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Blogpoll Ballot, Week 3
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MGoBlog Ballot - Week 3
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | LSU Tigers |  1 |
| 4 | Boise St. Broncos | 1 |
| 5 | Oklahoma Sooners |  -2 |
| 6 | Florida St. Seminoles | 2 |
| 7 | Wisconsin Badgers | -1 |
| 8 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -1 |
| 9 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | -- |
| 10 | Texas A&M Aggies | -- |
| 11 | Florida Gators | 1 |
| 12 | Oregon Ducks | 1 |
| 13 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 9 |
| 14 | Michigan St. Spartans | 6 |
| 15 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 8 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -5 |
| 17 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -3 |
| 18 | Auburn Tigers | NR |
| 19 | Arizona St. Sun Devils | NR |
| 20 | West Virginia Mountaineers | -4 |
| 21 | Baylor Bears | -4 |
| 22 | Illinois Fighting Illini | NR |
| 23 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | -8 |
| 24 | Houston Cougars | -- |
| 25 | South Florida Bulls | -7 |
| Dropouts: Texas Longhorns, Northwestern Wildcats, Maryland Terrapins | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
In all its wobbly glory. There are a few slight moves due to my policy of not looking at previous ballots because my opinion from last week isn't that valuable. Pay no attention to Oklahoma moving around a little bit. I did mean to slide FSU up above the Big Ten duo since Wisconsin's win over UNLV doesn't look quite as impressive after Washington State(!) did the same thing to the Rebels and Nebraska was struggling with Fresno State until they got a return touchdown.
Explanations of major moves follow.
YOU DID BAD AGAINST BAD TEAM BUT DID NOT LOSE. Ohio State, Virginia Tech, WVU, and Texas all get dinged for shaky performances against mediocre competition. Yeah, WVU blew out Norfolk State but being down at the half is worth a ding.
YOUR PREVIOUS VALIDATING WIN IS WAY LESS IMPRESSIVE NOW. South Florida and Northwestern both bubbled up last week because they beat real competition. South Florida hangs on because ND does look like a team worth beating if they ever stop turning it over five times a game, but BC lost to UCF 30-3. They are not a real opponent, so Northwestern gets the boot.
I put Illinois back in because of their throttling of SDSU… I watched parts of the NU-EIU game and was underwhelmed.
I'M NOT SURE WHY BUT YOU DESERVED IT. Baylor drops; Maryland drops out. Baylor didn't play so they backslid as others won.
MOVES UP. I didn't move anyone up on merit much except South Carolina, which beat a real live SEC opponent, but Michigan State and Arkansas benefited greatly from the above falls. Auburn also gets to debut fairly high because I still think Mississippi State is an eight or nine win team; Arizona State also beat a real live opponent.
MICHIGAN? Not until the offense isn't based on Jeremy Gallon out-jumping defensive backs.
September 11th, 2011 at 10:43 PM | 
To be fair, #4 on ND was
To be fair, #4 on ND was
September 11th, 2011 at 11:05 PM |
I'm with Brian on this
I'm with Brian on this
Our offense looked unreal, in an exciting but concerning way. I'm not saying we'll struggle offensively this year - but rationally, I don't expect us to have 450 yards of offense and five TDs with our longest drive being five plays. Our O needs to improve before I feel confident about the SDSU game, let alone the B1G slate. So I'm happy to stay out of the top 25 until then.
September 11th, 2011 at 11:22 PM |
true on Gallon's TD
true on Gallon's TD
but on Denard's third pick, they went to the other side of the field with a fade to Gallon. I don't think that was Gray
I do believe jump balls should be a normal and frequent strategy for this O in the short run. Unfortunately Denard is still tend
September 11th, 2011 at 11:25 PM |
gd you iphone
gd you iphone
tending to overthrow deep balls. As long as teams pull their safeties up and leave corners alone with Hemingway on the oitside, we should let him go up and get some. I'll take Junior in that scenario against most DB's, and even Roundtree... but not 5'9" Gallon
September 12th, 2011 at 12:38 AM |
5' 9"? Five fakes out of
5' 9"? Five fakes out of
5' 9"? Five fakes out of five. Dude's at least an inch shorter.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:00 AM |
Yeah there's no way that
Yeah there's no way that
Yeah there's no way that Gallon is taller than 5'8". I would take the under on that
If you're doing nothing, how do you know when you're finished?
September 12th, 2011 at 12:47 PM |
While Gallon's a bit of an
While Gallon's a bit of an
While Gallon's a bit of an unusual choice of target for a jump ball, if he's in single coverage I don't really mind it. Keep in mind that most DBs are about the same height as him - it's not like there are a bunch of Woodson-sized corners out there. The average college secondary is not very good. In terms of recruiting rankings, ND actually has one of the better secondaries out there.
