As you may have heard around these parts, Boise State dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 this week after a 59-0 win over WAC opponent New Mexico State. I know that this seems illogical to this point as Boise State has played a pretty decent schedule so far.
Yes, Boise State is being judged against a schedule that they haven't even played yet. Everyone knows that biases about previous seasons or schedules to date shouldn't come into play, but they do. It's impossible under the current system to avoid them. So, I say let's embrace these biases! I think it will ultimately be better for the long term mental health of Boise State fans.
With that in mind, I propose a new-look Top 25 that fully embraces bias and BCS inequity. Let me know what you think.
The Reasoning
There was a lot of talk about Boise State's fall in the polls across the Interwebs yesterday. It all had the same line of reasoning. This was inevitable.
George Schroeder summed it up well:
So, if this is inevitable, why stop there?
My Plan For Voters
Since this is the case, here is my suggestion:
Rank Boise State behind every team that they would finish behind if said team were to go undefeated.
This is the same logic that every voter is already using. I say instead of trying to deny our biases, we might as well embrace them. Who cares what Boise State does early in the season? The voters don't. They have short memories. Who cares how strong the SEC, Big XII, Big 10, Pac 10 really is in any given year? Teams from those conferences will end up getting the nod over Boise State based on reputation alone.
On the flip side, how annoying is it to watch your team win 59-0 and then fall a spot in the polls? Did that make your Sunday more enjoyable? Imagine Boise State shooting up the polls each week as teams from AQ conferences start taking themselves out. It would be like the good ol' days!
This line of thinking is rampant anyways. Herbstreit mentioned on GameDay a few weeks ago that Boise State has peaked at No. 3. If Boise State can't guarantee that they end the season ranked at No. 3, then why be ranked there at any point during the season?
We're ending up at the same ranking at the end of the season anyways, this path is just a more honest way of getting there (and potentially less painful).
The Brutally Honest Top 25
With this reasoning in place, let's take a crack at how the Top 25 would look this week. Here's how I see it.,
- Alabama -- Right now everyone perceives that they are the best team in the best conference. You know what they say about perception.
- Auburn -- If they run the table and beat Alabama, I think they'd jump Ohio State.
- LSU -- Ditto for LSU. They're ranked behind Auburn because of Les Miles and his time management skills, however wins over Auburn and Alabama would surely propel them.
- Ohio State -- I was going to place Oregon ahead and then I remembered last year's Rose Bowl and that voters will eventually use this to justify Ohio State staying ahead.
- Oregon -- The media loves them even if their schedule has been pretty weak so far.
- Oklahoma -- Even if the Big XII is weak, they still have Oklahoma written across their chests.
- Nebraska -- They lost Suh but everyone is in love with them. Probably because they play in the Big XII North.
- Arizona -- They're still riding their win over Iowa. Just forget about the 1-point win over Cal last week.
- Michigan State -- A win over Ohio State would give them a great boost late in the season.
- Michigan -- Same thing for Michigan.
- Oklahoma State -- They have a shiny 4-0 record and play in the Big XII.
- Missouri -- Another Big XII team with a shiny 4-0 record.
- Kansas State -- and again.
- Florida -- Let's be honest, if Florida makes it to the SEC Championship game with one loss and beats Alabama, they're passing Boise State.
- South Carolina -- Same reasoning for SC. Luckily they're in the SEC East and have a shot at Florida and possibly the SEC Championship.
- Northwestern -- Yep, they play in the Big 10.
- Iowa -- I originally had them lower, but a win over Ohio State late would probably propel them past Boise State.
- Wisconsin -- Same thing here for Wisconsin.
- Boise State -- This is where I think they'd fall.
- TCU -- I think TCU would finish behind Boise State, but I'm sure voters could find a way to rationalize TCU over Boise State.
- Utah -- A win over TCU might even boost Utah over Boise State.
- Arkansas -- I would put them higher but it would take 2 losses by Alabama for Arkansas to make the SEC Championship game and get the boost they'd need.
- Nevada -- Don't even think an undefeated season and a win over Boise State would help them pass a 1 loss Arkansas.
- Miami -- Don't think a 1 loss ACC team would pass an undefeated Boise State, TCU, or Utah.
- Florida State -- Ditto.
Your turn
Do you agree with my hypothetical rankings? Do you think this type of ranking would lower you stress levels on Sundays? What are your thoughts?