College Football -- Better Than Ever

[MRT144]

The Associated Press doesn't offer too much direction to its poll voters, but it spells out one voting guideline pretty clearly: Pay attention to head-to-head results.

That order absolutely killed me as I constructed my poll ballot on Sunday morning. I had to drop USC for losing to Washington, but I couldn't drop the Trojans below Ohio State, because USC won in the Horseshoe a week earlier. I had to drop BYU below Florida State -- which had to be ranked below Miami -- but I couldn't rank the Cougars below Oklahoma, a team BYU beat two weeks earlier.

So I followed the rules and kept all the head-to-head winners above the head-to-head losers, with one exception. I didn't jump Washington over USC, because I didn't rank the Huskies. Sorry, but before they beat the Trojans, they had won one game (against Idaho) since 2007. If they handle Stanford this week, the Huskies probably will crack next week's poll.

But I'm not sure I can rank them above USC if the Trojans begin winning again. The head-to-head rule makes perfect sense, but at some point, I have to rank teams based on their body of work. By keeping the head-to-head winners above the teams they vanquished, I stiffed Cincinnati -- which deserved to move up and didn't -- and Virginia Tech -- which didn't deserve to move down.

Besides, we're headed for a scenario that could turn head-to-head on its head. If Miami beats Virginia Tech this week, the Hurricanes will be 3-0 going into a matchup with 2-1 Oklahoma. If the Sooners win, they'll have beaten Miami, which beat Florida State, which beat BYU. Hugh Falk, the proprietor of Pollspeak.com, suspects this chain of events would force voters to shut down like the logic-operated android women from Star Trek: The Shatner Generation. I'm guessing it'll look more like the money scene from the 1981 classic Scanners. In other words, we're going to need a mop to clean up the mess.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...#ixzz0RruJyFTI

The problem here seems to be only looking at that week's HtH winners without any consideration to the HtH body of work.

[MRT144]

That I'm not sure. Depends on who they lose to and who they beat and the way they play in their games.

3 Loss OkState (Texas and Oklahoma beat them) and 0 Loss Houston?

[Drake Tungsten]

What in god's name is "HtH body of work"?

[MRT144]

What in god's name is "HtH body of work"?

Their head to head body of work

BYU is below Oklahoma because they only consider Head to Head for the last week played rather than looking at head to head for all the past weeks.

And there is a reason for not looking too far back at only Head to Head as it might result in outcomes that are wholly unexpected and ludicrous.

[Drake Tungsten]

So we won't even be considering Washington's head-to-head win over USC by the time they both hypothetically go 11-1? You're not making any sense, dude...

[MRT144]

So we won't even be considering Washington's head-to-head win over USC by the time they both hypothetically go 11-1? You're not making any sense, dude...

I would but other people obviously don't. But by that token isn't the loss against LSU even more distant?

I don't necessarily agree with letting losses fade into irrelevance especially when it could be deciding factor in what bowls the team gets.

Oh, and just to make clear, some of what I am stating isn't necessarily what I think is the right way or a good way of doing it, just how it seems to be. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

[snoopy369]

Not to rain on your parade, but I need to take this moment to console DanS...

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has turf toe, expected to play Saturday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is expected to play Saturday against Purdue despite suffering from turf toe on his right foot, Irish coach Charlie Weis said.

"The MRI came back negative other than the turf toe," Weis said Tuesday. "So rumors of him having a broken foot and being done for the year are incorrect."

Clausen injured his right foot while getting sacked during Saturday's 33-30 win over Michigan State, then was scheduled to have the MRI on Sunday to determine the nature of the injury.

Clausen is the nation's No. 2-rated passer, completing 68.1 percent of his passes for 951 yards and nine touchdowns through three games this season.

Weis will hold Clausen out of practice Tuesday and then ease him back into work on Wednesday and Thursday with the intent of the junior starting Saturday.

link

Anyone on that team going to be healthy by the end of the year?

[MRT144]

Not to rain on your parade, but I need to take this moment to console DanS...

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has turf toe, expected to play Saturday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is expected to play Saturday against Purdue despite suffering from turf toe on his right foot, Irish coach Charlie Weis said.

"The MRI came back negative other than the turf toe," Weis said Tuesday. "So rumors of him having a broken foot and being done for the year are incorrect."

Clausen injured his right foot while getting sacked during Saturday's 33-30 win over Michigan State, then was scheduled to have the MRI on Sunday to determine the nature of the injury.

Clausen is the nation's No. 2-rated passer, completing 68.1 percent of his passes for 951 yards and nine touchdowns through three games this season.

Weis will hold Clausen out of practice Tuesday and then ease him back into work on Wednesday and Thursday with the intent of the junior starting Saturday.

link

Anyone on that team going to be healthy by the end of the year?

Even if I can't I will; This is Fat Chuck's fault.

[Guynemer]

Predictably, Ole Miss looks awfully overrated so far against South Carolina. Down 16-3 late in the third.

[Drake Tungsten]

They aren't in my Top Ten.

[Guynemer]

Stop calling it "your" Top Ten, smartass.


I've questioned their high preseason ranking several times here, nice to be vindicated the first time they see anything more than token resistance.

[SlowwHand]

We can make this short and sweet. If the team isn't in the Big 12, or at least the SEC, they don't need to be put in the Top 10. Wasn't that easy?

[Drake Tungsten]

You're so dumb, Sloww.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I wonder if he realizes yet, especially after Drake's post, that Mississippi is an SEC team.

[Drake Tungsten]

Sloww has the most appropriate posting name on Poly.