2008 Preseason and Regular season Polls

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

the AP poll lost any and all meaning when it pulled out of the BCS....

Yes... but it still could have remained "legitimate" on some level. Now it's little more than a popularity contest or perhaps a measurer of national biases.

 

[GeauxTigers]

Can someone please explain to me how USC loses to Oregon State and is still ranked ahead of Georgia, who lost to Alabama?

 

[strohs]

Can someone please explain to me how USC loses to Oregon State and is still ranked ahead of Georgia, who lost to Alabama?

Its pretty simple, Georgia beat up on some patsies then got blown out in their first real game, at home none the less.
Meanwhile USC got suprised by a highly motivated Oregon State team, and still came back to only lose by 7...

 

[OregonBuckeye]

I still thought we should have cracked the top ten!

Might've if won the game by 35+, like we should've, instead of 13.

 

[Steve19]

I'm not one to give much credence to these things, especially when it's just now turning to October, but I have got to say the AP poll is nothing short of a pathetic, poorly thought out joke.


Why bother keeping Ohio State ranked at all, AP pollsters? I mean really, why bother? Ohio State has failed to improve it's position ONCE this year in going 4-1. I understand falling after USC.... I won't even complain about falling to 14, even if Georgia got manhandled by a supposedly worse team, but fell only to 11th... but, the Auburn jump proves it... there is no legitimacy to the AP poll at all. None.

I think the difference is that Georgia at least came back and showed life the second half. We didn't against USC. And the team that snuffed us then lost an easy one. It's not surprising but, hey, you know what, to hell with them.

 

[billmac91]

I think the difference is that Georgia at least came back and showed life the second half. We didn't against USC. And the team that snuffed us then lost an easy one. It's not surprising but, hey, you know what, to hell with them.

The bottom line is OSU could be multiple spots ahead of where they are but JT doesn't care about impressing people.

That isn't his style, so we'll remain in the 12-14 range until teams in front of us take their second loss, or we beat teams ahead of us. We'll slowly climb the charts, but we aren't going to leapfrog anyone, unless Tressel decides to step on throats and leave an impressive scoreboard for the pollsters to look at.

 

[LitlBuck]

As it has been stated, the polls are a joke right now. South Florida being ranked up that high is ridiculous. I'm sorry but there are about five teams, if not more, right below them that would probably beat the tar out of them. Boises State is another team that is ranked way too high along with Wake Forest that gets beat by Navy... please. Maybe they should start these polls in November. The only meaningful for is the one put out by LordJeffBuck

 

[pianobuck46]

I think the Penn State game will tell the story. If we best them, we'll be solid--right back in it again.

:gobucks3::osu2::gobucks4:

 

[SEREbuckeye]

As it has been stated, the polls are a joke right now. South Florida being ranked up that high is ridiculous. I'm sorry but there are about five teams, if not more, right below them that would probably beat the tar out of them. Boises State is another team that is ranked way too high along with Wake Forest that gets beat by Navy...

The problem is, we cant have it both ways, either we rank them on the merit of win/loss, reguardless of the university's name OR we rank them based on popularity, players returning and schedule (which we are doing now). Seems that teams that are having good seasons (ie. USF) are getting bashed because of their name and competition, when there are some teams we play that are just as weak - Troy.

 

[buckeyemania11]

first Harris Poll

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/bcsnews/BCS_Sept_28_2008.pdf

