FINAL POLL finally POSTED ... on PAGE 4!

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

I'm still stumped on that one, but I kinda figured out the state aspect of it.

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

OK. own up, who's got Marshall #3?

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

I do. And if you follow my voting pattern since day one, you understand that I put a premium on undefeated records. I know people have issues with the way I vote, like keeping the defending champ number one until they lose, but for the most part my ballot looks like the poll when released. I have 24 of the top 25. I have Colorado State in and Clemson out.

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

How am I supposed to follow your ballot from day !? Do you have an RSS feed of your ballot?

So what happens when FSU loses tonight and someone beats Miss st? Does Marshall go to No. 1? How far do you take the undefeated thing?

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

1. FSU (1)
2. Mississippi St. (2)
3. Auburn (4)
4. Notre Dame (3)
5. Oregon (7)
6. Alabama (6)
7. TCU (8)
8. Michigan St. (9)
9. Kansas St. (11)
10. Baylor (10)
11. Ole Miss (5)
12. UCLA (25)
13. Arizona St. (21)
14. Utah (14)
15. Ohio State (15)
16. Arizona (13)
17. Georgia (12)
18. Clemson (16)
19. Oklahoma (17)
20. LSU (18)
21. Nebraska (21)
22. Duke (23)
23. West Virginia (19)
24. Georgia Tech (NR)
25. Marshall (25)
----
Also considered: Colorado St., USC, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa.

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

1, Mississippi State
2, Florida State
3, Auburn
4, Notre Dame
5, Oregon
6, Sparty
7, TCU
8, Alabama
9, Kansas State
10, Ohio State
11, Oklahoma
12, LSU
13, Ole Miss
14, Georgia
15, Arizona State
16, Nebraska
17, Baylor
18, West Virginia
19, Utah
20, UCLA
21, USC
22, Arizona
23, Duke
24, Wisconsin
25, Marshall

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

Poll will be posted a little late today ... busy morning ahead. Most of the ballots are in ... thanks for that. If you haven't voted yet, there's still time, so send 'em in.

Oh, and since the reference was too obscure for even SportsJournalists.com, the "Tri-Chi food fan" byline was referring to this place:

https://www.triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com/

It's the Triple-X restaurant, at a prominent intersection in West Lafayette, Ind., not far from the Purdue campus.

Sometimes jokingly called the "Tri-Chi" in honor of all the drunken frat boys who have inhaled greasy burgers there. I was GDI myself, but loved stopping in the Tri-Chi during visits to West Lafayette. Great breakfasts and root beer, too.

 

Re: NEW POLL POSTED on Page 3: SportsJournalists.com college football poll

With apologies to Rob Sheffield

By I SHOULD COCO
1980s music trivia nerd

Everyone knows it’s Election Day this week.

On Tuesday, voters head to the polls in a de-facto referendum on the state of the nation as we are nearly (yikes) 15 years into the 21st century ...

Hold up, we’re not talking about THAT election day! In fact, we’re not even talking about Tuesday’s Poll Pickin’ Committee results. For college football fans, Tuesday’s announcement on ESPN has as much to do with the eventual playoff pairings as 1985’s top 10 hit “Election Day” by Arcadia has to do with today’s music.

No, the Election Day I’m referring to occurs on Saturday. You can call them primaries, eliminator games or just a great day of TV viewing, but much like the Iowa Caucus, some national championship campaigns will end this weekend in the following contests:

Alabama at LSU: A carryover “elimination game” from the BCS era. Over the past 10 years, we’ve heard Verne and Gary call everything from a defensive slugfest (the 9-6 field goal kickin’ affair in 2011) to a shootout (the Tigers winning 41-34 in 2007) to a blowout (Alabama’s 38-17 win last year). The Purple and Gold crew needs to win to stay alive in the SEC West/national title hunt (is there really any difference?). Probably will be a great game, but I’ll be watching ...

Ohio State at Michigan State: Funny how in recent years, the Buckeyes have found a new rival in the “Wolverine State.” And the Spartans have become a worthy foe, too — just like Ohio State, they’ve won at least 11 games in three of the past four seasons. As much as I like Sparty, I foresee Buckeye freshman QB J.T. Barrett leading Ohio State to the win here. For what that’s worth (absolutely nothing).

Notre Dame at Arizona State: Lots of people are questioning Notre Dame’s “resume” for the national playoff lately. ... you’d think George O’Leary was coaching them. But riddle me this, Irish doubters: which SEC West school plays 10 of its 12 games against Power 5 conference foes, like Notre Dame does?

The Big 12 skirmishes, with Baylor at Oklahoma and Kansas State at TCU. While the overall depth in this 10-team league isn’t as good as usual, the top four teams are all stout. Which makes it likely no one will emerge as champion without a couple losses.

