2008 sj.com college football poll -- (1/9) Final Poll, Page 118

Preseason Poll -- Aug. 18, 2008
Week 1 -- Sept. 2, 2008
Week 2 -- Sept. 8, 2008
Week 3 -- Sept. 15, 2008
Week 4 -- Sept. 22, 2008
Week 5 -- Sept. 29, 2008
Week 6 -- Oct. 6, 2008
Week 7 -- Oct. 13, 2008
Week 8 -- Oct. 20, 2008
Week 9 -- Oct. 27, 2008
Week 10 -- Nov. 3, 2008
Week 11 -- Nov. 10, 2008
Week 12 -- Nov. 17, 2008
Week 13 -- Nov. 24, 2008
Week 14 -- Dec. 1, 2008
Week 15 -- Dec. 8, 2008
Final Poll -- Jan. 9, 2009

The good, the bad and the Uga



By SLAPPY 4428
Doormat

You’ve been through this before. Lord, have you been through this before.

It’s the end of the summer before you head into eighth grade. You remember the girl you had a crush on the year before – we’ll call her Ann Marie – in a place we’ll call St. Matthew’s.

You know this year will be different. You won’t do the same things to get her attention. You won’t let her treat you like something dangling from the dog’s ass.

And when you walk in the classroom, the summer’s worth of bravado quickly melts like room-temperature Jell-o in the time it takes her to turn to her friends and sneer in her quickly developing cigarette voice – “You? Again?”

Years later, we’re back in class again. You look at the top of poll and can’t help but say “You? Again?”

Yes, we are: The good, the bad and the Uga.

At the beginning of last season, USC was on top; At the end, it was on the outside, looking in thanks to Stanford (Spare me the one-loss defense. It was freakin’ STANFORD).

End of the regular season, Ohio State had climbed to the top – again. End of last season, Ohio State was flat on its back – again, compliments of the SEC – again. (Even Michigan let John Cooper win occasionally.)

And Georgia? Geez, the puppies had a tough time, what with the BCS conspiring to keep them out of a National Championship Game thanks to a two-loss season and an inability to advance to its own league title game.

Then their beloved dog died, thus moving Georgia’s president not to say with a proper sense of realistic perspective, “Sorry to hear it, but we’re an institution of higher learning. Life goes on.”

Instead, it was, “We recognize Uga VI in a way that is very special to the University of Georgia. I would suggest to you that Uga is a very powerful symbol, symbolism of the tenacity and strength of the university, Uga VI, particularly. ... I personally think this dog has exemplified that strength and tenacity very well.”

They’ll probably wear a patch on their shoulders all year, one you can see prominently every time Matt Stafford trots to the sideline and Larry Munson says “It’s fourth down for Georgia and the offense has stalled again.”

Anyway, like the mythical throws-of-puberty love affair with a short, swarthy, obnoxious, chain-smoking Italian girl, all that cool you should have developed to pick a breakthrough team at the top disappeared under pressure.

Nevertheless, we’re back – 52 strong (or 50 strong, BYH and Bubbler). For better or worse, we’re back for a season worth of overrated coaches, underrated teams and as much predictability as The Dwarf writing about himself while in China (and my obsession with it).

As last year, the membership in the poll demands concentration, effort and timing. It demands that we drill the high and mighty and stick up for the little guy (No. Not Saban. Not yet).

From now until Mike Leach, Mike Gundy or Mike Bellotti can stand tall and scream from the mountain tops “WE ARE THE BEST!” or until Rich Rodriguez trashes every single tradition Michigan has established over the last 40 years – starting with winning – we will put forth the best college football poll on the net. Or at least until the end of the season. If we wait too long, we’ll run out of games.

So make your picks and place your bets. At the end of the season, USC might very well be the best team in the nation. Ohio State might very well be in the BCS title game headed for a runner-up string not usually seen south of Orchard Park.

But if Georgia somehow wins the national title, we’ll know it’s from divine inspiration.

“One (phone call of condolence) was from (the son of a former player) whose father passed a way just a week or so ago," so quoth the AJC on the day after Uga passed away, "He said, 'Tell the (owners), daddy will walk Uga every day in heaven."

If heaven wanted a bulldog, it should have walked Ann Marie in eighth grade.

The good, the bad and the Uga.

SportsJournalists.com COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
Aug. 18, 2008
RK. TEAM (1st) PTS
1. Southern Cal (19) 1208
2. Georgia (14) 1190
3. Ohio State (10) 1152
4. Oklahoma (1) 1104
5. Florida (2) 1024
6. LSU (2) 990
7. Missouri (1) 985
8. West Virginia (1) 888
9. Clemson (1) 853
10. Texas 770
11. Auburn 728
12. Wisconsin 686
13. Texas Tech 624
14. Kansas 607
15. Arizona State 556
16. Virginia Tech 503
17. Tennessee 459
18. BYU 406
19. Illinois 385
20. Oregon 297
21. South Florida 268
22. Penn State 216
23. Wake Forest 135
24. Michigan 123
25. Fresno State 75

Also receiving votes: Alabama 59, Pitt 48, Cincinnati 44, Utah 35, South Carolina 31, California 28, Boston College 25, Oregon State 21, Michigan State 14, Rutgers 9, UConn 5, Florida State 5, Central Florida 3, Virginia 3, Oklahoma State 3, Boise State 2, Nebraska 2, TCU 1, Maryland 1, North Carolina 1, Central Michigan 1, Ohio 1, Miami (Fla.) 1.

The SportsJournalists.com college football poll committee: Slappy4428 (chairman), 2muchcoffeeman, 93devil, Agate Page, Amraeder, Angola, Appgrad05, Azom, Barsuk, Bubbler, Buckweaver, Budcrew08, BYH, Cadet, Della9250, Diabeetus, Dickens Cider, Dixiehack, Dparker85, Elliotte Friedman, GB-Hack, Hammer Pants, Hank Scorpio, Huggy, Hustle, Idaho, Inkywretch, Joe Schmoe, Joel Hammond, jps, KYsportswriter, Madhavok, Mustangj17, Mystery Meat, OJ1414, Orville Redenbacher, Oz, Perennially Overrated, Piotr Rasputin, Precious Roy, Rufino, Rumpleforeskin, Spnited, Sportschick, Stagger Lee, Starman, Sxysptswrtr, Tom Petty, Trooper Bari, Songbird, Zebracoy, Zeke12

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

Mystery Meat's already out?

And well done, slap, as always.

Can we get a sticky from the Mods?

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

Oh, I know. I'm just surprised we had a preseason scofflaw.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

I mean, cripes, I don't like being a hardass, but the deadline's been posted for a fucking week.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

Florida and LSU 5-6?? The SEC fanbois weigh in. I should be glad Missouri made top 10, apparently

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

Clemson? No. 1 vote? Who's rocking the crack pipe?

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

Those last two graphs are fucking great. Well done.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

No votes for BG? Ouch.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

I think someone mentioned they were going to do that in the last thread, but I can't find it to try and confirm it.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

Tennessee at No. 17 is far more egregious.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- PRESEASON, Aug. 18

More WTF? Ohio? The team picked sixth in their division by the MAC media?

Christ, my alma mater got five first place votes in the same poll and they're not getting a whiff in my poll until at least November, and only if they're in first place.

The Tuesday- and Wednesday-playing MAC sucks.