In this space usually appears a snappy introduction, outlining some prefatory remarks before I hit the meat of the essay.

Well, there is no snappy introduction this week. Unless, of course, you count the prior two sentences as introductory.

Anyway . . . .

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Michigan	--
3	West Virginia	--
4	Texas	2
5	Auburn	--
6	Louisville	3
7	Florida	1
8	Tennessee	1
9	California	1
10	Southern Cal	6
11	Arkansas	4
12	Notre Dame	1
13	LSU	1
14	Rutgers	--
15	Wisconsin	1
16	Boise State	1
17	Oklahoma	1
18	Georgia Tech	2
19	Boston College	2
20	Texas A&M	1
21	Wake Forest	2
22	Washington State	4
23	Tulsa	3
24	Brigham Young	2
25	Clemson	14

Dropped Out: Nebraska (#22), Missouri (#24), South Carolina (#25).

Notes & Commentary

• First, a brief note on the back-end of this ballot: it stinks. However, Oregon does not deserve to be ranked (I will not be swayed on this fact) and I can't think of another school -- with the mild exception of Pittsburgh -- that should have a number to the left of its name. And even Pittsburgh is pretty questionable.
• It seems like an incredible number of teams played freakishly tight games on Saturday. Whether this was the residue of just seeing good teams play poorly (such as Wisconsin) or actual indicia of significant chinks in a team's collective armor (Rutgers/Texas/Southern Cal), the actual cause is undeterminable at this time. Thus, there was little movement amongst teams that managed to win.
• This week's team to watch: Oklahoma. I also am very interested in whether Wake Forest is actually good or simply a placeholder for a spot between 20 and 25.
• Good bye, Missouri. Until the Tigers beat somebody in the next couple of weeks (or the back-end of the poll falls apart like every other week), Missouri is going to be on the outside looking in.
• Clemson takes a big drop, and deservedly so. And yes, I understand that ranking Clemson ahead of Virginia Tech smacks of indifference to Thursday night's blowout.
• Obviously this is a big shakedown weekend at the top of the ballot. I think West Virginia will win Thursday, and if they do, I may seriously consider moving Michigan and/or Ohio State back. It all depends on how the Mountaineers perform, I suppose.

Before the weekly "Glaude at the FanHouse Update," this blurb from the Cincinnati Enquirer demands a cursory review:

When the Bearcats entered the Big East, Syracuse was a team UC officials saw as a drawing card because of the Orange's winning tradition. This is a program that won the national championship in 1959, has played in 23 bowl games, produced 42 All-Americans and ranked 13th nationally in total victories entering this season.

And now Syracuse is in the midst of an 11 game Big East Conference losing streak.

Thanks, Paul Pasqualoni!

Now, on to the business du jour. To read the essays in their entirety, click on the highlighted text above the excerpted piece.

Syracuse Report Card: Cincinnati

It is not easy to lose 11 consecutive Big East Conference games.

Syracuse, in an apparent effort to disprove the idiom that "every dog has its day," managed to achieve such a feat Saturday against rapidly improving Cincinnati.

Poliquin: Syracuse Must Transition to 2007

And now, a brief interlude from the seminal American comedy Animal House:

D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Otter: Germans?

Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.

Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough . . .

[thinks hard]

Bluto: . . . the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

Bud Poliquin, the proverbial "half-empty" columnist for the Syracuse Post-Standard, apparently never heard the above-mentioned sage advice from Senator John "Bluto" Blutarsky. With Syracuse's 2006 bowl aspirations rapidly evaporating, Poliquin today called for Orange head coach Greg Robinson to employ a "cut-and-run" mentality and immediately re-tool for Syracuse's 2007 campaign.

Rahme: Syracuse Must Look to the Future

The passionate plea requested by Syracuse Post-Standard columnist Bud Poliquin has apparently found footing at the local Central New York daily.

In a meandering piece appearing in today's edition, acclaimed staff writer Dave Rahme argues that Syracuse neophyte head coach Greg Robinson must assimilate his young talent into the Orange playbook during the current Syracuse bye-week.

