BLOGPOLL, WEEK FIVE: PARKING ON THE DANCEFLOOR

Wake Forest and Rutgers in Top 25, Alabama not = Apocalypse. The Anti-Christ walks among us, and he votes in the AP poll.

The music is a great backdrop for cruising the site, should be a regular thing with a volume off option. And of course songs reminding you that there “is no parking on the dance floor” provide subtle reminders to move on through the site and get back to work.

Dali film references, this site never ceases to amaze

Excellent reference. Orson wants to grow…. up to be… be a debaser.

And it happened!

LSU should be ahead of texas. The Lester factor is always at work, but texas has the 80th ranked pass defense in the nation. Russell would pass them silly.

Orson, you used the term “outfit” to describe somone clothing. If that continues you could have your man license revoked.

If Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Boston College and Washington are really four of the top 25 teams in the country…..I don’t know how to finish that sentence….

You have it all wrong. Your Top 5 should read like this.

1. Missouri
2. Wake Forest
3. Kentucky
4. The Orgeron
5. Everyone else

The Orgeron should not be ranked behind any team that has not beaten him.

any Kim Deal song was better.

TideinTx, there is no other way to refer to a white jumpsuit open to your navel. That there’s an “outfit,” not clothing.

Uh, thanks for reminding me why I got into 60’s music when I was in high school. Perhaps you can indulge me with “The Reflex” or “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” next week.

Does anyone have Babineaux’s doctor’s number? I need a truckload of something to deaden my mental anguish right now. I’m blocking damnit! I’m blocking!

Uhhh, did TCU jump or fall?

If Jenkins told you to give them the red-eye, would you do that too?

The Pixies are a wee bit better than Deneice Williams.

Orson, can we get a commitment that if ND beats Air Force by two scores, Tennessee will drop a spot, wherever they are, simply for being close in that game? And that if ND pummels some hapless losers, we’ll jump to one spot behind Michigan, the team that blew us out, even if it’s a ten-point jump?

I know, I’m a bitter ND fan, and I agree with the whole non-fiction part of your poll.

The Portland State beaters thumped by Tennessee ahead of the team thumped by Michigan? Must be a UF thing.

Even with John L [SECOND HALF OF NAME REDACTED] playing rope a dope, the sheer size of that comeback plus the PSU/GT games rate ahead of Portland State/Minnesota/Arizona State.

I’d say the same about the team that beat at UC-Davis/ Baylor/Texas Tech, but at least they are undefeated.

ND is definitely the most frightening one loss team out there. Unfortunately they’re still scaring their supporters as much as their opponents.

O, you really need to add a “Panic” button (a link to some MS Excel page with pie graphs an/or bar charts displaying something besides “happy mustache wednesday motherfuckers”) near each post, for when the ole chief, or in my case, dad, comes prowling down the hall.

Orson, you used the term "outfit" to describe somone clothing. If that continues you could have your man license revoked.

Just as the Mormons convert retroactively, I think that man-licenses can be revoked retroactively, in which case Orson’s use of the word “outfit” is accurately descriptive rather than suspect

Perhaps you can indulge me with "The Reflex" or "Let’s Hear It For The Boy" next week.

thanks for getting that hideous mash-up stuck in my head. Even the video above couldn’t dislodge it.

Ah, the meta-surrealism of using Un Chien Andalou to comment on surreal college football picks, of all things.

Somewhere, Buñuel is smiling.

(And “Debaser” is freakin’ sweet, the programme, whether or not Kim Deal wrote it.)

Orson,

I take it back. Please keep Cal ahead of ND. Any visits to the NC game probably involves thumping U$C. Anything that sets U$C up for that is a good thing.

(Thumping U$C in L.A. of course to get a shot at the last no loss Big 11 or SEC team)

For playing Nicholls State, Louisiana Tech, and Troy in addition to USC, Nebraska should be taken off the poll and fed to the Orgeron. All of them.

Also: ND drops one after beating MSU? What will you do to us when we annihilate Army?

Don’t know about you, but I am un chien andalusia.

Canuck-
I can’t see ND being better than a 1-Loss Florida or a 1 Loss Auburn (especially if that 1 loss team gets vengence in the SEC championship).

yeah, uh, orson…. that sponsor for the bowl Arizona State will attend? – Zim’s Crack Cream Bowl in beautiful Columbus GA … near the FEMA approved Center City Motel, considered one of Georgia’s “fire safe motels”

check it out

http://columbusga.blogspot.com/2005_10_09_columbusga_archive.html

Kevin-
Winning by 3 after trailing significantly to an unranked opponent will do that to you. I mean I seriously doubt you would keep Texas or LSU in the same place if it took a miracle for them to beat Mississippi ST. or Baylor.

