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Have At It: Blog Poll Draft Ballot

You know the drill: Comments and suggestions for revisions will be considered until Tuesday evening, when a final ballot must be submitted for Wednesday's poll. As a reminder--the ballot below reflects a ranking by on-field accomplishments to date. Your own take may vary based on how you value differently the numerous variables in play (home-road splits, margin of victory, etc.). I look forward to your thoughts.

TEAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 SCHED
1. Texas n-OU (+10) MU (+25) @ CU (+24) ARK (+42) RICE (+42)
@ UTEP (+29) FAU (+42) 24
2. Alabama @ UGA (+11) UK (+3) Miss (+4)
n-CLEM (+24) @ ARK (+35) WKY (+34) Tul (+14) 53
3. Penn St Ore St (+31) @ WIS (+41) ILL (+14) UM (+29) @ PUR (+14) TEM (+42) @ SYR (+42) 82
4. USC Ohio St (+32) ORE (+34) @ UVA (+45) ASU (+28) @ WSU (+69) @ Ore St (-6) 13
5. Oklahoma St @ MU (+5) Troy (+31) HOU (+19) BU (+28) A&M (+28) @ WSU (+26) 87
6. Florida LSU (+30) MIA (+23) @ TN (+24) @ ARK (31) HI (+46) MISS (-1) 21
7. Oklahoma TCU (+25) KU (+14) CIN (+26) @ BU (+32) @ WAS (+41) n-TEX (-10) 35
8. Georgia @ S.CAR (+7) VU (+10) @ ASU (+17) TN (+12) C. MICH (+39) ALA (-11) 22
9. Texas Tech NEB (+6) @ KSU (+30) @ NEV (+16) @ AM (+17) MASS (+42) SMU (+36) 103
10. Ohio State @ MSU (+38) MIN (+13) @ WIS (+3) PUR (+13) Troy (+18) Ohio (+12) @ USC (-32) 33
11. Utah Ore St (+3) @ AF (+7) CSU (+33) @ MICH (+2) UNLV (+21) @ Utah St (+48) @ WYO (+33) 86
12. Boise St @ ORE (+5) HI (+20) BGU (+13) LA Tech (+35) @ SMU (+17) 120
13. LSU @ S. Car (+7) @ AUB (+5) Miss St (+10) UNT (+38) @ UF (-30) 64
14. Virginia Tech @ UNC (+3) GT (+3) @ NEB (+5) WKY (+14) BC (-5) @ ECU (-5) 20
15. Pittsburgh @ USF (+5) IA (+1) @ Navy (+21) Buff (+11) @ SYR (+10) BGU (-10) 34
16. TCU BYU (+25) Stan (+14) @ NM (+23) @ CSU (+6) SDSU (+34) @ SMU (+41) @ OU (-25) 78
17. Georgia Tech
@ BC (+3) Miss St. (+31) Duke (+27) @ CLEM (+4) @ VT (-3) 85
18. Missouri @ NEB (+35) n-ILL (+10) NEV (+52) BUF (+21) OK ST (-5) @ TX (-25) 28
19. California
MSU (+7) ASU (+10) CSU (+35) @ WSU (+63) @ UMD (-8) @ AZ (-15) 41
20. North Carolina
CONN (+26) ND (+5) @ MIA (+4) @ RUT (+32) VT (-3) @ UVA (-3) 30
21. Michigan State
NW (+17) ND (+16) IA (+3) @ IU (+13) FAU (+17) @ CAL (-7) @ OSU (-38) 27
22. Vanderbilt S. CAR (+7) @ MISS (+6) AUB (+1) RICE (+17) @ MIA (OH) (+21) @ Miss St (-3) @ UGA (-10) 26
23. Ball State
NAVY (+12) @ IU (+22) @ Akron (+17) @ Toledo (+31) @ WKY (+17) Kent St (+21) 117
24. Minnesota @ ILL (+7) @ BGU (+25) IU (+9) NIU (+14) FAU (34) @ Ohio St (-13)
76
25. Tulsa Rice (+35) NM (+32) UTEP (+42) @UAB (+23) @ SMU (+6) @ UNT (+26) 131

Dropped Out: Brigham Young (#14), Wake Forest (#21), Kansas (#23).

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Comments

Display:

OK ST / USC swap

I gotta beleive you put OK ST undefeated over USC’s loss to Oregon State..

by pleaseplaykindle on Oct 19, 2008 6:01 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Taking this under consideration

It’s really, really close. Oregon State is a good football team (#14 in Sagarin’s predictor ratings), and they have one common opponent with OSU – at Washington State. I’ve been leaning USC by a hair, but I’ll consider a bump.

Of course, they can move to #1 with a win over Texas Saturday.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Oct 19, 2008 6:50 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

True

This discussion is basically academic, since we’ll know after this next saturday where OK ST should be ranked.

by pleaseplaykindle on Oct 19, 2008 7:33 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

who has Ok St beaten?

 I think a serious argument can be made that Ohio State is better than Missouri, and the rest of Okie Lite’s schedule is about as soft as Texas Tech’s. But don’t let anything get in the way of the blind USC hatred.

by andy_wooster on Oct 19, 2008 11:18 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

your logic is flawed

if Ohio State is better than Missouri, and I think you’ll agree that when tOSU played USC, they were not as good as they are now — Boeckman at QB and Wells DNP, but even if tOSU is better, Okie State beat Mizzou (a legit top-15 team at the absolute least) on the road and has blown everyone else they’ve played out of the water. And they don’t have a loss.

