ItsAesthus's Ballot for Week 6 of 2020-21
Submitted on Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 9:54PM EST
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Gonzaga
|
The clear #1 at the moment. Undefeated with four great wins, and that's without the chance to play Baylor. |
| 2 |
Baylor
|
Until they get a data point outside Illinois, they can't really make a case to surpass Gonzaga, and may have to worry about Kansas. |
| 3 |
Kansas
|
The Zags loss still stings, but a trio of solid wins (Creighton, Texas Tech, West Virginia) give them a solid case. |
| 4 |
Houston
|
The Texas Tech win continues to speak volumes, but as with Baylor, one good win can only get you so far. |
| 5 |
Wisconsin
|
They've looked like a top-five team in eight of nine games. But that Marquette loss is still a huge black mark to overcome. |
| 6 |
Villanova
|
Much like Wisconsin, they've looked elite outside a loss that still seems nebulous. |
| 7 |
Iowa
|
The top two-loss team in the rankings, it's hard to hold the Gonzaga loss against Iowa, and the Minnesota loss seems fine sa well. |
| 8 |
Texas
|
An off week for one of the most enjoyable teams in college basketball. Maybe Shaka can coach the Alamo Bowl too? |
| 9 |
Tennessee
|
Still undefeated...but the Cincinnati win has bolted from their list of meaningful ones, leaving Colorado their only data point. |
| 10 |
West Virginia
|
Their only win that *wasn't* close this year came against...Richmond. Meanwhile, their two losses are to #1 and #3. ¯\_(?)_/¯ |
| 11 |
Creighton
|
Like Wiscy, watching desperately in hopes Marquette will turn into a quality loss again. The only difference is an extra loss, to Kansas. |
| 12 |
Rutgers
|
OSU put the first dent in Rutgers's Cinderella season, but the Syracuse and Illinois wins are getting better all the time. |
| 13 |
Xavier
|
Close-game specialists, Xavier are, with six of nine wins coming in crunch time. But hey, if you win, you win, and the Musketeers do. |
| 14 |
San Diego State
|
The BYU loss looks just fine, the UCLA/ASU/St Mary's wins look excellent, and SDSU is picking up right where they left off last year. |
| 15 |
Missouri
|
I'm sure I speak for everybody when I say Missouri's just confusing. 6-0 w/wins over ORE, WICH, and ILL—but escapes from LIB and BRAD. |
| 16 |
Michigan
|
The Pittsburgh Steelers of college basketball, except they haven't reached the losing part of their arc. Yet. |
| 17 |
Michigan State
|
I know, I know...but their losses are to two one-loss teams, they've got a decent Duke W, and they're an Izzo team. Don't count them out. |
| 18 |
Ohio State
|
I remain unconvinced by Ohio State, but the Rutgers win is glittering and their losses are strong. Lots of close wins...but lots of wins. |
| 19 |
Northwestern
|
Northwestern! It's too early to call them the Big Ten frontrunner, or even a clear contender, but they've shocked the world so far. |
| 20 |
Texas Tech
|
Pretty much none of their seven wins stand out (except the too-tight one over Abilene Christian), but they lost well to two top-five teams. |
| 21 |
Illinois
|
The only three-loss team sniffing the rankings, yes, but the losses are all to top-15 squads. Add Duke & Indiana wins and they're worthy. |
| 22 |
Oregon
|
Turns out 1-1 with a bad Mizzou loss was a tad misleading. Still no good wins, but they're on a roll, and Oregon can always be trusted. |
| 23 |
BYU
|
Add a spicy SDSU win. Mix with quality losses to USC and...Boise State? Sure. Season lightly with a 9-2 record. Serve hot entering WCC play. |
| 24 |
Minnesota
|
The Big Ten's full of fun stories this year, and Minnesota has risen to the fore quickly with wins over St Louis and, on Christmas, Iowa. |
| 25 |
St. Louis
|
Richmond's upset loss to Hofstra put St Louis solidly in the A-10 lead, and with the MINN loss looking good, they're back in the top 25. |