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. To that end, Boise will probably not climb much higher in my poll for the rest of the year because they don't really play anyone. And if they don't blow out the weak competition every week, they will start to slip in addition to not climbing.
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 my criteria if you can.
Notes: Should Florida State still be ranked? Just kidding. Texas drops 11 for getting rocked by Oklahoma. Rutgers earns the 25 spot. Not a horrible resume and a close loss to North Carolina. Anyone ranked too high? Too low? Should Florida or Auburn still be ranked? Let me know your input before then end of tomorrow and the poll can be updated. Also, the games for the Tomahawk Nation College Pick'em have been selected. No Thursday night games but plenty of match-ups.
Tomahawk Nation Ballot - Week 7
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 4 | Clemson Tigers | -- |
| 5 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 6 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | -- |
| 7 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | -- |
| 8 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 9 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 10 | Oregon Ducks |
 1 |
| 11 | West Virginia Mountaineers |
2 |
| 12 | Michigan Wolverines | -- |
| 13 | North Carolina Tar Heels |
1 |
| 14 | Arkansas Razorbacks |
7 |
| 15 | Illinois Fighting Illini |
2 |
| 16 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
7 |
| 17 | Kansas St. Wildcats |
7 |
| 18 | Arizona St. Sun Devils | -- |
| 19 | Baylor Bears | -- |
| 20 | Virginia Tech Hokies |
 -1 |
| 21 | Texas Longhorns |
-11 |
| 22 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -- |
| 23 | Texas A&M Aggies |
-1 |
| 24 | Penn St. Nittany Lions |
1 |
| 25 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | -- |
| Dropouts: Florida St. Seminoles, Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers | ||
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