• • •
​

Oh, and for those who don’t get the “Election Day” song or band references: Arcadia was a one-album side project by 1980s Duran Duran pin-ups Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes. As sometimes happens when bands get huge and egos get huger, the lads split into factions, which in this case were Arcadia and Power Station, to prove who really was responsible for all those records and hair-spray sales.

Andy and John Taylor had a bit of an edge with Power Station, though, as Robert Palmer came aboard as front man and sang on three top-40 hits: “Some Like It Hot” (which equalled “Election Day” at No. 6 on the U.S. pop charts), a remake of T-Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” and “Communication” (which hit No. 34 in 1985 despite no one remembering it).

Never fear, Duran Duran patched it up after their year or so hiatus ... perhaps helped by drummer John Taylor playing on both the Arcadia and Power Station records. The boys from Birmingham, England, continue to rake in cash to this day from women who were 13 in 1984 and fantasized about getting their hand on a member of Duran Duran.

Good luck with that in 30 years, One Direction.

• • •
​

Enough blabbing about 1980s, here's this week's poll. A little shuffling at the top due to the Ole Miss loss, and a hearty welcome to the Colorado State Rams of the Mountain West:

SportsJournalists.com COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
2014 NUMERO CUATRO — 11/3/14
RK. TEAM (1st) PTS PREVIOUS
1. Mississippi St. (7) 295 1
2. Florida St. (5) 292 2
3. Auburn 273 3
4. Oregon 248 7
5. Alabama 243 5
6. Notre Dame 232 4
7. Texas Christian 218 9
8. Michigan St. 213 8
9. Kansas St. 205 12
10. Baylor 198 11
11. Ole Miss 162 6
12. Arizona St. 155 15
13. Ohio St. 148 14
14. Georgia 123 10
15. Oklahoma 121 19
16. Nebraska 116 16
17. Louisiana St. 115 17
18. UCLA 102 25
19. Arizona 92 13
20. Utah 86 18
21. Marshall 57 20
22. Duke 56 24
23. Clemson 42 23
24. West Virginia 35 21
25. Colorado St. 23 —

Also receiving votes: Southern Cal 13, East Carolina 12, Georgia Tech 9, Wisconsin 8, Stanford 6, Louisville 1, Oklahoma St. 1.

The SportsJournalists.com college football poll committee: I Should Coco (tabulator), Oz, Della9250, Huggy, Mile High, KYSportswriter, Songbird, Starman, Donnie, in his element, McNuggets Man, Meatie Pie, TheWritingWaffle. Not voting this week: the_lorax, dragonzo3.

 

Re: UPDATED: New SportsJournalists.com college football poll on PAGE 3!

1 FSU
2 Mississippi St
3 Auburn
4 Oregon
5 Alabama
6 Notre Dame
7 Arizona ST
8 Baylor
9 Michigan State
10 TCU
11 Kansas St
12 LSU
13 Ole Miss
14 Georgia
15 Utah
16 UCLA
17 Arizona
18 Nebraska
19 Ohio State
20 Oklahoma
21 Duke
22 Clemson
23 Georgia Tech
24 West Virginia
25 Marshall

 

Re: UPDATED: New SportsJournalists.com college football poll on PAGE 3!

1...FSU...(1)
2...Mississippi St...(2)
3...Oregon...(5)
4...Alabama...(6)
5...Baylor...(10)
6...TCU...(7)
7...Arizona St...(13)
8...Ohio St...(16)
9...Auburn...(3)
10...Ole Miss...(11)
11...UCLA...(12)
12...Arizona...(16)
13...Notre Dame...(4)
14...Kansas St...(9)
15...Michigan St...(8)
16...Nebraska...(21)
17...Georgia...(17)
18...Clemson...(18)
19...Duke...(22)
20...LSU...(20)
21...Utah...(14)
22...Georgia Tech...(23)
23...Marshall...(25)
24...Colorado St...(NR)
25...Wisconsin...(NR)
- - - - - - - -
Next 5 (alphabetical): Miami, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC.

 

Re: UPDATED: New SportsJournalists.com college football poll on PAGE 3!

1, Mississippi State
2, Florida State
3, Oregon
4, Alabama
5, TCU
6, Ohio State
7, Arizona State
8, Baylor
9, Auburn
10, Sparty
11, Nebraska
12, UCLA
13, LSU
14, Ole Miss
15, Georgia
16, Kansas State
17, Arizona
18, USC
19, Notre Dame
20, Duke
21, Wisconsin
22, Oklahoma
23, Clemson
24, Marshall
25, Utah

 

Re: UPDATED: New SportsJournalists.com college football poll on PAGE 3!

The Division Bell

By I SHOULD COCO
Classic rocker

As some of you may know, 20-year-old scraps from Pink Floyd’s “The Division Bell” recording sessions have been dug up, polished and slapped together for a new album, “The Endless River,” which will be released this week.

