Archived Topic

Half baked idea - The Cougar Corner Poll/Power Rankings

by Isola · 9/5/2012

Isola

9/5/2012, 7:38:12 PM

An idea came to me while reading the thread on the beauty contest that is college football polls. Love them, hate them, we all check them and we love to talk about them, so why not start our very own Cougar Corner College Football Poll.

My basic idea would be to have a new pinned thread at the end of the games each week. Sunday through Tuesday night the thread would contain discussion about what we felt the rankings should be and then on Wednesday everyone who wants to could cast votes in that weeks Cougar Corner Poll.

I think it would be tons of fun to track everyone's opinions but also to have what is missing from the actual polls; an explanation for the rankings. For example, do you see the polls as a track of the "season long playoff" rewarding teams for winning, or do you see it as a representation of which team is playing at the highest level at that time? I think polls should be the former and power rankings the later. Maybe we could have both.

Anyway, this is a half baked idea, and I don't know how the logistics would work, but I thought I would post it to see if the powers that be can make it happen.

Guest

9/5/2012, 7:50:20 PM

I like the idea, start the thread for week 1 and I'll pin it.

Isola

9/5/2012, 8:02:10 PM

hawkwing wrote:
I like the idea, start the thread for week 1 and I'll pin it.

Any idea how a poll for that would work?

Guest

9/5/2012, 8:08:24 PM

I think in this case, you have to have everyone list their top 25 in a post.

IowaCougar

9/5/2012, 8:15:12 PM

It'll be great to read the posts. I'm afraid I won't be doing any of the posting, however. Since I only really care about one team, I'd be tempted to list them as #1 - #25. :crazy:

Isola

9/5/2012, 8:32:29 PM

I actually think part of the problem with polls is that they always have 25. I think it is almost easier to break teams up into tiers. In certain groups the teams are very similar and I don't think it is fair or productive to rank them.

Take VT and GT. GT is good enough to take VT to overtime on the road and yet because of one bad play in OT VT is #15 and GT is# 33. I think it is safe to say those two teams are probably on the same tier.

Michigan, however, is not on the same tier as Alabama.

Guest

9/5/2012, 8:35:15 PM

Elite Tier:

Great Tier:

Good Tier:

Above average Tier:

redneckjedi

9/5/2012, 8:38:07 PM

hawkwing wrote:
I think in this case, you have to have everyone list their top 25 in a post.

Sounds like I need to learn me some phpBB and make an add-on...

Guest

9/5/2012, 8:46:15 PM

redneckjedi wrote:
I think in this case, you have to have everyone list their top 25 in a post.

Sounds like I need to learn me some phpBB and make an add-on...

That would be sweet :D

Cougarbib

9/5/2012, 8:51:31 PM

Yes - a poll that tabulates the over-all results would be fun.

A similar function, if created, could have been used to have fans rank the toughest opponents.

Such an enhancement would be sweet.

YNot

9/5/2012, 9:28:26 PM

I'll take the first stab. I recognize that this is way too early and most good teams have only played very weak competition, so you can't really judge them well and a lot of these tier rankings are based on past performance and pre-season hype, but here goes:

Elite Tier:

Alabama

LSU

USC

Great Tier:

Oregon

Florida St.

Oklahoma St

West Virginia

Good Tier:

Texas

Ohio St.

Clemson

Notre Dame

BYU

Michigan

Oklahoma

Georgia

Arkansas

Michigan St.

Virginia Tech

Georgia Tech

Above average Tier:

*TCU

South Carolina

Wisconsin

Florida

UCF

Boise St.

Utah

Louisville

Kansas St.

Tennessee

*LA Tech

Washington

North Carolina

Missouri

Auburn

South Florida

* Jury is still out/haven't played a game/based entirely on past performance and hype

Isola

9/5/2012, 9:50:07 PM

hawkwing wrote:
Elite Tier:

Great Tier:

Good Tier:

Above average Tier:

I like this even more straight ranks. Honestly it would be even better if not voting for a team didn't hurt them. I haven't seen all the teams play so I can't really judge most of them. But I can comment on the ones I have seen, and it doesn't hurt the teams not mentioned. Like how excel won't count a blank cell against an average.

I can't tell you if Alabama is better than USC, but I saw them both play and I feel comfortable saying they were both elite. I didn't see LSU so I don't vote on them.

Something like Elite is 4 points, Great 3, Good 2, above average 1. Then take the average of people who voted for said team. That way you aren't faking an opinion on teams you haven't seen. If Bama is unanimous elite but USC has one great then Bama ranks above USC.

Cougarbib

9/5/2012, 9:52:35 PM

You can never have too many asterisks, so might I suggest a few more asterisks since more than half of the teams in premier conferences didn't actually have much more than a glorified scrimmage the first week.

It might be easier to reverse the asterisk and put one by those teams that were measured at least to the extent WSU measured BYU.

U was not measured at all for one example. Most Big 12 and SEC teams won - because most had a gimme - usually at home vs someone stupid enough or desperate enough to give a 1 and done or 2 for 1 or un-neutral field advantage. Or an in-state game like Weber State will be for us. And those conferences usually tee up 3 of these games for each team - to make their conference games look tougher than they really are.

Smart. It works well for them year after year after year and now ACC, Big 10, and PAC are catching on.

Isola

9/5/2012, 9:53:38 PM

Of the teams I saw this weekend here is how I would rank them.

Elite: Alabama and USC

Great: none

Good: BYU

Above Average: Michigan

Below average: Hawaii.

BYU's defense looked good, but undisciplined at times. Too many penalties, and they were bailed out on a couple long pass plays by holding penalties. The offense sputtered in the second half. The game was over by then, but it worried me a bit. Good team, but I want to see more before I say great.

HoosierCougar

9/5/2012, 10:08:14 PM

Isola wrote:
Elite Tier:

Great Tier:

Good Tier:

Above average Tier:

I like this even more straight ranks. Honestly it would be even better if not voting for a team didn't hurt them. I haven't seen all the teams play so I can't really judge most of them. But I can comment on the ones I have seen, and it doesn't hurt the teams not mentioned. Like how excel won't count a blank cell against an average.

I can't tell you if Alabama is better than USC, but I saw them both play and I feel comfortable saying they were both elite. I didn't see LSU so I don't vote on them.

And you can't make the poll if you aren't "above average". So the grade/rank inflation risk is lowered because teams like Duke won't ever make it and the Wazzu's of the past 5 years will have to prove themselves to get into the discussion.

Something like Elite is 4 points, Great 3, Good 2, above average 1. Then take the average of people who voted for said team. That way you aren't faking an opinion on teams you haven't seen. If Bama is unanimous elite but USC has one great then Bama ranks above USC.

Mars

9/7/2012, 11:51:39 PM

1. Oklahoma State

2. Alabama

3. LSU

4. Oregon

5. USC

6. Florida State

7. West Virginia

8. Clemson

9. Arkansas

10. Oklahoma

11. Notre Dame

12. Michigan State

13. Ohio State

14. Baylor

15. Virginia Tech

16. Nebraska

17. Georgia

18. Wisconsin

19. TCU

20. Boise State

21. Michigan

22. Texas

23. BYU

24. Miami

25. Auburn

My logic: It's too early in the season for logic. Shaddup.

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