UPDATE: The Daily Orange, Syracuse University's famous student-run newspaper, featured a touching piece about Chris Sawyer in today's edition. It comes as no surprise that Chris influenced so many people in so many different ways in his brief, yet notable life.

Chris Sawyer, a 2004 graduate of Syracuse University, lost his battle with cancer yesterday and passed away.

During his residency at the university, Sawyer prowled the Carrier Dome sidelines, lending his substantial personality to the school's mascot -- Otto the Orange. Following his time on The Hill, Sawyer spent some time plying his trade as mascot to the Brockton Rox, an independent baseball team located in Brockton, Massachusetts.

During my time as an undergraduate I had the good fortune of getting to know Chris. Though our interactions were limited to football and basketball jaunts (as well as various social occasions), it was hard not to recognize how affable and open Chris was as a person. His interaction with fans of all makes and sizes was terrific, and outside the guise of Otto, his true-life personality was just as marked.

The authors of this notebook extend our condolences to Chris' family and friends. Should any information become available regarding donations made in Chris' honor, it will be posted here.

Ask and ye shall receive.

Frequent reader Tom sent a message on Monday asking whether I thought Syracuse was under or overachieving this season. Rather than enter a lengthy discussion describing my position (which, of course, will be left for the close of the 2006 Orange campaign), I decided to put together a Pythagorean Win Theorem table charting how Syracuse and its Big East brethren have performed thus far this season.

For the uninitiated, Bill James' Pythagorean Win Theorem projects how a team should perform by weighing points/runs scored against points/runs against. Instead of using actual point values this year, however, I'm using the values generated through my efficiency formulae. Inherently, James' methodology works on a theoretical level; there's no reason the inputs should vary from that platform.

Data
Legend
TOB -- Total Offensive Benefit
TDB -- Total Defensive Benefit
A W/L -- Actual won/loss record
A W/L% -- Actual winning percentage
P W/L -- Pythagorean Win Theorem won/loss record
P W/L% -- Pythagorean Win Theorm winning percentage
Margin -- Difference between actual and Pythagorean won/loss record
Margin % -- Difference between actual and Pythagorean winning percentage

Pythagorean Win Theorem -- Big East (Through 10.22.06)
Team	TOB	TDB	A W/L	A W/L%	P W/L	P W/L%	Margin	Margin %
Rutgers	142.583	42.667	7-0	1.000	7-0	.946	0	.054
West Virginia	231.417	88.833	7-0	1.000	6-1	.906	+1	.094
Pittsburgh	214.417	88.250	6-2	.750	7-1	.891	-1	-.141
Louisville	233.417	103.167	7-0	1.000	6-1	.874	+1	.106
South Florida	167.583	122.583	5-3	.625	5-3	.677	0	-.052
Connecticut	148.167	115.083	3-4	.429	5-2	.645	-2	-.216
Cincinnati	145.667	132.167	4-4	.500	4-4	.557	0	-.057
Syracuse	142.750	171.250	3-5	.375	3-5	.394	0	-.019

Notable Underachievers
1. Connecticut
2. Pittsburgh

Notable Overachievers
1. Louisville
2. West Virginia

The recipe for victory is created through various ingredients. For some, the difference between triumph and failure turns on the success of and emphasis on an offense's passing attack. For others, it is efficiency in the running game that serves as a team's "tipping point."

Syracuse, in both theoretical approach and functional strategy, falls into the latter category. Unfortunately, not every observer of the Orange football program recognizes that fact.

Syracuse Improves While it Regresses

The concepts of regression and progression rest on principles of relativity and context. When analyzed through a prism of improper context, incorrect presumptions reach viral capacity.

Bud Poliquin, columnist and resident windbag of the Syracuse Post-Standard, has found confusion in an area of sound statistical principle. Responding to Syracuse Post-Standard staff writer Donnie Webb's piece in today's edition, Poliquin fails to recognize the progression the Syracuse football program has made in less than 12 months. . . .

