Your 11/25 Top 10.

[Snake]

1 ND
2 thru 10 The National Meat Grinder League

[Mikey]

Texas A&M. NOBODY would want to play them right now.

Sure. Impressive wins over really strong opponents the past two weeks.

[Van]

1. Notre Dame. Kind of a boring #1, but I guess they should be there. (They do have to be there even though they're clearly not a great team. They may very well be the most unimpressive season-ending #1 I can recall.)
2. Alabama. Thanks for speeding GC's exit. (Will likely kill ND in the title game, as would Oregon.)
3. Oregon. Too bad, guys. (The SEC should thank their lucky stars that Stanford beat Oregon.)
4. Texas A&M. NOBODY would want to play them right now. (The same is true of Oregon, and the Ducks wouldn't even need to bring their punter to this game.)
5. Georgia. Could possibly be mutilated beyond recognition this coming weekend. (With their pathetic schedule how could they not be here? There was no way they weren't going to win the East.)
6. Florida. Nice damned win yesterday. (Florida St played precisely two decent teams all year. They lost both times. The rest was just filler.)
7. Kansas State. Just sort of - there. (I'm not sure that I wouldn't place K St above both Florida and especially Georgia.)
8. Stanford. Drink milk, Mikey. (They own one of the two biggest wins of the entire college football season, they have a tougher SOS, and they have the same record as South Carolina. Why on earth would you rank them below Spurrier's never-win-a-big-game bunch?)
9. South Carolina. NICE win yesterday. Spurrier's plan worked perfectly. (BFD. It was just another ACC team.)
10. LSU. Pretty much a disappointment. (If you look at them and squint, they're pretty much Notre Dame with a better head coach. Good but not tremendous defence, meh offense, lotta close games. ND won theirs. LSU lost a couple.)

200,201. Auburn. Just fuck. (If ever a team was a One Year Wonder, this was the one. You need to stop rooting for the SEC, i.e., Nick Saban's Bama team, because every win they achieve is just another nail in your team's coffin.)

17-50

[Van]

Apparently I'm not since I can't even read. You correctly ranked Stanford above South Carolina, not below them.






19-50

[Van]

Van - a good defense exposed Oregon. Stanford isn't on Alabama's level.

Two-loss Texas A&M's offense had their way with Bama's defense. Their offense isn't on Oregon's level. Neither is Bama's.


19-20

[Goober McTuber]

19-20

^^^^^^^^
USC and cheating just go together.

[Van]

Ooops. 19-50


20-50

[Mikey]

Van - a good defense exposed Oregon. Stanford isn't on Alabama's level.

Two-loss Texas A&M's offense had their way with Bama's defense. Their offense isn't on Oregon's level. Neither is Bama's.
19-20

A&M's defense, and even Alabama's, isn't on Stanford's level.

In the past two weeks they held two of the three Doak Walker award finalists to 66 yards or less.

A&M played Sam Houston State. Impressive win though.



Not much SECBSHing in 'spray. Nah. It's just that Bama is better than anybody else. Except of course A&M, who NOBODY wants to play.

[Mikey]

1 Notre Dame
2 Alabama
3 Stanford
4 Oregon
5 Kansas State
6 Texas A&M
7 Georgia
8 South Carolina
9 Oklahoma
10 FloridaKent State

[Killian]

Not much SECBSHing in 'spray. Nah. It's just that Bama is better than anybody else. Except of course A&M, who NOBODY wants to play.

Shiny things philosophy, nothing more. This is the same guy trying to convince everyone that Alabama beating Mississippi State was a quality win.

[Van]

Just going by 'best teams' and who I think would win in head-to-head matchups, not by who deserves a given ranking based on the usual criteria...

1. Bama
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Stanford (Yeah, I realize that they beat Oregon.)
5. Ohio St
6. Kansas St
7. Florida (Ditto, regarding their loss to Georgia.)
8. LSU
9. Texas A&M/Georgia tie



21-50

[Dinsdale]

Among the 1-loss teams, which ones lost to the highest rated team?

Looks like Florida or Oregon should be #2. And since Florida has scabdicked the entire season, and got blown out in their loss, fuck them. Oregon lost to a high ranked team on a missed FG in OT, and the 11 wins were blowouts.

But no, there's no bias in the polls.

[Mikey]

You did it the right way, Van. I was being politically correct. Dammit.

I'd still like to see Bama-Oregon.

Similar method here.

I had to put the Domers first only because they remain unbeaten. I think that there are at least 4 or 5 teams that I would give a better than 50% chance of beating them right now on a neutral field, but as the only unbeaten major FBS team they deserve the ranking.

Other than that my rankings are based on who do I think would beat whom in a head to head matchup. I'd like to see Alabama against either Oregon or Stanford. I realize that Stanford is pretty much disqualified due to their loss to Washington but they really "should have" won that game, and they're a much better team at this point. The OT loss to ND could have gone either way as well.

