BlogPoll is Out!

Let's take a small break from the relentless pounding the Phillies are administering to the Mets- and announce the first BlogPoll is out. Click this link to see it.

A careful perusal of the results will indicate "Frank Helps You Think It All Out" was named Mr. Bold for my no doubt astute forecast of the upcoming season. My corollary, Mr. Numb Existence at "View From Rocky Top", has gently remonstrated me- but encouraged me to formulate some sort of ersatz acceptance speech.

To wit- my offical sanctioning from the BlogPoll reads thusly:

Mr. Bold is Tulane blogger Frank McGrath, apparently the last person on earth with faith in the state of Florida. He ranks the Florida-Miami-FSU triumvirate extremely high (3-6-7, respectively), but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. I wonder if the placements of LSU (20) and Michigan (24) have something to do with McGrath’s split Tulane (NR)-Notre Dame (1) fandom. Other sources of BOLD: Tennessee and Georgia in the top ten; Penn State and VaTech 12 and 13; Louisville unranked. Let’s try to keep the writhing hatred somewhat better cloaked, kids!

I must admit I am discomfited at the idea of wearing the “Mr. Bold” moniker. But for the life of me, I look at my ballot and do not find it odd or outlandish. For instance, there is no vote for a “Rice” or a “Temple”. Yes, I rank the Florida triumvirate highly- but USA today’s got the same three at 8, 10, and 11. If that is bold, then I suppose I’m shamelessly audacious.

And yes, I have a bias toward the SEC. Absolutely I do. Now that might be because as a Tulane fan, I’ve been beat about the head by these factories since the day I enrolled. But very few BCS conference teams could navigate a full SEC slate without at least two, probably three losses- and the ones I think could do two losses or better are the dozen or so that join my Top 25. USC is one of those teams. Notre Dame is another. Louisville is categorically not one. Have a look at, say Vandy’s 2006 slate. Frankly, I am not sure Louisville can win at Oxford regularly- let alone Rocky Top.

So, I have West Virginia- who I think is the best team in the Big East- at 16. Accordingly, I don't the think Louisville is better than WV- which candidly isn't all that outrageous. And I don't believe, yes, that the Cardinals are better than the teams at the bottom of my poll. I doubt they can beat a .500+ Big Ten team, or a depleted Oklahoma, or middling SEC team (LSU, Alabama). Hell, didn’t the Green Wave beat them this last decade? A powerful strike against my confidence in any program.

Or how about Cal? I left them out too. I could have swung and missed on this one- but again, I don't think a second tier Pac-10 team (they are not an elite team like USC) is better than a solid SEC outfit- particularly in their own building. See LSU going on the road on short notice to beat ASU post-Katrina. So I don't think Cal will even get past the Vols. Add a USC loss- another choke job along the Pac-10 schedule that they always seem to furnish- and that is three losses- two against teams that figure to be at the bottom of the Top 25 or "other receiving votes" (the Vols and some Pac 10 also-ran). So yeah, I tend to think Cal's "respect" is an ongoing function of a sub-par west in 2005.

The BlogPoll asks us to eschew the ratings system exhibited by most polls- which is to sort of predict who will have zero losses, one loss, two losses, etc. at the end of the year- and then group teams by that “loss category” in some sort of order. So I obeyed. The teams I have ranked from 5-25 are teams that I think either would have a solid winning record in the SEC or SEC teams I think will definitely have a winning record. It is a system.

Two exceptions perhaps. As one of a few mid-major voters in this poll- which like everything college football is skewed toward the heavies- I probably threw a little too much love the mid-major’s way- including both TCU and UTEP. Fair.

And yes, I will be damned if I give LSU a free pass to the Top 10. But at least I included them.