Blogpoll Draft Ballot

by BSD on Oct 26, 2008 9:18 PM EDT in Blogpoll

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Texas	--
2	Penn State	--
3	Alabama	--
4	Florida	1
5	Texas Tech	1
6	Oklahoma	1
7	Southern Cal	1
8	Georgia	1
9	Oklahoma State	5
10	Utah	2
11	Boise State	2
12	Florida State	5
13	Missouri	2
14	LSU	4
15	Minnesota	6
16	Ohio State	5
17	TCU	1
18	Brigham Young	8
19	Ball State	3
20	North Carolina	6
21	Michigan State	5
22	Tulsa	4
23	Oregon	3
24	Maryland	2
25	Boston College	9

Dropped Out: South Florida (#14), Pittsburgh (#19), Georgia Tech (#20), Arizona (#23), Northwestern (#24), Kansas (#25).

Thoughts?

0 recs | Comment 30 comments

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Comments

Poor, poor Pitt

pax et amor

by jtothep on Oct 26, 2008 9:48 PM EDT 0 recs

yeah, those guys rock

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

by TheMightyErik on Oct 26, 2008 9:53 PM EDT up 0 recs

how they game up so many points to Rutgers

I’ll never understand.

Also, just saying “Bowling Green” puts a smile on my face.

Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries

by Kevin HD on Oct 26, 2008 10:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

Bowling Green

Really rolls off the tongue.

God, I love Pitt.

by ReadingRambler on Oct 26, 2008 10:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

And zero Big East teams in the 25?

Allow me to bask in the warm glow of that for awhile.

John Madden told me 90% of the game was half-mental...

by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on Oct 27, 2008 9:39 AM EDT up 0 recs

I'd move . . . .

I’d put Florida ahead of PSU since a home loss to a mediocre SEC team looks better on a team’s resume than beating the Buckeyes on the road.

That’s not what I really think, but I figured I should speak on behalf of the SEC conference so their voice is heard!

OK, back to reality now.

by gcdyersb on Oct 27, 2008 12:52 AM EDT 0 recs

No one ever gives the SEC any credit. In fact, it’s kind of a slap in the face to them that their whole conference isn’t ranked ahead of Penn State. I mean…they play down south and everything where everyone is faster and just overall better because of…well the warm weather I guess, and just because it’s the south. I heard the footballs are made of solid gold down there.

by jimbo2psu on Oct 27, 2008 10:44 AM EDT up 0 recs

There is something to the speed argument

as teams in the south can have meaningful practice outdoors every day of the year.

Tomahawk Nation: No-Holds-Barred Nole Analysis

by FSUncensored on Oct 27, 2008 10:54 AM EDT up 0 recs

you don't have to be outside to be able to run fast

there’s this amazing innovation up north called walls and a roof. I thought we had exported the technology down south, but perhaps not.

Also, tell me how fun it is to run fast and have meaningful practice outside in the middle of summer down south.

On a more serious note, the speed argument actually has some merit, but it has nothing to do with breeding, or location, but on the strength training and conditioning programs used (at least according to an article I read on somewhere…maybe espn?). The argument boils down to 40 times meaning nothing (and 40 times are actually comparable up north and down south), but that they implemented burst training down there earlier than programs up here (if any are doing it at all). Having that initial fast burst of explosive speed allows you to get better separation earlier (or close the gap earlier). Not sure if this is all true, or the real reason, but it would go to explain a lot.

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 27, 2008 11:00 AM EDT up 0 recs

The speed argument has nothig to do with breeding or location?

It is not fun to run fast in the middle of summer in the south, but I’ve trained inside and out, and it seems that the work outside in the crazy heat is harder.

Also, there is probably something to the social dynamics. Northern states have far greater welfare programs, compared to southern states, and that might result in kids being forced to create their own fun, outside. The logic there, being
Inside activities like video games, etc cost more than outside activities (like a football or basketball). Thus, less $ = more playing outside, from an earlier age.

Why are there far fewer football recruits from northern states?

Take Ga and FL versus Penn and Illinois.
The populations are roughly 26 Million people against 25 million people.
Yet, Ga + FL has 54 (41+14) players in the Rivals250, and Pa+ IL has only 13 (7+6)

I find that very interesting, and that is without even getting into the discussion of New York.

I’m not a fan of the SEC, but there is something to the speed argument.

Tomahawk Nation: No-Holds-Barred Nole Analysis

by FSUncensored on Oct 27, 2008 12:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

well some counter arguments

1) the best of the best are still going to be the same. Granted, with a larger sample size, you have a greater chance of getting that “1 in a million” player, but on average, the top tier player are going to be on the same level. Also (and once I bother to actually look up that article for the “facts” I can link it), it either said something like “the 40 times are actually the same” or “40 times don’t matter, because rarely do plays occur where someone is running straight for that kind of distance”

2) I don’t put much into that “welfare” argument. Stick to “better weather to play outside more often”. But even then, any player worth a damn on these college levels is in pretty optimal shape, and it is highly unlikely that their length of time spent running outside 5-10 years ago is gonna matter one bit.

3) the “recruit ranking”: that can be explained by high school football being on par with religion in a lot of those areas, whlie up here it is just another thing to do on fridays in the fall. Recruits out of better programs are going to be more highly regarded, and the programs, on average, are better down south than up here, on the high school level.

