Preseason BlogPoll Ballot 2009 :: Double-T Nation
by Seth C on Aug 20, 2009 7:45 AM CDT
in Texas Tech Football
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| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | |
| 2 | Texas | |
| 3 | Oklahoma | |
| 4 | Southern Cal | |
| 5 | Ohio State | |
| 6 | Alabama | |
| 7 | Penn State | |
| 8 | Mississippi | |
| 9 | Virginia Tech | |
| 10 | LSU | |
| 11 | Boise State | |
| 12 | California | |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | |
| 14 | Oregon | |
| 15 | TCU | |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | |
| 17 | Iowa | |
| 18 | Missouri | |
| 19 | Brigham Young | |
| 20 | Georgia | |
| 21 | Texas Tech | |
| 22 | Nebraska | |
| 23 | South Florida | |
| 24 | Florida State | |
| 25 | North Carolina | |
That's right, it's that time of year where you tell me where I'm completely wrong about where I've ranked teams. For those of you who don't know, Double-T Nation has been asked, my second year, to participate in the BlogPoll. For those of you not familiar with the concept then check out MGoBlog BlogPoll (who is in charge of all of this stuff) with succinct definition:
It's basically the AP poll except with bloggers.
It's that easy.
Make sure and read the BlogPoll Voting Philosophy and Rock M Nation's summary of different voting philosophies. Obviously, there's quite a bit of disparity between theories, and the nice thing about the BlogPoll is that it's all transparent and it's somewhat understood that there will be biases because we're all human.
It happens.
But I need you! Yes, I need your comments to tell me where I've gone wrong and where I've gone right. Given enough encouragement and comments, I'll make the change on each week's BlogPoll ballot.
Flimsy Rationale
1-5: This was a fairly easy top 5 for me personally. I do think that Florida does have the best team and despite the fact that it appears that the Longhorns are in some injury trouble, especially at tight end, I still think they're a pretty good #2. OU, USC and tOSU are all fairly even teams in my opinion.
6-10: I love Alabama's defense and I'm not sure about the offense, although McElroy was recruited by Leach, and if Leach liked him, then he's got to be pretty good. PSU, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech also seem even, and LSU despite having a young and/or shaky QB situation, is a very solid team.
11-15: This is where things get hairy. I don't think that Boise State is this good, but I think that by the end of the year, they could be ranked this high. Fairly easy conference schedule, and it could certainly happen. And if you put a gun to my head, I'd tell you that I think that TCU is the better team, but Boise State will be ranked higher at the end of the year. Cal will go as far as Best can carry them and I really, really like Georgia Tech. Oregon is a head-scratcher, I'm not sure what to think about the Ducks.
16-20: I'm not on the Oklahoma St. bandwagon, and as I've said before, I think that the difference between third and fourth in the Big 12 will be razor thin. I realize that I'm being a little bit contradictory here as I've been picking Texas Tech finish third in the Big 12 South, but have the Red Raiders ranked a few spots below OSU. With similar schedules, I keep thinking that if OSU can get a win against Georgia, then the Cowboys will look better in voters' eyes. Like the title says, this is all very flimsy rationale. I may also be the only one that thinks that Missouri is going to deliver a shocker in the Big 12 North. Georgia is replacing more offensive talent that Texas Tech had to replace and think these two teams are fairly comparable in terms of replacing talent on the field. BYU gets here by virtue of a weak conference.
21-25: As mentioned above, I'm conflicted about your Red Raiders. Feel free to leave disparaging comments below, but at the end of the day, I think it's going to be tough replacing the two safeties in a conference that throws so damned much. Everything else, I think I can live with, but replacing two senior safeties is a big thing. I have no doubt that Nebraska is on the right path with Pelini, but I think he needs more time to get the Cornhuskers back on track. That offense is going to be replacing a lot of talent. The last three were somewhat toss-ups. I also considered Miami, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Nevada, Utah, Oregon State, etc. I could be easily swayed into picking any of those teams rather than the three listed. Invariably, the last three or four teams is always the toughest to pick.