Washington? EDSBS giving love to Willingham is Surreal indeed.

IF they beat an undefeated USC 47-21, there might be an awflu lot of screaming from a 1 loss team in the conference Sagarin ranks 3rd.

It’s way too hypothetical, Just pointing out that thumping U$C is probably ND’s only road back. So pullllleaze put Cal ahead of ND at every opportunity.

Sorry, DC Trojan. Maybe “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” or “Total Eclipse of the Heart” will rid your mind of any Duran Duran or Deniece Williams references.
I remember almost crashing the car when those two songs were played back to back in Driver’s Ed. Sorry to HGH your blood pressure Mr. Dixon, but you chose the fu*cking radio station that day.

I’m cool, now. It’s expunged.

Canuck, do you realize that in order for USC to be undefeated when they play Notre Dame then they will have to have beaten Cal along the way.

After what I"ve seen from ND the past couple of weeks, I’d say USC is more likely to drop a game to Cal or Oregon than to ND. Of course anything can happen in a rivalry game.

And what is with Weis lying about being hit during the MSU game? That’s an odd story.

“USC is more likely to drop a game to Cal or Oregon than to ND”

OC Phil, Hell if anyone wants to keep Cal ahead of ND after a Cal loss to USC I’m all for it. It’s a tall order but thumping U$C is probably ND’s only chance.

Canuck,

I will become Catholic if ND beats USC 47-21. Also, I agree, the SEC is probably not as good as it was hyped up this year, but it does have at least 3 of the top 5 teams (according to my poll) in the country. Auburn, LSU, and Florida. As for the rest:
Alabama: pretty bad
Arkansas: pretty bad
Georgia: ok but obviously has problems
Kentucky: pretty bad
Miss. St. terrible
Ole Miss: terrible
South Carolina: pretty bad
Tennessee: pretty good
Vandy: better than given credit for, but still mediocre

Weis said he got hit, but that it might have been his own player. John L. is being John L. and going nuts. That 15 yards he wanted on ND didn’t even change things. MSU had to punt, but Brady threw his pick-6 right after that, so they scored anyways.

Tpyical John L. Smith.

“It might have been one of my guys that slapped me, for all I know,” Weis said Sunday. And Smith piles on Monday.

Turns out he plays both the first half and the third half.

Cardiac Kid:

Hell. Brady Quinn might become a Catholic if he beats USC even close to the way Michigan thumped him. And the whole SEC would be up in arms about a 1 loss SEC team even if Quinn parted the field in the process.

Finally, my alma mater and my law school in a Blog Poll top 25.
First up: South Carolina.
Bitter Kenny Irons, check.
New Big Ol’ Black Dudes stuck up in their pads, check.
Tuberville’s hatred of ESPN talking heads with a chance to rub-it-in on his good buddy SOS, check.
Crazed Will Muschamp blitzing in his sleep, check.
On deck: Liberty.
Liberal arts school that hates Jerry Falwell, check.
Most entertaining offense in the ACC, check.
Gigantic Demon Deacon, check.

You are totally right Cannuck in that I think the only slim chance ND has of making the top game is to beat an otherwise undefeated USC at the end of the year.
Even with all the ND hype, I doubt that would be enough given the thumping in the Michigan game. The middle part of the schedule is too soft and neither GT or PSU is looking like a top quailty team.

And in all probability the winner of WVA-Louisville will go undefeated. That would pose an interesting choice for the BCS against either ND or a one-loss SEC champion.

“I doubt that would be enough given the thumping in the Michigan game”

which is exactly why their best chance is to thump U$C.

The odds on thumping U$C aren’t great, but IF they can plug the O and D lines by then they’ve got the firepower to do it on a Heisman day.

Socraticsilence-
  You really think Baylor or Mississippi State is on par with MSU? Nobody’s saying that the Spartans are great, but just last week they were on the verge of being ranked. I’m just wondering why Nebraska gets so much credit for soundly beating a Sun Belt doormat.

You’re dropping Sparty the week before it plays [Name Redacted]? Illinois has the power to resurrect anyone’s season, possibly even [Name Also Redacted]. But you’ve picked well against Illinois so far this season, so I’ll take your word for it.

By the way, nice job subtly saying “Southern Cal.”

you gave washingtonians a hardon with ranking the Huskies. first hardon in years! (from sports anyway)

Cannuck, so you need to be hoping that USC looks as good as possible going into the ND game. That would mean in addition to USC winning every game: A) USC and Oregon crush Cal as bad or worse than Tenn did. B) Nebraska wins the Big 12 C) Arkansas wins the SEC (or at least does well).

