2015 FBS Polls

[BGIF]

ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25
1. Ohio State
2. Baylor
3. TCU
4. Utah
5. Clemson
6. LSU
7. Michigan State
8. Florida
9. Texas A&M
10. Alabama
11. Florida State
12. Michigan
13. Ole Miss
14. Notre Dame
15. Stanford
16. Oklahoma State
17. Iowa
18. UCLA
19. Oklahoma
20. Northwestern
21. Boise State
22. Toledo
23. California
24. Houston
25. Duke
Others Receiving Votes: Temple (5-0) 96; Memphis (5-0) 59; ASU (4-2) 27; Miss St(4-2) 19; Georgia (4-2) 16; Texas Tech (4-2) 10; BYU (4-2) 8; Southern California (3-2) 5; WKU (5-1) 5; PSU (5-1) 4; Kentucky (4-1) 4; Navy (4-1) 3; UNC (4-1) 1

 

[GATTACA!]

Next week is gonna be bananas. 3 head to head matchups ahead of us means with a win we should be 10ish. That's definitely within striking distance at this point in the season.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Next week is gonna be bananas. 3 head to head matchups ahead of us means with a win we should be 10ish. That's definitely within striking distance at this point in the season.

I am going to predict that the #9 team in the AP poll goes down next week.

 

[ThePiombino]

I am going to predict that the #9 team in the AP poll goes down next week.

Yup, then A&M drops 3 spots and Bama jumps 5. We've all seen this one before.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Yup, then A&M drops 3 spots and Bama jumps 5. We've all seen this one before.

Don't care one way or the other. Bama just needs to keep winning and the rest takes care of itself.

 

[BGIF]

I am going to predict that the #9 team in the AP poll goes down next week.

Which Bama team shows up, the won that played the first 43 minutes against the Hogs or the one that played the last 17?

 

[T Town Tommy]

Which Bama team shows up, the won that played the first 43 minutes against the Hogs or the one that played the last 17?

Our defense will keep us in most every game. Just need Coker - who I am not a fan of btw- to just play within himself. I thought the Arky game would be tough and was right. But we missed our chances early in the game to put them away.

 

[ickythump1225]

Our defense will keep us in most every game. Just need every Alabama QB since Saban rolled into T-Town to just play within himself.

With some editing I have made your statement a universal truth in regards to Alabama.

 

[nsisk157]

Is it possible that Michigan and Notre Dame play in a bowl? That would be kind of crazy.

That would be awesome.

 

[BabyIrish]

Next week is gonna be bananas. 3 head to head matchups ahead of us means with a win we should be 10ish. That's definitely within striking distance at this point in the season.

Your not kidding:
Banana vs A&M
MSU vs Michigan
Fla vs LSU

UCLA vs Stanford
Penn St vs Ohio St
ASU vs Utah

Lots of shifting in the polls for sure

 

[GoIrish41]

Your not kidding:
Banana vs A&M
MSU vs Michigan
Fla vs LSU

UCLA vs Stanford
Penn St vs Ohio St
ASU vs Utah

Lots of shifting in the polls for sure

I'd love to see Penn State beat OSU!

 

[NDgradstudent]

I don't think a close win over USC is going to be worth much, given (1) their losses, (2) their coaching situation, and (3) it's a home game. I'll take any win, of course, but I think it needs to be decisive for us to move much in the polls, even with the head-to-head games of teams ahead of us.

 

[Cackalacky]

I don't think a close win over USC is going to be worth much, given (1) their losses, (2) their coaching situation, and (3) it's a home game. I'll take any win, of course, but I think it needs to be decisive for us to move much in the polls, even with the head-to-head games of teams ahead of us.

I definitely agree with this. Another 13-7 win at home against a interim coach is not gonna mean very much.

 

[Bishop2b5]

With some editing I have made your statement a universal truth in regards to Alabama.

Pretty much right. If we can get a qb to just take what the D gives him and not turn the ball over, we're golden. Coker has a cannon, but hasn't learned to NEVER make high risk throws.

 

[GoIrish41]

I definitely agree with this. Another 13-7 win at home against a interim coach is not gonna mean very much.

We just need to keep winning and let the teams above us sort out the poll position. I said last week in a thread that a dozen teams above us will lose before the season is over. Okla. was one and there will be a minimum of three this week. Just win, baby!

 

[ickythump1225]

I agree with the sentiment that squeaking out a W over USC won't count for much...but I'd take it over losing. That said, I'm ready to rip them apart. They strike me as dysfunctional program and the time is right to hammer them.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Beating USC makes a difference... period. Even in the bowl-choosers' psychology. That might be particularly true since everyone believes that wounded animals are the most ferocious.

