Check out how The Plain Dealer's Ohio State beat writer voted on college rankings.
In this January file photo, Alabama running back Mark Ingram, center, holds the championship trophy with his teammates after winning the BCS Championship NCAA college football game against Texas in Pasadena, Calif. This one looks pretty normal. My preseason Associated Press ballot mirrors the overall poll, with Alabama at No. 1, Ohio State at No. 2, Boise State at No. 3 and the rest of the Top 10 pretty similar. I imagine that will soon change.
I'll be voting this season with the same method used last season, which caused some people to consider me an idiot, others to view me as a fool and a handful of fans and analysts to like my way of thinking.
Once the first game is played, with Ohio State hosting Marshall on Thursday, Sept. 2, I'll barely consider this preseason ballot again. Votes will be based virtually entirely on on-field performance, not reputation or preseason ranking.
For example, I think there's a strong chance the Boise State-Virginia Tech winner on Sept. 6 will be my next No. 1 team.
Last year, my top three teams after week one were Alabama, BYU and Oklahoma State, with preseason No. 1 Florida dropping to No. 4 after a 59-point win over Charleston Southern. My goal is to consistently evaluate every team in the country, regardless of the name on the front of the jersey. I won't always get it right. But I'll always know what I'm looking for, whether it's from Tulsa or Texas.
Here is how Doug Lesmerises voted:
1. Alabama; 2. Ohio State; 3. Boise State; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Florida; 6. TCU; 7. Nebraska; 8. Wisconsin; 9. Texas; 10. Iowa; 11. Virginia Tech; 12. Oregon; 13. Arkansas; 14. Miami; 15. Stanford; 16. USC; 17. Georgia; 18. Florida State; 19. North Carolina; 20. West Virginia; 21. Penn State; 22. LSU; 23. Clemson; 24. Pittsburgh; 25. Utah.