FINAL POLL finally POSTED ... on PAGE 4!

[I Should Coco]

This is the time of year we usually start dragging the murky waters of SportsJournalists.com for college football poll volunteers. And for the past four seasons, I've had no shortage of takers, most of whom are loyal voters throughout the season.

BUT that was during the BCS era. As we move forward into the imaginatively-title College Football Playoff years, maybe it's time to change things here, too.

Those of you who have voted regularly in the past (and anyone else with an opinion), please let me know what you think about this season. Let's decide how we want to do our SportsJournalists.com poll — if at all — before we start looking for 2014 voters.

A few options:

• We run the poll like previous years, with a preseason vote and weekly vote all the way through the bowl games/championship.

• We wait until October to start voting each week. This is how the playoff committee is going to do it, with their rankings starting in late October.

• We forget about running our own SportsJournalists.com poll and just have a thread to discuss/criticize the playoff committee (kind of like NCAA basketball).

Or maybe you have other suggestions. As long as they're not "hang out with Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin at Waffle House," I'm all ears.

 

[McNuggetsMan]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

What about a preseason poll and then we wait until Mid-October to take the next poll?

Can we discuss taking Layla Kiffin to the Waffle House?

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

I think McNuggets' plan on the poll is a good idea. Comparing and contrasting the site's poll with the committee's poll should be good thread fodder.

 

[RecoveringJournalist]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

That would be interesting and could show how teams that aren't predicted to do well can be negatively impacted by the early polls.

 

[I Should Coco]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

I think McNuggets' plan on the poll is a good idea. Comparing and contrasting the site's poll with the committee's poll should be good thread fodder.

And unlike previous seasons, our poll would come out first (assuming we keep the same ballot deadline of noon CDT on Monday).

I believe the committee standings will be announced each Tuesday on ESPN (of course).

 

[Mark2010]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

That would be interesting and could show how teams that aren't predicted to do well can be negatively impacted by the early polls.

Yep. That's always been one of my complaints. I'm surprised that Auburn managed to climb the ladder as well as they did last season.

The real problem with the system is there isn't an objective set of criteria, like the NFL has, to determine how to include teams. I would say the minimum criteria should be to win your own conference championship to be in the discussion. And, no, we're not taking Northern Illinois, even if they're undefeated.

 

[I Should Coco]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Anyone else have ideas? Do you voters/potential voters like the McNuggets Plan of a preseason vote, then resuming in October?

(yeah, I'm giving this a bump for the Monday morning SportsJournalists.com crowd)

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Mark, using the committee approach means that the selection criteria will always be murky, and since college football has so many more variables than the NFL, it has to be. Since they're starting with a four-team playoff, and there are still more than four BCS conferences, they will pretty much be forced to consider conference champs first, making conference title games de facto playoff games. Last year, I'd guess it would have been Florida State, Auburn, Michigan State and then probably Stanford or, (sigh) Alabama. But picking two teams from the same conference will get the committee off on the wrong foot with all the other conferences from the jump.

 

[dragonzo3]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

What about a preseason poll and then we wait until Mid-October to take the next poll?

Can we discuss taking Layla Kiffin to the Waffle House?

I'm going with yes to both of these.

 

[TigerVols]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

What about a preseason poll and then we wait until Mid-October to take the next poll?

Can we discuss taking Layla Kiffin to the Waffle House?

Did she model for the "Golden Labia," as the new trophy is being called?

https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/488700381656920065/photo/1

 

[KYSportsWriter]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

I like the McNuggets Plan, too.

 

[Vombatus]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

What about a preseason poll and then we wait until Mid-October to take the next poll?

Can we discuss taking Layla Kiffin to the Waffle House?

Did she model for the "Golden Labia," as the new trophy is being called?

https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/488700381656920065/photo/1

Damnit, beat me to it. It does look like golden labia with a football stuffed inside.

 

[Versatile]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

I'd like to hang out with Kirby Smart at Dreamland.

 

[Mark2010]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Mark, using the committee approach means that the selection criteria will always be murky, and since college football has so many more variables than the NFL, it has to be. Since they're starting with a four-team playoff, and there are still more than four BCS conferences, they will pretty much be forced to consider conference champs first, making conference title games de facto playoff games. Last year, I'd guess it would have been Florida State, Auburn, Michigan State and then probably Stanford or, (sigh) Alabama. But picking two teams from the same conference will get the committee off on the wrong foot with all the other conferences from the jump.

I hope you are right. I just see the **** storm coming when the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC champion gets shafted over a second-place SEC team. I don't think that would be fair at all.

In the long run, it's going to cause schools to shy away from playing challenging intersectional games that (gasp) they could possibly lose.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

If strength of schedule is a factor for the committee, and it's been said it will be, that won't happen.

 

[Versatile]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Why the sigh? Do you not think Alabama was one of the four best teams in the country last year?

 

[Neutral Corner]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Mark, using the committee approach means that the selection criteria will always be murky, and since college football has so many more variables than the NFL, it has to be. Since they're starting with a four-team playoff, and there are still more than four BCS conferences, they will pretty much be forced to consider conference champs first, making conference title games de facto playoff games. Last year, I'd guess it would have been Florida State, Auburn, Michigan State and then probably Stanford or, (sigh) Alabama. But picking two teams from the same conference will get the committee off on the wrong foot with all the other conferences from the jump.

I hope you are right. I just see the **** storm coming when the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC champion gets shafted over a second-place SEC team. I don't think that would be fair at all.

In the long run, it's going to cause schools to shy away from playing challenging intersectional games that (gasp) they could possibly lose.

As a small conference school fan, I have for years rooted for maximum BCS chaos at season's end. I want to see a true playoff system evolve. Therefore, I hope that this season produces five more or less equally qualified conference champions and that a school with a credible case for being in the playoff gets left out. I will get maximum schadenfreude value if the school that didn't make the cut has a long tradition and a large fan base, a school like USC, Michigan, or Oklahoma.

As to "challenging intersectional games", it will take about one conference champion who does not make the cut because they played a body bag game instead of a game with some stature to break that up. All that does is up the ante on the "every game on the schedule is important" meme. If you play Georgia State and don't make the cut, maybe you should try to schedule Miss St. next season. Or Ohio State. I have a lot more respect for scheduling Ohio St. and losing than I do for stomping a mud puddle into Florida International.

I hope for a 16 game playoff including all the conference champions, filled out with deserving at larges. Seed them, match them up, and then play it out. Sure, the Sun Belt champ will get slaughtered, but much like making the NCAA basketball tournament, appearing will be an achievement. The school and conference will make money and the players will have memories and bragging rights... and if once in a while you get an Appalachian State/Michigan type upset, everyone will love it except the fans of the upset school.

And don't give me the time and extra games argument. Look at the schedule for NCAA baseball and tell me that the NCAA gives a crap about the time student athletes miss. We're talking 16 schools, and that gets cut in half weekly. I bet the teams involved, if offered the choice, wouldn't blink at the extra practice and travel involved, not if weighed against a national championship.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Since the other three divisions have 16-team playoffs already, I believe that will be the natural evolution of this playoff unless the SEC gets its way and the big conferences bolt from any NCAA supervision. I don't believe the SEC has thought through the possible consequences of such an action. The NCAA is a useful fig leaf for big money college sports.

 

[Neutral Corner]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

Greed and hunger for power make people do stupid things.

 

[TheWritingWaffle]

Re: SportsJournalists.com college football poll? A discussion

I am definitely down for what ever you poll folk suggest.