Only one thing needs to be said about this past week's slate of games: Somebody please stop Nike from thinking up these terrible uniform patterns.
Ugh.
[Games I Took In This Week]
Purdue v. Penn State
Georgia v. Florida
(Weak, I know. I was stuck in a room for six hours taking a practice bar examination. Then again, that was more pleasurable than watching Syracuse implode on its home turf (again).)
[Ballot]
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine
BlogPoll Central
[Notes About This Week's Ballot]
As noted, I only caught two games this week and a handful of highlights from Saturday's showdowns. As such, I'll accept much more guidance this week with my ballot, assuming the comments are well thought out and persuasive.
There are a couple things I'm looking for help on:
1. Did I drop Georgia too far?
2. Does 'Bama need to slide in between (or over, for that matter) Notre Dame and Miami?
3. I think I'm totally wrong on Wisconsin, but since I hardly get to see them play, I'm hesitant to move them up rapidly. Any suggestions?
4. Hello, Rutgers! Should Louisville have your spot?
5. Speaking of Rutgers, I'm not particularly attached to any of the last three teams on my ballot. Are there any other teams that are worthy of those spots?
6. I thought hard about flopping Florida and Penn State. In the end, I think I'm right by having them slotted where they are, but I'm willing to listen to reasonable arguments.
7. Auburn to high? Oregon too low?
Ugh.
[Games I Took In This Week]
Purdue v. Penn State
Georgia v. Florida
(Weak, I know. I was stuck in a room for six hours taking a practice bar examination. Then again, that was more pleasurable than watching Syracuse implode on its home turf (again).)
[Ballot]
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine
BlogPoll Central
[Notes About This Week's Ballot]
As noted, I only caught two games this week and a handful of highlights from Saturday's showdowns. As such, I'll accept much more guidance this week with my ballot, assuming the comments are well thought out and persuasive.
There are a couple things I'm looking for help on:
1. Did I drop Georgia too far?
2. Does 'Bama need to slide in between (or over, for that matter) Notre Dame and Miami?
3. I think I'm totally wrong on Wisconsin, but since I hardly get to see them play, I'm hesitant to move them up rapidly. Any suggestions?
4. Hello, Rutgers! Should Louisville have your spot?
5. Speaking of Rutgers, I'm not particularly attached to any of the last three teams on my ballot. Are there any other teams that are worthy of those spots?
6. I thought hard about flopping Florida and Penn State. In the end, I think I'm right by having them slotted where they are, but I'm willing to listen to reasonable arguments.
7. Auburn to high? Oregon too low?
| FootBlogPoll: Week Ten | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous | Value |
| 1. | Southern California | 8-0 | 1 | |
| 2. | Texas | 8-0 | 2 | |
| 3. | Virginia Tech | 8-0 | 3 | |
| 4. | Louisiana State | 6-1 | 5 | |
| 5. | Notre Dame | 5-2 | 6 | |
| 6. | Miami (FL) | 6-1 | 7 | |
| 7. | Alabama | 8-0 | 8 | |
| 8. | UCLA | 8-0 | 9 | |
| 9. | Georgia | 7-1 | 4 | |
| 10. | Penn State | 8-1 | 11 | |
| 11. | Ohio State | 6-2 | 10 | |
| 12. | Florida | 6-2 | 12 | |
| 13. | Florida State | 7-1 | 13 | |
| 14. | Oregon | 7-1 | 16 | |
| 15. | Wisconsin | 8-1 | 20 | |
| 16. | Auburn | 6-2 | 15 | |
| 17. | Fresno State | 6-1 | 17 | |
| 18. | Texas Tech | 7-1 | 18 | |
| 19. | West Virginia | 6-1 | 19 | |
| 20. | Boston College | 6-2 | 14 | |
| 21. | California | 6-2 | 21 | |
| 22. | Michigan | 6-3 | 25 | |
| 23. | Georgia Tech | 5-2 | NR | |
| 24. | Rutgers | 6-2 | NR | |
| 25. | Colorado | 6-2 | NR | |
Auburn is too high. They haven't beaten anyone of consequence all year; ditto Texas Tech. Wisconsin should at least be higher than TT; they've proven a lot more to this point than TT.