September 11th, 2011 at 10:47 PM |
not sure what else you want
not sure what else you want
not sure what else you want to see from wisconsin
Soon to be the #1 fitness and training center in AA
September 12th, 2011 at 8:29 AM |
Them play someone who approaches competent at football? UNLV got destroyed by Wazzou and Oregon St lost last week against Sacto St.
September 11th, 2011 at 10:51 PM |
How is LSU not your #1 when
How is LSU not your #1 when
How is LSU not your #1 when they beat your #13 Ducks? If the Ducks are that good, I don't know what more you could want from LSU?
September 11th, 2011 at 10:57 PM |
Agreed
Agreed
That has to be, so far, the biggest resume builder of anybody. They easily beat a top 15 team.
September 11th, 2011 at 10:58 PM |
A different coach?
A different coach?
And a different offensive coordinator?
There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:04 AM |
Why
Why
Is it because MSU has good running backs but only averaged 3.7 yards per carry against a H.S. team (FAU) ?
September 11th, 2011 at 11:01 PM |
Just to clarify, Illinois
Just to clarify, Illinois
Just to clarify, Illinois demolished South Dakota St, not San Diego St.
COYS and lets go Detroit FC!
September 11th, 2011 at 11:53 PM |
Thank you
Thank you
I was all, like, what?
2013 resolution - make it onto the 2014 favorite MGoPosters post, not ironically
September 12th, 2011 at 12:19 AM |
Florida State is still ranked
Florida State is still ranked
Florida State is still ranked too high for my taste. But it's not just Brian that likes them. The media has been drooling over them as if they were one of Bobby Bowden's teams from the 90's. But I'm sorry. They didn't beat a single team last year that finished the season ranked. They lost to Oklahoma 47-17 and to Virginia Tech in the ACC title game 44-33. Both Florida and Miami were down last year. This year, they have blowout wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Charlestown Southern. Big deal. They need to beat someone decent before being ranked this high. They have their chance next week but I bet the Sooners beat them.
Wisconsin's non-conference schedule is a joke as always. Their toughest opponent is Oregon State....who lost to Sacremento State. The combined winning % of Wisconsin's non-conference opponents since 2003 is .317. I want to see how they do against a top ten opponent. But Nebraska might be the only one they play all year.
The most confusing member of your top 25 is Illinois. Since when is beating South Dakota State impressive?
Go Blue! Always!
September 12th, 2011 at 5:17 AM |
Blame Gallon...Borges...Hoke...or Rich Rod...Brian??
Blame Gallon...Borges...Hoke...or Rich Rod...Brian??
Uh oh...based on his last statement: Cue the anti-Hoke-Borges Ominous Hate session that will come to follow this week.
Which is predictible. After all, Cook knows how to run a successful blog...no doubt...but clearly he does not know dick about football.
OK Brian...so who do you blame for Michigan having 5-8 Gallon (who kicked ass btw) out there jumping to catch a TD pass?
Coach Hoke? (yeah you will) Coach Borges? (yup that will be rolled in to a shotgun-love-let-Denard-play post)... Daryl Stonum, who DUI'd himself a redshirt instead of being one of the few good sized WRs left on the roster who can make that play (thanks RR)
RR...? no fkin way... Brian will never blame RR for stocking the roster with smurfs.
Meanwhile in the Reality & Truth Dept.... Gallon made the play(s) which were fucking awesome...and props to RR (yes Props to RR) for recruiting him...and to Hoke/Borges (rolled in to a brian-cliche "Manball") for using him during crunch time...
but meanwhile...football clueless is storming up another hate-Hoke post... its coming.. and it will be disguised with LOTS of back handed "compliments"... position coach blah blah blah..
Go ahead mindless masses... Neg me to Bolvia... but that would only prove you to be as clueless and biased as your host. Wont be surprised to see me banned after this one... truth is not something that the blogger lives in.
Go Blue. Give Credit where Credit is due.
September 12th, 2011 at 6:34 AM |
posted from iPhone
posted from iPhone
That one smurf, number two...best running back we have.
All in for some manball.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:46 AM |
I abuse the elipsis from time
I abuse the elipsis from time
I abuse the elipsis from time to time, but never like that. It is neither a period nor a comma. Almost all of them could have been been one of those.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:17 AM |
Ha, I LOVE this form of argument:
Ha, I LOVE this form of argument:
"Go ahead mindless masses... Neg me to Bolvia... but that would only prove you to be as clueless and biased as your host."
