It depends on how Alabama and Florida play.  If the #1 team loses in a very close game to the #2 team, or vice versa, I may not drop them 5 or 6 spots (I have Boise State at #6).  Throughout the year, when two top teams met, and it was a close game, I did not drop the loser a whole lot.  So, should I, completely, change the way I voted all year to make Boise State lovers happy?

After this weekend's games, Alabama's and Florida's SOSs are going to get even stronger (of course, they are currently the strongest out of all the undefeated teams) while Boise State's is going to get even worse (I know, it seems hard to do).

SOS means something to me.  If Alabama or Florida had as bad of a SOS as Boise State, then I am pretty sure I would drop either team behind Boise State with a loss.

I will also need to see what happens in the Civil War.

So, we shall see....

Hillby. I've been one of the strongest Boise supporters this year and one of the few SEC fans to do so (with a big notable exception to BigDawgs), but I can't agree at all with your post.

Basically you're arguing to base our rankings not on what we actually see on the field, but strictly the old "drop and you lose" mentality that has made the 'real' polls a sham.

I'm going to rank Bama based on their resume. I'm not going to arbitrarily rank them 6th brecause they are no longer undefeated.

If that were the case, then it would be illogical for anyone to rank UF and Bama #1 and #2 right now, because there is no possible way they could finish that way. That's ridiculous. Rank on total resume and wins.

If my #3 team gets beat by my #1 team on a last second FG, why would I not think that team is #3 anymore? They would be exactly what I expected. A great team, that is slightly not as good as my #1 team. Why would I have to rank them #6?

Now if they lose by multiple scores, or aren't competitive, I might drop them much further than #6. All I'm saying is that it should be based on what actually happens on the field along with their total resume. I'm not arbitrarily dropping a team a number of spots because of a loss. That defeats the purpose of ranking teams to begin with.

I so love irrefutable logic. Excellent post.

Since GD has always been able to take what I said, make it user-friendly, and have everyone magically agree with it, let's just assume I said it elsewhere and he is just rehashing it for me.

Therefor, I agree with GD because he agrees with me, and by extension, I ignore BTB.

I am the



Who's Btb?

Boise will be my number 3 after this game.

Just wondering why GD? It is safe to assume that teams will drop a little after the losses this weekend . . . . those that lose . . . . this comment makes it sound as if you would not consider dropping one of them after a loss?

Just curious as to your line of logic here . . . . no attack intended . . . .

 If it is a close game between Alabama & Florida, I would still have a problem ranking the loser behind Boise State. Boise State is up where it is based on beating Oregon, and not slipping up the rest of the way. One loss for Boise State during the season and they would have plummeted in most of our votes, and their schedule didn't have a game that would justify them jumping back up. This is the tenuousness of Boise State's position, body of work between a 1 loss Florida or Alabama, again unless it is a ridiculous blow-out,  still comes out on top of undefeated Boise State to me. 

I am also a little unsure how spots are predetermined before the game is played.

It is certainly possibility (maybe even likely) that they will fall behind all the other undefeated teams. But like always I will vote for who I think are the best teams (in order).

The situation I'm at right now is that I think Boise is better than ONE of those teams, but I do not know which one. So, I'll rank the Broncos ahead of whoever loses the game, but keep them behind the winner.

I just think Boise has done enough to deserve a Top 5 ranking. To deny them that after 13 wins is unjustified if someone else has a loss. Its not that I think Alabama or Florida is a bad team, but I just see it being a slap in Boise or Cincy or TCU's face to not rank them ahead of a 1 loss team, when that one loss team also had some close calls during the year.

We don't have to get heavily into it, but I think that's just misguided. You're admitting you're ranking a team lower than they should be. Either rank them ahead of UF or Bama or both if you feel they are better. It's better to be mistakenly wrong (in the situation that the SEC team who is behind BSU wins) than purposely wrong imo, because the latter seems like manipulation of the poll and not a true representation of the best teams.

SOS is fine as a tie breaker between teams with the same record, but I don't see why that would put a one loss team in front of an undefeated at this point.

But I won't complain about anyone ranking the loser ahead too much.  Although, keeping the loser ahead of possibly 3 other undefeated teams I think is really pushing it.  So it's not just a BSU thing, it's also a TCU and Cinci thing as well.

Fair enough but I do have to say I think it's odd.

You're saying that UF and Bama have done enough so far this season to convince you they are better than Boise, but add in a loss to the #1 team in the country and it is enough to convince you they aren't. I'm not totally sold on that logic, but I won't fault you.

Fixed it. The answer to how to overcome their schedule is get a better schedule. But you know that. If Boise were in the MWC and undefeated this would not be as big an issue. Yes I know they can't help it the WAC is weak. But we don't hand out sympathy votes because we feel sorry for them.

It sounds like you are trying to influance my ballot.

My point is that this whole conference argument is stupid. Conferences are there for scheduling purposes. Here's the reality:

Florida has lost 1 game the last two years...at home to Ole Miss.
Alabama has lost 2 games the last two years...to Florida and to last year's Utah team.
TCU has lost 1 game the last two years...to last year's Utah team.
Texas has lost 1 game the last two years...@ last year's Texas Tech on a last second play.
Boise has lost 1 game the last two years...by 1 point to TCU.

SEC fans, in particular, act like Florida and Alabama have some right to the number 1 and number 2 spot because they play in the SEC...thats BS...TCU, Texas and Boise have beaten all comers...this system is the problem, not the SOS of the teams. Cincy is somewhat of the newcomer here, although they did win the Big East last year.

We have 6 legitimate teams at the top...not 3 and 3 others. TCU went out and scheduled to play at Clemson and at Virginia OOC this year to try to upgrade their OOC...and Clemson is playing for the ACC champ. Last night, the reamrk was made that Oregon hadn't lost and PAC-10 home game in two years...in that time they are 0-2 against Boise, one of which was at home.

Thats my point, these teams are legit and by voting an unbeaten of these teams behind a 1 loss team, begs of an elitist mindset. That there is nothing these other teams can do to change your vote...which will always be a flaw in this system.

And no, I'm not trying to influence votes, I'm discussing a relevant poll issue, which is the difference between our poll and the media's.

Assuming Alabama wins there Klink?

Seriously...look at Alabama's and Florida's body of work compared to Boise State's...

All 3 are undefeated...yet Boise doesn't even sniff playing a team the quality of a UF or Bama...

And anything short of a Blow OUT...will find the SEC CG loser STILL ranked above Boise....as it should be.

The WAC is WHACK!

Noted....

I agree with

Because a team can get up for one game a season, as evidenced by Purdue, App State, ECU two years ago, etc.....

But to play at a higher level for much more of the season makes a team better, at least in my mind, than a team that has one or two tough games, then a bunch of soup cans.

Boise has a quality win better than the Florida/Bama loser. In fact it has a quality win better than TCU.

I don't see how anyone in good conscience could put Florida ahead of undefeated teams like Texas, TCU, or Cincy after thew way Bama totally embarrassed them and made little Timmy cry like a little school girl. Obviously the Geek was dead wrong and TBone is not the best colllege QB of all time. He looked pretty mortal to me and after the Sugar Bowl is over he will probably hold a clipboard in the NFL for a couple of years then head off to Canada to finish his career. Little doubt here that the guy will be selling insurance by the time he hits 30.


Anyhow, I could see putting UF #3 if this was a close game and being able to support that opinion, but this was a solid one-sided ass kicking and other teams who haven't choked like a dog deserve to be ranked above UF.

In a rare occurrence, I agree with Klink....Florida will drop down, probably to 6 or so at best...

Well the result of yesterdays game made this a fairly easy question to answer...