4) I’m not saying they don’t have an advantage of some sort, but I think it is more “quickness” than “speed”, and quickness can be trained/learned (while speed seemingly can’t). That’s why I said it boils down to the training regimen, and not so much an inbred thing (and just to make this a snarky post, I’ll say “haha, and in the case of the SEC they really are inbred”)

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 27, 2008 12:31 PM EDT up 0 recs

the article in question

not saying this is a definitive, scientific article, but it does raise some interesting points/questions.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25339067/

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 27, 2008 12:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

I think FSU is too high

and I really don’t think PSU deserves to be over Alabama.

Tomahawk Nation: No-Holds-Barred Nole Analysis

by FSUncensored on Oct 27, 2008 9:35 AM EDT 0 recs

a little psu homerism

is good for a fanbase…..

nice win over VT this weekend. many tears shed down here in NOVA.

http://glassesofjoe.blogspot.com/

by psudrozz on Oct 27, 2008 10:03 AM EDT up 0 recs

Minnesoooooota

As good a story as the Gophers are this year (they’re my second favorite team, behind PSU, so this season is great for me!), I don’t think there’s any way they should be ranked ahead of Ohio State right now, since the Buckeyes pasted them a few short weeks ago. If the Buckeyes lose again though, then sure, rank the Gophers ahead of them, but for now I’d flip-flop them at #15-16.

I totally agree with putting Penn State ahead of Alabama at #2. I think we’re better than the Crimson Tide, but I’m not prepared to say we’re better than Texas at this juncture (though we definitely have a better defense). I think #9 is about the right spot for Oklahoma State right now, but I have a hard time believing Florida State is deserving of a #12 ranking. I’d have them more down around #18 or so.

Let's Go State!

by Gopher Broke on Oct 27, 2008 10:00 AM EDT 0 recs

how did you live with yourself in 99?

just wonderin’

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 27, 2008 11:02 AM EDT up 0 recs

I was young...

…and still in high school in Wisconsin when I listened on the radio to the Minnesota-Penn State game in 1999. At the time Minnesota was my #1 team, so I was absolutely ecstatic when Nystrom split the uprights. I didn’t go to undergrad at the U of M (I went to a small D-III school), but PSU became my new #1 team when I decided to come to grad school here in 2005. Even when the Golden Gophers were my #1 team, I always liked the Nittany Lions (something about their mystique intrigued me), and I’ve always despised Michigan, Ohio State & Notre Dame with a passion, so I fit in really well here! I couldn’t even bring myself to apply to grad school at those places! (Part of that had to do with Penn State having a much better grad program in my field than those schools of course, haha.)

Let's Go State!

by Gopher Broke on Oct 27, 2008 6:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

Ugh

I’ll never forget the name “Dan Nystrom.” My buddy and I were talking about that game a few weeks ago, and the first thing I blurted out in my trembling, memory-laced sadness was "N-N-Nyyystrom-m-m-m. The only other Gopher name I remotely remember from that year was Billy Cocker-something. I remember the story about him kicking over a 6-foot ladder in practice the week before the game in preparation for Lavar’s kick-blocking skills.

Pain was given a new definition after that game.

by blogue20 on Oct 29, 2008 10:59 AM EDT up 0 recs

I completely agree

I know Ohio St. has two losses this year, however, I don’t think you should rank them ahead of Minnesota. I realize that Minnesota only has one loss (to Tosu) to Ohio States’ two losses. However, the Buckeyes losses were to a then #1 USC and a #3 PSU squad.

by GLORYOFOLDSTATE on Oct 27, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

did you mean behind?

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 27, 2008 1:36 PM EDT up 0 recs

I thought that was curious as well

But kept my mouth shut so I didn’t sound like a complete homer.

OSU was ranked 11th last week in BSD’s ballot. They lost a hard-fought, one score game to the #2 team in the same ballot and drop five spots? Behind a team they beat handily?

Doesn’t matter that much really, but when you consider the outcry here last week for me stating that the Trojans had a better offense than PSU, it does kind of make you wonder about evaluation skillsets and whatnot.

by eleventy on Oct 27, 2008 1:54 PM EDT up 0 recs

no no, don't you get it

USC still doesn’t have a better offense, OSU’s defense just got that much better! (only half-joking…I am a homer afterall)

by The JuggerNitt on Oct 27, 2008 2:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

Probably

A little bit of both. The Buckeye defense has turned things on, but that USC offense had them confused all night.

by eleventy on Oct 28, 2008 12:57 AM EDT up 0 recs

Excellent point

I had forgotten Ohio State beat Minnesota. I’ll move Ohio State up two spots.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Oct 27, 2008 4:02 PM EDT up 0 recs

wow

A lot of love for the non-BCS guys….I don’t really have a problem with it but that’s what jumped out at me first. I agree that Florida State is too high, I might switch them with TCU. I believe TCU’s only loss this year is to Oklahoma? I could be wrong.

Minny over Ohio State is also pretty suspect. Ohio State lost to two top-5 teams, I might also look at switching them with Florida State to get Ohio State back into the 10-15 range. They were tough.

Missouri seems a hair low to me as well.

by jimbo2psu on Oct 27, 2008 10:50 AM EDT 0 recs

This is how I _wish_ the poll was

Penn State
Texas
Alabama
Iowa
Indiana
Michigan State
Ohio State
Oregon State
Illinois
Michigan
Wisconsin
Purdue
Temple
Syracuse
Coastal Carolina
Florida
Texas Tech
USC
Oklahoma
Georgia
OK St.
Utah
Boise St.
LSU
Missouri