It isnt always giving the benefit of the doubt, most of the time it's where the voters are located.

Example:
The state of Kansas has one voter. It's Tom Keegan, the sports editor of the Lawrence Journal World. The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, so quite obviously, he is a fan of KU and not a fan of their rival KSU (located in Manhattan, KS).

Catch my drift?

 

were still sitting right there in 2 waiting on a chance at the national championship.