As stated above, tell me where I'm wrong, and where I'm right. The final ballot must be submitted by Monday, so any comments through Sunday will be considered. Comments appreciated.
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I understand how tough this can be…its hard for me to come up with a decent top 10 let alone top 25. But since you asked…here are my opinions: Texas Tech is listed higher than most, but I think they have earned that. But way too much ACC listed here. They will all beat up each other…
Teams Ranked Way To High
LSU – all hype nothing proven, didn’t even finish in top 25, now 10?
California – Another team that didn’t finish in top 25, now 12?
Gerorgia Tech – sure, top 20-25, but not 13. some ACC teams know how to stop the run.
Missouri – they were decimated even worse than Tech with star players leaving
North Carolina – Did Butch Davis steal recruits out of FL?
South Florida – lost 2 RBs for part of the season…not sold on this team
Teams Ranked Way To Low
Oklahoma State – I would bump them a few slots higher
Kansas – Missing from the list, probably 24 or 25 since they play in the big-12 minor league
TCU – probably switch them with Boise State
Utah – I would have them listed
Nebraska – I might push them up a slot or two
Cincinnati – I would list them before some of those ACC teams
Not a bad list.
I think Ole Miss is way too high, Missouri should not be in the top 25, and I like what you’ve done with Oklahoma State
Here’s the crappy thing about pre-season polls in my opinion. They don’t mean a whole lot because every year some team that is supposed to be awesome sucks and some team that is supposed to suck, or at least not be top 10, is. I guess what bothers me is that if a team like Tech wins its first 5 games we might end up being ranked around 10th or so (including the UT win). However if for whatever reason people thought we were better at the beginning of the year and we ranked tenth to start we would be 3rd or so. Then if we lose we would drop to 10th or something. However starting out not ranked or in the last few spots means if we win our first five and then lose, it was a mistake and we are down in the 20s again. By the time its the end of the season this can kill BCS game chances for teams. Just my two cents but I think polls should start after the 2nd or 3rd week of the season. At least the official ones.
THE Ohio State is too high
- The buckeyes finished last year at #11.
- The lost some major players to graduation / draft – Beanie, WWF Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline and tackle Alex Boone
- Of the 25 All-Big Ten honorees from 2008 returning to the league this season, one person is from OSU (and he was honorable mention)
All of this leads to a pre-seaon ranking of #5
Whaaa?
Pryor better be one special player.
Pryor
If you believe the stories, he runs a 4.22 40… or something like that. (Darius Heyward Bey, drafted as "the fastest at the combine, ran a 4.3) I’m not saying I believe that story (about the 4.2) I’m just saying “that’s the story”.
I thought I saw where Woddy Hayes’ grandson hand timed Pryor with an analog stopwatch at 3.84. In the mud, in a driving rainstorm, while carrying a cinder block in each hand. HA!
I guess I'm alone in this thinking...
But I’m really not at all impressed with Pryor. The comparisons to Vince Young, at this point, are totally unwarranted. He really does not even look that fast to me, not to mention he is an atrociously bad passer…like embarrasingly bad. I have a better release than him. When I think of a fast running QB, the first person I think of is Pat White or Vince Young or Robert Griffin. Pryor is beyond overrated.
huh..
The comparisons to Vince Young, at this point, are totally unwarranted. He really does not even look that fast to me, not to mention he is an atrociously bad passer…like embarrasingly bad.
I dunno, that sounds exactly like Vince Young to me. :P
Actually I think VY had a really high completion rate his last year. Of course in the NFL its pretty bad. And his team was awesome that year.
The ESPN guys figured out that Usain Bolt would have ran a 3.83 forty time in his first 40 for his 100M record.
my thoughts
1-5 I think are the consensus choices.
6-10 I can’t find fault with these, not really amped about any of em, but for preseason probably about right.
11-15 I’m surprisingly in agreement with that set, and I think the rationale is solid.
16-20 I agree with a previous poster that Mizzou is probably too high, I dunno that I put in Kansas or Nebraska, but I don’t think Mizzou should be top of the North, nor in the top 20. I also agree that Utah should be given some props, I’d probably put them in place of BYU.