As an aside, many readers have emailed asking when I'm going to catalogue player trangressions that have taken place within the Connecticut football program much like I have with the Huskies basketball program.

The short answer is "eventually." To be honest, so many Connecticut gridders are getting pinched these days that I'm having trouble keeping up.

Syracuse's Harris was ranked in the top 10 nationally by some recruiting services. The 6-5 forward was a second team selection on the USA Today All-USA Team. He played on the USA Junior Select Team at the 2006 Nike Hoop Summit. Harris has already been picked as the national newcomer of the year by Blue Ribbon and Athlon magazines.

2006-2007 Pre-season All-Big East Team
Unsurprisingly, the Orange placed only one player on the pre-season all-conference squad: Terrance Roberts. He was not, obviously, a unanimous selection.

Eric Devendorf, Syracuse’s sophomore shooting guard and resident body paint exhibitionist, was tabbed as an honorable mention selection.

2006-2007 Big East Pre-season Poll
The coaches have spoken: Syracuse should remain competitive in 2006-2007.

Unlike the league’s beat writers, the Big East fraternity of coaches picked Syracuse to finish the regular season in the third position. The Orange also received a first-place vote, which is more than Connecticut received. As the press release notes:

Syracuse was picked for third place with 182 points, just one point ahead of Marquette. The Orange, who have won the last two BIG EAST Championships Presented by Aeropostale, finished 23-12 last season. This year, SU returns four starters but must replace guard Gerry McNamara, who graduated.

A .pdf version of the 2006-2007 Big East Conference media guide can be accessed here.

"The undeserving maintain power by promoting hysteria."
- Frank Herbert

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Michigan	--
3	West Virginia	--
4	Southern Cal	--
5	Auburn	--
6	Texas	1
7	Tennessee	1
8	Florida	1
9	Louisville	3
10	California	--
11	Clemson	2
12	LSU	2
13	Notre Dame	2
14	Rutgers	4
15	Arkansas	1
16	Wisconsin	3
17	Boise State	--
18	Oklahoma	3
19	Texas A&M	3
20	Georgia Tech	8
21	Boston College	4
22	Nebraska	2
23	Wake Forest	--
24	Missouri	2
25	South Carolina	1

Dropped Out: Oregon (#15), Pittsburgh (#24).

Rationale

• Boise State continues to stand flat until the Broncos beat someone of consequence and/or the apocalypse happens above them.
• I feel really, really good about that top five.
• Six through 11, however, are messing with my universe. On my initial ballot, I had: Tennessee, Texas, Florida, California, Louisville, and Clemson. Collin's ballot went: Auburn, Louisville, Tennessee Florida, California, and Clemson. To be honest, if any of these teams were to square off on the football field at 3 PM today, I would have no idea which teams would be favorites. A loss or notable victory by any of these teams would significantly assist in the ranking.
• Rutgers' smackaroo of Pittsburgh vaults the Scarlet Knights. I honestly thought Pitt would destroy Rutgers. As it turns out, I'm straight up mentally ill.
• Hello, South Carolina! Enjoy your seven-day stay in the poll.
• I still think Boston College is playing with an empty deck of cards. The wins are fairly unimpressive -- save a victory of a then-imploding Clemson team -- and the loss (N.C. State) is totally unforgiveable.
• I don't like Missouri, but Collin does.
• Team to Watch: Texas A&M
• Best game of last week: Harvard v. Princeton. If everyone isn't watching Ivy League action, you're missing out.

Libraries may not be the first place you think of when trying to break up the tedium of work. When that library is the Library of Congress, though, perusing the largest library in the world may just be worth the effort.

Hidden amongst the card catalogs and reference items on the Library of Congress website is arguably the coolest search engine created: the prints & photographs online catalog. Maintaining an online database of approximately 65% of the Division's holdings, the online mechanism still produces about one million total images.

