CBS Sports BlogPoll Week 5 Ballot Draft- Updated
by Bud Elliott on Sep 29, 2009 3:49 PM EDT
in FSU Football
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PrintThis is not a power poll. I don't attempt to rank teams based on how good I think they are. I only rank teams based on their resume. What have they done? Not how talented are their payers or how other polls project them to do, but what have they done?The poll is designed to be dynamic. I try to start from scratch every week. I do attempt to reward teams for "quality losses", while punishing them for bad performances. I do not give excessive credit for stomping horrible teams. I reward quality play, win or lose, particularly against other good teams. I am not bumping team A 10 spots and docking team B 10 spots when team A beats team B by a field goal in what was essentially an equally played game.I like to reward playing well against good teams, win or lose, and punish losing to poor teams more harshly than I reward defeating poor teams. To that end, Cincinnati and Boise will probablynot climb higher in my poll for the rest of the year.
I Reward Grinders. I reward those who play difficult schedules. Teams that play a tough team every week don't get to spend extra time preparing for their tough games, and they also don't face the attrition other teams face because they are able to pull their starters in blowouts. Fewer plays for important players reduces the chance those players will get injured.
So, my top 25, after the jump, with explanations. You have 12 hours to change my mind. Please do so within the context of my parameters.
I give a lot of weight to teams who travel cross country and win, as we've seen much better teams attempt the feat and consistently lose to poor teams. So Cincinnati, Cal, FSU, LSU, and UCLA get credit there.
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| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | |
| 2 | Houston | |
| 3 | Florida | |
| 4 | Cincinnati | |
| 5 | Iowa | |
| 6 | Miami (Florida) | |
| 7 | Boise State | |
| 8 | Georgia | |
| 9 | Texas | |
| 10 | Michigan | |
| 11 | California | |
| 12 | LSU | |
| 13 | South Carolina | |
| 14 | UCLA | |
| 15 | Auburn | |
| 16 | North Carolina | |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | |
| 18 | Oregon | |
| 19 | Georgia Tech | |
| 20 | Missouri | |
| 21 | Wisconsin | |
| 22 | Southern Cal | |
| 23 | Ohio State | |
| 24 | Arizona | |
| 25 | Nebraska | |
| Last week's ballot | ||
I took your suggestions and came up with this:
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| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | |
| 2 | Houston | |
| 3 | Iowa | |
| 4 | Cincinnati | |
| 5 | Florida | |
| 6 | Boise State | |
| 7 | Texas | |
| 8 | Miami (Florida) | |
| 9 | Georgia | |
| 10 | Michigan | |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | |
| 12 | LSU | |
| 13 | South Carolina | |
| 14 | California | |
| 15 | Auburn | |
| 16 | Oregon | |
| 17 | Georgia Tech | |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | |
| 19 | Missouri | |
| 20 | UCLA | |
| 21 | Wisconsin | |
| 22 | Southern Cal | |
| 23 | Ohio State | |
| 24 | Nebraska | |
| 25 | Arizona | |
| Last week's ballot | ||
51 comments
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Comments
Spetman is designing his schedule with you in mind...
He woke up one morning thinking “If FSUn were doing the polls, how could I get him to vote for me…?”
I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I only lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.
Elayne Boosler
You're clearing giving Cal credit
for beating Maryland and traveling to Minnesota to win there, but 42-3 is a hell of a score to ignore.
Also, Oregon hasn’t had a particularly easy schedule. While they looked like crap at Boise St., a road game against a good team to start the season can be forgiven when your other wins are over Purdue, a decent Utah team, and 39 points over Cal.
If you ignore the Cal-Oregon game, maybe Cal could be justified 7 spots over Oregon, since they have comparable schedules and Oregon lost one. But factor in the incredible beatdown on Saturday and I don’t know how you keep Cal that high above Oregon.
Noted
Cal will move down.
Oregon was majorly outplayed by Purdue.
I will move Oregon up and Cal down. That’s the goal of this exercise- reader involvement.
The same arguments apply to Miami-VaTech.
Comparable schedules, both lost to good teams, one got embarrassed by the other.
see there I sort of disagree
VT was dominated by Bama and coinflipped Nebraska.
I might move VT up but Miami’s resume is impressive to me so far.
I guess
I’m still of the belief that VaTech is the only team Miami has played that has an actual defense. And Miami’s win over FSU could have gone either way, and probably should have gone the other way. The GaTech win is a good win, but I still don’t think Miami has done enough—until and unless they play a good game against Oklahoma—to be ranked that high after getting whooped that thoroughly by VaTech.
Good point about the Nebraska game, though. VaTech is a team that would be amazing if only it had an offense.
USF?
Why no USF? Beat a team on the road that you had fairly high on last week’s poll.
oklahoma state
Needs to be in there. They beat a top 10 team in Georgia and lost to your number 2. The georgia win earns them a spot in the poll somewhere.
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 4:29 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
point is
You can’t have Houston so high if you don’t consider okie state a top 25 team…especially with their convincing victory over Georgia.
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 4:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
why is UCLA so high?
Their marquee win was at home against a lower-tier se c club. Did they beat someone else that is relevant?
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 4:47 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Not saying where they should be ranked
but they beat the vols in Tennessee
Not an alcoholic, just an FSU grad.
by onebarrelrum on Sep 29, 2009 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions
my mistake
I still think 20-25 range is more accurate.
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 4:51 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
UNC should be unranked
Best win was a squeaker at UConn. They just got destroyed by GT. Unranked for now.
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 5:14 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
serious question;
Who has the better profile: UNC or Arizona?
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 5:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Really now?
Iowa and Michigan the class of the Big Ten? Followed by Wiscy? This is so far out of whack it’s difficult to figure out where to begin. Cincy has a great coach – he’d be better at FSU than Jimbo, but who have they playe d and they have no defense, Iowa and UNC can be put in the same mediocre boat, Texas needs to be in your top 3, remove Houston to your bottom five – they will lose two of their next four……….and MNichigan, I’m still laughing at RichRod crying at his news conference on tv a couple weeks ago – give me a break – they stink.
It's about what your team has done to date
Thinking Houston should be lower because you feel they will lose some games does not take away from the fact that they have beaten everyone on their schedule, including a then top 10 team in Ok. St.
OSU had their chance AT HOME against a top ten team, and lost. Iowa went on the road against a top 10 team and took care of business. As of this week, I would say Iowa is the class of the Big Ten.
by basbalstr101 on Sep 29, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll take OSU over Iowa
Not to be a homer or anything but Iowa has no chance against the Buckeye defense. Probably the best defense they’ve had since the 2002 national championship. Penn State is over-rated and Iowa seems to have their number and Arizona is squat.
by OhioStateMike on Sep 29, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions
beginning of the post...
says this top25 is based on what they’ve actually done so far, not perception.
It doesnt really matter if OSU will beat Iowa, because that game hasn’t happened yet
by NorthernHaze on Sep 29, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions
not to be a homer or anything
but FSU’s offense is the best it has been in probably 6-8 years, and our defense is the fastest ever. I think the games so far were just bad luck and we’ll probably win the rest of our games, except maybe UF because Tebow won the heisman two years ago. I think we belong in the top 10.
by NorthernHaze on Sep 30, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
WHEW, you scared me for a second haze
I thought you might be serious until I saw your post right above this last one….hahah you funny guy…
I know your an Alabama Law Student
BUT…do you think Alabama’s wins against Arkansas and VT are more impressive than Iowas wins over Arizona and Penn State?
Thats a tough one for me. I would tend to give Iowa the nod as I think Penn St > VT and Arizona > Arkansas.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
Yes, because of the dominating nature
Bama out gained VT by 300 yards.
They held Arkansas to 7 points, the same Arkansas that put 41 on UGA.
I take into account quality of play when discussing quality of win or loss.
Are you also taking Florida's dominance over Troy, Charleston So.
and Kentucky into consideration when you put them over Iowa? Not sure any of that is relevant against those schools.
I read the “dominating VT article” so you don’t need to link it again, but when it takes 18 points in the 4th quarter to win, I tend to take a little bit of credibility away from that. A win is a win, but you can dominate all you want in the middle of the field, but when you get into the red-zone 3 different times and get stopped, I tend to question it.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
The same Troy team
that allowed 31 points against Bowling Green and 27 and Arkansas St.?
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
Good Job getting a rough draft together though.
Are you still being voted as having the craziest ballot?
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
Last week TN had the 2nd craziest ballot
but the rule they put in play of 5 deviation points seems to have go by the wayside since all of the top 5 craziest ballots all had > 6 deviation points.
Maybe I'm remembering the new rule wrong then
it was 4 weeks ago (→ your fault for not filling out a ballot for a couple of weeks ;) )
They are a 1A team
I am counting it, though obviously the beatdown isn’t like going and crushing Kentucky 31-0 on the road.
Not to really keep piling on
to my argument, but UGA hasn’t really stopped anyone from scoring this year.
Anyway, not really sure why i’m bidding for Iowa so hard.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
last point
I think Miami is still too high, given the beating VT took and the FSU loss to USF. I’d slide them down to 11-13 or so.
Nice work overall, I always enjoy these.
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 5:56 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
should read the beating VT gave them
by Zach_Nole on Sep 29, 2009 5:59 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Where is TCU in this?
They dominated the two teams they should dominate, Virginia and Texas State, and then went into Clemson and held ‘em to only 10 points. I know it wasn’t a dominating victory, and Clemson’s offense is just plain stupid, but they are a very talented football team playing at home.
I’d personally take out one of these one losers who have a similar schedule but lost a comparable Clemson-like game.
Texas State is 1AA
so no credit there. Maybe I’ll replace Nebraska with TCU.
by Bud Elliott on Sep 30, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I see you there
And maybe Nebraska would be a good candidate.
The question is, if a team plays 1 quality opponent and wins, is that worth more than 2 quality opponents and breaking even?
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