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: FSU too high? FSU has now lost to the #3 and #4 teams by a total of 15 points. Virginia Tech and UF have gotten blown out in each of their only challenging games. UF stays above VT as their overall schedule is still stronger. Should VT be even lower? Should Penn St be ranked? Haven't played great against lesser competition but gave Alabama the closest game so far this year. Nebraska is out. Wins against Chattanooga, Fresno St, Washington, Wyoming, and a complete blowout loss to Wisconsin. South Florida drops out after getting destroyed by Pitt. Should they still be in? We had some great suggestions and discussion last week and the poll was adjusted accordingly. Same deal this week.
Tomahawk Nation Ballot - Week 6
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
 1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma Sooners |
 -1 |
| 4 | Clemson Tigers |
1 |
| 5 | Wisconsin Badgers |
4 |
| 6 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets |
4 |
| 7 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys |
-3 |
| 8 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 9 | Stanford Cardinal |
-3 |
| 10 | Texas Longhorns |
9 |
| 11 | Oregon Ducks |
2 |
| 12 | Michigan Wolverines |
4 |
| 13 | West Virginia Mountaineers |
7 |
| 14 | North Carolina Tar Heels |
7 |
| 15 | Florida St. Seminoles |
8 |
| 16 | Florida Gators |
-5 |
| 17 | Illinois Fighting Illini |
7 |
| 18 | Arizona St. Sun Devils |
7 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech Hokies |
-7 |
| 20 | Auburn Tigers | -- |
| 21 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 22 | Texas A&M Aggies |
-8 |
| 23 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
-16 |
| 24 | Kansas St. Wildcats | -- |
| 25 | Penn St. Nittany Lions | -- |
| Dropouts: South Florida Bulls, Baylor Bears, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa St. Cyclones | ||
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