If you haven't submitted your Mumme Poll ballot yet, go do it.
If you have, feel free to let me know where I'm wrong.
Here's my list...
Top Five
Alabama -- The Tide better hope Greg McElroy remembered how to play QB during their off week. This week's game vs. LSU remains the last really big game on the SEC slate.
Florida -- I'm far from convinced they are the best team in the country, but the Gators definitely have a ton of talent. They made some plays, and Georgia helped them out quite a bit. Regardless, they're the SEC champs now, and only Alabama stands in their way.
Texas -- Dominated an overrated Oklahoma State team and, like Florida, is essentially on cruise control until the conference title game. Unlike Florida, however, they don't have anyone the caliber of Alabama waiting at the end.
Oregon -- Just a very impressive win from what has probably been the most dominant team in the country during the past six weeks. In a head-to-head match right now, you'd have to like the Ducks vs. almost anyone.
Boise State -- At this point, I think TCU, Boise and Cincinnati are all about the same. But if I have Oregon up this high, I felt obligated to do the same for Boise State.
The Next Seven
TCU -- The Horned Frogs will probably finish the year with more impressive wins than that other undefeated team from Texas. Not that it will matter.
Cincinnati -- You get no credit from beating Syracuse, but the rest of their slate should be a good test. Connecticut isn't a pushover, and West Virginia and Pittsburgh await.
LSU -- Not much credit for beating Tulane either, but win this coming week and things get very, very interesting in the SEC West.
Georgia Tech -- Hey, Georgia's defense looked better against Vandy than Tech's did. So that's something, right? Eventually, that awful GT defense is going to come back to haunt them. Of course, eventually may not be until the bowl game.
Penn State -- Below, I will list all of Penn State's impressive wins:
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...
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Got that? Yikes. The Nittany Lions scheduled no one out of conference and play in the awful Big Ten. Thankfully they'll get Ohio State in the Overrated Bowl this week and, ideally, we can stop talking about at least one of them for the rest of the season.
Southern Cal -- The Trojans probably don't belong here either. I really want to put Houston here. Next week. For sure.
ADDENDUM: I'm dumb and simply forgot to add Iowa here. I did vote for them, but typed up this post between player interviews yesterday and somehow skipped the Hawkeyes. My bad.
Yes, Iowa definitely deserves to be on here, and I'd probably have them close to the top five if they could just put one impressive performance together. It says a lot about the heart of a team that continues to come back and win, but it says a lot about the talent of a team that continues to fall behind early to significantly inferior opponents.
Last Teams Out
Houston -- Could they beat USC? I dunno. Do they deserve to be ahead of USC? Probably. Do I like to ask questions I plan to immediately answer myself? You betcha.
Pittsburgh -- They have beaten no one. They get Syracuse this week. Next Monday, they'll still have beaten no one. They get Notre Dame the week after that. The following Monday, they'll still have beaten no one. (And yes, I do think they'll beat Notre Dame.)
Ohio State/Miami -- Pretty sure neither team is any good. Then again, who is?
Monday, November 2, 2009
Mumme Poll Ballot: Week 9
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9 comments:
Ask yourself this: who has UF beaten? They've got exactly two wins versus teams which currently own winning records: Troy and @LSU. The rest of it is a string of 4-4 teams.
Meanwhile, the Iowa everyone loves to hate has 5 wins over teams with winning records: @ISU, AZ, @PSU, Michigan and @ Wisconsin.
Texas has 4: Texas Tech, Oklahoma, @ Mizzou and @ OK State.
Alabama has 3: Va Tech, @ Ole Miss and South Carolina.
Which set is best? Florida isn't number one for any reason other than reputation. Even Cincinnati's record is more impressive with 4 wins @ Rutgers, @ Oregon State, Fresno State and @ USF.
I get the Florida love out there in the general football watching public. They've certainly developed an impressive defense, but it'd be nice to seem them tested and it looks more and more like it won't happen in league play.
On Boise: at what point does the schedule drag them down? Can Oregon never make up losing to Boise State? Boise's best wins are Oregon and @ Fresno State and they've only 2 teams remaining with winning records (Nevada and Idaho). Meanwhile Oregon has waxed Cal and Southern Cal, not to mention the chances coming down the road at Stanford, at Arizona and versus Oregon State. The whole season should be taken into account, for sure, but it seems like Boise is going to get a pass for scheduling Miami (OH) and Bowling Green and UC Davis OOC when surely they could have done better. As evidence: TCU played no return games @ UVA and @ Clemson while playing in a better league. I can understand Boise's reluctance to do that, but they're a WAC team. I don't see what choice they have if they want serious consideration.
I haven't finished my Mumme Poll yet.
David,
No love for Iowa?
What about the head to head arguement between Oregon & BSU? You've got to have BSU higher than Oregon b/c they did it ON THE FIELD OF PLAY!!!
I understand the head-to-head argument. But at one point does Boise's lack of any other significant wins become problematic? Does SOS just not matter? (A rhetorical question because it doesn't if you are the right team: see UF).
Boise has a ceiling. I guess Oregon's ceiling - despite a Pac10 championship - will be one rung below Boise. I'm not sure if that's accurate at this point or not.
Iowa is 9 - 0. If Boise, Cincy and TCU make your list, surely Iowa is on it, and should be Top 5 for now? Look at Texas hard, and you won't find much... similar to the Gators. And the teasippers have Central Fl lined-up next. The arguments to hate on the weak schedules of Cincy, TCU and BSU make sense...but they extend to most others. Probably time to drop SOS as so critical of a factor and simple go with records...who is getting it done when it counts.
You've only got 11 teams on there.
At least UCF has a winning record...
Yeah I forgot to include Iowa... I did vote for them, just forgot to include them in the post because... well, I'm dumb.
Paul brings up a really interesting point:
1.) We all know at this point that Oregon is really good.
2.) If Oregon had lost to, say, Oregon State, then I think they'd probably be the clear No. 4 team in the country and people might be talking them over Texas or Florida or Alabama.
3.) No one thinks Boise State should be the No. 1 or No. 2 team.
4.) If Oregon can't pass Boise State because they lost on the field, and Boise State can't pass any of those other teams ahead of them, then what does that mean for Oregon?
Somebody IS number 1.
Yes, all the teams we've seen look flawed. But there is a best team out there, or even a couple of best teams, and constantly saying that Florida, Alabama, and Texas don't look like them is patently ridiculous. They are clearly better than everyone else with these possible exceptions:
1. Oregon.
2. TCU.
3. Iowa.
4. Maybe Cincinnati, but I seriously doubt it.
Look, you don't have to put Boise State anywhere. Give me a break. Teams get better or worse as the season progresses, and Oregon has clearly gotten better. Boise State, on the other hand, has that one start-of-the-season home win and nothing else. No, it's not their fault, but seriously...let them play travel to UCLA and then to Washington on consecutive weeks, or even play Oregon NOW, and see what they do. Come on. No one should take Boise seriously until they play in a more legit conference. Let them join the Mountain West!
How hard is it this year?? It's not, people...it's not.
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