21-25 Much as I hate to say, #21 is probably a reasonable starting place for the Red Raiders. I think the rest are entirely subjective in pretty much ANY poll. Nebraska is probably a good pick, I might put Kansas there instead based on Reesing, but I could see it shaking out like this since we get Kansas at home and need to play Nebraska on the road. I admit, I have no idea on USF or FSU, and only a vague thought about NC based on a thing on the radio yesterday. I’d probably drop USF or NC and replace them with Notre Dame, partly for the reasons you gave for Boise St. (ie. light schedule, at least for Notre Dame) and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pecking around the mid to low top 25 at season’s end.
(for all the ’horns talking about “Program dominance” and how their team will be forever awesome, I find it interesting that Michigan is getting no love right now. All it takes is one “bad” coach…)
I would
switch the top 7 up a bit… I don’t know why everyone keeps putting Ohio State in front of Penn State… PSU won the conference last year and returns Darryl Clark who is a solid QB and a MUCH better one than the highly overrated (IMO) Terrelle Pryor. I think it should look more like this:
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Alabama
5. USC
6. Penn State
7. Ohio State
I also think Oklahoma State is too low, LSU, Boise, and TCU are too high. South Florida and North Carolina shouldn’t be ranked, either.
Also...
BYU a bit too high, Mizzou shouldn’t be ranked but Kansas should be included somewhere (21-25) Georgia and TCU should switch places.
My vote
Pretty fair just moved a few around and yes we are above Mizzou. Stars indicate a change in postion.
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Alabama
5. USC*
6. Penn State*
7. Ohio State*
8 Mississippi
9 Virginia Tech
10 LSU
11 Boise State
12 California
13 TCU *
14 Oregon
15 Georgia Tech
16 Oklahoma State
17 Iowa
18 Texas Tech *
19 Brigham Young
20 Georgia
21 Missouri *
22 Nebraska
23 South Florida
24 Florida State
25 North Carolina
OK. My guess, although it really is unknown about everyone right now...
Here is my rankings:
1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. Penn State
6. USC
7. Ohio State
8 Mississippi
9 TCU
10 California
11 Georgia Tech
12 Oklahoma State
13 LSU
14 Virginia Tech
15 Texas Tech
16 Oregon
17 Boise State
18 Iowa
19 Georgia
20 Nebraska
21 Missouri
22 Brigham Young
23 North Carolina
24 Florida State
25 West Virginia
Not a lot of changes, but as Seth said, anything can happen.
TTpilk
my stab at this
1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. PSU
5. Bama
6. USC
7. TCU (probably giving too much love here, but they deserve some props)
8 Mississippi
9 Ohio St
10 California
11 Georgia Tech
12 VaTech
13 LSU
14 Okie St
15 Neb
16 Georgia
17 Boise State
18 Iowa
19 Oregon St
20 BYU
21 Texas Tech
22 Mizzou
23 North Carolina
24 Florida State
25 Kansas
sly's take--
1Oklahoma
2 USC
3 Florida
4 Ohio State
5 Texas
6 Alabama
7 Georgia
8 LSU
9 Penn State
10 Mississippi
11 BYU
12 North Carolina
13 Texas Tech
14 Florida State
15 OK State
16 BYU
17 Virgina Tech
18 Nebraska
19 Kansas
20 Oregon
21 TCU
22 North Carolina
23 Michigan
24 Arkansas
25 Notre Dame
Missouri would be my next choice
My other suggestions are very vague
this time I will be more direct:
1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. USC
6. Penn State
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. Cal
10. Georgia Tech
11. Oklahoma State
12. Boise State
13. Virginia Tech
14. Oregon
15. LSU
16. Utah
17. Nebraska
18. Iowa
19. Florida State
20. Texas Tech
21. Georgia
22. TCU
23. Kansas
24. Missouri
25. Brigham Young
This is great.
I’ll try to get a revised ballot up sometime Saturday.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
techtom4
Look closely at how Arkansas is ranked in their own conference.They will be a darkhorse in the conference.Michigan is due.Just a hunch…Peace.
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