia (23), Arkansas (24), Saint Mary's (25); Next 10: Wisconsin, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas, SMU, Miami (FL), Saint Mary's, Tennessee, North Carolina, Villanova