 

[stlnd01]

Beating USC makes a difference... period. Even in the bowl-choosers' psychology. That might be particularly true since everyone believes that wounded animals are the most ferocious.

I dunno. One one hand, USC is USC. Like Texas, beating them always sticks in people's minds. On the other, if we're their third loss they probably wind up losing five, and by season's end no one will remember when they crossed the line from wounded animal to dead cat.
Either way, most important thing for us is to win. Do that, every week, and see where the chips fall.

 

[RDU Irish]

Fact of the matter, with big time programs you are assumed to be playing big, fast, talented players. Dominating like we did against Texas shows a lot more than beating up on an FCS school.

I really hope we emasculate USC, not just for the polls and recruiting, but because I really, really, really hate them. A complete pounding that they don't recover from the rest of the season could put the program back a couple years, which would be glorious.

 

[RDU Irish]

1 OSU
2 Baylor
3 TCU
4 Utah
5 Clemson
6 LSU
7 Michigan State
8 Florida
9 TAMU
10 Bama (1 loss)
11 FSU
12 Michigan (1 loss)
13 Ole Miss (1 loss)
14 ND (1 loss)
15 Stanford (1 loss)
16 OKSt (undefeated)
17 Iowa (undefeated)

Michigan jumped us in the AP, their loss to Utah is looking pretty good now and they get some slack for the expectation they would be rebuilding this year. Looks to me like a 2 loss B1G champ is most likely path to us leapfrogging that conference. Iowa has a clean path after NW this weekend, no more ranked opponents until title game but they surely crap the bed somewhere along the line. A one loss Iowa winning the conference championship game would be easy for the committee to leave at the altar.

Alabama as the top ranked one loss team is annoying to me. ND lost on the road to #5 Clemson, Michigan lost on the road to #4 Utah, Ole Miss lost AT #8 Florida, Stanford's loss AT Northwestern is looking tough too. They are the only team to lose at home of that bunch, they should be in front of Stanford and behind the rest IMO. They will have ample opportunity to prove they are a top ten team against TAMU and LSU but losing at home to Ole Miss should have put them much further back.

SEC needs a two loss winner for us to jump them. If Florida can lose to LSU this week and FSU to finish the season, then rebound to win the championship game it would be one route. Lots football to play but the FSU/Florida game is a nice late season chance to knock the SEC down a peg. Florida finishes SEC play with LSU this week looking ugly, then UGA, Vanderbilt and So Car. Other than LSU, those SEC games are open and a 7-1 or 6-2 conference finish puts them in the championship game. Their last two games are FAU and FSU - strange to play non-conference their last two games.

ACC - this one probably comes down to the non-Clemson/FSU division pulling a championship upset. I don't see both FSU and Clemson finishing with two losses and the Florida/FSU and Clemson/So Car games to finish the season should be much easier than usual. Most likely one of these two enter the championship with zero or one loss and a clear path to the playoffs. I tell my FSU buddy that Golson will cost them at least one game. I am conflicted on Clemson going undefeated to make us look better or shitting the bed to open up a spot for us.

Pac12 - Utah has a nice path, only ranked opponent left is UCLA in late November and Colorado to finish the season sets up nice to prep for the conference championship. They probably need to be undefeated to jump us. It is easy to imagine the Pac12 winner coming out with two or more losses.

Big12 - we jump anything but an undefeated champ

 

[wizards8507]

Alabama as the top ranked one loss team is annoying to me. ND lost on the road to #5 Clemson, Michigan lost on the road to #4 Utah, Ole Miss lost AT #8 Florida, Stanford's loss AT Northwestern is looking tough too. They are the only team to lose at home of that bunch, they should be in front of Stanford and behind the rest IMO. They will have ample opportunity to prove they are a top ten team against TAMU and LSU but losing at home to Ole Miss should have put them much further back.

A good win is better than a good loss. Alabama throttled Georgia. We throttled Texas. One of those is better than the other.

But the rest of your analysis falls pretty much in line with what I posted last week, with specific teams inserted into the general framework. I still think this is how it shakes out at the end of the year.

