BlogPollin' Week 8 Draft: Ballot Fever Edition

by Horn Brain on Oct 26, 2009 9:33 AM CDT in Football Comment 17 comments

Peter has asked me to take over Blog Poll duties for the foreseeable future. Aside from basically guaranteeing BON the "Mr. Manic-Depressive" award for the biggest swing from week-to-week, it means I'll be needing your help to point out my horrific oversights while we get this process started. Add to that the fact that my brain is on "simmer" from what I think is my third case of Swine Flu in a month, and your criticisms are appreciated -- HB.

Rank	Team

1	Florida
2	Texas
3	Alabama
4	Cincinnati
5	TCU
6	Iowa
7	Boise State
8	Southern Cal
9	LSU
10	Oregon
11	Oklahoma State
12	Penn State
13	Georgia Tech
14	Houston
15	Virginia Tech
16	Utah
17	Pittsburgh
18	Miami (Florida)
19	West Virginia
20	Ohio State
21	South Carolina
22	Oklahoma
23	Central Michigan
24	Arizona
25	Mississippi

Desperate attempts at self-justification after the break.

Top 3: Texas sits at number two because the offense has finally shown signs of life. Alabama certainly has better wins overall, but the more and more dismal showings from their offense won't allow me to hold in my head the thought that Colt and co. couldn't outscore them. Florida is #1 because of WILL TO WIN!!! Though I was unimpressed with Tebow's two blown tackle attempts.
Top 10: Southern Cal doesn't get as much credit from me because they're too inconsistent. Early in the year they were winning with defense, now their defense is swooning and they're riding the arm of a true freshman. That only gets you so far in a season. The undefeated teams are definitely up for debate. LSU and Oregon are tied.
I don't have the energy to explain why the muddle-gump below #10 exists the way it does. Give me a good argument and I'll be listening.

So there it is. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go puke my guts out.

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Welcome to Target, uh, target

That is now your daily attire, HB, as a certified poll voter. To that end . . .

USC and Pittsburgh are too low. Boise State is too high. Even with L Jones at QB, would anybody from 11 to 21 be capable of beating OU? Methinks not.

by edsp on Oct 26, 2009 9:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

How about Miami (18)?

I bet they’d have a good shot at winning.

by notsofst on Oct 26, 2009 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i agree!

as much as i cant stand ou i dont think most of the top 15 teams could stop their aggressive defense, i just cant understand how when we have a tough time beating ou(who was ranked no.20) we get dropped in the polls, but when bama does it(to an unranked team) the media talks of how heroic their last play was?? aftee watching both florida&bama play i know we would beat them like they stole somethin!!

All I want for Christmas is for Texas to move to the SEC and destroy those overrated chumps!!!

by OkcityHornFan on Oct 26, 2009 10:07 AM CDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

I think TCU is #4. Their D is rock solid and they are consistent.

I agree with both on OU.

infieldelephant.com

by Infield Elephant on Oct 26, 2009 10:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree, TCU should be swapped with Cincy.

Both on resume and based on if you line them up TCU should have the edge because of that vicious D.

by ctex80 on Oct 26, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Iowa is the obvious...

…. #4. Their SoS is the country’s #4 and they are undefeated. Iowa has played 6 opponents from a BCS Conference, while TCU has played only 2 BCS conference opponents. Iowa has played 3 opponents with fewer than 3 losses. TCU only 1.

Oklahoma State is so over-rated. They have played only 1 team with fewer than 3 losses and lost the game to Houston 35-45. They struggled to win at A&M.

GaTech has lost their last game and belongs in the #11 slot. Push Oklahoma State down to #13, maybe lower.

Pittsburgh lost to 3-4 NCState, one of only 2 ACC teams without a conference win. Let’s see how they do against Notre Dame, W.Virginia and Cinci.

Ohio State hasn’t allowed more than 27 points this season. They’ve pitched 2 shutouts and lost to USC by only 3. The game @Purdue was an anomaly. They’ve allowed an average of 13.1 pts./game – less than our 13.6. They have to be right behind VaTech.

--- All roads to the Big-XII Championship lead through OU/RRS. It's not just another game! We're all about championships here. ---

by HornChamps on Oct 26, 2009 10:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

BCS Conferences

“Iowa has played 6 opponents from a BCS Conference, while TCU has played only 2 BCS conference opponents.”
That is the most irrelevant fact I’ve ever read.

by bevoluble on Oct 26, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

The UT community would be wise to cease with the assumption that we needn’t worry about Iowa. A win at the Shoe will give them a surge in the human polls, and they’re already quite a bit ahead in the computers.

by BrooklynHorn on Oct 26, 2009 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I dont buy it

A win means they beat a three loss team, and HC will tell you that means nothing. I don’t see them jumping an undefeated Texas. While their SoS might help them a little in the human polls, if there are only three undefeated BCS teams, the computers will not have much spacing between the three by the end of the year, and the humans would have to admit they were wrong when they had Texas at #2 and Iowa at #21. Right or wrong, there are too many voters out there who think you have to lose to lose your spot.

by Wells on Oct 26, 2009 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sit back and watch.....

