[NU Sports] Maybe the Big Ten ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

OK, last post from me on this I promise.:) It helps to
get the B(C)S disgust out of the system to go ahead
and enjoy the Big Ten bowl season.

> sjtruog at yahoo.com said:> If #1 and #2 lose and #3
> and #4 do not, it stands to reason that
> > unless #5 has a great win, those two should move
> up.
> Stephen, I think this is where your logic breaks
> down.  I disagree that #3 and #4 should
> automatically move up.  Each poll is an independent
> measurement of current perceived strength, taking
> into context the season's results as a whole. 

But see, didn't the poll the week before take that
into account as well? What happened between last week
and this week to make LSU all of a sudden #2 instead
of #7? Two teams ahead of them lost? Fine - move 'em
up two spots. But is a 21-14 win over Tennessee worth
a five-spot leap? The teams ahead of LSU are the same
this week as they were last week - they didn't change,
nor did their overall body of work.

All that changed was an "O S#!^" reaction by the bowls
to having a team that didn't win its conference play
in the title game for the third time and a massive PR
campaign -- led by ESPN -- to say LSU deserves it.

I dunno, to me it's easier to understand why a team up
top that lost doesn't drop that far (such as OU or
Nebraska in their years ... though Nebraska's big loss
made it quite puzzling) than what's happened the past
two years. A loss in the title game - when viewed in
the context of their season as a whole - could only
mean a 1-2 spot drop in some cases. But to leap up
five spots or two spots requires something
extraordinary. They're the same teams ahead as the
week before - all that changed was LSU (or Florida
last year) - was their title game enough to totally
reshape their body of work? Oklahoma's thrashing of #1
maybe. LSU by a TD over Tennesse? No way.

> There's a lot of interdependence when voters are
> weighing the +/- impact of various wins and losses. 
> For instance, Kansas didn't move up after Missouri
> lost because KU's loss to Missouri was perceived as
> a greater negative than it had been previously.

And I can see why they kept Mizzou ahead of Kansas.
That made sense.
  
> I find your tirade against the polls puzzling,
> Stephen.  Polls represent the combined opinions of
> many different people.  Are they ALL idiots, because
> the week-to-week changes in poll rankings don't
> conform to your sense of "correct" poll metaphysics?

Not all idiots (though looking at some of the
ballots:) ) ... just sheep. ESPN and the BCS did
everything they could Saturday night to beg and twist
arms to gift wrap a title game spot for LSU and they
felt the peer pressure and obliged.

If you had UGa, Kansas, USC, VaTech or whoever ahead
of LSU last week, what else besides the campaigning on
ESPN possessed you to suddenly see the light and move
LSU up to #2. Georgia's not a champ? You knew that
last week. VaTech lost to LSU three months ago? Again,
old news. Beating Tennessee by a touchdown? Maybe I
missed the part of the game where LSU looked like a
dominant team. They trailed most of the game and
looked awfully sluggish when I watched.

I dunno. Like I said, it just doesn't pass the smell
test to me. I expect the game to be close, but I
really can't see OSU beating the Tigers in New
Orleans. And when they hoist that trophy, it's going
to feel pretty unsatisfying for a lot of fans.
Especially if USC, Georgia, Hawaii, Oklahoma or other
teams with a legit claim at that shot win their game
big.

And yes, I know some of this existed before the BCS,
but it just seems like the BCS has made it worse and
less fun. They got lucky all those other years because
the FSU or Big XII team that got in under suspect
circumstances always lost to #1 ... but last year
their luck ran out and I suspect the same will happen
this year with the team that got in under a cloud of
controversy winning and then everyone having them
shoved down our throats as clear champions when many
felt they didn't deserve it.

Oh well, bring on the bowls.:)
Go Big Ten!
GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!


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