getting close

mmm, Happy post Turkey day.

Seeing as how it's almost Saturday again, I better get these posted quick.

The trouble I'm having at the top is the Boise State, Utah, Ball State conundrum. Either they should be ranked 2, 3 and 4, or I really don't think they deserve to be in the top ten at all.

What I just can't bring myself to do is put them in between, what I think is really a cop out by a lot of voters. If the 1-loss teams are having a better season than the undefeated mid-majors, then the two-loss teams are, also. Note that several of these teams can still lose, with the potential to elevate the undefeateds. For my rankings, that third loss is the only way they're moving down.

At the other end, there's a logjam as the ACC and Pac-10 figures out who are its top teams, so as that gets sorted out, I've got Mississippi, TCU, BYU, South Carolina, Nebraska, and a few others waiting to replace the losers. And note my satisfaction that long-since dropped teams from my listing are finally getting nationally dropped, like LSU and Auburn. I think Iowa is most deservedly moving into my rankings, the least-discussed 8 win team in the land.

1 B-12 Texas 10 - 1
2 SEC Alabama 11 - 0
3 B-12 Oklahoma 10 - 1
4 SEC Florida 10 - 1
5 B-12 Texas Tech 10 - 1
6 B-Ten Penn State 11 - 1
7 P-10 USC 9 - 1
8 B-12 Oklahoma State 9 - 2
9 B-12 Missouri 9 - 2
10 SEC Georgia 9 - 2
11 B-Ten Ohio State 10 - 2
12 B-E Cincinnati 9 - 2
13 WAC Boise State 11 - 0
14 MW Utah 12 - 0
15 MAC Ball State 12 - 0
16 B-Ten Michigan State 9 - 3
17 B-E Pittsburgh 7 - 3
18 B-Ten Northwestern 9 - 3
19 ACC Boston College 8 - 3
20 ACC Florida State 8 - 3
21 ACC Georgia Tech 8 - 3
22 ACC Virginia Tech 7 - 4
23 P-10 Oregon State 8 - 3
24 P-10 Oregon 8 - 3
25 B-Ten Iowa 8 - 4

week 11 rankings

We are nearing the end of the 2008 season. All in all, the last couple weeks have shaped up nicely. As I said after the first part of the season, the Big East was underrated and the SEC overrated. The Big East now has five bowl eligible teams, as many as the ten team Pac-10, and with a sixth team with a winning record, actually has more teams with a winning record at the moment. The SEC, meanwhile, is already settled. That's right. With two more weeks of football, we already know Alabama and Florida will meet in the SEC championship. While I'd still rank the SEC #2 overall, the race for a champion is becoming downright boring. The ACC and Big Ten have much more exciting things going on these last two weeks.

And of course, the freak that is the Big 12 this year has five teams with legitimate shots at winning 11+ games and becoming the conference champ. Last year, the Big 12 had three 11+ win teams (more than the SEC and Big Ten combined!), and none of them were sent to the national championship game, not even the #1 ranked team in the BCS, Missouri. Is it possible the Big 12 could have four 11+ win teams this year, and none of them will be sent to the national championship?

This week I've decided to start including Boise State and Ball State. Neither have even played a ranked team, but since the Big 12 can't fill four at large spots, somebody has to get into the BCS. While I think teams like Michigan State, Ohio State, Georgia, and Florida State/Virginia Tech are better than them, I'm willing to go along if the B-States go undefeated.

1 B-12 Texas Tech 10 - 0
2 SEC Alabama 10 - 0
3 B-12 Texas 9 - 1
4 B-12 Oklahoma 9 - 1
5 SEC Florida 8 - 1
6 P-10 USC 8 - 1
7 B-Ten Penn State 9 - 1
8 B-12 Oklahoma State 8 - 2
9 B-12 Missouri 8 - 2
10 B-Ten Ohio State 8 - 2
11 SEC Georgia 8 - 2
12 B-Ten Michigan State 9 - 2
13 MW Utah 10 - 0
14 ACC Florida State 7 - 2
15 ACC North Carolina 7 - 2
16 B-E Cincinnati 7 - 2
17 MAC Ball State 9 - 0
18 WAC Boise State 9 - 0
19 B-E Pittsburgh 7 - 2
20 ACC Georgia Tech 7 - 3
21 B-Ten Northwestern 7 - 3
22 B-Ten Minnesota 7 - 3
23 MW TCU 9 - 2
24 MW BYU 9 - 1
25 ACC Virginia Tech 6 - 3

week 10 rankings

1 B-12 Texas Tech
2 SEC Alabama
3 B-12 Texas
4 B-Ten Penn State
5 B-12 Oklahoma
6 B-12 Oklahoma State
7 SEC Florida
8 P-10 USC
9 B-12 Missouri
10 B-Ten Ohio State
11 SEC Georgia
12 ACC Georgia Tech
13 MW Utah
14 B-Ten Michigan State
15 ACC Florida State
16 B-Ten Northwestern
17 SEC LSU
18 ACC North Carolina
19 ACC Maryland
20 P-10 California
21 B-E Cincinnati
22 B-E West Virginia
23 B-E South Florida
24 B-Ten Minnesota
25 B-12 Kansas

one more day

That's all I'm going to say. After like two years of this, tomorrow is it.

One more day!