willweaverrva's Week 8 Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Michigan and Arizona are both on a whole other level compared to a lot of the other teams listed here. I reviewed their resumes and Michigan has a better SOS, but it's almost a wash. |
| 2 | Arizona | |
| 3 | Gonzaga | Gonzaga is back. Their only loss is to Michigan, who have basically been stomping everyone recently. |
| 4 | UConn | |
| 5 | Iowa State | |
| 6 | Purdue | |
| 7 | Duke | |
| 8 | Houston | |
| 9 | Vanderbilt | Vandy, BYU, and Michigan State all won, but there's something to be said about good wins over two top-75 opponents, including an absolute thrashing of Wake Forest on the road. |
| 10 | BYU | BYU once again appears to be an offensive powerhouse and will be fun to watch when Big 12 play starts in January. |
| 11 | Michigan State | Izzo is doing Izzo things, but I still don't understand how they nearly lost to a team as bad as Penn State. |
| 12 | Nebraska | Nebrasketball is legit! |
| 13 | North Carolina | This feels a bit high, but wins over Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio State seem to justify it. |
| 14 | Louisville | Pat Kelsey has some things to work on before ACC play starts. |
| 15 | Alabama | This feels too high for a team with 3 losses. I reevaluated Alabama and Kansas and moved Alabama up - their only losses are to top-5 teams in KenPom. |
| 16 | Kansas | |
| 17 | Virginia | I still can't get used to UVA actually having offense, but that's what Ryan Odom brings to the table. I think the Hoos will contend in ACC play. |
| 18 | Arkansas | |
| 19 | Texas Tech | |
| 20 | USC | |
| 21 | Illinois | |
| 22 | Iowa | |
| 23 | Kentucky | New to ballot. I was hesitant to rank a 4-loss team but they've had two straight wins over very tough opponents. I think Mark Pope has righted the ship. |
| 24 | Seton Hall | New to ballot. This is a bit of a reevaluation. Georgia really hasn't beaten anybody and has only played one top-75 opponent. Seton Hall, on the other hand, is in the midst of a renaissance. |
| 25 | Villanova | New to ballot. The Wildcats are showing some surprising toughness and might be a sleeper in the Big East. |
Overall Rationale
DROPPED FROM BALLOT: Auburn (22), Georgia (24), St. John's (25). NEW THIS WEEK: Kentucky, Seton Hall, Villanova. ALMOST FAMOUS: 26. Georgia, 27. Saint Louis, 28. Tennessee, 29. Utah State, 30. Auburn.