So here’s the situation: USC and Okie State each played a good team (let’s say about equal even though I think Mizzou was a better team when they played Okie State than tOSU was when they played USC because of tOSU’s deficiencies at the time). USC won by a lot at home. Okie State won by 5 on the road. Maybe USC’s win is a little more impressive, but not a lot. Each of them has been destroying their other opponents. So what’s the difference? Uh, oh right. USC lost. To Oregon State. You can maybe say that USC’s tougher overall schedule makes up for this loss, as apparently Peter did here.

I personally don’t think so. 5 of the 6 computer models in the BCS agree with me, and the one that doesn’t is Richard Billingsley, the model that HornBrain has pretty effectively shows to be batshit crazy.

by billyzane on Oct 20, 2008 11:07 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   1 recs

I think you've pretty well nailed it, PB

Only issue I would raise is Boise State. What’s that the lawyers say: You could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Well, if you don’t play anybody you shouldn’t lose — and Boise State and Tulsa haven’t — but what does that prove? Your schedule strength has those two ranked 120 and 131. The one I found had ‘em 117 and 120. Kansas (or Vanderbilt or BYU) isn’t more worthy?

by edsp on Oct 19, 2008 6:42 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Boise

Has a road win over Oregon, which I give them quite a bit of credit for.

Vandy is already ranked.

BYU: Has defeated no one of consequence, lucked past Washington, creamed by TCU.

Kansas: No wins of note. I think they’re a good football team, but they need something more on their resume right now.

Tulsa: Straight margin of victory here. There are good arguments against it, but I’m sufficiently impressed with that 42 point hosing of UTEP to give them the hat tip at #25. Won’t move ’em up much or at all with that SOS though.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Oct 19, 2008 6:49 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Am I missing South Florida?

If they’re really not on there, why? Their Kansas win is still better than, say, any of Missouri’s wins. Or Vandy’s wins. Or UNC’s. Or Mich St’s. And their only loss is to your #15. So what am I missing?

Other than that, not sure who UGA, Oklahoma, and UF have beaten to warrant putting them over undefeated TTU.

by Gator Cub on Oct 19, 2008 6:50 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

USF

The Kansas win at home is solid, but… it’s all weak-weak-weak after that. Syracuse, NC State, FIU, UCF? Meh… Their SOS is #84.

Vandy, Michigan State, and UNC all have higher overall quality across their five wins. It’s not “who has the single best win.” It’s who has the best overall resume. I’ve got USF on the brink, right behind the back 10 teams in the poll, each of whom has warts.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Oct 19, 2008 6:56 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I get your point

that it’s not the best win that matters most, but look at, for instance, Georgia Tech. What you just wrote about USF perfectly describes Georgia Tech (with BC playing the role of Kansas), yet they’re 17. Just seemed weird.

OK, I’ll get off USF now.

by Gator Cub on Oct 19, 2008 7:02 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Fair

GT may be too high. Appreciate the feedback.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Oct 19, 2008 7:05 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

well

A win over Lake Travis HS is about as impressive as anything Texas Tech has done so far. I’m not impressed with Florida’s resume, but OU and UGA each have 3-4 wins more impressive than anything Tech has. They each lost to very good teams. Honestly, I struggle to see what makes Tech’s resume that much more impressive than that of Tulsa or Boise State.

by andy_wooster on Oct 19, 2008 11:24 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Cal

The MSU and ASU wins by small margins are looking worse and worse. The Maryland loss looks better but the 8 point margin reflects a late run when the game was no longer in much doubt. They were dominated pretty thoroughly for most of the game.

marshalld

by duras on Oct 19, 2008 8:34 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Don't think Cal or UNC belong any longer

How about Northwestern? FSU?

Life is an Occasion. Rise to it.

by patienthornsfan on Oct 20, 2008 2:07 AM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm the FSU blogger and I'm on the fence about FSU.
  1. 3rd down defense in America, Ponder rapidly improving at QB, but the Wake loss is still there.

Still though, they had 5 starters suspended for the Wake game who ARE now back on the team.

This is a tough team to evaluate.

by FSUncensored on Oct 20, 2008 1:17 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Texas Tech's wins

You have the 16-point win @ Nevada > the 17-point win @ A&M. Ooooh, IT BURNS!!!!

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
- Thomas Jones

by beast in bama on Oct 20, 2008 12:18 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Michigan State

has done what to be ranked ahead of Kansas? The biggest difference I see between their resumes would be that they were blown out of the water (at home no less), while Kansas has at the very least remained ‘in’ every game.

by hiphopopotamus on Oct 20, 2008 2:07 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Maybe it's just me...

…and it might be hard to justify, but I don’t think VaTech deserves to be #14, or even in the top 20 for that matter. They have been competitive every game, but never impressive. I believe Pitt and TCU are currently better, but its hard to find others below them who I think would beat them (thus, hard to justify). Beamer Ball just ain’t gettin it done anymore.

by BigTexBD on Oct 20, 2008 5:28 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

i agree..

i just don’t understand how you are so high just after losing to Boston College. I don’t know how the resume ranking deals w/ this either. Does it not matter when you lose, just who you beat in relation to other teams?

by vy til i die on Oct 20, 2008 6:03 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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