Can you name me the last team that finished the regular season 9-3 in the Big XII or SEC (or really any other top conference), and didn't finish ranked?
It doesn't matter where those teams are ranked now. At the time they played them those teams were ranked where they were and you can't argue that fact because it is what it is. They were impressive victories by Florida as well. Another point that you can not argue. If you held off on preseason rankings then how are you going to determine strengths of schedule and how are you going to determine where the teams are ranked in any way? Or where teams should be ranked? It's not like the polls don't change every week with teams leapfrogging each other and teams dropping out and climbing all the time. Furthermore, if we use your logic of holding off on preseason rankings and not using strength of schedules or strength of victories then we should have a National Championship game of UTAH vs BOISE STATE because those are the only two unbeaten teams and rankings don't matter right? Would that make you happy?
This is an incredibly dumb argument. The rankings would end up fairly similar to how they end, but you would have less of a problem staying ranked above another team just because they started the year ranked above them. If you think that we'd end up with a Utah v. Boise championship game because those are the only two that finish undefeated, I won't even bother responding to you in the future.
How is that a dumb argument to possibly end up with a Utah vs. Boise state championship game if we didn't have preseason rankings? I think your missing my point. Also I mentioned strength of schedule, margin of victory and quality of wins etc but my main point is that I'm stressing the importance that preseason rankings are relatively important. You said the rankings would end up similar to how they did but how can they end up the way they did if a team starts the year ranked above another team without rankings? Because there is.... it prohibits teams like Utah and Boise State from being in the NC game.
Nobody would ever look at 12-0 Boise when compared with a 11-1 Florida and rank Boise higher. It would never happen. Strength of schedule is determined by the standings at the end of the season in most of the computers. How impressive does that victory over LSU look now? Not very, especially given that LSU was down 30 to TROY and had to have a miraculous comeback. Those are the only arguments I could make because the rest of your post was somewhat confusing to me, I'll admit.
Ill second third whatever these guys said. Preseason polls are nothing but power rankings. Tech was #2 in the season and #12 in the season, I will put them somewhere in between. I wont argue that Florida doesn't desserve a shot, I believe OU and Florida are the best 2 teams. However the LSU win, and Georgia win is marginal fraction on the strength of schedule.
The only thing that matters are the final BCS rankings because only then can you truly determine the final SOS and everything besides from the bowl games have been sorted out.
They got the National Championship game right. Florida vs OU. But once again they blew it on Ohio St. I don't know if these bowl games have certain tradition(like Big Ten vs Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl) but its BS that Texas is playing them. It should be Texas vs Alabama. As an SEC fan I'd like to see the top teams in the SEC take on the top teams in the Big12.
Please refrain from talking about the BCS again. Pre-season rankings have no real purpose other than to give networks some buzz in early season matchups and as an estimate for gamblers. It's No.1 vs. No.2, watch out! Rankings that matter begin in week 6. Also, where a team was when you beat them in week 4 really does not matter. Missouri was ranked as high as No. 3, anyone want to argue the Tigers belong up there? Georgia and LSU have both been exposed this year, why should teams get credit for beating someone who was that high based on expectation instead of results?
i think the matchup is wrong... Florida vs. Texas (each one beat its biggest challenger, yet lost in conference) OU vs. Bama (each lost in its biggest game) in an alternate universe, i'd like to see: OU's offense + Texas Defense vs. Florida offense + Bama Defense.
Oh really? So, I guess the first 6 games of the season are just preseason scrimmages they play just for kicks. If you really want to make an argument you should have said week 8 since that's when the first BCS rankings come out. Anyways How do you think those BCS rankings that matter oh so much that begin in week 8 are comprised? That's right... from the results of the first 7 games of the regular season. Which according to you don't matter. Because it's a game nonetheless and it adversely affects your record/ranking if you lose and positively affects your record/ranking if you win. I'm not arguing that and I don't think anybody is or should be arguing that. However, teams do get credit for beating a team ranked that high for example a #17 ranked OSU beat #3 ranked Missouri
It's all nonsensical. Perfectly defensible and utterly indefensible all at once. When you leave championships up to computers and polls, that's what you get. Until they settle the championship on the field, discussions like this will be the "it" of college football.
Results and rankings are not the same thing, get that through your head. Where a team is ranked does not truly matter until the last couple of weeks, but the rankings that somewhat matter (BCS) start in week 8 (not 6, my mistake). The reason these rankings "matter" is because it gives teams a gauge of where they are. If we were to play the whole season without rankings and then just issue them out at the end, based on this current BCS system, not much would change. You seem to think rankings are all interdependent, when its just a combination of people voting and 6 computer algorithms. Missouri was ranked No.3 by a bunch of journalists at the AP based on preseason expectations, why exactly should that matter 12 game later when they clearly are not as good as though? Why not just give Georgia the title now since they were the preseason No.1 and favorites? Those rankings are a gauge and a way to add excitement for the casual fan, nothing more.
Honestly, I'm surprised it's Florida representing the SEC in the title game and not Alabama. Sure, Florida beat Bama by about 10 points on a neutral field, and they have the same records. But Alabama beat Ole Miss, who beat Florida, so doesn't that make them better?
