Results Here.
Here's the nutshell:
1) You shouldn't pay any attention to how we vote from week to week, because we'll elevate whoever we want based on rules never enunciated and for whatever reason we decide this year is important.
2) There are eleven of us voters so corrupt (biased or personally benefiting) as to place a team ranked 7th last week #1 his week after requiring a pick six in the last few minutes to eke out a win over an underdog.
3) There are two of us voters so corrupt (biased or personally benefiting) as to place a team ranked 8th last week at #1 this week.
4) We have completely forgotten about Kansas.
This system is irretrievably broken. I can't wait to see the USA Today grid to see all of the conflicts of interest in all their glory. And if you want to rely on the Harris Poll, go through my archives back in fall of 2005 to see how corrupt and conflicted those voters are.
And congratulations, Les Miles. You've just sealed your fate in Baton Rouge next year. Whatever the point spread, it does not matter. Georgia will absolutely annihilate LSU next year. Put the money in the effing bank,
4 comments:
It's been noted on other blogs, but you really have to respect K. Herbstreit's journalism this weekend. First, his scoop on the Les Miles situation, which was both bizarrely detailed (Tenuta as the DC?) and 100% inaccurate. Then, with a captive audience of potential voters watching, he stipulates that a conference championship is a prerequisite for a BCSNC bid, despite his boosterism for conference runner-up UM only twelve months ago.
As to the polls, I really have no problem with the coaches reshuffling the rankings on the final poll. To me, the alternative of blindly following the previous week's standings would be much worse.
My problem is that the voters appeared to follow the old rankings to determine #1 (OSU didn't play anyone, so they moved ahead of the teams in front of them that lost, but they were not jumped by anyone), but ignored the previous weeks' rankings to determine #2 (UGA, also idle, is jumped by OU and LSU).
Arguably, if the previous weeks' rankings mean something, then LSU wouldn't jump UGA (OU might, because they beat a team ranked ahead of UGA).
Alternately, if the previous rankings don't mean anything, then there probably shouldn't have been such a consensus for OSU at #1. If the pollsters decided #1 like they did #2 (ignoring the old polls and voting based on who is playing best or who has the best c.v.), then I would argue that OU, LSU, USC, VT and UGA would have gotten more first place votes than they did.
The one conclusion that I keep coming to is that this is no way to decide a champion. Sorry for the novella-length comment, but I'm trying to avoid getting back to my school work.
The Dawgnation is having a massive seizure right now (some of the message boards are down right amusing).
It's wierd, man. I don't feel like we've been screwed but in reality, anyone who doesn't get in will have a claim that they got screwed (just not necessarily more or less than anyone else; Hawaii will have no argument, of course, and IMO Kansas is reaaaaaally weak). I'm not sure we deserved a shot at all, but then I don't see any set-in-stone arguments.
Richt needs to meticulously take note of all of this and shove it in the players faces from here until next september.
Anyway, I've got mixed feelings about the poll results. Of course, teams *shouldn't* just magically stay at the top for no reason, and I'd much prefer pollsters re-evaluate their votes as they go as opposed to the traditional "winners rise and stay with little movement" bullshit.
OTOH, it's not like many voters openly employ a resume system, so it's a little weird. We can probably thank some of the talking heads for pushing the "concept" (scare-quotes, because they didn't push it in a correct manner).
I don't even have a problem with Herbstreet say pimping Michigan last year and UGA a week ago but not UGA now necessarily, but he needs to be very open about why he's changed his mind, and say "I was wrong to do that in the past". As it is, it's stinky.
And yet as I type these words to you as we speak, somebody somewhere is claiming that the current format works. Amazing!
More motivation for next year: Tuberville ranked Hawaii ahead of UGA on his ballot.
I don't know how to link it, but it's in the sports section of the AJC online.
Tuberville is a still stinging from those last two butt-whoopings the Dawgs put on his Wartigplainsmen.
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