How can UofL thoroughly beat Florida, both teams finish up with 11-2 records, and yet the Cards finish four places behind the Gators in the polls? #9 UF and #13 UofL, what a shame!

I dont have an issue with it. We were a better team than Florida on Jan 2nd, not sure we are the better team over the course of the year. They had a great record against the #1 SoS. We had a great record against the #120 SoS. We thoroughly beat them head to head but one game doesnt make a season (unless it the NC game). If I were a pollster I would put Florida ahead of us too. Have to look at the entire year ala the NCAA Bball committee.

I don't have a problem with it either. In January, any spot below #1 is irrelevant -- all that matters is who is #1.

Top 15 is our entire body of work...more interested in what some of the way too early shows where we are. The higher ranked the better....run the table & maybe we will get the chance to get spread eagle in the Title Game by Alabama.

Nobody and I mean nobody is going to beat them.

Michigan is in the top 25 in the AP Poll despite finishing 8-5.

Fraud.

(01-08-2013 09:27 AM)ecuacc4ever Wrote:  I don't have a problem with it either. In January, any spot below #1 is irrelevant -- all that matters is who is #1.

If this poll had no effect on the first poll of next season, I would agree.
But it DOES, so I don't. Want to Finish #1 next year? Then start near the top.
Want to start near the top next year? Then finish near the top this year.

it would be stupid to rank florida below us... we raped em, but that doesnt automatically mean #21 jumps up to #3

(01-08-2013 10:26 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(01-08-2013 09:27 AM)ecuacc4ever Wrote:  I don't have a problem with it either. In January, any spot below #1 is irrelevant -- all that matters is who is #1.

If this poll had no effect on the first poll of next season, I would agree.
But it DOES, so I don't. Want to Finish #1 next year? Then start near the top.
Want to start near the top next year? Then finish near the top this year.

1) Southern Cal says "Hi"

2) Louisville, with its current Big East affiliation had a built-in perception bias going against it. Plus, they lost to Syracuse and UConn, two schools that fed the perception bias.

3) At this stage, it's all about pageantry anyway, and all that matters (to me) is who's #1 at the end (Alabama).

If that stuff matter to others, then I'm assuming that others place a value on "preseason polls", too. Unfortunately, I don't, and again, Southern Cal says "Hi".

(01-08-2013 10:26 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  If this poll had no effect on the first poll of next season, I would agree.
But it DOES, so I don't. Want to Finish #1 next year? Then start near the top.
Want to start near the top next year? Then finish near the top this year.

This.

It's not like basketball where a team actually has a chance to prove its worth in a 64+ team tourney.

Unless by some miracle we get into the ACC a year early next season, we're going to be playing a very weak schedule. And I'm not saying we'll be undefeated, but that really is a possibility. So let's say we run the table after starting out at #5. That would give us a reasonable shot - even with a weak schedule - to move into the Top 2. But if we're #13 at the end of this season and only move up to #10 in the pre-season polls later this year, then moving up to #2 will be a lot harder.

Maybe we're where we belong, and maybe even an undefeated but weak season shouldn't earn us a #2 or #1 ranking. But you have to admit that once that first ranking comes out, everything after it will be relative to that first ranking.

(01-08-2013 09:16 AM)dbacard Wrote:  I dont have an issue with it. We were a better team than Florida on Jan 2nd, not sure we are the better team over the course of the year. They had a great record against the #1 SoS. We had a great record against the #120 SoS. We thoroughly beat them head to head but one game doesnt make a season (unless it the NC game). If I were a pollster I would put Florida ahead of us too. Have to look at the entire year ala the NCAA Bball committee.

Completely agreed. I think we finished at an appropriate spot given our entire body of work.

(01-08-2013 08:51 AM)army56mike Wrote:  How can UofL thoroughly beat Florida, both teams finish up with 11-2 records, and yet the Cards finish four places behind the Gators in the polls? #9 UF and #13 UofL, what a shame!

Can't rely on head to head in a poll of top 25 teams. Otherwise we'd have to place Syracuse number 1, since Alabama has won out since they lost to Texas A&M who hasn't lost since they lost to Florida, who lost to Lousiville, who lost to Syracuse who has won out since. Obviosuly you can;t do that.