Why Football Polls Don't Work
I'm done lending credence to any college football poll. They flat don't make sense.
Louisville, this week, is a perfect example. The Cardinals beat a tough South Florida team handily, yet fell a spot in the USA Today poll (to #11). Meanwhile, the win catapulted the Cardinals to #8 in the AP poll (right behind West Virginia, a team the Cardinals destroyed three weeks ago).
But that's not my complaint. My concern is with Rutgers, which defeated the Cardinals. Granted, the Cards rolled over and died in that game, but despite beating the now #8 team (and what was the #3 team at the time), Rutgers is now ranked 15th in the AP poll and 16th in the USA Today poll following a loss to Cincinnati (a team Louisville barely edged at home).
It's time to bid the poll system adieu. It obviously doesn't work. It's also contributing to talk the Cardinals may secure a BCS berth by virtue of a potential three-way tie atop the Big East. If you ask me, the Big East needs a championship similar to that of the SEC; I'm not convinced the Cardinals deserve the BCS berth, should WV beat Rutgers and Louisville win out.
Louisville, this week, is a perfect example. The Cardinals beat a tough South Florida team handily, yet fell a spot in the USA Today poll (to #11). Meanwhile, the win catapulted the Cardinals to #8 in the AP poll (right behind West Virginia, a team the Cardinals destroyed three weeks ago).
But that's not my complaint. My concern is with Rutgers, which defeated the Cardinals. Granted, the Cards rolled over and died in that game, but despite beating the now #8 team (and what was the #3 team at the time), Rutgers is now ranked 15th in the AP poll and 16th in the USA Today poll following a loss to Cincinnati (a team Louisville barely edged at home).
It's time to bid the poll system adieu. It obviously doesn't work. It's also contributing to talk the Cardinals may secure a BCS berth by virtue of a potential three-way tie atop the Big East. If you ask me, the Big East needs a championship similar to that of the SEC; I'm not convinced the Cardinals deserve the BCS berth, should WV beat Rutgers and Louisville win out.
posted by Erik Eckel at 9:46 AM
4 Comments:
They just need to figure out a playoff system, like college basketball does. I know it can't be quite like March Madness but there must be some way to get the top teams into a tournament. Maybe just the top 16 or the top 8.
A tough South Florida team? What an overstatement. USF is a mediocre team in an average league, so UofL's less than stellar performance against them earned a drop and Rutgers mauling at the hands of an average Cincy team showed both their true colors as well as the conference.
South Florida's coach (Jim Leavitt) is being recruited by several schools and the team's likely to play in the inaugural PapaJohn's.com Bowl.
And, if the Big East is the Big Least and such a mediocre conference, why are half of its coaches being recruited by the likes of such SEC powerhouses as Alabama, Atlantic Coast Conference behemoth Miami and the Big Ten (Cincinnati's Mark Dantonio just left the Bearcats to head the Spartan's)?
Oh, and one more comment on South Florida being a tough team. I forgot to mention that South Florida also dispatched West Virginia, which was ranked third in the nation earlier this year.
The verdict's in: labeling South Florida a tough football club is spot-on accurate.
Post a Comment
<< Home