The Bull Gator Week 3 BlogPoll Top 25

The first thing you’ll notice is no deltas throughout the poll. You can thank little to no connection on the 45th floor of a Chicago hotel last weekend for that. Because even cell phones barely worked, I wasn’t able to submit a ballot, so this is where I come in for week 3.

Discuss in the comments section if you wish, but be sure to if you feel strongly about certain teams. Every week, I take any comments into account and make sure those are the teams I’m taking a closer look at when they play. Remember, the goal (as hard as it may be early in the season) is to look at results, not who you might think will go all the way. That’s why I have LSU as the nation’s top team. To me, they have the most impressive win so far in this young season.

Yes, I’m a Florida fan. And yes, I have the Gators higher than they are in the polls. In the AP, Florida comes in at no. 16 and in the Coaches no. 17. The reason for this is because the Gators are behind Michigan State in both polls and Ohio State in one. I have them at no. 15 ahead of both of those Big Ten programs. The Buckeyes were easy to pass. They beat a Toledo team that isn’t half bad, but the win was too close for comfort. Even the Spartans were an easy choice to put below the Gators. The teams have a near identical win – Florida over FAU 41-3 and Michigan State over those same Owls 44-0. The Spartans other win was a 28-6 victory over Youngstown State. The Gators definitely get the edge thanks to their 39-0 victory over UAB. In fact, it seems sort of ridiculous that Florida would be behind Michigan State in any poll.

And then there’s Oregon. The team with the loss. It’s always hard to figure out where to put teams with losses early in the season. First thought is that they lost and shouldn’t be ranked. There are plenty of teams that haven’t lost yet, so why should they take the spot of one of those. Then there’s who they lost to. LSU was no. 8 in my preseason poll, won convincingly over last season’s national title runner-up, and then had a big win over a much lesser opponent. As I said above, the Tigers have the most impressive win in the country so far, therefore they get the top spot. So where do I put the Ducks who lost to my top team? At the moment, that’s one spot ahead of the Gators. Oregon comes in at no. 14, but I debated anywhere between about 12 and 20. With Missouri State up next on the schedule for the Ducks, next week won’t settle this debate. Let me know where you would put the green and yellow team with the loss.

Finally, here’s the ballot…

The Bull Gator Ballot – Week 3

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