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

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

no. i recognize the 13-0 season as a very good season which deserves a top 4 ranking. i was just pointing out the fallacy in your argument that utah is better than usc because it beat oregon state.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

Sorry, but people do use tiebreakers when doing a blind comparison between Team A and Team B. All year long, I've had Utah and USC right next to each other in my polls, sometimes flip-flopping them based on weekly performance. The Oregon State game, at the end of the season -- feel free to grill me on this -- provides a nice tiebreak for those (like me) who have thought for much of the season that the two are basically equals.

USC has better talent, no doubt, but Utah won every game on the schedule. USC didn't. Advantage Utah, especially after it beat an SEC team on an SEC field by two touchdowns.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

and that's a fair point. i just think you're wrong. i think usc is the best team in the country.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

They might be the most talented team in the country -- actually, they probably are.

While I realize it's through no fault of their own, I wish they could have played a schedule like the Sooners or Gators did. What hurt USC was that their schedule was so tough at the start, the bottom of the Pac-10 didn't give the Trojans another chance at a marquee game the way the Big 12 South did for the Sooners after Texas and the SEC did for the Gators after Ole Miss, not to mention the conference championship games.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

i can agree with that. and i should have said earlier, i disagree with your point, not that you are wrong.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

yup. that missouri-oklahoma game proved plenty.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

and really, who did the sooners beat after they lost to texas? a couple of terribly overrated teams?

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

Kansas (8-5, won bowl game)
Kansas State (5-7)
Nebraska (9-4, won bowl game)
Texas A&M (4-8)
Texas Tech (11-2, lost bowl game)
Oklahoma State (9-4, lost bowl game)
Mizzou (10-4, won bowl game)

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

which of those games are marquee wins?

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

Texas Tech was undefeated at the time, and had beaten the team that beat OU. And Mizzou was in the Big 12 Title Game. I'd call both marquee wins.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

Tom, it's just really stupid to pretend OU is just some shlub team. They're damn good. Comparing them with USC without giving them a modicum of respect takes a lot of rationality out of any possible arguments.

 

Re: 2008 SportsJournalists.com college football poll -- Week 15 (12/8) Page 110

You're right, how could Oklahoma's schedule compare to this, following the Oregon State loss ...

Arizona State (5-7)
Washington State (2-11)
Arizona (8-5, won bowl game)
Washington (0-12)
California (9-4, won bowl game)
Stanford (5-7)
Notre Dame (7-6, won bowl game)
UCLA (4-8)