Another week means another revision to the ACC Bowl Projections! Here they are:
Bowl Game | Last Week | This Week |
---|---|---|
Orange Bowl (ACC Champ) | FSU (9-3, 7,-1) |
FSU (9-3, 7-1) |
Chick-fil-A Bowl ACC #2 v. SEC 3/4/5 | Miami (8-4, 6-2) | Miami (9-3, 6-2) |
Champs Sports Bowl ACC #3 v. BE #2/ ND | VT (8-4, 6-2) | VT (8-4, 6-2) |
Sun Bowl ACC #4 v. Pac 10 #4 | NCST (8-4, 5-3 ) | NCST (8-4, 5-3) |
Meineke Car Care Bowl ACC #5 v. Big East #3 | Clemson (7-5, 4-4) | Clemson (7-5, 4-4) |
Music City Bowl ACC #6 v. SEC 6/7/8 | GT (7-5, 5-3) | GT (7-5, 5-3) |
Independence Bowl ACC #7 v. MWC #3 | UNC (7-5, 4-4) | UNC (7-5, 4-4) |
EagleBank Bowl ACC #8 v. Army or C-USA #6 | BC (6-6, 4-4) | BC (6-6, 3-5) |
Fight Hunger Bowl #9 | MD (6-6, 3-5) | MD (6-6, 3-5) |
I included last week's projections so you can see the changes. After the poor performance against BC and the health issues of the team, FSU will keep the 9-3 projection for now. As you can see, almost no change this week. BC and Maryland will have to fight hard to make it to a bowl.
Inside, find the BlogPoll!
I will be taking over the BlogPoll for the foreseeable future. I can tell you, it is a time consuming exercise using the rules that still apply below. The many shakeups this week, proved to make it as challenging as it was last week for Bud.
This 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 players or what 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 poor 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. TCU and Boise only move up because of what happened to teams in front of them. To a lesser extent the same is true with FSU. Boise State and TCU will, however, continue to slip as the season moves along. FSU can hold on to their spot or move up if they keep winning and other teams don't earn jumping them.
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.
Change my mind using the criteria above.
TomahawkNation Ballot - Week 8
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
Teams not ranked last week: Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Teams that have dropped out: NC State, Nevada, Florida
Should Boise St., FSU, or TCU be that high? Oregon State lost to Washington. How much should Boise St. and TCU be penalized?