…. the power of the computers. That big of a lead can trump both human polls.

It would be great if we had something besides 3-loss (or worse) teams on our schedule, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, Mack rode his pat hand of a pair of dueces, rather than work hard to sub (6-2) Wisconsin for UCF.

--- All roads to the Big-XII Championship lead through OU/RRS. It's not just another game! We're all about championships here. ---

by HornChamps on Nov 1, 2009 7:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Iowa had to block two FG attempts to beat FCS Northern Iowa!

Iowa might have 6 opponents from a BCS conference but they have that stellar 17-16 victory over an FCS school. I am willing to forgive teams their early season struggles (and on the flip side not overly stress early season victories…Boise State wouldn’t beat Oregon if the game were played this week), but Iowa barely beat Arkansas St just three weeks ago (a mediocre Nebraska beat them 38-9)! And how can OSU be overrated for having trouble with A&M, but Iowa is the obvious #4 after barely beating Northern Iowa, Arkansas St, and Michigan State?

Play on the field does have to matter at some point and the voters will likely be called on to balance out Iowa’s computer numbers by pushing more deserving teams ahead of them in the polls if their play on the field doesn’t improve. Another close victory and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oregon pass them should they beat USC. By season’s end there could be two one-loss teams ahead of them in the polls, which will render their computer numbers mostly meaningless when it comes to getting close to one of the top spots.

by Rickyspub on Oct 26, 2009 12:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Your form of "logic" has me...

…. giggling.

You want to make the claim of, “Boise State wouldn’t beat Oregon if the game were played this week”, which was Oregon’s season opener. In the same breath you hold Iowa’s season opener with Northern Iowa against them in the biggest of ways. Totally hilarious!

Iowa has defeated 5-2 Arizona, 7-1 Penn State and 5-2 Wisconsin. EVERY single team we’ve defeated this season has at least 3 losses. You’re right, play on the field does matter.

Strength of Schedule:

Iowa
Florida
Alabama
Texas

--- All roads to the Big-XII Championship lead through OU/RRS. It's not just another game! We're all about championships here. ---

by HornChamps on Oct 26, 2009 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Reading comprehension...

I said that Iowa’s early season struggle with Northern Iowa, wasn’t completely excusable when you add in their more recent struggles against Ark St. and MSU. There is a pattern there that belies judging that game in a vacuum much les judging them purely on their strength of schedule (Penn State hasn’t exactly beat a murder’s row for their 7 victories). I could care less if they win out by last second touchdowns, that will cost them with human voters and the computers won’t be able to make a difference.

If it gets enough play then perhaps they will allow margin of victory back into the computers since as it stands the computers are hamstrung. (There’s a reason that Sagarin says his ‘Predictor’ model is a better tool for picking winners than the neutered one he has to submit to the BCS.)

by Rickyspub on Oct 26, 2009 4:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the elephant in the room...

…is Texas at #2. I don’t see how anybody who’s watched Alabama and Florida over the past few weeks can realistically claim that Texas isn’t better than both of them. I absolutely love our chances against either one if we don’t screw the pooch between now and the MNC game.

Really? Does my signature suck?

by adt2 on Oct 26, 2009 1:04 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

I'm quite sure...

that Alabama fans who’ve watched Texas play Wyoming, Colorado, and OU (and after what happened Saturday in Lubbock, you might throw Tech in that mix as well) would say the same about our being ranked ahead of them.

by BrooklynHorn on Oct 26, 2009 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Three things

1) C’mon HB, you know you want to rank Oregon above USC. Just a little swap. It won’t hurt, I promise. The Boise vs. Washington factor is a differentiator.

2) I believe Iowa’s opponents are a collective 18 games above .500, with Florida next up among the undefeated with 2 games above .500. Those kinds of aggregates are only useful in the abstract, but they seem kind of low to me. Yes, they don’t win in convincing fashion, but thus far they win. I’m not sure what it takes to kill them at this point, but if we play them in January I wouldn’t be surprised to see Muschamp drive a stake through Kirk Ferentz daywalker heart just to be sure.

3) I like the fighting Lefevours. He’s a great QB and they are the class of the MAC. Their crowing achievement is also beating Sparty by 2 in East Lansing, and losing the the Zona squad behind them. I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I think you’ve slighted Notre Dame in the bottom of your poll.

proud to swim home

by learned hand on Oct 26, 2009 2:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs