Last Chance Blog Pollin'

Rank	Team
1	Oklahoma
2	Texas
3	Florida
4	Southern Cal
5	Alabama
6	Penn State
7	Utah
8	Texas Tech
9	Ohio State
10	Georgia Tech
11	Oklahoma State
12	Boise State
13	TCU
14	Cincinnati
15	Mississippi
16	Georgia
17	Virginia Tech
18	Pittsburgh
19	Boston College
20	North Carolina
21	Missouri
22	Oregon
23	Florida State
24	Michigan State
25	Oregon State

Dropped Out: Ball State (#17)

And that wraps up another season of the Blog Poll. Get your shots in while you still can.

Slightly Tardy Blog Pollin'

Rank	Team
1	Texas
2	Oklahoma
3	Alabama
4	Florida
5	Southern Cal
6	Penn State
7	Texas Tech
8	Utah
9	Ohio State
10	Oklahoma State
11	Boise State
12	Georgia Tech
13	TCU
14	Missouri
15	Mississippi
16	Boston College
17	Ball State
18	Cincinnati
19	Georgia
20	Pittsburgh
21	Oregon
22	North Carolina
23	Oregon State
24	Michigan State
25	Florida State

Dropped Out: none

Discuss. If you want to.

Bright and early Blog Pollin'

Nothing like submitting the ol' ballot while the images of Saturday's festivities are fresh in my mind...

Rank	Team
1	Texas
2	Oklahoma
3	Alabama
4	Florida
5	Southern Cal
6	Texas Tech
7	Penn State
8	Utah
9	Oklahoma State
10	Missouri
11	Ohio State
12	Oregon State
13	Georgia
14	TCU
15	Georgia Tech
16	Boise State
17	Florida State
18	Cincinnati
19	Mississippi
20	Boston College
21	Ball State
22	Michigan State
23	Oregon
24	North Carolina
25	Pittsburgh

Dropped Out: Maryland (#21), Miami-FL (#23), LSU (#25)

Allow me to explain a few selections that might raise some eyebrows:

-Oregon State #12. It's all about the resume - beat #5 USC, lost to #7 Penn State, lost to #8 Utah close, handled a decent Cal team. The opening loss to Stanford looks pretty bad...but that was week one.

-Boise State #16. This may or may not be controversial. They're unbeaten, yes, but they played one real team all year, Oregon, and won in close fashion. The rest of their schedule has a combined record of 43-70.

-North Carolina #24. Before yesterday's debacle against the Wolfpack, their three previous losses were by 3 points to Va. Tech, 3 points in OT at Virginia, and 2 points at Maryland. And they blew out Boston College and Georgia Tech in the last month. And they seal-clubbed decent UConn and Rutgers teams earlier this season. They'd be Top 20 if the loss to NC State was respectable; 41-10 knocks them nearly off my ballot.

Whatcha think?

Obligatory Blog Pollin'

Rank	Team
1	Texas Tech
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	Oklahoma
5	Florida
6	Southern Cal
7	Utah
8	Penn State
9	Oklahoma State
10	Ohio State
11	Missouri
12	Michigan State
13	Georgia
14	Boise State
15	Oregon State
16	Cincinnati
17	North Carolina
18	Ball State
19	Georgia Tech
20	Pittsburgh
21	Maryland
22	TCU
23	Miami (FL)
24	Florida State
25	LSU

Dropped Out: Virginia Tech (#19), California (#25)

Make of this what you wish. Remember, I'm ranking based on overall season resume, not as a power poll and not as a standard up/down shift based on who won or lost this past weekend. Fire away...

Crunch-time Blog Pollin'

The ACCFR ballot after yesterday's shenanigans...

Rank	Team
1	Texas Tech
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	Oklahoma
5	Florida
6	Southern Cal
7	Utah
8	Oklahoma State
9	Penn State
10	Boise State
11	Ohio State
12	Missouri
13	North Carolina
14	Georgia
15	Florida State
16	Ball State
17	Oregon State
18	Michigan State
19	Virginia Tech
20	TCU
21	Cincinnati
22	Georgia Tech
23	Pittsburgh
24	LSU
25	California

Dropped Out: Maryland (#22), Minnesota (#25)

Feel free to chime in with comments, questions, scorn, etc. The post-week 11 poll results will be up Tuesday or Wendesday and can be viewed through this link.

Bumfuzzlin' Blog Pollin'

"Blog Poll"? The story behind the legend.

Rank	Team
1	Texas Tech
2	Alabama
3	Penn State
4	Texas
5	Oklahoma
6	Florida
7	Oklahoma State
8	Southern Cal
9	Utah
10	TCU
11	Boise State
12	Ohio State
13	Missouri
14	North Carolina
15	Georgia Tech
16	Georgia
17	Florida State
18	Ball State
19	Michigan State
20	California
21	Oregon State
22	Maryland
23	Pittsburgh
24	Virginia Tech
25	Minnesota

Dropped Out: Tulsa (#20), Notre Dame (#22), Connecticut (#25)
Maybe Next Week: Oh who the hell cares at this point

BRAIN DROPPINGS

--I'm at a loss after #16. I'm sticking the Noles at #17 because I'm a bit biased and because of the razor-thin circumstance of yesterday's loss at Georgia Tech (sure TD becomes a fumble in the end zone with 45 seconds left after a Jacket helmet pops the ball out of the arms of FSU's Marcus Sims at the goal line). That's also why I give Virginia Tech almost a complete pass for the loss to ECU in week one (blocked punt for a TD with a minute to go).

--I may be a week too early with anointing Texas Tech, but what the hell. Bama's win over Georgia just got devalued quite a bit and the uncomfortably close wins over Ole Miss and Kentucky don't sit well with me.

--I don't know how anyone can't have Texas as the highest ranked one-loss team. Their last four games are the toughest month-long gauntlet I've seen a team play in my lifetime.

--5 ACC teams on my ballot. Sue me.

Sunday afternoon Blog Pollin'

"Blog Poll?" Yes, Blog Poll.

This week's ACCFR ballot, for your consideration:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Texas	--
2	Alabama	--
3	Penn State	--
4	Oklahoma	1
5	Texas Tech	5
6	Oklahoma State	2
7	Southern Cal	1
8	Utah	1
9	Florida	--
10	Georgia	1
11	TCU	1
12	Missouri	1
13	Boise State	1
14	Ohio State	6
15	North Carolina	--
16	Florida State	8
17	Minnesota	6
18	Georgia Tech	2
19	Ball State	7
20	Tulsa	6
21	Michigan State	4
22	Notre Dame	4
23	Oregon State	3
24	Virginia Tech	6
25	Connecticut	1

Dropped Out: Boston College (#17), Pittsburgh (#19), South Florida (#20), Kansas (#21), LSU (#22)
Maybe Next Week: California, Maryland, West Virginia, Oregon

I've got nothing to add...no snarky commentary or half-assed insight. But feel free to comment away.

Highly Questionable Blog Pollin'

Rank	Team	Change
1	Texas	--
2	Alabama	--
3	Penn State	--
4	Oklahoma State	--
5	Oklahoma	--
6	Southern Cal	--
7	Utah	3
8	Ohio State	4
9	Florida	1
10	Texas Tech	3
11	Georgia	4
12	TCU	13
13	Missouri	4
14	Boise State	3
15	North Carolina	1
16	Georgia Tech	10
17	Boston College	9
18	Virginia Tech	5
19	Pittsburgh	5
20	South Florida	2
21	Kansas	--
22	LSU	2
23	Minnesota	3
24	Florida State	1
25	Michigan State	6

Dropped Out: Brigham Young (#16), Wake Forest (#17), Ball State (#22)
Maybe Next Week: Kentucky, Oregon State, Northwestern, Arizona, Tulsa

What is the "Blog Poll"? Click here.

Remember, this is not a power poll. The team I rated #1 has the most impressive resume thus far, while team #25 has the twenty-fifth best body of work in my estimation.

Anyway, something about my ballot just doesn't feel quite right. Suggestions, comments, insults are welcome.

Down n' Dirty Blog Pollin'

The ACCFR ballot, post-week seven:

Rank	Team	Change
1	Texas	4
2	Alabama	2
3	Penn State	3
4	Oklahoma State	17
5	Oklahoma	4
6	Southern Cal	1
7	Texas Tech	3
8	Florida	3
9	Brigham Young	1
10	Missouri	8
11	Utah	1
12	Ohio State	3
13	Virginia Tech	1
14	North Carolina	8
15	Boise State	3
16	Georgia	3
17	Wake Forest	3
18	South Florida	1
19	Michigan State	7
20	LSU	17
21	Kansas	6
22	Ball State	3
23	Florida State	3
24	Pittsburgh	2
25	TCU	1

Dropped Out: Vanderbilt (#16), Georgia Tech (#17), Kentucky (#23), Wisconsin (#24)
Maybe Next Week: California, Minnesota, Connecticut, Oregon, Notre Dame, Boston College

This is my first week of strict "resume ranking". I will no longer rank teams based on who I think is simply better (i.e. I think Oklahoma might still be the best team out there, but they had their chance). My basic criteria is to take each team considered for my Top 25 and run them through this wringer:

1) Who have they beaten?
2) How did they beat them?
3) Where did they beat them?
4) When did they beat them?
-and then-
5) Who did they lose to?
6) How did they lose?
7) Where did they lose?
8) When did they lose?

Take 1 through 4, evaluate with 5 through 8, compare and contrast with other teams, and rank accordingly.

This takes a hell of a lot more time than just power-pollin', but since we're about halfway through the season, I figure that comparing overall resumes is the fairest way to go.

BRAIN DROPPINGS

--Gotta love the first week of resume ranking; some teams who won yesterday drop (UGA, Ohio State, Kansas, Ga Tech), some teams go from one end of the poll to the other (LSU, Okie State), some idle squads jump into the poll (FSU, Pitt), and some teams with very impressive wins yesterday don't rise all that much (Penn State, UF).

--About the Bayou Bengals....they suffered the most this week and not just because of their brutal undressing at Florida; the Tigers haven't beaten anyone worth a crap, and they looked so-so in two of those wins (Auburn, Miss. State). All the hype surrounding LSU in '08 was based on last year's "national title" season; a season of inexplicable good fortune in which they lost twice, gave up 50 points at home to an unranked team in the last regular season contest and yet still found a way to play in the BCS title game in their own backyard. And let's not mention the legion of nutty 4th-down calls that somehow just worked throughout '07.

--In contrast, Oklahoma State rockets up the poll; beating current #10 on the road and averaging close to 50 points per game is certainly one of the five best resumes so far this season, no?

--Before you complain about USC's placement, remember that this is where I rank their season resume to date. Yes, they have a loss to an unranked team, but they also obliterated my current #12 and blasted another team I considered for this week's ballot (Oregon). Their remaining slate, however, does not offer much room for them to move up much higher unless the other teams surrounding them go on losing sprees.

--Vanderbilt, as predicted, was due for a fall...they just stumbled a week earlier than I thought. But they get a chance to move back in with their remaining schedule and if South Carolina (their only noteworthy victory) continues to improve.

--I think everything else is fairly self-explanatory if you look at each team's total performance thus far.

Comments and/or questions are most welcome.