Preseason polls so similar it's ludicrous
Posted: Sunday, August 17, 2008 1:06 PM
Coaches and sportswriters have a long history of displaying their differences with each other. Last season’s explosion by Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and its aftermath is perhaps the best illustration of recent times.
But when it comes to the polls, they march in lockstep.
On Saturday, the Associated Press released its Top 25 college football poll, more than two weeks after the USA Today Coaches Top 25 made its debut.
Comparing the two schools of thought would naturally be interesting, but don’t bother. They are pretty much the same. As usual.
Eight teams, including half of the top 10 (No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Florida, No. 8 West Virginia, No. 9 Clemson), occupy identical positions in both polls.
A dozen schools differ by just one slot.
Four are off by a whopping two whole spots.
And finally, there is one team garnering some individual thought as Rich Rodriguez (a USA Today voter) gets some love from his colleagues who have Michigan at No. 24, while the media has the Wolverines stashed away among the “others receiving votes” at “No. 32.”
The USA Today poll came out first and was the hot topic on the day the AP ballots were due, so you have to point your finger at the collection of 65 media members for being guilty of rubberstamping what the 61 coaches (or whoever they have voting for them) came up with. (No word yet on why the AP decided to keep its poll in an incubation chamber for nearly two weeks.)
Last year, it was even worse … in fact, downright embarrassing. No less than 10 schools in AP’s top 15 exactly mirrored their position in the USA Today version.
I can see that type of consensus starting to form in October, but prior to the season starting and with no tangible evidence to use it is absolutely ludicrous.
It’s funny, because beat writers will start calling into question much of what coaches do once the season kicks off. However, the harmonious thinking and trust of knowledge is apparently strong in the preseason.
And here’s some EXTRA POINTS:
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The SEC just keeps rolling right along. The perception of the league’s strength is more powerful than ever. Three SEC teams -- Georgia, Florida and LSU -- find themselves within the top 7 of both polls. Those same schools were also the top three SEC teams ranked in the preseason polls last year, but you had to reach all the way down to No. 13 in both to find the Bulldogs, who eventually moved up to No. 3. Three additional SEC teams (No. 10/11 Auburn, No. 18/18 Tennessee and No. 23/24 Alabama) also start the season in the Top 25, meaning half the league is ranked. But the Big 12 isn’t far behind with five ranked teams, which all fall within the top 14.
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The proud history of Georgia football had never included a preseason top ranking until now and it’s virtually a consensus.
In addition to the AP and USA Today polls, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sporting News and our own
NBCSports.com also have the Bulldogs starting the season on top.
It’s odd when one considers that Georgia wasn’t even the pick to win the league or even its own division at the
SEC Media Days.
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LSU will probably start Andrew Hatch, a transfer from Harvard, at quarterback but the Tigers only dropped one first place vote in the coaches' poll in the past year. Last August, LSU got four top placements in the preseason coaches' poll to rank just behind USC at No. 2. This year, three coaches gave the Tigers a first-place nod, which helped them secure a spot at No. 6. That trio obviously subscribes to the theory that you are No. 1 until somebody else proves that you aren’t. You can give the media voters some credit on this subject as none of them found LSU worthy of a top ranking. With Les Miles’ (a voter) first three games at home against Appalachian State, Troy and North Texas, it will be interesting to see if those three coaches stick with their preseason pick, while other top teams will surely register victories over more impressive opposition and pressure to mimic others pollsters grows.
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It’s hard to believe, but No. 20/21 Oregon is in a better position than last preseason when it was unranked. The Ducks went on to rise as high as No. 2 until the bottom fell out when Dennis Dixon’s knee gave out.
I guess there’s lots of confidence in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s ability to sort out the competition between quarterbacks
Justin Roper and Nate Costa.
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Sometimes it’s as interesting to look underneath the poll as it is to gaze at the top.
Along the underbelly you’ll find the schools that got a single point.
This time around they are Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Arizona and Colorado in the coaches' poll (no Duke this year because
Steve Spurrier has finally been convinced to end his foolishness), and Hawaii and Washington in the AP.
It’s fun to try and think of who might have included these teams on their ballots.
But, you know … at least those voters decided to do their own thing.
The same can’t be said for a lot of others.
