Week five brings few changes to this ballot. With a weak slate of games, there was little performance indicators to merit moving a team too far up or down, unless that team is Virginia Tech, which is banished from this ballot -- like Boston College -- until the Hokies beat a team of significance.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	West Virginia	--
3	Auburn	--
4	Michigan	2
5	Florida	--
6	Southern Cal	2
7	Texas	--
8	Louisville	--
9	Louisiana State	--
10	Oregon	1
11	Notre Dame	1
12	Georgia	2
13	Tennessee	3
14	Oklahoma	4
15	Cal	2
16	Clemson	4
17	Georgia Tech	9
18	Iowa	3
19	Florida State	--
20	Boise State	1
21	Rutgers	1
22	Nebraska	1
23	Missouri	2
24	Wake Forest	--
25	Texas Tech	1

Dropped Out: Virginia Tech (#13), TCU (#14).

Notes
Instead of composing bullet points, I'll simply paste the email exchange poll-contributor Collin Long and I had yesterday:

From: Orange 44 [mailto:syracusefortyfour@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 1:04 PM
To: Long, Collin
Subject: Re:

Ok, this, of course, could not go off w/o a hitch.

Here's what the poll looks like right now:

1. OSU
2. WVU
3. AU
5. MICH
5. FLA
5. SC
7. TEX
8. LOU
9. LSU
10. ORE
11. ND
12. UGA
13. TEN
14. OK
15. CAL
16. CLEM
17. GTECH
18. IOWA
19. FSU
20. BOI
21. RU
22. NEB
23. WAKE
24. MIZZ
25. TTECH

So, what do we do about the logjam at 4-7. You had SC, FLA, Mich. I had Mich, Florida, SC. I think UM's wins are more impressive than SC's, and Florida has accomplished more than SC at this point, even though SC might be the better team. Let me know what you think we should do with this.

Glaude

* * * * *

"Long, Collin" wrote:

I will concede to you on this one. I already broke my cardinal rule of not dropping a team that wins (Georgia), so we might as well be consistent. I was just much more comfortable doing it lower in the Top 15, but will not be offended if Michigan and Florida leap-frog USC. If that's the case though, I don't see why they wouldn't surpass an IDLE WVU, whose best win is... Maryland? The whole BigEast fluffing is wearing old. That brings up a whole other can of worms though. I am fine with:

1. Ohio State
2. West Virginia
3. Auburn
4. Michigan
5. Florida
6. USC

* * * * *

From: Orange 44 [mailto:syracusefortyfour@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 2:37 PM
To: Long, Collin
Subject: RE:


Here's my logic on WVU over AU:

WVU is good. Very good, in fact. Despite a brief hiccup with East Carolina, the Mountaineers have not been tested at all.

Auburn is good. Very good, in fact. However, against South Carolina, a competitive team yet a team that the Tigers should destroy, Auburn struggled and almost lost a game it should have won by at least 17. I find that concerning especially after Auburn sleepwalked past Buffalo.

Thus, with such close performances, I have to give the nod to WVU on execution and talent over Auburn. Steve Slaton and Pat White, to me, are better than Brandon Cox and Kenny Irons.

Now, with that said (which is probably ancillary to the issue you posed), I can't see how Michigan/Florida/SC would be ahead of Auburn or WVU. None of the aforementioned three teams has proven that they would win if on the same field against either AU or WVU. Michigan struggled against Wisky and lumbered to the final gun against Minnesota Saturday. Florida only wins tight games, and with AU's and WVU's explosiveness, I think the Gators would get run out of the building. And SC, well, this is what happens when you lose two Heisman Trophy winners.

As for the Big East fluffing, I think I've been pretty fair this season. I haven't overrated Louisville or West Virginia, and have managed to keep Pittsburgh out of the poll. Rutgers, arguably, may be pulling a soft spot for the Big East for me, but hell, RU is 5-0. That certainly earns a back-end position.

