2015 FBS Polls

[Cackalacky]

Chickenshit Saturdays

Compounding the pathetic scheduling of the SEC is the fact that such a vast majority of their out of conference games come from Conference USA, Sun Belt and FCS. What’s more, so few of those games are played away from home. As a recent article by ElevenWarriors.com pointed out, most of these are also played the weekend before rivalry games creating the ever popular SEC tradition known as “ChickenShit Saturday”:

“The penultimate Saturday on the schedule is arguably the most stressful of the entire season: division titles hang in the balance, style point currency fluctuations are at their most volatile and every contender is ripe for an upset ahead of facing their designated arch-rivals.

Title contenders know this too well. That Saturday is dark, terrifying, full of spiders and littered with land mines. It’s virtually impossible to recover from a loss that late in the season.

Anyway, here are some of the schools SEC teams have scheduled for that Saturday since 2012: Samford, Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, Western Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and South Alabama. Georgia Southern, Idaho, FAU, Charlotte and Citadel all twice. Charleston Southern three times…

Chickenshit Saturday is indefensible, and there isn’t a wanking motion theatrical enough to accommodate the circular logic of the conference strength argument because you can always schedule Samford in September. The best football player in Charleston Southern football history isn’t even good enough to get unexpectedly cut by Nick Saban in August to make room for a new recruit.

November schedules should contain conference opponents or designated rivals only. This improves the sport, enhances the most captivating month on the schedule and levels the playing field without any controversy.”

[Source: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/colle...ent-ohio-state-buckeyes-alabama-crimson-tide]

 

[IrishSteelhead]

ND's SOS after UVA was #44. After GT it is #51. Apparently playing a top 15 team hurts SOS according to the the ultra accurate "FPI" rankings.

 

[johnnycando]

The SEC bias argument is such a silly one for one that happens every year.

Yes, half the SEC is in the top ten at this point in the season (or at least it feels that way). And yes that's sort of ridiculous. But they'll all play each other, and most of them will wind up with at least two losses.

Obviously any undefeated will make the top four (as they should) and a one-loss will be in the mix with the rest (as they should). Frankly I'd agree that the second-best team in the SEC is probably better than anyone in the Big 12 or ACC, at least, most years.

But this big pile of highly-ranked SEC teams will thin out just like it always does before the season is through. And until then it's all just something to talk about, something SEC fans like to talk about more than anyone else.

So amigo, how will 7, 1 loss teams make out with playoff hopes with the SEC ranked so high? Assume 2 are SEC and hold #1, and #3 ranks.
(Rhetorical question.)

 

[dad4aa]

Y'all tell me when to stop.

NEVER!!!

 

[johnnycando]

#exposed

 

[IrishLax]

The much bigger crime is that Baylor is anywhere in the top 10 despite being a mere 2-0 with NOTHING proved on the field. There are many undefeated teams that have shown a lot more to this point than Baylor....

Ohio State's on field performance is also a joke. Too bad VT's QB got hurt.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

2015 FBS Polls

So amigo, how will 7, 1 loss teams make out with playoff hopes with the SEC ranked so high? Assume 2 are SEC and hold #1, and #3 ranks.
(Rhetorical question.)

What if (unlikely, but entirely plausible):

Bama finishes 11-1 (loss to Ole Miss)
LSU finishes 11-1 (loss to Bama)
Ole Miss finishes 11-1 (loss to LSU)
Georgia goes 12-0, and loses to the West champ

Do all 4 make it on principle alone?!?!?

*Edit: Georgia plays Bama, so make Georgia 11-1 with a loss to Bama

 

[johnnycando]

What if (unlikely, but entirely plausible):

Bama finishes 11-1 (loss to Ole Miss)
LSU finishes 11-1 (loss to Bama)
Ole Miss finishes 11-1 (loss to LSU)
Georgia goes 12-0, and loses to the West champ

Do all 4 make it on principle alone?!?!?

Does ESPN get a cut of the profit for televising said event?

$$$

 

[Irish Insanity]

What if (unlikely, but entirely plausible):

Bama finishes 11-1 (loss to Ole Miss)
LSU finishes 11-1 (loss to Bama)
Ole Miss finishes 11-1 (loss to LSU)
Georgia goes 12-0, and loses to the West champ

Do all 4 make it on principle alone?!?!?

