Syracuse University Logofalconlover79's Ballot for Week 9 of 2016-17

Submitted on Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 10:17PM EST
RankTeamReason
1 Villanova University Logo Villanova It's not easy to win 20 games in a row but Nova has done it. They are undoubtedly the best team in America.
2 Baylor University Logo Baylor OU may be on a down year, but Baylor's thrashing of the Sooners is still impressive. Add it to the list of impressive Baylor wins.
3 University of Kansas Logo Kansas Until further notice, the Big 12 runs through Lawrence. Teams are gonna have to win at the Phog if a new B12 champ is to be crowned.
4 Gonzaga University Logo Gonzaga A quiet 14-0 for the Zags. This team has more talent than I've ever seen Mark Few have.
5 University of Kentucky Logo Kentucky A big blowout of Ole Miss in their 1st SEC game. It'll be interesting to see who, if anybody, contests Kentucky for the conference title.
6 West Virginia University Logo West Virginia Huggins is quietly putting together a great squad. Their win over a solid Oklahoma State team proves that.
7 University of California, Los Angeles Logo UCLA No shame in losing on the road against Oregon. Time to bounce back against the NorCal schools.
8 Duke University Logo Duke Controversial opinion: I don't like Grayson Allen. Uncontroversial opinion: Duke will still be fine after losing to VT.
9 University of Louisville Logo Louisville Tough loss to Virginia but following it with a good neutral-site win means the Cards don't fall far.
10 University of Wisconsin-Madison Logo Wisconsin A solid jump for the Badgers mostly due to losses to teams in front of them.
11 Florida State University Logo Florida State Exciting times for Seminole fans. Bacon was a star against Virginia and the team showed resolve under pressure.
12 Creighton University Logo Creighton They hung tough for a while against Villanova but fell off late. This team still has serious potential.
13 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Logo North Carolina This is a confusing team. Their resume now has multiple strange losses to go alongside the solid wins.
14 University of Arizona Logo Arizona A nice week for the Wildcats. Cal is a good win and then they demolished Stanford on the road. The Pac 12 has some serious contenders.
15 University of Oregon Logo Oregon I've been skeptical about this squad because of early losses but they finally showed glimpses of their preseason top-5 ranking this week.
16 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Logo Virginia Tech Blacksburg is buzzing after the big Duke win. This team needs to keep the momentum going through a tough stretch of games.
17 University of Virginia Logo Virginia The Malcolm Brogdon-shaped hole in this team is visible and the Hoos need to figure out how to adapt.
18 Saint Mary's College of California Logo Saint Mary's The Gaels have 2 decently challenging games upcoming this week, two wins will set up a huge game against the Zags next week.
19 University of Cincinnati Logo Cincinnati Should be an interesting week for the Bearcats as Houston and SMU are 2 dark horses in the AAC.
20 University of Notre Dame Logo Notre Dame One of the few ACC favourites to win their opening game, the Irish will be tested by Louisville and Clemson this week.
21 Xavier University Logo Xavier We'll see if the Musketeers can be the ones to knock off Villanova. They have the talent to do it.
22 Purdue University Logo Purdue A shocking loss to the Gophers, and not an easy week to bounce back with.
23 University of Southern California Logo USC The undefeated season is gone but the Trojans can still achieve a lot in the Pac 12 this season.
24 Butler University Logo Butler Inexcusable loss to St. John's for the bulldogs. They have a huge chance to redeem themselves on Wednesday against Villanova.
25 University of Florida Logo Florida Underrated win against Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena. Next 5: K-State, Minnesota, Clemson, Indiana, Miami (FL)