1 Oklahoma (102) 4-0 2,835 Beat TCU 35-10 at Baylor n/a
2 LSU (3) 4-0 2,637 Beat Mississippi State 34-24 Idle n/a
3 Alabama (7) 5-0 2,601 Beat Georgia 41-30 Kentucky n/a
4 Missouri (1) 4-0 2,524 Idle at Nebraska n/a
5 Texas (1) 4-0 2,455 Beat Arkansas 52-10 at Colorado n/a
6 Penn State 5-0 2,102 Beat Illinois 38-24 at Purdue n/a
7 USC 2-1 1,997 Lost to Oregon State 27-21 No. 21 Oregon n/a
8 Texas Tech 4-0 1,933 Idle at Kansas State n/a
9 BYU 4-0 1,904 Idle at Utah State n/a
10 Georgia 4-1 1,831 Lost to Alabama 41-30 Idle n/a
11 Florida 3-1 1,744 Lost to Mississippi 31-30 at Arkansas n/a
12 South Florida 5-0 1,657 Beat North Carolina State 41-10 Pittsburgh n/a
13 Auburn 4-1 1,506 Beat Tennessee 14-12 at No. 19 Vanderbilt n/a
14 Ohio State 4-1 1,482 Beat Minnesota 34-21 at No. 16 Wisconsin n/a
15 Utah 5-0 1,195 Beat Weber State 37-21 Oregon State n/a
16 Wisconsin 3-1 973 Lost to Michigan 27-25 No. 14 Ohio State n/a
17 Kansas 3-1 966 Idle at Iowa State n/a
18 Boise State 3-0 808 Idle Louisiana Tech n/a
19 Vanderbilt 4-0 704 Idle No. 13 Auburn n/a
20 Fresno State 3-1 493 Beat UCLA 36-31 Hawaii n/a
21 Oregon 4-1 476 Beat Washington State 63-14 at No. 7 USC n/a
22 Virginia Tech 4-1 350 Beat Nebraska 35-30 Western Kentucky n/a
23 Oklahoma State 4-0 299 Beat Troy 55-24 Texas A&M n/a
24 Connecticut 5-0 286 Beat Louisville 26-21 at North Carolina n/a​

25 Wake Forest 3-1 223 Lost to Navy 24-17 Idle n/a

 

[LitlBuck]

The problem is, we cant have it both ways, either we rank them on the merit of win/loss, reguardless of the university's name OR we rank them based on popularity, players returning and schedule (which we are doing now). Seems that teams that are having good seasons (ie. USF) are getting bashed because of their name and competition, when there are some teams we play that are just as weak - Troy.

I'm not bashing them because of their name or location but the AP Poll has them and of Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, and a couple others who I just don't think they would beat. Also, I do not think that Troy is that bad of a team. Their offense is extremely difficult to defend and I will be interested in seeing the results when they play LSU.

 

[buckeyes_rock]

I think the Penn State game will tell the story. If we best them, we'll be solid--right back in it again.

:gobucks3::osu2::gobucks4:

Gotta beat Wisky first. That game will tell us alot about what this team is made of. Wisky might've choked last week, but they still have a good football team. And to go up there and win at night in their place...that'll mean something.

 

[SEREbuckeye]

I'm not bashing them because of their name or location but the AP Poll has them and of Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, and a couple others who I just don't think they would beat. Also, I do not think that Troy is that bad of a team. Their offense is extremely difficult to defend and I will be interested in seeing the results when they play LSU.

I hear ya, but then again, theres alot of teams that I think have played better than us, but couldn't beat us - BYU, Texas Tech, Missouri, etc. Thats the problem is that one coach or one reporter thinks one way when voting, while the others think different. It comes down to alot of non-standard crap.

 

[BrutusBobcat]

To hell with the polls. If business is taken care of, then we're BCS bowling again no matter what the pollsters have to say.

Absolutely right. The Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth are decided on the field, not in the offices of local newspapers.

Really, once a team is out of the national title picture, the polls are just an academic exercise. We can look at them and find some trivial interest, but they no longer affect the season or where this team is going.

There's a lot that's refreshing about being back to the traditional paradigm of "win your conference, go to Pasadena". We have no more concerns about "style points", the opinions of Mark May, whether Herbie is a "loyal Buckeye", AP voters, Sagarin's computer, Jim Rome's mouth, what anyone thinks of the SEC, etc.

All that matters now is Wisconsin.

 

[Mac]

I don't understand how Auburn jumped us? They barely beat a 1-2 team (now 1-3) @ home. Yet we "blow out" a undefeated Minny team and they jump us? I don't understand it. I guess it's a SEC thing