I think the biggest issue then will be how to get a 5th and 6th SEC team. Of course that'll an we get to 8 sooner. Ya know, for the SEC

 

[dad4aa]

The much bigger crime is that Baylor is anywhere in the top 10 despite being a mere 2-0 with NOTHING proved on the field. There are many undefeated teams that have shown a lot more to this point than Baylor....

Ohio State's on field performance is also a joke. Too bad VT's QB got hurt.

Not sure I would say bigger but definitely equally bad. Baylor has no reason being ranked in the top 5...maybe not even top ten.

Ohio State has also looked pitiful and is only where they are because of the "defending NC tag". Don't like that either.

 

[NDRock]

Read my whole post. Much like your argument you took it out of context. Just to be clear, this was my entire post:

"Unless you are going to go through every teams jump and drop, every week for the past 4 years...I don't care about this. Anyone can cherry pick one team a year to try and prove a point. The complaint is not that ONLY SEC teams get big jumps. The complaint is that it happens WAY TOO OFTEN to SEC teams. Especially since the jumps happen when they beat each other."

Picking one team each year outside of the SEC that made a big jump does not prove there is no SEC bias. In order to use this type of data to prove no SEC bias, you would need every team from every week. If you would have showed something like "there were 17 times Pac-12 teams jumped 8 spots or more, 19 times Big 10 teams jumped 8 spots or more and 22 times SEC jumped 8 spots or more"...that would show no SEC bias. My guess is SEC teams average jump is 2-3 times all other conferences combined.

Just to be clear, I was not referencing your post in my initial post. Someone asked if other teams also made jumps, I looked it up and posted some results.

 

[dad4aa]

Just to be clear, I was not referencing your post in my initial post. Someone asked if other teams also made jumps, I looked it up and posted some results.

Sorry. My bad...thought it was in reference to my post.

 

[stlnd01]

So amigo, how will 7, 1 loss teams make out with playoff hopes with the SEC ranked so high? Assume 2 are SEC and hold #1, and #3 ranks.
(Rhetorical question.)

Sure, two SEC teams could make the playoffs. I don't think that would be the end of the world. I'd probably vote for a one-good-loss SEC team over Baylor or TCU or Florida State.
And I guess there could be some nightmare scenario of seven deserving one-loss teams spread among the P5 plus Notre Dame, all with close losses and quality wins. That'd be interesting to watch shake out.
But, given parity and randomness and recent history of college football, I don't think that's very likely.

 

[NDRock]

Change of heart?

Not at all, I can't stand the SEC. You asked a question, I answered it. The information I used was the AP poll anyway. ESPN is laughably biased. I'd say the AP is probably better (though bias always plays into it).

It's funny that I live in SEC country and am always making the bias argument to the locals. A couple of guys I work with hate ND because "they used to get all the publicity and were always ranked higher than they should have been". I tell them that thy r become what they hated.

 

[Cackalacky]

The SEC bias argument is such a silly one for one that happens every year.

Yes, half the SEC is in the top ten at this point in the season (or at least it feels that way). And yes that's sort of ridiculous. But they'll all play each other, and most of them will wind up with at least two losses.

Obviously any undefeated will make the top four (as they should) and a one-loss will be in the mix with the rest (as they should). Frankly I'd agree that the second-best team in the SEC is probably better than anyone in the Big 12 or ACC, at least, most years.

But this big pile of highly-ranked SEC teams will thin out just like it always does before the season is through. And until then it's all just something to talk about, something SEC fans like to talk about more than anyone else.

It's quite clearly NOT silly. Even if they lose twice their overinflated rankings cause the victors to be artificially ranked higher because they beat an artificially high ranked opponent. It is by definition a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

[dad4aa]

Let's face it. We all know the playoffs need to expand. Forgetting ND for a moment, you pick 4 teams with 5 power conferences. Every year at least one conference is left out. Looking at Kirk's picks today, three conferences are left out.

The sooner they up it to eight teams the better. You could give all five power conference champions an automatic birth and add three at large. Gives ND a shot in a really good year and conferences can have multiple teams advance.

 

[dad4aa]

It's quite clearly NOT silly. Even if they lose twice their overinflated rankings cause the victors to be artificially ranked higher because they beat an artificially high ranked opponent. It is by definition a self fulfilling prophecy.

^^EXACTLY!!!!

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Who cares. Polls don't mean shit right now. Talk to me in a month and a half when the committee rankings come out


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[johnnycando]

Who cares. Polls don't mean shit right now. Talk to me in a month and a half when the committee rankings come out


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Perception my man.

That's the painted picture that conceives this "playoff."

