2013 SJ College Football Poll: FINAL POLL POSTED!!!

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

Except that it won't what?

Happen the way I said, or happen because you don't think it would be Ohio State v. unbeaten Clemson over 1-loss Georgia?

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

I think a one-loss Southeastern Conference champion would be in the national championship game, particularly when that one loss came at the start of the season, on the road, against an elite team.

Ohio State would not reach the championship game in your scenario.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

Clemson won by three points at home against a younger opponent (with more talent). Georgia will grow into itself. I'm not going to pull any triggers based on one game when it was so obvious that either outcome was possible.

If South Carolina beats Georgia in Athens, I'll reconsider.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

If Ohio State goes unbeaten again it would be 24 wins in a row.

Assad has a better chance at becoming President of the United States than Ohio State not playing in the title game riding a 24-game win streak. Bet the goddamn house on that one.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

If Ohio State goes undefeated entering bowl season, it will have 25 wins in a row. And the computers won't care at all about the first 12. The Buckeyes don't play a good enough schedule to be ahead of 12-1 Georgia or 13-0 Clemson.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

This likely goes to different theories on polls, but my thought is - if Georgia grows into itself, fine. That will be reflected in future wins. And it might make sense to move them back up AFTER they win those games. But right now? It seems to make sense to drop them behind Clemson. But like I said, it might be different poll theories. I don't think the Week 1 poll should be a prediction of who makes the NC game. It's just simply where things stand after week 1, and the scoreboard says that Clemson has performed (slightly) better than Georgia through Week 1.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

This isn't a prediction game. I'm ranking the best teams, not the teams with the best resumes. Last year, I moved Alabama out of No. 1 when it lost. That was stupid. Alabama had the best team in the country. I'm not doing that again. So when Georgia loses at Clemson on opening weekend by three points, I look at the rosters and decide that Georgia still in fact does have a better roster and higher potential than Clemson.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: NEED Week One BALLOTS!

Faking one for the team

By I SHOULD COCO
King of (Aches and) Pain

Long, long ago, when yours truly played high school football, my dad coined a phrase that’s fitting in today’s college football games.

There was a second-string running back named Brandon on my team, and when he got in the game, bad things tended to happen. Penalties. Missed blocks. Backfield confusion. Fumbles.

It seemed like every time the kid fumbled, he’d lie on the ground for a while, slowly sit up with the help of a trainer, then wobble off the field — you know, like the injury caused him to cough the ball up. But never fear, Brandon would be back in the game soon, ready to move before the snap or fumble again.

So whenever Dad and I watched a game on TV and saw someone act hurt following a bonehead play, that player was “pulling a Brandon.”

It came to mind this weekend, as defensive coordinators with an entire off-season to find ways to slow down the hurry-up, spread offense unveiled their new strategy:

Have guys pull a Brandon. Act hurt, so the clock stops and an offense’s momentum is slowed.

Don’t just take my word for it. Ask Sonny Dykes, the new coach at Cal, who brought his high-octane, fast-paced offense at Louisiana Tech to Berkeley this fall.

As Northwestern struggled to stay awake into the dark, late hours of the Pacific Daylight Time and hold onto its slim lead, Dykes believes the Wildcats faked injuries to slow his no-huddle offense down.

"It affected it a lot," Dykes told the Associated Press. "You know it was just unusual, it seemed like every time we had a first down they would have an injury. I hadn't seen that, didn't expect to see that, was disappointed that I saw that but that's the way it goes sometimes."

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald dismissed accusations of faking injuries, the AP reported, saying his players are taught to go to the ground any time they are hurt.

Earlier on Saturday, announcers wondered if a similar gambit was employed by Mississippi State, which found its defense running on fumes in the second half against Oklahoma State’s fast-break offense.

Rod Gilmore, a college football analyst for ESPN/ABC/Disney Channel, mentioned that — while he wasn’t accusing the Bulldogs of any such shenanigans — some defensive coordinators admit to having players ask for medical help with their minor “injuries” as spread offenses begin ripping off big chunks of yardage.

