Jim Young's AP Poll Week 11
I feel like such a putz. I held out against the cool crowd, all those people who had Ohio State No. 1 while I stuck with LSU. Then, eventually I succumbed to peer pressure - if everybody else is voting for the Buckeyes, why shouldn't I? - and moved THE Ohio State up to the top spot. Naturally, they got knocked off on Saturday by the Illinois Fighting Zookers. I feel like the kid in high school who just said no to alcohol then finally decided to crack open a beer five seconds before the cops showed up. Or something like that.
On to my ballot. Remember the format. My vote/my vote last week (the national AP poll)
1/2 LSU (1) - These guys are just erratic enough and Les Miles is just crazy enough to actually lose at Ole Miss on Saturday. Is that really the mark of a No. 1 team? It is this year.
2/3 Oregon (2) - The Ducks have a very manageable road to the BCS title game - at Arizona, at UCLA and Oregon State. In 2007, that means Oregon's primed for a loss.
3/5 Kansas (4) - I really, really thought the Jayhawks were going down at Oklahoma State. That's why I don't gamble on sports. Well, that and the fact that it's illegal.
4/6 Oklahoma (3) - As good as the Sooners have looked at times, they've also been very shaky on the road. This week's game at Texas Tech is hardly a gimme.
5/7 Missouri (6) - Speaking of the Sooners, if that Mizzou-Oklahoma game was played in Columbia and not Norman, the Tigers might be the No. 1 team in the nation.
6/4 West Virginia (5) - I know I'd been touting the Mountaineers the last few weeks. But then I got a chance to see them play Louisville on Thursday. National title contenders don't let an average team like the Cardinals hang around like that.
7/10 Georgia (8) - I'm not a genius - not a word, you hear me!? - but I will say that early this season when I watched the Bulldogs play South Carolina (back when the Gamecocks were nationally relevant) I remember thinking "This Knowshon Moreno kid is pretty good. They ought to give him the ball more often."
8/1 Ohio State (7) - Thank you Buckeyes, for gracefully bowing out of the national title hunt and sparing us a repeat of last year's championship game.
9/9 Arizona State (9) - Nothing pithy to add here.
10/11 Virginia Tech (10) - I was all set to make a crack about the Hokies losing by one to Virginia for the Coastal Division title, but then the Cavaliers ruined that ongoing joke. Thanks a lot, Al Groh.
11/12 Southern Cal (11) - Pete Carroll admits he made a mistake playing a hurt John David Booty against Stanford. What is this man doing? Admitting mistakes? Opening practice to the media? Will someone let him know that college football coaches don't act this way?
12/14 Florida (14) - When I wrote earlier this year that Tim Tebow fed the 5,000, it was meant to be a joke. Now? I'm not so sure.
13/17 Clemson (15) - All right, I've decided. I've been one of the many assuming that the Tigers will find some way to blow their opportunity to play in the ACC title game. But after the way Clemson's been playing lately, I'm reversing course and saying that the Tigers are bound for Jacksonville. Which means they'll probably lose to BC.
14/15 Texas (12) - Nothing to say here. Not even a Mack Brown joke.
15/20 Tennessee (19) - So what's the etiquette here? Can you win your division and still fire your coach? Because I still get the feeling that Vols fans would rather not have Phil Fulmer stay around another year.
16/21 Hawaii (13) - All right, all right. The win over Fresno State was nice. But I still won't be surprised if the Warriors lose at Nevada
17/8 Boston College (18) - Old bitter BC fan line - "We had the talent, but Tom O'Brien could never win the big games." New bitter BC fan line - "Tom O'Brien didn't leave us with enough talent."
18/23 Virginia (16) - Now we see the brilliance of UVA AD Craig Littlepage. Sign your coach to such a massive contract extension - as Littlepage did with Al Groh in 2005 - that it removes the temptation to get rid of the coach. The idiot who lost to Wyoming 23-3 is now the genius who destroyed Miami, 48-0.
19/24 Illinois (20) - Congrats to the Zookers. I really thought they were in a downward spiral, but the Juice broke loose in Columbus. You know what? Let's get Juice Williams a new nickname. I'm having O.J. flashbacks.
20/22 Boise State (17) - Boise's starting to roll. I think they'll be favored when the play at Hawaii.
21/13 Michigan (23) - Despite it all, the Wolverines can still go the Rose Bowl if they beat Ohio State. Seems about right this season.
22/NR Penn State (NR) - This is where my poll got really sketchy. I wasn't thrilled to put the Nitttany Lions back in, but ...
23/NR Wisconson (24) - ...It just seemed weird to have the Badgers in the poll and not have the team that drubbed them 38-7 in ahead of them.
24/NR Kentucky (22) - Yet another team I'm not crazy about ranking. I miss the good old days of the Top 20.
25/NR Cincinnati (21) - I just ranked a team that lost to Pittsburgh. Yep, seems about right.
Comments (1)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
It still seems strange to me. South Carolina was probably the better team several wks ago at Rocky Top--- losing only because of a series of flukes-- a fumble that found the only orange jersey within 400 feet, a field goal try that was ok on the second try only, and a barely missed field goal by USC. Now, UT is 15th ranked and Carolina is "out of the shrine".--- 'Course , there is the matter of the other 3 games that the 'cocks blew. I believe Fulmer will survive if the Vols hold it together. W.
Posted on November 12, 2007 1:38 PM