FINALLY! SJ.com College Football Poll -- FINAL POST-BOWL POLL -- PAGE 48

[Tom Petty]

I still don't get why this missed out on THread of the Year (or did it? I don't remember)

slappy rules.

1. LSU
2. USC
3. Georgia
4. West Virginia
5. THE Ohio State University
6. Missouri
7. Kansas
8. Virginia Tech
9. Boston College
10. Oklahoma
11. Texas
12. Florida
13. Tennessee
14. Hawaii
15. Arizona State
16. BYU
17. Auburn
18. Illinois
19. Cincinnati
20. Clemson
21. Michigan
22. Wisconsin
23. Penn State
24. Virginia
25. Texas Tech

why do you hate oregon?

Aw, crap.

I don't hate Oregon . . . I was planning to put them in at around 22 or so, and my eyes glazed over by the time I got to that point in my poll.

Dammit. They should go in right above Penn State and push Virginia out.

See? This is tough stuff.

shit pio, i blame slappy.

[slappy4428]

I blame slappy too.

[slappy4428]

SJ.COM FINAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL

By SLAPPY 4428
Poll Taker

I sit here this morning, to coin a phrase (and I know it will catch on), full of fail.

I'm wearing my Ohio State shirt from the night before, watching the neighbor's dog pee on my shed. I'm drinking out of an Oklahoma glass (if the karma was truly right, it would be New Coke), looking at Ms. Slappy's Alabama sweatshirt on the chair and, in the ultimate pull-down-your-pants-and-taunt-you moment, planning a trip to Walmart.

And yet, even though I know my local Walton sweatshop is full of more bozo's and miscreants than any place Bubbler could draw up with his twisted mind playing air guitar to Twisted Sister, I smile.

I smile because, unlike others, we got it right -- just as we said we would from the beginning.

The first poll of the season? LSU was second and USC first. The last poll of the regular season? LSU first, not Ohio State (What's that AP? Didn't hear you. Hey ESPN, little louder? You took who first?).

OK, we didn't get everything right. We finished with Georgia second and along the way we had (In no particular order) Wisconsin, South Florida, Boston College, and Kentucky in the Top 6.

But we got it more right than wrong. And after No. 1, who honestly gives a bucket of pump juice about where anyone else is ranked?

It's been fun (Hell, even my dog is ready to get a screen name and start posting to take on Stan Solo); it's not Crossed Giblets of Death, but what is?

I'm grateful to all of you for allowing me to do it. I've cursed you for tardiness and an inability to remember that each team can only be taken once.

I've been amazed at regionalism and voters' dislikes -- but only had to reject a ballot for being totally out of whack once. But it also gave the voters a different perspective. In all, 71 teams made their way to our poll – not including Appalachian State, which voters tried to slide in right to the bitter end.

As Oz said, "And again, thank you so much for doing this. Not only did it make me a better college football fan, which was hard to believe, but it made me think twice about blasting those who do submit ballots weekly ..."

And as Tom Petty said "How can you not like Cherry Pop-tarts?"�

We've laughed at bad teams, picked on over-paid coaches, piled on stupid people and called out the slivey pom-pon wavin' fan bois -- whether it's the Big 11, the SEC, the ..  nope, that's pretty much it. Big East and ACC don't deserve fanbois and the Pac-10 and Big 12 can pretty much back their bragging -- much in the same way that Missouri can lay claim to its first 1-2 finish over Kansas since 1909 (I actually looked that up, creating a no-shi t moment with a buddy of mine as he wept while reading the Thanksgiving weekend poll).

My favorite part of the season?

At the early cattle call, one board member (and I honestly don't remember who) begged to get in, then never sent in a preseason ballot so I dropped him. Suddenly after the first week of play, I started getting a ballot from someone not on the list. After the second week, I asked him why he was sending in ballots. I dunno, maybe I missed someone.

You told me I could be in, he replied. Well, where was your preseason poll?

"Oh. I don't believe in preseason polls so I didn't send one. But I'm here now."

Time to go to Walmart.

SJ.COM FINAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
1/8/2008
RK. TEAM (1st)              PTS   Last
1. LSU  (25)                   648  1
2. Georgia (1)                 596  4
3. Southern Cal               585  5
4. West. Va                    570  10
5. Missouri                      543  8
6. Kansas                       536  9
7. Ohio State                  507  2
8. Oklahoma                    458  3
9. Virginia Tech               446  6
10. Boston College           363  14
11. Texas                       358  16
12. Tennessee                340   17
13. BYU                         270   19
14. Florida                      263   11
15. Hawaii                      252   7
16. Michigan                   251   NR
17. Auburn                     241   24
18. Arizona State            232   12
19. Cincinnati                 201   20
20. Illinois                      174   13
21. Wisconsin                 116   18
22. Oregon                    115    NR
23. Clemson                   106   15
24. Texas Tech                92   25
25. Penn State                 34   NR
Also receiving votes:  Wake Forest 33, Virginia 29, Boise St. 16, Utah 14, Oregon St., 12, Navy 11, Rutgers 9, California 7, Arkansas 6, Fresno St. 6, Tulsa 5, South Florida 1, Kentucky 1, East Carolina 1, Florida Atlantic 1.

SJ.com College Football Poll committee: Final poll ballot can be found here.

[GB-Hack]

Wow. That final poll sheet is the icing on the cake.

Superb job.

[IGotQuestions]

Purely a stat for those who were curious as I. I'm NOT looking for a debate:
SEC in Top 25: 5
Big 12: 5
Big Ten: 5
Pac-10: 3
ACC: 3
Big East: 2
Mountain West: 1
WAC: 1

[BYH]

Time to go to Walmart.

Best exit line since Casablanca.

This was incredibly fun and made me somewhat of a CFB fan. Outstanding fuckin work, Slappy.

[slappy4428]

Time to go to Walmart.

Best exit line since Casablanca.

This was incredibly fun and made me somewhat of a CFB fan. Outstanding fuckin work, Slappy.

Thank you...
and $67.29 later, I am back from Walmart.

[Gutter]

SJ.com College Football Poll committee: Final poll ballot can be found here.

Outstanding work. In this wacky season, sometimes it felt like I had teams well out of place. My final poll doesn't vary too much from this....

[spnited]

Time to go to Walmart.

Best exit line since Casablanca.

This was incredibly fun and made me somewhat of a CFB fan. Outstanding fuckin work, Slappy.

Thank you...
and $67.29 later, I am back from Walmart.

Qalmart paid you $67.29 for giving them the final SJ poll?
That's more than some of their people make in a month.

[slappy4428]

Time to go to Walmart.

Best exit line since Casablanca.

This was incredibly fun and made me somewhat of a CFB fan. Outstanding fuckin work, Slappy.

Thank you...
and $67.29 later, I am back from Walmart.

Qalmart paid you $67.29 for giving them the final SJ poll?
That's more than some of their people make in a month.

It's more than I make in a month. thank God I have a AX Gift card... tried to give them the poll for the damn groceries and they wanted currency.
I told them loyalty was the currency of the realm and some little sawed-off said "No, currency is the currency of the realm."

[Sxysprtswrtr]

Time to go to Walmart.

Best exit line since Casablanca.

This was incredibly fun and made me somewhat of a CFB fan. Outstanding fuckin work, Slappy.

Thank you...
and $67.29 later, I am back from Walmart.

And I bet you only bought eggs, milk, detergent and bread with that $67.29! {cost of things are going UP!}

Thanks slappy for all you've done.

[slappy4428]

SJ.com College Football Poll committee: Final poll ballot can be found here.

Outstanding work. In this wacky season, sometimes it felt like I had teams well out of place. My final poll doesn't vary too much from this....

Did some checking and the deepest anyone went with their picks match the groups was Idaho in Week 2, going eight deep. Second was hack Wilson and OJ1414 in week 5, going seven deep and a handful of others have gone six deep.

[friend of a friend]

Great work all season, slappy.

And thanks to all the voters. Y'all did a hell of a job.

[Tom Petty]

slappy - all your hard work confirmed my love of cherry pop tarts.

atta babe.

[slappy4428]

slappy - all your hard work confirmed my love of cherry pop tarts.

atta babe.

I figgered I owed you one...

[Tom Petty]

slappy - all your hard work confirmed my love of cherry pop tarts.

atta babe.

I figgered I owed you one...

i will salute you in the morning with a fresh, frosted, delicious cherry tart.

victory is yours, fine sir. victory is yours.