Now, if I'd put the Cardinals 5, then I think we need to worry about homerism. And, of course, if SU wins Saturday (which won't happen), and I clammor for SU somewhere in the back, then we have an issue of monumental proportion.

Love,

Glaude

* * * * *

"Long, Collin" wrote:

Auburn didn't even come to mind when talking about USC/UF/UM passing WVU, as I have had them at an unquestionable #2 since they beat LSU. Again, this is contrary to my belief that no one should leapfrog a winning team, because I had WVU #2 to start the season, but I feel that was the result of my BigEast favoritism. Until the Mountaineers beat Louisville, or Auburn drops a game, AU will likely stay ahead of WVU in my poll.

I was clearly missing the fact that WVU was #2 in the collective poll. But I have to ask where you placed AU if they ended up an un-tied #3? It seems like we had WVU and Aub split on the #2 and #3 spots. Shouldn't that result in a tie at #2? Or is someone else actually contributing a poll?

And how is Wake #23? I could grumble to myself about being #25, but #23. I don't buy the hype. That said, they'll probably beat Clemson and become the highest ranked ACC team.

* * * * *

From: Orange 44 [mailto:syracusefortyfour@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 3:30 PM
To: Long, Collin
Subject: RE:


Auburn isn't an untied 3; it was a 2-3 flip-flop with AU and WVU. WVU simply gets the nod on the strength of WVU already being in the 2 hole (if I could submit a tie, I would, but the computer program doesn't let me).

As for Wake, who else deserves that spot? VaTech got hammered by GTech this weekend and looked horrible against Cincy the week before. I can't in good conscience keep the Hokies ranked. TCU could arguably stay in the poll, but fuck, BYU stinks and they schellacked the Horned Frogs. That pretty much leaves Alabama or Wake for ranking, and quite frankly, I'll take Wake's undefeated record and BCS-conference victories over say, Alabama which has been snakebitten.

To be honest, this poll should really stop at the 20 mark. Those teams in the back five or six are just horrible and are playing with a lot of smoke and mirrors right now. And it's not even the order I'm concerned about, it's that those teams are actually in consideration and the other available options are not particularly more attractive.

* * * * *

"Long, Collin" wrote:

Fair enough on the Auburn/WV debate. But you see why I was confused initial, I hope.

I see your point about not having anyone else that deserves it over Wake, but what puts them ahead of a 5-0 Mizzou? I mean, Wake is a team that survived DUKE by a single point AT HOME and hasn't beaten anyone by two TDs except... Ole Miss (Mizzou beat them by 27) and Liberty. Mizzou has comfortably beaten every team it has faced. Even if Wake's schedule is slightly less shitty than Mizzou's I don't think they've done anything to get ahead of the Tigers.

I agree about cutting it of at 20, but that would eliminate RU, and I want them ranked. Hell, I would even rank Ray Rice and Brian Leonard ahead of Wake.

* * * * *

From: Orange 44 [mailto:syracusefortyfour@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 4:32 PM
To: Long, Collin
Subject: RE:


I've got no problem with putting Mizzou ahead of Wake. Mizzou looked pretty good Saturday against a game Colorado club. And Mizzou isn't down its starting QB and RB.

Ugh, you need to get off the RU bandwagon. That team was exposed Friday against South Florida. Once Schiano actually plays a difficult opponent, that team is going down wicked hard.

* * * * *

"Long, Collin" wrote:

RU: Let's be honest though, will Pitt, Cincy or UConn be able to knock them off? If their only losses are to UL and WVU, they'll remain in the Top 25. This weekend's game against Navy should say alot about the Knights.

* * * * *

From: Orange 44 [mailto:syracusefortyfour@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 4:45 PM
To: Long, Collin
Subject: RE:


I think SU and Pitt are "toss-up" games for RU. Cincy and UConn are "W's." (Did you watch that UConn/Navy game Saturday? Good God are the Huskies terrible.)

Navy, despite the loss to Tulsa, is vastly underrated. They will finish the season in the Top 25 and scare the Jesus out of Notre Dame.