Luckily, Syracuse University has maintained both a storied athletic history and boasts one of the more attractive and historic campuses in the country. A quick perusal of the images produced through a "syracuse university" search yielded the following results:

- Archbold Stadium on a blustery college football afternoon;
- A view from, assumingly, Mt. Olympus down to the university proper (circa 1909);

Copies of images listed in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog can be purchased from the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service. Given the unique nature of the items housed in the Library of Congress, such prints are terrific additions to any Syracuse fan's personal collection.

In 2005, Perry Patterson and his Orange offensive cohorts redefined offensive inefficiency. Generating a measly 127.917 points of Total Offensive Benefit, the Syracuse offense effectively created the circumstances for an historic 1-10 campaign.

Following the dismissal of former offensive coordinator Brian Pariani, Brian White -- late of the University of Wisconsin -- was to install a trimmed-down version of the West Coast Offense. Designed for comprehension, the attack was to feature a combination power running attack and receiving patterns emphasizing both short slants and outs along with field-stretching "Go" routes. . . .

Orange Defense Regresses to BIG EAST Cellar

Over Syracuse's last three games, the Orange defensive unit has yielded an average of 495.67 yards per game. In the midst of this stretch of pathetic defensive incompetence stands West Virginia's incredible 457-yard rushing effort against the Saltine Warriors.

Unsurprisingly, Orange Nation is becoming progressively dissatisfied with Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson's strategy, preparation, and in-game coaching. . . .

Suspend Syracuse Captain Perry Patterson

Attention Perry Patterson: Your captaincy is a sham.

In what can only be described as pathetic, Perry Patterson – quarterback and captain of the Syracuse Orange – displayed his affection for the West Virginia faithful Saturday by giving them the "One-fingered Salute."

In a contrived effort to atone for his gesture, Patterson provided the media with a pathetic exhibition of tired rhetoric . . . .

Larry Coker
This guy should have been fired, or more admirably should have resigned from his position. This brawl was clearly the last straw in this tumultuous year at The U. Larry should have seen the writing on the wall and left with some dignity and honor. Now he’ll probably be fired in January, and no one wants to be fired. He should go do TV or something for a couple of years and then come back to a struggling, but prominent program. I hear Comcast has an opening for a color man to broadcast Miami Football games.

Fighting
Along that note, what the heck is going on with sportsmanship in college? I suppose it has always been there, but it just seems in the last couple of seasons that people are going buck wild. Marcus Vick, formally of Virginia Tech comes to mind. After shooting the old one finger salute down in Morgantown, he proceeded to stop on the back of the leg and then take a step on a Louisville player. That has to hurt like a bitch. There is the current Miami-FIU brawl. There is Tony Skinn on George Mason last year hitting a Hofstra player right in the cash and prizes. This stuff has got to stop in college sports. Keep your hands (and feet and cleats and helmets and shot clocks) to yourself. Oh, and if stuff goes down, grow some balls and suspend your kids for an appropriate length regardless of who is upcoming on your schedule. Suspending them for Duke is not a punishment.

UConn
I give Randy Edsall some credit, when he sees his players doing something wrong he comes down on them. But the university is wrong in the way they deal with discipline. Consistency is what every deliberative body should strive for. UConn decides the punishment based on how good you are at basketball. Case in point: AJ Price and Marcus Williams. Both did the same thing. Marcus gets a 6 month suspension, AJ gets 12. Marcus was the starting point guard. AJ was sidelined the previous season with a medical condition. Uh… please tell me I’m not the only one that sees this and things it is really wrong. Equal punishment for the crime is what HAS to happen in college. You have to or you disgrace your institution.

Blogging
Hey, we’re all in the blogging business or you wouldn’t be reading this. Do us a favor though? If you are going to call us idiots at least leave your name. Show you believe in what you are saying, even if you are terribly and tragically wrong. I’ll at least listen to you then.