Also released this week will be the latest rankings from the College Football Playoff Pickin’ Committee.

Which release will matter more in the future? Perhaps neither. But it gives us an excuse to rank both the Power 5 conference divisions and Pink Floyd albums, together in one poll story. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the SportsJournalists.com way, so let’s get on with it.

Rankings of albums/divisions are from worst to best, with all won-loss records through this past weekend. The “key wins” refer to decent nonconference power 5 teams or standout Group of 5 teams:

The Final Cut
Pac-12 North, 32-25 overall, 15-3 nonconference. Key win: Michigan State. Comment: Oregon is coasting to the division title because the rest of this bunch isn’t very good. When Cal may prove to be the second-best team in the Pac-12 North, that says a lot.

Ummagumma
ACC Coastal, 38-27 overall, 19-8 nonconference. Key win: Ohio State. Comment: The only decent nonconference win came from the division’s last-place team. The ACC divisions may be even more unbalanced than the SEC, and that’s saying something.

Saucerful of Secrets
Big 10 East, 39-25 overall, 19-6 nonconference. Key win: Missouri. Comment: Once again, the best out-of-league win came from the worst team in this division. After Ohio State and Michigan State, there’s nobody worthy of playing in any bowl game, let alone the New Year’s Day contests.

Animals (including, of course, Pigs)
Big 10 West, 38-26 overall, 19-7 nonconference. Key wins: Miami, Pittsburgh. Comment: We’re stretching the definition of “key wins” here, but at least this division is deeper than the Big 10 East. And Minnesota’s loss to TCU may wind up being the entire conference’s “best loss,” if there is such a thing.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
ACC Atlantic, 39-28 overall, 17-6 nonconference. Key wins: Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Southern Cal. Comment: Florida State has beaten two decent nonconference foes, and plays a third (Florida) later this month. Don’t forget Boston College running all over USC in September.

The Wall
SEC East, 35-29 overall, 17-3 nonconference. Key wins: Clemson, East Carolina. Comment: Entire division has only one win against SEC West teams. Docked points for losing to Indiana, and for paying $950,000 to Idaho for a game that never happened.

Meddle
Big 12, 53-39 overall, 22-8 nonconference. Key wins: Minnesota, Iowa, Maryland, Tennessee. Comment: In my book, this league has a stronger playoff argument because its champion will have played everyone else in the league — which this year, has a pretty strong upper tier.

Wish You Were Here
Pac-12 South, 37-19 overall, 15-2 nonconference. Key wins: Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan. Comment: Really only one clunker in this division (Colorado). Everyone else is capable of piling up points in a hurry, against anybody.

Dark Side of the Moon
SEC West, 50-16 overall, 26-0 nonconference. Key wins: Wisconsin, Kansas State, Boise State, West Virginia. Comment: This league is good enough to stay on the Billboard album chart for at least 15 years. It’s got Money, great rivalries (Us and Them) and lunatics to rival Syd Barrett. And that’s just the coaches, not the fans.

Where does “The Endless River” fit in among the ranks of FBS conference divisions? Give it a week or two and it will be like the WAC ... no one plays it anymore.

And with that, here’s this week’s SportsJournalists.com college football poll. You’ll notice things getting tight at the top, and the Top 25 separated into three tiers. We’ll call them “playoff contenders,” “fading hopefuls” and “honorable mention.”

SportsJournalists.com COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
2014 NUMERO CINCO — 11/10/14
RK. TEAM (1st) PTS PREVIOUS
1. Mississippi St. (7) 319 1
2. Florida St. (6) 318 2
3. Oregon 289 4
4. Alabama 276 5
5. Texas Christian 274 7
6. Baylor 272 10
7. Arizona St. 237 12
8. Ohio St. 231 13

9. Auburn 209 3
10. Ole Miss 196 11
11. Nebraska 181 16
12. Michigan St. 167 8
13. UCLA 152 18
14. Kansas St. 144 9
15. Notre Dame 140 6
16. Georgia 137 14
17. Arizona 133 19

18. Duke 106 22
19. Louisiana St. 83 17
20. Clemson 79 23
21. Marshall 66 21
22. Wisconsin 45 —
23. Oklahoma 33 15
24. Colorado St. 30 25
25. Georgia Tech 29 —

Also receiving votes: Utah 28, Southern Cal 15, East Carolina 12, Texas A&M 9, Stanford 6, Minnesota 5, Louisville 2, Air Force 1, Oklahoma St. 1.

The SportsJournalists.com college football poll committee: I Should Coco (tabulator), Oz, Della9250, Huggy, Mile High, KYSportswriter, Songbird, Donnie, in his element, McNuggets Man, Meatie Pie, TheWritingWaffle, the_lorax, dragonzo3. Not voting this week: Starman.