I.E. I am right, and there's no possible way to rationally disagree with me!
While Brian has shown more dissent than usual this pre-season, his point here seems evident: our offense was overly reliant on jump balls on Saturday. I think even Hoke would agree that there were issues and we can't count on what happened Saturday as the norm.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:07 AM |
posted from iPhone
posted from iPhone
I thought Gallon was remarkable, especially given his height limitations. That said, we won this game on ridiculous big plays. It's unsustainable. The only thing that really saved us is that all of this happened after halftime, so BK couldn't really make adjustments. I loved this game, but I worry about being competitive in B10 play.
Denard has spent the offseason working really hard and smiling at people.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:50 AM |
I think you're a bit off target
I think you're a bit off target
Our offense was streaky last year - but even that O had drives longer than 5 plays. We all know and expect some growing pains with the O this year, and the fact that Brian sees them and is rooting himself in reality after an emotional win makes him on par with about 90% of the Michigan fanbase. Especially after we all got carried away the last two years after the Notre Dame game. Nobody was blamed in Cook's statement - it was only an explanation of why the program his life is literally dependent on (financially, at least) is not yet good enough for the top 25.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:38 AM |
You're way off
You're way off
"Uh oh...based on his last statement: Cue the anti-Hoke-Borges Ominous Hate session that will come to follow this week.
Which is predictible. After all, Cook knows how to run a successful blog...no doubt...but clearly he does not know dick about football."
Dude, you sound guilty of the very thing you are accusing Brian of - only the opposite. You're an obvious RR hater and still can't let it go.
Brian is very compentent at breaking down the game. In fact, the greatest quality about him is his ablity to do it without blind fandom bias misconstruing reality.
The reality is Denard sucked - yet no one will dare say that because Michigan won, and because - strangely enough - at the same time Denard won the game. However, those throwing schemes with Denard will destory Michigan in the Big Ten FOR CERTAIN.
You better believe every DB in the Big Ten will be ready for the drop and lob prayer toss into end zone - that Mr. Gray (SOMEHOW?) kept making the same mistake on. Denard clearly struggled to find a passing game. I've never been confident in his ability to throw the ball, and this last game pretty much cemented this concern for me. He made one great throw - the pass in the flat to Grady. Yes, he made a couple decent throws that were dropped, but outside of that he was way off the mark. And that has nothing to do with RR or Hoke. That is just reality.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:49 AM |
How about the pass to
How about the pass to
How about the pass to Hemingway on the crossing pattern as he was getting dragged down? I agree that Denard did not throw very well and that is an obvious concern moving forward. It is also very hard for Michigan fans to admit that this was the case because they won. But, we also can't narrow it down to one good throw. For instance, Denard is not getting enough credit for the last touchdown to Roundtree. Everyone in the stadium, except maybe Gray, knew that play was Michigan's only option and it was a perfectly executed ball.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:09 AM |
SEC Should be Top 2....So far
SEC Should be Top 2....So far
I feel like you don't want to give credit to the SEC where credit is so far due. Based on a combo of resume and talent LSU should be #1 after beating a REALLY good Oregon team probably top 10 at year's end imho. Then Alabama based on talent mostly and on the dominating win over Penn State in Happy Valley (who should be in the top 25 at year's end).
Stanford looked good but everybody solid does against the scrub teams. San Jose State and Duke? Please.
-Eternal guardian of the Prevent (you from winning) Defense
September 12th, 2011 at 9:26 AM |
I'm perfectly fine with
I'm perfectly fine with
I'm perfectly fine with Michigan not being ranked but USF got ranked by everybody for beating #16 ND. Michigan does not get that bump for beating 0-1 ND a week later. Say what you will about jump balls but Michigan had the yardage advantage on USF whose offense was screen passes and unsuccessful runs. Both defenses got gashed.
It is my belief that if the safeties keep cheating on the run, the jump balls will continue. I also think they will work. Gallon was just as effective as Hemmingway when his guy was Gary Gray or confused like Gary Gray.
Give it to Wheatley!
September 12th, 2011 at 11:19 AM |
Auburn
Auburn
You still have them too high. They are extremely lucky not to be 0-2 and by all rights should have lost at home to Utah St. Their defense is hopeless.
To be fair, #4 on ND was totally lost and an obvious target for the staff. I don't think they were so much throwing fades to Gallon as throwing fades to whomever was lucky enough to face #4. It's like what would have happened if James Rogers was left on an island against Big 10 level competition.
However, I was totally in your boat last night wondering why Hemingway wasn't getting those jump balls.
It's all John Navarre's fault.