Just a week ago I was delving into preseason AP voter data and asking questions about their accuracy. I also noted that there were important questions about the data that were yet unanswered, but remain important.
Alas, no more! The fine folks at markmaybewrong emailed me to say that they were examining this very question. They've just posted Part 1 of their study, and it doesn't disappoint. Among the surprising findings: roughly 40% of teams ranked in the preseason AP Poll do not finish ranked. That may not seem surprising, but I expected the number to be lower. In this decade, the number has been even higher - 47% of preseason ranked teams have finished the season outside the rankings.
Also surprising: The AP preseason pollsters have correctly pegged the national champion 10 times. That's not a number to be scoffed at.
Head on over to markmaybewrong for more goodies.
--PB--