Draft 2: Still Taking Feedback
by Peter Bean on Oct 8, 2007 1:58 PM CDT
in Texas Longhorns Football
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PrintLater today we're going to get into some position by position midseason evaluations of the Longhorns. For now, another stab at the Top 25, with feedback from the first go-round considered and applied.
Remember that my analysis tends to rely heavy on a team's resume. If we've learned anything this year, it's that power polling has severe limitations. It's hard to say that you know Team A would beat Team B. Stanford hammered that point home, if there was any lingering doubt.
With so many bizarre results on the field this year, it's getting incredibly difficult to figure this stuff out. If you think someone's resume deserves better consideration than what's indicated below - please let me know. I need all the help I can get here.
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU |  1 |
| 2 | California | 1 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 1 |
| 4 | South Florida | 1 |
| 5 | Boston College | 1 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 3 |
| 7 | Missouri | 3 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 3 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 5 |
| 10 | Oregon | 3 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 4 |
| 12 | Kansas | 5 |
| 13 | Kentucky |  6 |
| 14 | Auburn | 5 |
| 15 | Southern Cal | 14 |
| 16 | Florida State | 5 |
| 17 | Illinois | 9 |
| 18 | Florida | 6 |
| 19 | West Virginia | 3 |
| 20 | Virginia Tech | 6 |
| 21 | Hawaii | 2 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 4 |
| 23 | Connecticut | 2 |
| 24 | Colorado | 2 |
| 25 | Georgia | 9 |
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Problemas
A) That OU can't beat at least three of the teams ahead of them, if not more.
B) That Texas can't beat at least five of the at least 25 teams ahead of them, if not more, right now. Neutral or there.
C) That Wisconsin can't tie its shoelaces, much less chew gum and breathe at the same time. You get some bad cheese or what?
D) That all pollsters are conspiring to have a 50% change in the top 10 every week, although it sure looks that way. You know, if the MOE is 50%, it's not a poll anyway; it's just a guess.
definitley
sorry. but this is very inaccurate. texas should be at least 20 on there or higher
fire greg davis
I would put
Cal at #1.
IMO Cal and Ohio State would beat LSU right now and have looked far more impressive in big games.
If South Carolina had used Smelly in the LSU game they may be at the top right now. Pretty incredible what Spurrier has done. A rematch seems to be on track.
Bigger upset: Appy State over Michigan or The Tree over USC?
I've gotta go with Troy burning down. They have an embarrasement of riches with talent. This would be like Texas losing to Army or a DII school.
No way
LSU is the unanimous #1 across the board and Cal is not even close to them. Now I like Cal alot with very good wins against Oregon and Tennessee, but LSU has even better wins against a great Florida team (even with 2 losses), Virginia Tech., and South Carolina. This LSU team is so good, I could see them running the table, and they have a devastating schedule.
Also, I believe that USC should have at least been dropped to the 20-25 range. The spread was so high, largest difference ever.
USC/Stanford
However, on a resume basis LSU has easily earned the number 1 spot with Cal a strong 2. Even on a power rankings basis I think LSU is a solid 1 at this time, They pounded an MSU team that has held up pretty well since (only 1 other loss - at USC, win at Auburn) obliterated VT which is otherwise undefeated, and were very strong against Spurrier (although they did not dominate the win was more convincing than the final 12 point margin signified). Call me naive but I was impressed by them being the better team against a superbly coached and very talented Florida squat in physically and psycologically brusing game. All credit to Cal for their excellent wins over Tennesse and Oregon but they haven't matched up so far. The passing game is LSU biggest achilles heal right now but with Early Doucet coming back and getting over his injury that should improve. Ohio state just doesn't have enough impressive scalps right now to compete with LSU and Cal for the top spot. With that defense, improving offense and Tressel they are formidable and I'm not sure whom I would take in a game between them and LSU. I like either over Cal because they bears have yet to display in a definitive way the toughness needed to beat these two teams.
i wrote a really long comment
then lost it...twice...when I pressed the wrong button.
basically, here's the gist: if you're strictly resume-ranking, USC is ranked too high. They have done nothing in the games they have won this year to justify keeping them ranked so high after a loss so ridiculously bad as the one on saturday.
take away the name "USC" and their resume is worse than the following teams: Illinois (by a lot); Va Tech; West Fuckin' Virginia; Georgia; and maybe Florida State.
USC has convincingly beaten but not destroyed Idaho; beat the crap out of Washington State, who is 2-4. Barely squeaked by Washington, a team with a losing record; beat Nebraska (a win that is becoming worthless, now that NU has almost lost to Ball State at home and just got DESTROYED by Mizzou this weekend. Oh, and lost to stanford. at home. against stanford's backup qb.
if they weren't "USC," they would be ranked no higher than 20.
I keep thinking this, too
And also thinking that they're better than they've showed. It's a fool's errand, I swear.
Anyway, I've got to bite the bullet and think hard about dropping them further, for exactly the reasons you laid out.
There should be another
category below "dropped out".
It should be "dead to me".
UCLA and Lville would enter that category.
I still can't believe the Bruins couldn't score against the Irish.
Lville is a disaster.
Wisconsin
You know, I have an awfully tough time seeing Wisconsin get mauled for losing a road game to what's now considered a top 20 team by 5. I watched the game, and I've known for the duration of the season that they're not Top 10 material, but if the loss was so awful, then that means Illinois isn't good. But you've got Illinois at #17. Do you honestly think Wisconsin's done worse this year than freaking Connecticut?
(and I don't even like those red-clad rat bastards.)
Wiscy
allowed a D1aa team to put up record numbers against them and if not for a missed interference call would have lost, just like Mich.
They just don't pass the eyeball test, IMO. It is kind of a bogus way to classify teams, I know, but they look, sound, smell and feel like a team on the brink of a 4 game losing skid.
that seems unnecessarily mercurial.
At least for a middle-of-the-season ballot, anyway.
I cannot believe I'm defending them, but what missed interference call is worth more than two touchdowns? Hell, it was 45-24 until the Citadel scored with, like, 15 seconds to play.
It just seems unfathomable that Wisconsin would drop more than USC for what was a far more justifiable "loss."
Whatever happened to:
Boise St? Lose one game at Pac 10 school and get completely ignored. I watched them Maul NMSU last night. Had it been any other BCS team ranked in the 20-25 range it would have looked impressive.
Have we already gone back to thinking they are a bottom rung WAC team that won't challenge Hawaii? How would any of the top 25 feel about playing Boise at a neutral site?
Boise is gettin shunned
Thought long and hard about 'em
They haven't beat anybody, though I've noticed their quality of win. They're on the cusp.
Check out this USC sob vid
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/...
Maybe even for a redirection somewhere on this site
Is South Florida for Real ?
I graduated from UT with a BA but went to grad school at South Florida. Do you guys think South Flordia is for real? I think they should be in the top 20, but really #4? Do you think they could beat more than one or 2 teams in the SEC for example? I never thought I'd see the day in which USF was ranked above UT in football. Now if my med school (North Texas) gets ranked above UT too, I'll know hell has frozen over!
Not that real
The offense is very suspect but the defence is wholly legit and with quality wins over Auburn and West Virginia its hard to rank them bellow somewhere between 6 to 8 at this time.
Generally, as with so much this season, WTF knows? This is pretty easily a top 20, almost certainly a top 15 and quite possibly a top 10 team but you can't rank them this low at this point. To answer your question I think there are at least 3 SEC teams that should be favored against them (LSU, Florida, USC) and I certainly think that Texas is fully capable of beating them although I cant even speculate who should be favored on a neutral field at this time.
The question could become important at the end of the season if USF goes undefeated the issue arises wehether they should play in the MNC games over, say a 1 loss LSU, Cal or possibly even USC. My sense is know but I hesitate to speculate what will happend next week, much less 8 weeks from now.
doesn't matter what we THINK
if they're not for real, they'll lose a game. if they keep winning, then at some point how you've performed is who you are [to paraphrase parcells].
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