The New NCAA Football Clock Rules
Yeah I was all pissed off when I heard about these changes. Granted you blink after kickoff and it is already down to 14:25 remaining in the first quarter. However, it really doesn’t change the game that much. Coaches don’t alter their strategies any more then they did before when the clock ticks down. I’m actually glad being that Syracuse is riddled with injuries that the games are shorter because everyone plays a 12 game schedule now. Even the most seasoned athletic body can get hurt in college, therefore people need to drop the clock as an excuse for anything. I was wrong, Dave Wannstedt was right.

That is all from me for now. I feel better. I can’t believe you wasted precious minutes of your life reading this. Hopefully it didn’t make you more stupid. Then again... maybe it did.

Last month I published efficiency values for BIG EAST Conference members at about the quarter-pole of the season.

In an effort to keep the momentum going (and to provide some context at the end of the season), below appears efficiency values at approximately the mid-point of the 2006 season. There have been notable changes -- especially with Syracuse -- and probably deserve more attention than what I will give them.

Please note: It should be kept in mind that Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers, and West Virginia have only played six games this season; the rest of the BIG EAST has played seven contests. As I have not adjusted the values, comparing the raw Total Offensive/Defensive Benefit values is inappropriate. Rather, pay special attention to the Scoring Efficiency Factor and Drive Efficiency Factor values. They are more indicative of just how good or bad a team has performed relative to the rest of the conference.

[Data: Offensive Efficiency]

2006 Big East: Offensive Efficiency
Team	PF	SEF	DEF	TOB
Louisville	3.17	2.899	2.62	209.92
West Virginia	3.38	3.17	2.97	205.00
Pittsburgh	2.62	2.40	2.18	198.75
South Florida	2.60	2.25	1.898	161.33
Connecticut	2.21	1.96	1.71	138.67
Syracuse	1.797	1.59	1.39	123.92
Cincinnati	1.95	1.61	1.27	121.00
Rutgers	2.22	1.87	1.52	114.25

PF = Points Factor
SEF = Scoring Efficiency Factor
DEF = Drive Efficiency Factor
TOB = Total Offensive Benefit

[Woefully Truncated Analysis]
To be published.

Eds. Note: Syracuse-related analysis to appear on the Syracuse FanHouse.

[Data: Defensive Efficiency]

2006 Big East: Defensive Efficiency
Team	PF	SEF	DEF	TDB
Rutgers	1.48	1.02	0.57	42.67
Pittsburgh	1.89	1.44	0.99	88.25
West Virginia	2.13	1.74	1.35	88.83
Louisville	1.74	1.51	1.29	103.17
Connecticut	1.87	1.61	1.35	115.08
South Florida	1.98	1.70	1.43	122.58
Cincinnati	2.05	1.74	1.44	132.17
Syracuse	2.69	2.31	1.92	171.25

PF = Points Factor
SEF = Scoring Efficiency Factor
DEF = Drive Efficiency Factor
TOB = Total Defensive Benefit

[Woefully Truncated Analysis]
To be published.

Eds. Note: Syracuse-related analysis appears on the Syracuse FanHouse. It can be found here.

Once, there was only me. Serving as the lone Syracuse voice in the college football blog universe, the general consensus of many was that all Syracuse fans were manic-depressive goons.

Then, more people joined this notebook. The stereotype was further etched into stone-cold reality.

Now, well, there's at least one more Syracuse-oriented voice on the internet: Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. Providing a mix of Syracuse material and national commentary, Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician provides a somewhat regular discussion of all things Orange.

With that said, onto this edition of the Roundtable.

1. Which coaches are clearly on the hot seat at this point? Who is surprisingly not?
I think at this juncture there are three coaches that definitely need to dust off their resumes: John Bunting, Larry Coker, and John L. Smith.

North Carolina has been absolutely atrocious this season, seeing only a lone victory against 1-AA Furman (a team that Carolina trailed for most of the game). With Bunting at the helm of Carolina's sinking ship over the last few years, he is bookmarked for a late-December exit.

Even with the recruiting class that Bunting has assembled for next season.

Coker's inclusion on this list is a no-brainer. Unacceptable results on the football field -- all despite solid recruiting efforts -- were compounded immeasurably following the Miami-Florida International brouhaha on Saturday. Coker is an excellent coach, but his true value lies as an assistant rather than a head coach.

Even without the brawl, quite frankly, Coker may have been out on the street following the close of this season anyway.

With respect to Smith, he's a certified lunatic. Sure, Michigan State has underachieved during Smith's tenure, but the real reason Smith is gone is because he is a social incompetent assumingly under the delusion that he will someday take over the world much like that mouse on Pinky and the Brain.

2. Pick three of the undefeated teams and state your case as to why they won’t run the table.
Rutgers
Despite Rutgers' rapid improvement over the last two seasons, the Scarlet Knights are playing with smoke and mirrors in 2006. Rutgers has arguably played the weakest schedule amongst the remaining undefeated, yet have struggled in spots they should have prevailed without equivocation (South Florida and North Carolina).

I wholly expect Rutgers to put a number in the loss column this weak against Pittsburgh. The Panthers are underrated as a football squad and the Scarlet Knights have yet to see such a diversified offensive attack this season. Plus, Pittsburgh is well equipped to punch Ray Rice and Company directly in the jaw, an act that has yet to occur this year.

With that said, Rutgers should drop like a glass-jawed prize fighter.

Ohio State
This is Michigan's year. It has to be.

The Wolverine defense, unlike in years past, is a freakish blend of size, power, and speed. Michigan has been demolishing everything in its wake this year, shoving Penn State aside and handling a solid Wisconsin team. Combined with Mike Hart and a now reliable Chad Henne, Michigan shows a balanced unit in all facets of the game.

If this is Michigan's dream season, which I think it might be, knocking off Ohio State at the Horseshoe and derailing Troy Smith's Heisman candidacy appears to be the story that needs to be written.

This, of course, is all based on nothing more than anticipation and not whether Ohio State is actually the better team, which they are.

Louisville/West Virginia
I'm still on the fence who I like in this game. West Virginia may have the best rushing attack in the country. Louisville, with the addition of Brian Brohm, may have the most diversified and efficient passing attack in the game.

Something has to give.

And since the NCAA has done away with ties, somebody is going down.

[Eds. Note: I know this is a cop out pick combining Louisville and West Virginia, but does anyone actually see California knocking off Southern California or Boise State losing to anything left on that schedule?]

3. Which conference is playing the best football right now?
This is an admittedly homer pick, but I need to throw my support behind the BIG EAST.

In past years watching BIG EAST conference football was simply a necessary act to scout Syracuse's opponents. Now sporting four legitimate top 25 clubs -- West Virginia, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers -- three of which are undefeated, the BIG EAST has become "must see" television.

Moreover, given West Virginia and Louisville's talents, I would take those clubs against any team in the country.

It has taken a few years, but once again the BIG EAST has fielded competitive squads. Even the conference's weakest clubs in 2005 have found respectability this year. All in all, the BIG EAST stacks up as well as any conference in the country.

Addendum
If anybody writes "ACC" as their answer here, I am going to explode the internet. Any conference that is winless against the BIG EAST -- save Wake Forest's victories over Connecticut and Syracuse -- deserves absolutely no respect.

4. Which team is playing above and beyond your expectations this season?
Finally, a question right in my wheelhouse. The answer, of course, is Syracuse.

2005 was a heroically pathetic year for the Orange. Putting together the nation's worst offense and accumulating its worst record in over 20 years, the Syracuse football program was dead to rights last season. The spring recruiting season saw little immediate help migrating to The Hill and word out of spring ball and summer conditioning was eerily similar to that permeating out of the Manley complex in mid-to-late 2004.

And now Syracuse sits at the .500 mark midway through its 2006 campaign. Sporting wins over Wyoming, Miami (OH), and Illinois -- three teams that Syracuse likely would have fell to last season -- and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Wake Forest and Iowa, Syracuse is roughly three games more victorious at this point in the season than I thought it would be in August.

Plus, the Orange offense doesn't totally stink. Which isworthyy of recognition in any improvement-oriented ballot.

5. Which team is crashing and burning in regards to your expectations?
Miami.

A fairly easy schedule combined with a king's ransom worth of talent has regressed into a group of thugs engaging in fisticuffs with a university that exists on the college football map only because its football team engaged in fisticuffs with Miami.

Totally unacceptable.

6. Is your pre-season BCS championship game prediction still alive?
N/A.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	25
2	Michigan	24
3	West Virginia	23
4	Southern Cal	22
5	Auburn	21
6	Louisville	20
7	Texas	19
8	Tennessee	18
9	Florida	17
10	California	16
11	Notre Dame	15
12	Georgia Tech	14
13	Clemson	13
14	LSU	12
15	Oregon	11
16	Arkansas	10
17	Boise State	9
18	Rutgers	8
19	Wisconsin	7
20	Nebraska	6
21	Oklahoma	5
22	Texas A&M	4
23	Wake Forest	3
24	Pittsburgh	2
25	Boston College	1

Dropped Out:

Here's What I Know

I feel good about the top six, even despite Texas' non-inclusion.

Everything from about ten on back to 23 is questionable to me. Especially Arkansas; I have no idea what to do with the Razorbacks.

I'll listen to arguments for Wisconsin to be higher, but I would have a hard time putting the Badgers any higher than 15.

I watched Boise on Sunday night and have no idea whether that team is solid or just beating up on bad football teams. As a result, I think 17 is about as high as I can put the Broncos until something seismic happens.

Whatever I said about Boise you can apply to Rutgers.

If you can make a case for Boston College being out of this ballot, I will forever be in your debt. I still don't think that the Eagles are a particularly good football team, but really, is there any other team that deserves this spot?

I'm a lawyer!

Here Matt Glaude is hard at work researching all things Syracuse to bring them right to you via Orange::44 and the fanhouse. Stay tuned for more from this man.

In a recent article by Charles Rich of Pitt Sports Blather, listed at the Fanhouse, Matt Glaude recounted his Top 5 teams on the Orange’s “Desire to Dismantle Meter”. I was intregued by this, and decided to do my 5 for football as well. Here we go.

#5. Penn State / Miami
Before the ACC (deez nuts) business and conference realignment Syracuse had a pretty healthy rivilary with Miami, helped by Donny McNabb's talent and Larry Coker’s inability to show restraint when a victory is in hand. Joe Pa, upon getting beat by Coach Mac and the drubbing of PSU back in the day, swore he would never play the Orange again. It lasted a while but the rivilary is being renewed in the upcomming seasons. Therefore Miami is listed as the old, PSU the old and new rivilary at number 5.

#4. The Connecticut UConn Huskies
They only have been a 1-A football club for a little while, but in Big East Play they are 1-1 against the Orange. The Big East really tried to make this a rivilary game last season at “The Rentsch” and I think the sentament among fans was that it was. UConn made a big deal about it and I think the SU fans agreed. Sometimes basketball carries over to the pig skin. No one at Syracuse wants to lose to UConn in anything these days.

#3. Pittsburgh
Matt and Charles are right. This is a rivilary, despite what seems to be a lack of ill will twords eachother. No one wants to lose this game, and it’s the way it is. You can read their thougs about this game, but among Syracuse fans, I think this is the #3 rival of the Orange in football.

#2 The Outhouse On The Hill (Boston College)
After promptly kicking the ass of BC as they exited the Big East both in the Carrier Dome, and at Chesnut Hill (costing them a Fiesta Bowl Bid in 2004), the coach swore that he would never play Syracuse again. Apparently that was a lie as they are playing Syracuse again in the near future, but after the ACC business of BC being with The Big East and then against it, every fan in the Carrier Dome wanted them to leave with a loss. That happened. Hopefully it will happen again. So here’s to the outhouse on the hill…BC sucks and always will.