And SC fans should be rooting for Notre Dame to cruise through the easy part of the schedule as well.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington in a bowl this year.

Kevin: Why should Nebraska be penalized for playing a tougher OOC schedule than any SEC team? I thought Auburn should have lost points in the AP poll just for scheduling Buffalo.

OC Phil,

I don’t care what ranking Cal and Oregon have if U$C makes it look like there was never was any doubt. I just want the U$C players to believe in their bones what you said earlier: that Cal and Oregon are their biggest threats.

Thumping U$C enough to push aside other 1 loss teams is a better shot than a stranger series of events and the only one ND can actually prepare for.

The computer polls will be better than most think if ND goes 11-1. They won’t look at size of the Michigan loss, and what are the odds of all of ND’s opponents jumping off cliffs like 2005? The SEC as a whole continuing to rank behind the Pac 10 and Big 11 in the computers would be helpful.

It’s actually the human polls where ND needs to make up ground and crushing U$C in the last game is the sort of thing that could greatly disappoint Texas, and even a one loss SEC team with too many 3 point wins by the end.

Sorry, DC Trojan. Maybe "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" or "Total Eclipse of the Heart" will rid your mind of any Duran Duran or Deniece Williams references.

Sorry my ass, that’s a clear case of the cure being worse than the illness.

Newspaper Hack re #1, it’s not the sign of the Apocolypse, it’s the sign of Shula.

Kevin:

Perhaps because neither Florida State nor Georgia Tech could “soundly beat” said doormat, indicating that either:

Georgia Tech and FSU aren’t all that good, or
perhaps Troy, while definitely a lower division team, isn’t as sucky as their reputation indicates.

Nebraska dominated that game — I’m pretty sure you didn’t watch it, but at least read the box score.

ND fans are funny. Since they had such ridiculously high expectations for the season, now they scramble for any desperate scenario that gives ND a shot at the MNC.

As another I read so eloquently put it, Michigan prison-bitch raped ND on national TV. The BCS is heavily influenced by the polls. The voters will not forget what they saw on national TV (thanks NBC!). Thus no title shot for the Irish.

Not at all, Brad. My expectation was that ND would be 4-1 at the end of September. I pipe up here now and then because Solon said ND was a “dead cert” to lose “at least three” games. I thought he was full of it then (pre-season) and said so. My hope is that ND is in a position where the Southern Cal game is irrelevant to our BCS hopes.

thechuck: yeah, I agree. I’d rather hear that, than say “Here comes your man” over again, and the Pixies are one of my influences. Saw them live in 04, actually. But yeah, I wanna grow up to be a debaser.

Late? of course.

For all the haters:
11-1 ND with one undefeated team will probably gett he nod for the national title game. 11-1 means beating usc, and right now, no one has shown that they can stop USC in that conference. ND hastn’ either, yes michigan had their way with us (5 turnovers helped) but we could beat them if we played them again. Let’s lay off the hating till the bowl invites get handed out.

ND would beat UM if they played them again? Michigan pulled in the reins in the second half and played conservative because the beat down was in full effect. (ndnation bloggers claim Michigan was running up the score. I don’t understand that).

There was more to that game than turnovers. I don’t even think we need to get into how Michigan’s d-line manhandled ND front 7. The game would surely be closer if they played again, but to proclaim a beating after such a thorough beat down…that’s like saying Arkansas would have beaten USC if McFadden wasn’t injured.

Captain electric: I hope by BCS hopes you are talking about the Sugar bowl, because if you think ND could go to the championship game with the Michigan thrashing and a loss to USC, then you need to put down the bong.

I think it will matter very much who the other teams are and what the potential matchups are. If tOSU is the last undefeated, a rematch with a one loss Texas would trump a remach of the beatdown in last year’s Fiesta Bowl.

OC Phil, I was absolutely referring to the Sugar Bowl (although a win over USC has a small chance of vaulting us to the title game.)

I also agree that a 1-loss Texas would make the title game over a 1-loss Notre Dame, but my personal guess is the neither ND nor Texas will be a 1-loss team at season’s end.

jonsi,

howabout this, put the shoe on the other foot and have UM spot ND 5 turnovers (and the 24 points that came on those 5 short field turnovers), do you really think ND would lose that game?

Go catch the that short yellow bus, bc you just missed your ride.

Kevin – check out this picture;
http://mb19.scout.com/fnebraska13914frm1.showMessage?topicID=52301.topic

Turnovers are part of the game. If you throw interceptions and give up fumbles that counts too.

