SEC Power Poll: Preseason Ballot

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 10:01 AM EDT in College Football

I've explained my theory on preseason polls plenty of times in the past so I'll skip it again here, other than to say that this ballot will not even get looked at once the first kickoff happens. Otherwise, the ranking philosophy is: keep the teams in the same order as the BlogPoll Ballot, insofar as that can happen. Then rank the rest based on gut with a little momentum from last season.

Powerpoll2010logo_medium

The order:

I put LSU and SoCar ahead of Tennessee because of coaching continuity, though my preseason optimism tells me that UT might be the better team once they get a couple games under their belt. Alabama and Florida? Whichever order you prefer. MSU is ahead of Mississippi because I just don't feel good about Mr. Nutt's Wild Ride anymore.

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Wow

The dropoff after Florida is truly tremendous. But I really can’t disagree with too much there. I agree that UT may well be better than LSU/USC, but we could also be worse than the Mississippi schools and Kentucky. So we’re in a good spot. The only change I’d make is debate moving Kentucky up a spot or two.

by Incipient_Senescence on Aug 31, 2010 10:40 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah.

I thought about that as well. Perhaps I should have given Arkansas through Kentucky all #8 rankings and averaged them together. That I have Kentucky at #11 is not a slight on them; it’s simply that I had to put somebody there.

They shouldn’t mind though; they are, after all, a basketball school, right? ;-)

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

It's God will you have them at #11.

Simulated Gameday Experience - just like the real thing, only we have smoke machines.

by Chris Pendley on Aug 31, 2010 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions

c'mon hooper....ya gotta give us a little bit of love.......I mean it's not like we

suggested you guys hire Kiffin……seriously, we ought to at least get a 6 or 7 ranking. 6-10 are really interchangable don’t you think?

I Shall Always Be The Cat......In The Hat!!! The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!

by Greg Alan Edwards on Aug 31, 2010 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Heh.

Absolutely. I have no problem with Kentucky at 6 or 7. In fact, I purposely put very little thought into preseason rankings because I tend to get competitive about things I put effort into. If I really worked hard at the preseason stuff, I’d instinctively want to defend my conclusions later on. I criticize that kind of bias in other voters partly because I have the exact same problem.

When the week 1 poll comes out, I won’t even look at this thing.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

By the way,

kidbourbon, you asked about how I’d feel Boise would do on a neutral field against Florida, OSU, and Texas. I didn’t see the comment until I was compiling this ballot, but the short answer is: I don’t have a clue.

Were somebody to give me $50 in Vegas and tell me to place it on one of those games for the win, I’d have no problem putting it on Boise. (I don’t put my own money on games, fwiw.) But to expand the question a bit: I would also have no problem putting that money on Auburn over Alabama, and I have Alabama at #1 and Auburn at #12.

I just can’t place any confidence in anybody’s opinion in preseason polls – especially mine.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 10:42 AM EDT reply actions

Oh, and as a generic comment:

I will probably be a bit high on Boise. I grew up a midmajor kind of guy, so it’s a part of my internal bias. Add that Boise’s record may very well make Wyoming a future member on an AQ conference (outside shot, I know, but hey), and there it is.

/bias confessed for all to see

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I really believe...

the MWC deserves an AQ spot… outside of Pitt/WVU in the Big East there are no teams that I’d even say are traditionally ok, but they perform admirably year in and year out in nonconference play. I really believe when given a chance, teams tend to step up their quality of play. Of course any teams who choose to follow the example of Temple(not spending a dime on upgrades) would be headed out of an AQ league in a hurry.

We have conferences representing the northeast, east coast, southeast, midwest, OklaTexas, and pacific coast. Seems like a natural progression that the premiere teams of the west would get a shot, and then every region would be covered.

by Caban on Aug 31, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed.

The one glaring problem for the MWC is that there are too many teams like Wyoming, CSU, etc. that are holding the rankings down for the conference. At least most Big East teams are passable, even if none are exceptional. But if the MWC gets in, it’s going to be because the ACC has taken conference mediocrity to a brand new level and the BCS won’t be able to justify the ACC’s exemption if they don’t also give one to the MWC.

Had Utah stayed put, the MWC would be a guarantee, imo.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

BYU to the WCC sucks then

:-(

by Incipient_Senescence on Aug 31, 2010 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes it does.

That probably kills the MWC’s autobid, even with BSU and TCU in the conference.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Unless Boise or TCU wins the NC.

I now can no longer hide the fact that I am cheering for Boise pretty hard this weekend.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Again, not that my rankings are of any value,

but Masoli made my MSU/Ole Miss decision look that much better.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 5:52 PM EDT reply actions

Uniforms

We’re ranking uniforms this year in the preseason poll for all the reasons you probably don’t like preseason polls.

Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.

by cocknfire on Aug 31, 2010 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

Oh, was I supposed to do that?

If so, then I totally misunderstood.

Um… whoops. /blush

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I think he means

He’s just throwing their preseason poll together based off who he thinks has the best uniform. Though .. Hrm. This should be a Wendesday discussion topic ;-)

______________________________________________
I will give my North Carolina for Tennessee Today. Apparently.

by bobothevol on Aug 31, 2010 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually . . .

. . . I think he means that we’re actually ranking the teams based on their uniforms, which in turn probably means that I should have been forwarding those SEC Power Poll emails to Hooper instead of assuming he was getting copied on them, too.

/group blush

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 31, 2010 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm getting the emails.

I didn’t read it closely enough. I saw something about ranking uniforms on one of them, but I took that to mean in the sense of ‘we cheer for the jersey’ mantra that NFL fans use. It did confuse me, but I let it go.

;-)

by David Hooper on Aug 31, 2010 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions