The College Football Thread 2006

[Eroberer]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

You didn't think the win against WVU was among the most impressive of the year for any team so far?

I did! I don't think it was #1, but it was among the best.

Michigan - Notre Dame was the best win so far. =)

[DanS]

I have a feeling that OSU, Michigan, and USC are the only masters of their own fate at this point.

[Drake Tungsten]

My dream scenario: Cal beats USC. OSU beats Michigan. USC beats Notre Dame. LSU beats Arkansas. Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Then you have Rutgers vs OSU for the national title.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
My dream scenario: Cal beats USC. OSU beats Michigan. USC beats Notre Dame. LSU beats Arkansas. Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Then you have Rutgers vs OSU for the national title.

That's like may dream scenario... however, I don't think that the pollsters will put Rutgers in there, cause they are a bunch of chicken**** bastards.

[Drake Tungsten]

I hate pollsters...

[DanS]

Originally posted by Eroberer
Michigan - Notre Dame was the best win so far. =)

Yes, that was a quality win, although I think it would be a different game, if played now. In hindsight, the USC woodshedding of Arkansas is impressive as well. If USC and Arkansas were to meet this week rather than early in the season, I think the result would be the same.

I'm sure there are some that I'm forgetting.

[MRT144]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
My dream scenario: Cal beats USC. OSU beats Michigan. USC beats Notre Dame. LSU beats Arkansas. Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Then you have Rutgers vs OSU for the national title.

i could go for that!

[Eroberer]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui That's like may dream scenario... however, I don't think that the pollsters will put Rutgers in there, cause they are a bunch of chicken**** bastards.

And then, how sick would it be in 10 years, when the BCS is finally chunked out, that Rutgers would have to look back and say that they didn't even get a shot? That's why I'm in Rutgers' corner. I think a lot of college football fans agree with this approach....root for teams that'll make the BCS look that much worse!

Plus I'd like to say that UNC only lost by a few yards to the eventual national champs.

[Eroberer]

Originally posted by DanS
Yes, that was a quality win, although I think it would be a different game, if played now. In hindsight, the USC woodshedding of Arkansas is impressive as well. If USC and Arkansas were to meet this week rather than early in the season, I think the result would be the same.

I'm sure there are some that I'm forgetting.

Actually, I think USC is playing extremely well now. They killed Oregon. Tenn - Cal is one that would go the other way, but was a good win at the time.

Also, Michigan has been pretty consistent, which is why they've been #2 in all of my polls on this site. =)

[DanS]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
That's like may dream scenario... however, I don't think that the pollsters will put Rutgers in there, cause they are a bunch of chicken**** bastards.

By the way, Charlie Weis was talking up Rutgers yesterday and today. Basically, he said that if WVU and Louisville were in the NC talk a couple of weeks ago, Rutgers should be in the talk now.

He is in the coaches' poll.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by DanS
Take a look at the out-of-conference games that the Pac 10 teams play versus the teams from other conferences. I doubt the NCAA's SOS rankings differ all that much from Sagarin's.

Btw, looking back on this, I'm not sure where you find the "NCAA's SOS", but CBS Sportsline's SOS is far different than Sagarin's:

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/polls/119/index1

With North Carolina having the #1 SOS, UConn having 2, Minnesota with 3, Florida with 4, North Carolina State at 5, Oregon State at 6, Tennessee at 7, Illinois at 8, Penn State at 9, and Cincinnati at 10.

Very much different indeed. Not saying either one is right, but it appears that Sagarin's SOS assumptions isn't exactly shared by all.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I found the NCAA's SOS site:

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2006/Internet/toughest%20schedule/tough.html

I picked SOS based on cumulative schedule (record of past and future opponents). Here is the Top 10:

1. Cincinnati
2. Michigan
3. Connecticut
4. Minnesota
5. Southern Cal
6. South Carolina
7. Maryland
8. Florida
9. Texas
10. West Virginia

Sorted on Past Opposition (record of those already played):

1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. North Carolina State
4. Minnesota
5. Cincinnati
6. Florida
7. Tennessee
8. Oregon State
9. Illinois
10. Penn State

That actually doesn't look far off from the Sportsline ranking. It appears that Sagarin is the one who is far off from the NCAA rankings .

[DanS]

Excellent. Now you would like to defend the method for NCAA rankings?

[Eroberer]

It appears as if DanS's rankings might be crap after all!

The SOS's of all of these other polls at least spread out well among the conferences. The fact that Sagarin's are all in the Pac-10 makes it suspicious.

Also, I can name almost 20 teams better than Cal at the moment!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by DanS
Excellent. Now you would like to defend the method for NCAA rankings?

I'm not using them for my rankings... you, however, are using Sagarin for yours. I think it is up to you to defend the use of Sagarin when they are so far from the NCAA ones (which you said would be similar).

I find the NCAA ones far more defensible than Sagarin's which elevates one conference far above the rest for whatever reason.