It is like saying that Cal would beat Tenn if Cal were spotted two easy touchdowns because the conerback went for interceptions rather than covering his man.

What happened happened. You need to face reality.

atepesm,

As jonsi pointed out, ND’s offensive line was/is terrible. And the D line isn’t anything great either. Take away the turnovers and there’s still no way ND wins that game getting owned in the trenches like they were.

So how about this – all points removed scored off of turnovers. Result: UM 23, ND 14. Still looks about right.

jonsi- I suggest you look up the difference between the words “would” and “could”, when used in terms of describing a hypothetical future event.
As to other replies, yes, turnovers count, and ND played terribly, giving up 5 of them. That’s what’s known as an aberration, as the last time ND had a -4 turnover game was… hell, I’m not bothering to look it up, but I’d guess not in about 20+ years. Maybe Faust did it. And, in a hypothetical future game with UM, I find an approximately even turnover battle with an approximately even final score (1-7 points one way or the other) much more likely than a carbon copy of the game that was actually played.

I’ll give you Brady Quinn’s fluke fumble and split the kickoff return/1st interception, leaving ND with 3 forced turnovers. The picks were legitimately caused by a great d-line, pressure, and excellent coverage.

I agree, the game would have been closer without the turnovers, but Notre Dame got whooped. ND was slower. ND was less physical. And Notre Dame was less creative and aggressive than Michigan in that game.

Accept your loss. The score might not indicate that Notre Dame is that bad or Michigan that good, and it would probably be a good, close game if they were to play again.

Michigan pulled in the reigns. If we are playing the what if game, what it…The teams split INT touchdowns. 40-14. The kickoff fumble recovery? 33-14. Second interception, Michigan played conservative in the redzone and settled for a field goal. They didn’t try for an TD. 30-14. The 3rd int? Nothing. Michigan didn’t try. Conservative. No points (great catch though). The last fumble, 23-14. Let’s take away the junk touchdown right before half when Michigan played a Jim Hermanesqe bend don’t break defense, but add a field goal. 23-10. Let’s assume that Notre Dame would have scored another touchdown — after all, minus the swapped INT, they scored on 1/4 of other possessions — so presumably they would have scored on one of those series. 23-17. But Michigan TOO would likely have scored again had they not been conservative, and likely would have scored on one of the possessions that didn’t result in a ND turnover, so make it 30-17. Sounds about right to me without turnovers and comparing total yards, 3rd down conversions, and rush yards/attempt, and watching the game.

“yes michigan had their way with us (5 turnovers helped) but we could beat them if we played them again. Let’s lay off the hating till the bowl invites get handed out.”

It’s pretty clear wooderson is saying ND WOULD beat Michigan minus the turnovers, not suggesting a close game. He’s not saying “ND has the talent to beat Michigan. It would probably be a close game in a rematch.”

In truth I WOULD expect a close game. And if Michigan turned it over -4 times, ND WOULD likely win. However, Michigan FORCED 3 of those turnovers, if not directly, indirectly due to a dominant line and great coverage. I don’t think ND’s defense could force that many against Michigan, and Mike Hart hasn’t fumbled in 500+ touches, so good luck there.

Yes, that’s exactly what he was saying. If ND played UM again, it would be 49-3 ND. That’s his position. Oh, wait, he’s not Marco.

Let’s all settle down about ND-Michigan. It’s over, Michigan won, good for them. No one from ND is arguing that it shouldn’t count.

What is, however, a fair point is that ND had two flukey turnovers right away, got into a big hole, and had to play catchup. That, to a greater or lesser extent, effects—not the outcome—but the predictive value of ND’s loss.

It’s like ND in 2002. We won our first 8 games, including a blowout over Florida State, and were ranked #4. But the predictive value of those wins—especially the blowout of FSU—was low—Chris turned the ball over three times in the FSU redzone, and ND scored a flukey touchdown on a stretch-the-field bomb on the first play (a play that worked three times in about 20 Carlyle Holiday starts). FSU beat themselves more than ND beat them, a fact made READILY apparent when ND played NC State later in the season and got blown out.

Anyway, the point is simple—ND doesn’t necessarily suck worse than Vanderbilt because Vandy played Michigan closer.

Notre Dame fans, give it a rest already. IF Notre Dame goes 11-1, there is still the likely undefeated winner of Louisville-WVU, Ohio State, a possible undefeated Florida or Auburn., and then some one loss teams who didn’t get killed at home by 4 scores (Texas for one). Notre Dame is a long, long shot, and it makes zero difference what would happen against Michigan because you aren’t playing them again.

Jesus.