[Dinsdale]

I realize that Stanford is pretty much disqualified due to their loss to Washington but they really "should have" won that game, and they're a much better team at this point. The OT loss to ND could have gone either way as well.

And Oregon "should have" won the game against Stanford, except they can't recruit kickers.

Stanfords' OT win against Oregon could have gone either way as well.

Oregon dropped 52 on UDub with the scrubs in-BTW.

[Python]

Oooh, I want to play this too. LSU should have beaten Alabama, except for a defensive break down on one play at the end of the game. LSU should have beaten Florida, except they didn't score enough points. Heck, LSU should have beaten Alabama for the NC last year, except they sucked.

This is easy.

[Van]

Sam, my 20-50 thing is my ongoing counter representing the number of posts I've made on my way to fulfilling my fifty-post sig bet debt to socalvansmack following UCLA's victory over USC. I borrowed the idea from socal. He started the countdown thing last year.

The only difference is that he was forced to do fifty haiku posts.





21-50

[Goober McTuber]

Sam, my 20-50 thing is my ongoing counter representing the number of posts I've made on my way to fulfilling my fifty-post sig bet debt to socalvansmack following UCLA's victory over USC. I borrowed the idea from socal. He started the countdown thing last year.

The only difference is that he was forced to do fifty haiku posts.





21-50

Yes, but you're just mailing it in on some of these. These are Van posts. They should have a 500-word minimum in order to count for the 50.

[Mikey]

And Oregon "should have" won the game against Stanford, except they can't recruit kickers.

Except that kick wouldn't have won the game.

Stanfords' OT win against Oregon could have gone either way as well.

You're right, it could have.

Python obviously has reading comprehension problems, or he's just looking for an ankle to latch onto.

Maybe I "shouldn't have" said "should have" but I also said that the Washington loss disqualifies Stanford from any MNC consideration. I still think that they "could" beat most of the top five teams on a neutral field. Nothing is 100%. A Stanford vs. Oregon rematch I would call 50-50, though even a "could have gone either way" win at Autzen is more impressive than a home or neutral field win.

[Killian]

You want excuses? Alabama had played LSU the week before the A&M game. After A&M's early explosion, Alabama outscored the Aggies 24-9 and had several opps to put the game away. The week before the Stanford defeat Oregon played Cal...one of their easiest games of the year.


I think Alabama and Oregon are the two top teams. Of course, Georgia will have a say-so about that this coming weekend. I have no idea why I ranked Notre Dame #1.

Sam, you should just abandon the “golly gee, I’m an objective observer, let’s talk some footbaw!” song and dance and fully embrace your SECBSH mantle and wear it with pride if you’re going to post that type of nonsensical bullshit. In one paragraph, you cite an example of an excuse (if people want to start using them) that Bama had LSU and Texas A&M in back to back weekends. Those were the two tough games on your schedule. Suck it up and win the games. But you don’t really need to because of the media and SEC!SEC!SEC! where a loss is really a win, and a win is a super win.

You don’t know why you have ND #1? Perhaps it’s because they have arguably the best defense in the country, led by the best player. They’ve given up 2 touchdown drives longer than 60 yards this season in over 100 attempts. Maybe it’s because when teams have had the ball in goal to go situations against ND, they have given up -25 yards. Or maybe it was because the team that was supposed to end their season got skull fucked in their own house, for only the 4th or 5th time during that coach’s tenure, which also happened to be his worst home loss. Or maybe it’s because they’re doing all of this without an entire extra recruiting class like most of the SEC, and especially Alabama, benefit from.

Sure they’ve had scabdick wins this year. That’s to be expected of a team starting a redshirt freshman QB. But that redshirt freshman QB didn’t lose a game at home, and throw a pick with the game on the line, after being touted as one of the best QB’s in the country.

Bama has played two teams that are ranked and lost to one of them. Outside of their success last year, I have no idea why anyone has them #2.

[Killian]

Let's flip it on you, Sam. Who has Alabama played? Because their SOS is weaker than Notre Dame's, and they have a loss. So go ahead and stop worrying about your justification for having ND at #1, and try and figure out why Alabama is still #2.

[Van]

Sam, if ND played a "weak, weak" schedule then everyone else not named 'Washington Huskies' and 'Stanford Cardinal' may as well have played an entire season's worth of SEC OOC scheduling.


23-50

[Killian]

You know Sam, that was a great link! ND has played the #3, 4, 12, 19 and 25 ranked defenses. But I know, I know. They have "scabdick" wins. Alabama has played 2 teams in the top 25, one of which is not Texas A&M.

Why is Alabama #2?

[Killian]

Here's another one:

http://sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm

and another:

http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/curr ... kings.html

[Van]

Why is Alabama #2?

Because we say so. Well, actually, because we say so and because ND fucked up and ran the table. Sorry we couldn't give you another two-fer, SEC.

-ESPN



24-50

[Van]

Sam, comparitive statistical rankings mean precisely fuckall unless the teams being compared played similar schedules. In college football this is not possible. Houston may well have had the #1 ranked offense in the country the last year or two, and who cares? Similarly, when Bama only played two ranked teams this year and their defense got torched by one of them, who cares what a bunch of stats that were built on the backs of an entire season's worth of awful offenses say?

The same thing holds true for your silly QB Passing Efficiency ratings. When comparing Bama's QB and his particular set of circumstances to, say, Louisville's or UCLA's, it's utterly meaningless.

Don't think so? Okay then, promise to bite your tongue the next time someone in the Big XII passes for 500 yards and six TDs during a 57-52 shootout. Don't dismiss such numbers as being solely the result of bad defenses and "system QBs."

Remember, such generalizations only count when they work to your favor. Bad offenses mean great defenses, but the opposite doesn't hold true. "System QBs" compile their gaudy stats not because of their talent but rather because Mike Leach designed a video game style of play using real humans on offense and tackling dummies on defense.

It doesn't matter that yes, there are in fact "system QBs" and other circumstances that artificially inflate offensive numbers. You'll just have to ignore this, the same as you ignore the equally obvious fact that those same factors also result in artificially gaudy defensive rankings and passing efficiency ratings in the SEC and elsewhere.

You're perfectly fine with doing this, right?





24-50

[Killian]

Beat Michigan 41-14. ND beat the Wolverines, 13-6. Wow.

Looks like the Oklahoma and Stanford wins are your big wins. Bama beat LSU and Mississippi State. I'll give you that.

Tell me this: Who's better than Alabama?

The transitive property? Really Sam? I guess I could pull the “hey, two rivals in two weeks” card, but it was more like 4 rivals in 4 weeks. Then a week off to resume one of the ugliest rivalries of the late 80’s, early 90’s. Then another rival in Stanford. Then Oklahoma two weeks after that.

We can play this game all you want. If we go by your transitive argument, why would you rank Oregon ahead of ND? They lost to Stanford, at home in OT. ND beat Stanford at home, in OT.

My point isn’t to say that Bama isn’t the second best team in the country. My point is that you have less of an argument to justify Bama at #2 than I do to justify ND at #1.

[Killian]

Fine, fair enough. Then ND is much better than KSU. Just look at the OU game.

[Van]

So what do we go by?

The eyeball test? I saw Notre Dame play several times this year. They looked terrible at times and very good at times. Just as Alabama did. And Oregon did.

What do you suggest we use to grade the teams?

Ummm...a playoff system? Oh, and one that isn't clearly rigged to favor a single conference over all others? The elimination of preseason rankings altogether? The abolition—enforced by severe rankings-penalties—of intentionally scheduling like pussies? The disqualifying from the tournament of any team that schedules two D1-AA squads, on top of those self-same severe rankings-penalties for any team that schedules even one D1-AA team?

Equal 6-6 home/road schedules for everyone, or as damn close to this as certain sacred traditional rivalries will allow?

I know, I know...



Just crazy stuff.



25-50

[Mace]

That's not the transitive property. We're talking about beating the same team by widely divergent scores.

But that doesn't matter.

You may or may not have beaten Stanford.

Look, this is nuts. ND, Bama, Oregon, Stanford are all good teams. Until we have a real playoff (8 teams at least), we'll never know who is the best team. It's an ugly system, but it's all we have right now.

You watch - there will be just as much whining when they go to the playoff system. I like it better as well, but mark my words - it's gonna happen.

Yep, we'll be arguing who deserves to be #8 instead of who should be #2. The good thing is that we should be able to find the best team in the country by taking 8 teams to the playoffs and they'll be able to prove it on the field.

[Killian]

^^^^^

Which is the most comical of all of this. Had ND beaten FSU in the 2011 Champs.com Bowl, they would have started the season ranked in the mid teens, well ahead of KSU. And had the season played out in the exact same manor, ND wouldn’t have needed Stanford or Baylor to win because they would have been ranked in the top 2, based on a shitty third tier bowl game result from last season.

[M2]

4. Texas A&M. NOBODY would want to play them right now.

Actually, nobody wants to play San Jose State (10-2) right now.




They lost 20-17 to Stanfurd at Stanfurd.


They just beat Louisiana Tech easily this weekend.


Yep, the same Louisiana Tech team that lost to Texas A&M by 2 points (and played a closer game with them than Alabama)

[Mace]

Is that the same San Jose State team that got blown out in their homecoming game against Utah State? Just checking.

[Mikey]

Translation:

1. Pac12
2. Pac12
3. Pac12
4. Pac12
5. Pac12
6. Pac12
7. Pac12
8. Pac12
9. Pac12
10. Pac12

Look everybody...I can post just like shutyomouth!!

RACK me.

[Mikey]

M2. NOBODY would want to read his posts right now.