(Of course, if Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen would have kept running the ball instead of trying to match the Cowboys’ passing attack, maybe his defense wouldn’t have been so tired in the first place).

If faking an injury really is a trend in college football, let’s hope the NCAA lets teams and coaches police themselves rather than attempt to slap together some rule or penalty against it. Referees already have the near-impossible task of trying to determine if defenders were intentionally “targeting” a player every time a high-speed collision occurs. We don’t need doctors’ notes, injury instant replay or other means of determining whether injuries are legit enough to stop the clock and allow a player to be helped off the field.

The shame of being associated with soccer players, pro wrestlers and (yeah, Yeah, OH YEAH!!!) porn stars should be enough to keep “faking it” out of defensive coordinators’ playbook.

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A couple observations about the Week 1 poll. First of all, don't lose to an FCS school or you'll drop completely out of our rankings. I'm talking to you, Oregon State and Kansas State.

Clemson made a move into the top 5 with its big win over Georgia, but people rated the Bulldogs all over the place after their loss — anywhere from No. 2 to the bottom of the top 20. Personally, I think they're a top 10 team and easily could win out, earning a probable berth in the final BCS Big Enchilada Bowl.

And thanks to everyone who sent along jokes about Northern Illinois beating my Iowa Hawkeyes. I love you all. Jordan Lynch and company are actually pretty damn good. But the joke's on them ... they have to spend their fall in DeKalb, Ill., instead of Iowa City.

Here's this week's poll:

SportsJournalists.com COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
WEEK ONE POLL — 9/3/13
RK. TEAM (1st) PTS PREVIOUS
1. Alabama (29) 772 1
2. Ohio St. (1) 677 2
3. Oregon 672 3
4. Clemson (1) 660 8
5. Stanford 623 4
6. South Carolina 597 6
7. Louisville 540 9
8. Texas A&M 522 7
9. Florida St. 518 10
10. Louisiana St. 502 12
11. Georgia 480 5
12. Florida 437 11
13. Oklahoma St. 372 15
14. Notre Dame 360 13
15. Oklahoma 343 14
16. Texas 334 16
17. Michigan 285 17
18. UCLA 218 21
10. Northwestern 164 22
20. Wisconsin 158 23
21. Nebraska 149 18
22. Washington 132 —
23. Texas Christian 98 20
24. Southern Cal 90 24
25. Ole Miss 52 —

Also receiving votes: Miami (Fla.) 48, Baylor 43, Michigan St. 27, Cincinnati 25, Northern Illinois 25, Fresno St. 21, Virginia Tech 20, Penn St. 18, Auburn 14, Arizona St. 14, Virginia 13, Mississippi St. 10, Vanderbilt 8, North Dakota St. 7, Brigham Young 6, Western Kentucky 4, Boise St. 3, McNeese St. 3, Arkansas St. 2, Eastern Washington 2, North Carolina St. 2, Utah 2, Colorado 1, Eastern Carolina 1, Wake Forest 1.

The SportsJournalists.com college football poll committee: I Should Coco (tabulator), Oz, Versatile, Della9250, Huggy, dragonzo3, Mile High, KYSportswriter, Inky_Wretch, Dragon Steamboat, dparker85, McNuggets Man, Rumpleforeskin, Donnie, in his element, Alma, Songbird, three_bags_full, Layman, albert77, Mizzougrad96, Starman, Tommy Dreamer, Madhavok, TheWritingWaffle, Suicide Squeezer, MysteryMeat II, the_lorax, SportsHack1818, andrewkahn, Douglas, Matt Stephens. Not voting: slappy4428, ScottWColeman, Rawbot.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: Week One POSTED on Page 7!

Good to see someone else give North Dakota State some love.

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: Week One POSTED on Page 7!

Do you actually think North Dakota State fields one of the 25 best football teams in the country?

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: Week One POSTED on Page 7!

I've been to both... Iowa City is definitely better, but not by THAT much!

 

Re: 2013 SJ College Football Poll: Week One POSTED on Page 7!

Folks gave Western Kentucky votes? For beating a very bad Kentucky team?