#1 Couch Burn U (West Virginia)
When Syracuse hired Coach Ben Schwartzwalder they got a little connection to West Virginia, as he was a player there. After that, Schwartzwalder became one of the best coaches in Syracuse history, gaining a National Championship in 1959. In 1993, in honor of that connection and the rivilary that has built up, they commenced the Battle for the Schwartzwalder Trophy. Syracuse has won it 6 times. West Virginia has won it 7 times. In addition to these facts, I don’t think I’m taking a really big step when I say that most people agree West Virginia fans are the most rowdy and obnixioux fans in the Big East, to the point of criminality. Throwing a beer on Otto The Orange isn’t cool, it gets you arrested. Even in Morgantown. Thus, due to the asshole fans of WVU, this remains the team that SU wants to beat the most.

Well it looks as though the Orange are halfway to a bowl birth. Pretty freakin’ outrageous. Somewhere Darryl Gross is drunk and telling anyone who will listen “I told you so” in reference to picking Greg Robinson as coach. After a year of wading through the poor recruiting of Coach P Greg Robinson has managed to go from an 11 game losing streak, to a 3 game winning streak. Theoretically it should be 4 but I won’t mention Iowa again. In a year which many were optimistic, but most were cynical, we have managed to triple our wins from last season and bring a level of respectability back to Syracuse Football.

I’m sure if you’re reading this you have already checked out Matt Glaude’s assessment of the game at the Fan House, however being that I saw the game in person I though I’d provide some thoughts.

Offense
Perry Patterson didn’t have a spectacular day (11 for 25, 121yards, 1TD, 1Int). However, with Taj Smith being too broken to play he did do a great job of spreading the ball to his available receiver core. On top of that, they didn’t seem to have a wicked case of the dropsies either. The run game today was what was really impressive with the headliner of Delone Carter (129 yards on 20 carries and 4 TD’s) looking spectacular at some points. The play that stood out for me was a misdirection for a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Overall a decent day for the offense, but certainly not the best day.
B-

Defense
The defense looked sharp for 3 quarters. In the 4th quarter they did not. They had several interceptions, and an almost interception by Joe 5 Fields. It looked as though that would end the game, but the referee called him out of bounds, the replay didn’t overturn the call, and thus Wyoming proceeded to tie the game to go to OT. The secondary was open for business like a teen slut on prom night. It was not pretty. Again the Orange get are too fatigued late in the game to be consistently effective. They made up for it in the second overtime, but the game shouldn’t have gotten to that point.
C+

Special Teams
Once again Brendan Carney earns a Heisman vote from me. Despite the long snapper’s best efforts to derail his campaign Carney managed to have some great punts, including one landing on the Wyoming 5 yard line. Patrick Shadle continues to be a great kicker as well.
A-

Coaching
I can’t say there was anything that really surprised me or that I disagreed with. However, on a 3rd and 17 I generally wouldn’t call a run play.
B

Referees
They really blew. This Mountain West Conference needs to check out their guys.
D+

All and all a good day in the dome. Frustrating at times, but when is being a Syracuse fan not frustrating. The game recap can be found here.

And now some things you may have missed:

The Big East Conference announced its weekly honors. On Defense Terrell Lemon gets Defensive player of the week with 10 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Running Back Delone Carter gets Honor Roll status for his 4 touchdown performance on Saturday, along with Patrick Shadle who hit 2 FG’s (43, 41), as well as going 4-4 on PAT’s.

Recently Syracuse Football was featured on the front page of ESPN.com’s College Football coverage. It was a pretty nice story asking players if we have hit the turning point of the season, and giving Orange fans some hope for the success to continue. That story can be found here.

The Bottom 10 on ESPN.com hasn’t had us listed for a few weeks. However, in their “Also Receiving Votes” category, the Syracuse Uniforms made an appearance. I guess I’m in the minority that actually likes them. The are a far cry from the Oregon Ducks.

JBren’s Take (Bonus Editoral from the Dome)
Joe 5 Fields (who was on meth for this game) is the next Taj Smith. He’d also be a good guy on onside kicks.

Also, congratulations go out to Matt Glaude on passing the Connecticut Bar Exam!

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.