And as I've made clear in the past, I think preseason polls are bunk and should not be slavishly adhered to just because a voter made it so. Case-in-point, why should teams like Wisconsin and Florida stay in the polls after such embarrassing victories? And is Oklahoma, which remained No. 5 in the AP poll after squeaking by UTEP, really an elite team?
Teams that went out of their way to play cupcakes - and then struggle at home - are severely punished. Teams that won against lower-division or lower-level opponents are not rewarded for their victories as much as teams that played tougher foes. Frankly, the landscape of early season college football schedule is downright desolate.
So my Week 1 ballot probably bears little resemblance to my two preseason ballots - and that's a good thing. And if you want to quibble about why I still have USC ahead of Alabama, here's the answer: That was the toughest part of this vote because these are probably the best two teams in the country. But I thought Michigan was overrated going in, so 'Bama's victory is a little bit less impressive in my eyes than for some others.
Here's my Week 1 ballot:
BCS Guru Ballot - Week 1
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | +1 |
| 3 | LSU Tigers | +1 |
| 4 | Oregon Ducks | +1 |
| 5 | West Virginia Mountaineers | +2 |
| 6 | South Carolina Gamecocks | +2 |
| 7 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | +2 |
| 8 | Florida St. Seminoles | -2 |
| 9 | TCU Horned Frogs | +3 |
| 10 | Oklahoma Sooners | -8 |
| 11 | Clemson Tigers | +10 |
| 12 | Michigan St. Spartans | +8 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech Hokies | +5 |
| 14 | Michigan Wolverines | -4 |
| 15 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -1 |
| 16 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | +3 |
| 17 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | +5 |
| 18 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | +7 |
| 19 | Texas Longhorns | -6 |
| 20 | Georgia Bulldogs | -9 |
| 21 | Kansas St. Wildcats | +2 |
| 22 | Boise St. Broncos | -5 |
| 23 | Ohio Bobcats | New |
| 24 | BYU Cougars | New |
| 25 | Stanford Cardinal | -9 |
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings
2 comments:
I love your levelheadedness to the BCS BS, but I have to say you're contradicting yourself a little bit this this week.
Full disclaimer: I'm an Alabama fan. Also, the guy in the next cubicle is a BYU alum/fan and he agreed with your poll (and with me on my point I'm about to make).
Michigan was overrated. Fine, but according to your own poll, they're still ranked 14th. Hawaii on the other hand is nowhere to be seen in any polls - even yours, yet you still have the winners of both games ranked two and one respectively.
Forget the rankings - if USC's 39-point victory over Hawaii more impressive than Alabama's 27-point win over Michigan, then follow up by throwing the Warriors in front of the Wolverines in your own poll... or at least take the kitties out of your list completely.
Leaving Michigan in the poll after your last paragraph just makes it look like you're hedging your bets.
@Danger - You make some good points, and I'll concede that I hate preseason and early season polls, but I don't think I contradicted my own logic.
Just because Alabama destroyed Michigan that doesn't mean Michigan isn't a top 15 or top 25 team. It just means Alabama (and I believe, USC, LSU and Oregon, too) is just better than most of these teams.
I watch all the games and I'm satisfied that USC performed well enough to be No. 1. That can change, as soon as next week. As I said, I'm not wed to my own rankings. Especially early in the season, my ballots are going to be very volatile.
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