 

[Cackalacky]

Who cares. Polls don't mean shit right now. Talk to me in a month and a half when the committee rankings come out


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Perception my man.

That's the painted picture that conceives this "playoff."

Right... the one network with the majority of game coverage gets 24 hours a day for the next 7 weeks to establish the narrative people and the committee will perceive. It still matters to an extent.

 

[IrishLax]

Also, special shout out to USC's own Scott Wolf. Ranked the Irish #13... lowest of any voter... behind multiple teams with a loss.

#FightOn

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Also, special shout out to USC's own Scott Wolf. Ranked the Irish #13... lowest of any voter... behind multiple teams with a loss.

#FightOn

Nice Scott Wolf, prick.


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[Bluto]

I personally think that an eight team "playoff" is a terrible idea and does nothing for ND. All I see is extra games for players to get beat up and or hurt and more money being thrown at the college game which will inevitably move it even further away the idea that "student" athletes are playing at this level.

 

[IrishLax]

I personally think that an eight team "playoff" is a terrible idea and does nothing for ND. All I see is extra games for players to get beat up and or hurt and more money being thrown at the college game whihc will inevitably move it even further away the idea that "student" athletes are playing at this level.

I get where you're coming from, but how do you reconcile this with the fact that the FCS division has a large playoff but no "big money" or lucrative TV contracts or such?

IMO, I think an 8 team playoff that dedicates 1 spot to the Power 5 champions plus 3 wildcards is a best case scenario for ND. It truly allows the Irish to control their own destiny instead of needing to be near-perfect plus get help.

 

[Bluto]

I get where you're coming from, but how do you reconcile this with the fact that the FCS division has a large playoff but no "big money" or lucrative TV contracts or such?

IMO, I think an 8 team playoff that dedicates 1 spot to the Power 5 champions plus 3 wildcards is a best case scenario for ND. It truly allows the Irish to control their own destiny instead of needing to be near-perfect plus get help.

The easy answer for 1 is that they are small time schools, with limited brand reach in really small media markets. That's probably the same reason almost all of those games are not televised beyond a local market.

 

[NorthDakota]

I get where you're coming from, but how do you reconcile this with the fact that the FCS division has a large playoff but no "big money" or lucrative TV contracts or such?

IMO, I think an 8 team playoff that dedicates 1 spot to the Power 5 champions plus 3 wildcards is a best case scenario for ND. It truly allows the Irish to control their own destiny instead of needing to be near-perfect plus get help.

I've mentioned it before... I'm a graduate of an FCS school. NDSU. The large playoff is honestly awful. I recall my freshman year... A 7-4(4-4 conf) NDSU made the playoff. What makes FBS great is the regular season. You need to show up.

Ideally 8 teams feels right. At the very most... 16... If it includes all conference champs. Yes even the shit conferences.

 

[ThePiombino]

I get where you're coming from, but how do you reconcile this with the fact that the FCS division has a large playoff but no "big money" or lucrative TV contracts or such?

IMO, I think an 8 team playoff that dedicates 1 spot to the Power 5 champions plus 3 wildcards is a best case scenario for ND. It truly allows the Irish to control their own destiny instead of needing to be near-perfect plus get help.

Yup. There is no way an 8-team playoff would be anything but good for ND. They go from having to "jump" at least two conference champs to having to jump zero. I also think as long as the B12 is not required to institute a CCG, everyone needs to get off ND's back about not being in a conference, so long as we continue to not schedule cupcake schedules.

 

[phork]

#winandyourin

 

[IrishSteelhead]

2015 FBS Polls

Also, special shout out to USC's own Scott Wolf. Ranked the Irish #13... lowest of any voter... behind multiple teams with a loss.

#FightOn

The loss clearly put him on tilt. He doesn't have Stanford or USC in his top 25.

*A quick Google search indicates Wolf is a very creepy fellow, always posing for pics with opposing cheerleaders, flashing a grin similar to a guy who has a photo album of various Hooters waitresses through the years.

 

[JughedJones]

I'm pretty sure if you told IE that Notre Dame would be ranked #6 after week 3... we would have all taken it.


Can you imagine if we beat Clemson?

ESPN and everyone in the sporting world is gonna start MELTING DOWN.

The Ohio State damn near got beat by nobodys. Everyone is getting taken to the wire by teams they shouldn't.

The Irish getting a game from Virginia doesn't look weird anymore.

We're in this... even with a noob QB and a RB who never did that before.


Holy Crap this is exciting!