The way I see the committee ranking Power 5 teams:

Group 1: 13-0 Conference Champions
1. 13-0 SEC champion
2. 13-0 Pac 12 champion
3. 13-0 Big 12 champion
4. 13-0 ACC champion

Group 2: 12-0 Undefeateds
5. 12-0 Notre Dame
6. 12-0 Big 12 champion

Group 3: 12-1 Conference Champions
7. 12-1 SEC champion
8. 12-1 Pac 12 champion
9. 12-1 Big 10 champion
10. 12-1 ACC champion

Group 4: 12-1 conference runners-up
11. 12-1 SEC runner-up (only loss in the championship game)
12. 12-1 Pac 12 runner-up (only loss in the championship game)
13. 12-1 Big 10 runner-up (only loss in the championship game)
14. 12-1 ACC runner-up (only loss in the championship game)

Group 5: 11-1 teams without a conference championship game
15. 11-1 Notre Dame
16. 11-1 Big 12 champion

Group 6: 11-2 conference champions
17. 11-2 SEC champion
18. 11-2 Pac 12 champion
19. 11-2 Big 10 champion
20. 11-2 ACC champion

Group 7: 11-1 teams that missed championship game
21. 11-1 SEC team that did not make the championship game
22. 11-1 Pac 12 team that did not make the championship game
23. 11-1 Big 10 team that did not make the championship game
24. 11-1 ACC team that did not make the championship game

 

[tussin]

A good win is better than a good loss. Alabama throttled Georgia. We throttled Texas. One of those is better than the other.

But the rest of your analysis falls pretty much in line with what I posted last week, with specific teams inserted into the general framework. I still think this is how it shakes out at the end of the year.

I disagree with 12-14 on that list.

 

[gkIrish]

I disagree with 12-14 on that list.

I agree with your disagreement most years. This year we may not have the schedule to overcome a 12-1 team though.

 

[tussin]

I agree with your disagreement most years. This year we may not have the schedule to overcome a 12-1 team though.

It obviously depends case to case. Even this year, I think a loss in the last game is really had to overcome for teams, especially since ND's last game will potentially be a win over a good Stanford team.

For example, no way 12-1 Iowa is ahead of us and I don't think a 12-1 Utah is either. 12-1 Clemson might be ahead of us just because they beat us earlier this year.

 

[wizards8507]

For example, no way 12-1 Iowa is ahead of us and I don't think a 12-1 Utah is either. 12-1 Clemson might be ahead of us just because they beat us earlier this year.

I think it depends how the game goes. If 12-1 Iowa loses to Ohio State by three and we barely squeak by Boston College and/or Stanford, it'd be hard to make a case for us.

 

[gkIrish]

It obviously depends case to case. Even this year, I think a loss in the last game is really had to overcome for teams, especially since ND's last game will potentially be a win over a good Stanford team.

For example, no way 12-1 Iowa is ahead of us and I don't think a 12-1 Utah is either. 12-1 Clemson might be ahead of us just because they beat us earlier this year.

We would jump an Iowa but Utah's resume would be pretty amazing at 12-1, especially if Michigan ends up at 9-3 or 10-2. Clemson would deserve to get in ahead of us unless they suffer a bad loss.

 

[RDU Irish]

11-1 Notre Dame is not taking a back seat to a conference runner up unless we are talking something like LSU/Alabama a few years ago. Just ain't happening.

I also don't understand the "good win counts more than a good loss" argument. If that were the case Lou Holtz would have two titles to his resume. Weak sauce. Just because you CAN play world beater doesn't mean you should be given a mulligan for not being able to do it every week.

You completely ignore the fact Bama lost at home. Home field is a huge advantage and they pissed it away against a mediocre team. Everyone else lost on the road in a close game against higher ranked opponents. Where exactly is Bama's "signature win" ranked? Oh, wait. Georgia is out of the Top 25. I didn't think SEC teams were allowed to be unranked? How did that happen?

 

[tussin]

We would jump an Iowa but Utah's resume would be pretty amazing at 12-1, especially if Michigan ends up at 9-3 or 10-2. Clemson would deserve to get in ahead of us unless they suffer a bad loss.

Here's a case where we get ahead of Clemson:

- Last game of the year we beat Stanford convincingly who then goes on to win the Pac-12 with two losses on the year.

- Clemson plays Pitt in the ACC championship and loses by two TDs.

Just because Clemson beat us in a close game at home in a hurricane doesn't mean they automatically get in ahead of us. ND should know that all too well (1993).

 

[rtrn2glory]

I hate that Baylor and TCU will probably both go undefeated.

That is absolute trash that they both could be in the final 4...idk why just bugs me

 

[tussin]

I hate that Baylor and TCU will probably both go undefeated.

That is absolute trash that they both could be in the final 4...idk why just bugs me

...they play each other.