Also: OSU lost to PSU and has a worse record. You've got at least switch them.
Brian -
Thanks for the Wisky over Tech sentiment and the general guidance on Auburn. Auburn has been a wildcard for me all season that I just haven't been able to figure out and Tech seems to provide more questions than answers every time they play.
However, I'm not completely sold on flipping OSU and PSU simply because OSU lost to them head-to-head and had the unlucky fortune of actually having to play Texas non-conference while PSU got fat on the Syracuses of the world.
It's hard to look at PSU and see the same team it was when the Nittany Lions smacked OSU a month ago. While they have been scoring points, doing it against Illinois and Purdue doesn't really prove a lot to me. I have no problem with PSU proving me wrong and taking Wisconsin behind the woodshed on Saturday, but until they do, I think PSU is a markedly different football team.
I'll let it stew and do some more research, but as of now I can't flop the two just because of a previous head-to-head that bears very little on how the teams are playing now.
As a Georgia fan, I (of course) think you were a little too harsh on the Dawgs. Here's my reasoning:
1) LSU was fortunate to get by Arizona State, who has proven to be more bark than bite. They needed Auburn to miss five field goals in Baton Rouge to win in overtime. They blew a 21 point halftime lead (again, at home) to Tennessee, who is 3-4. Their big win is by 4 points over Florida who had an emotional breakdown after the game.
2) Notre Dame is given the most credit this season for games they lost. They played USC to the brink, but ultimately lost. The also lost to Michigan State who is no longer an issue in the Big 10. They have one win against a team over .500 - Michigan, whom you have ranked 22.
3) Ohio State had the misfortune of playing Texas, but they lost at home. They proceeded to lose to Penn State on the road, and their defense was exposed as slightly overrated against Minnesota. Two losses are still two losses.
4) Miami (FL) has looked less than stellar. They play pretty good defense, but their offense hasn't come together. Their significant win is over Colorado, who is overrated just enough to be considered a significant win.
5) Florida's offense is terrible. Despite the win, the still only had 108 yards passing against Georgia. Their defense is good, but with Shockley in the lineup, Florida is not a better team than Georgia.
6) Georgia's struggled against South Carolina. That doesn't look so bad now that Spurrier won in Knoxville. Say what you will about Tennessee this year, but your team isn't bad if you can win in Neyland Stadium. Georgia played Mississippi State in the remnants of a hurricane. They lost Shockley early in the second quarter against Arkansas, which is just one of a myriad of injuries. They lost to Florida by 4 points with a backup quarterback, whose experience is mostly as the protector on the punt team. Excuses, excuses...I know, but still...that's my rationale.
However, I'm not completely sold on flipping OSU and PSU simply because OSU lost to them head-to-head and had the unlucky fortune of actually having to play Texas non-conference while PSU got fat on the Syracuses of the world.
Keep in mind that Penn State dominated Minnesota, both offensively and defensively, whereas Minnesota had OSU in a shootout for most of the game.
If you're going to say that Penn State is weaker offensively than they were earlier in the season, you have to admit the possibility that Ohio State is weaker defensively as well.
For what it's worth, Penn State and Ohio State would be tied in any ranking that I would make. They're almost exactly as good as each other. The only reason I'd put PSU over is because I'd be forced to, and hey, PSU won the head to head.
Even though I was not totally persuaded as to making changes to my ballot concerning PSU/OSU, the utility of drawing out the argument in mere comments was minimal as best.
Thus, the following changes have been made:
- OSU and PSU flip-flop (begrudgingly).
- Georgia slides into the 9 hole (which was probably where I should've slotted them originally).
- Wisconsin moves up while Auburn falls back a slot until they find themselves.