The final draft for our blogpoll ballot this week. We're almost happy with this one, but see notes for clarifications and thanks to our observant readers.
A note: don't follow the arrows--they reflect corrections from previously submitted drafts, not movement from last week.
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | -- |
| 2 | Southern Cal | 1 |
| 3 | Michigan | 1 |
| 4 | Florida | -- |
| 5 | Tennessee | 3 |
| 6 | Texas | 1 |
| 7 | Louisville | -- |
| 8 | California | 1 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 3 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | -- |
| 11 | Georgia Tech | -- |
| 12 | Auburn | -- |
| 13 | Iowa | 4 |
| 14 | Oregon | 2 |
| 15 | LSU | 5 |
| 16 | Clemson | 3 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 2 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 4 |
| 19 | Missouri | 4 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 6 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 5 |
| 22 | Georgia | 1 |
| 23 | Boise State | 2 |
| 24 | Rutgers | 3 |
| 25 | Washington | 1 |
Notes, errors, and more errors:
* In our original draft, we accidentally carried Houston over, leading to a slew of emails and comments pointing out how completely retarded this was. Leaving anyone who loses to Louisiana-Lafayette in your ballot is obviously a red flag for wack balloting, especially given that their name spells out "UL-LAF" on the scoreboard. Many opponents do, actually...
* There are a few obvious instabilities in the poll, logjams to be resolved by upcoming matchups that will even out conference distribution a bit. Michigan/OSU will knock out that logjam provided both teams remain undefeated.
* But past rationale in our blogpoll has been this: believe the zombie is dead when you see the head rolling. USC may have almost lost, but they remain undefeated and beat the daylights out of an Arkansas team that just paved Auburn. That game puts them back at two in our poll, where they'll remain until someone manages beat them. Again, no rolling zombie head, no bump down. Doing so in prior weeks was a mistake.
Poll rule occasionally followed: believe the zombie is gone when you see the head roll.
* Tennessee is the best one-loss team in the nation, so they hit their ceiling right under Florida, whose offensive stuttering prevents us from placing them any higher.
*Texas only moves down with a victory because of Tennessee's resilience and eventual dominance on the road at Sanford Stadium. We think they'd beat Texas, so down one seat you must slide.
* We're of the mindset that Louisville's improved defense sets them apart from WVU, a team that's gotten sloppy in the doldrums of their midseason schedule. They slide down due to their own recent lassitude and the synced-up performance of Cal, who put the cables to Oregon. "NOBEL PRIZE! NOBEL PRIZE!"
*The only hedge we have in this poll is putting WVU ahead of Notre Dame. The game would likely be a shootout similar to WVU's Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia, but that's just hypotheticals here, like "what if Orson could lay off the Robitussin for a few days," and that just gets us nowhere, doesn't it?
*LSU is the best two-loss team in the nation, but another lackluster showing and we'll happily boot them out of the polls. They're probably overranked here, especially given their dismal run game. They're the Oklahoma of the SEC, just with the offensive deficiencies reversed.
* We dropped Virginia Tech for being unmemorable thus far. We have no other justification besides this and our readers insisting we were overrating them.
* Washington's back in, since losing to the clock and the number two team in the nation is nothing to weep over.
* Given what you've seen this year...couldn't every team in this poll beat the team ranked below it? That's what governs the "grab-bag" section between, say, 13 and 25.
Submit your vehement disagreements below.
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