I have been BUSY, ok?!

I know I haven't updated the blog in quite a while, but the rankings have been constantly updated. I there is a lot to say about the polls, rankings, etc... But, I just don't have enough time. I do need tell everyone that I have modified the original code to better reflect my original intent. Looking back over the original code, I felt the rankings were lacking, so I created Version 2. So, here are the rankings of both versions after week 4.

VERSION 1:

	Team	Win		Loss	Conference	Score
1	LSU	4	-	0	SEC	172.46
2	Oklahoma	4	-	0	Big 12	140.16
3	Ohio St.	4	-	0	Big Ten	137.4
4	USC	3	-	0	Pac 10	134.18
5	Kansas	4	-	0	Big 12	130.82
6	Florida	4	-	0	SEC	130.8
7	Boston College	4	-	0	ACC	129.06
8	Rutgers	3	-	0	Big East	125.76
9	Cincinnati	4	-	0	Big East	121.37
10	Oregon	4	-	0	Pac 10	119.08
11	W. Virginia	4	-	0	Big East	118.75
12	Texas	4	-	0	Big 12	117.98
13	Oregon St.	2	-	2	Pac 10	117.86
14	Georgia	3	-	1	SEC	117.84
15	Arizona St.	4	-	0	Pac 10	115.98
16	Kentucky	4	-	0	SEC	113.98
17	Connecticut	4	-	0	Big East	113.82
18	Purdue	4	-	0	Big Ten	112.17
19	S. Florida	3	-	0	Big East	110.91
20	Michigan St.	4	-	0	Big Ten	110.47
21	Hawaii	4	-	0	WAC	110.37
22	S. Carolina	3	-	1	SEC	109.53
23	Missouri	4	-	0	Big 12	108.55
24	Boise St.	2	-	1	WAC	108.44
25	Wisconsin	4	-	0	Big Ten	108.13

VERSION 2:

1	LSU	4	-	0	SEC	157.16
2	Oklahoma	4	-	0	Big 12	145.44
3	Ohio St.	4	-	0	Big Ten	142.13
4	Rutgers	3	-	0	Big East	137.92
5	Florida	4	-	0	SEC	137.36
6	Cincinnati	4	-	0	Big East	135.39
7	Oregon	4	-	0	Pac 10	135.07
8	Kansas	4	-	0	Big 12	134.9
9	W. Virginia	4	-	0	Big East	133.95
10	USC	3	-	0	Pac 10	131.09
11	Connecticut	4	-	0	Big East	129.6
12	Arizona St.	4	-	0	Pac 10	128.26
13	Boston College	4	-	0	ACC	127.37
14	Texas	4	-	0	Big 12	126.5
15	S. Florida	3	-	0	Big East	125.84
16	California	4	-	0	Pac 10	124.02
17	Kentucky	4	-	0	SEC	122.99
18	Hawaii	4	-	0	WAC	120.62
19	Michigan St.	4	-	0	Big Ten	119.04
20	Wisconsin	4	-	0	Big Ten	117.99
21	New Mexico	3	-	1	MWC	117.49
22	Purdue	4	-	0	Big Ten	116.03
23	S. Carolina	3	-	1	SEC	115.16
24	Missouri	4	-	0	Big 12	114.9
25	Illinois	3	-	1	Big Ten	114.46

So, we all know LSU is the best, so no arguments there. I will admit, I think version 2 will be more accurate over the course of the season, but I will continue with both of them. I will show mostly version 2 from here on out though.

Anyway, Tech is 51 in both polls, and Notre Dame is 119 in one and 118 in the other, AKA horrible. There are 120 teams in DI-A. I will also show you all the conference rankings soon as well.

First Week's Computer Ballot

Well, the day has come to see the rankings. But, I am going to wait a few weeks until we can see some actual averages before I show you a good chunk of the rankings. But I do have some thoughts on what I found from Week 1.

While I was doing my laundry the other day, after I had entered all the game data for this week, I got to thinking. If everyone's stats are compared to the other teams averages for the year shouldn't ever team's score be the same? Because Team A ran 100 yards on Team B. Team A's running was compared to Team B's season average run defense of 100 yards. 100/100 = 1. So, all the teams should be ranked exactly the same. Yes, but no. There are some things that separated teams. One of those is dividing by zero. If a team gave up zero fumbles, then it must be divided by zero which is infinity, so I just assumed their score to be zero (every team WILL have at least one fumble or interception, so it shouldn't be a big deal). Next, how DIAA is done, every team is grouped into a stock DIAA opponent which is an average of all the DIAA stats for the whole year. Thus making anyone who played a DIAA team able to have some differing scores. Pretty exciting, huh?

But because of how heavily win percentage is, the ranking are definitely divided. If you won, you are about 40 points ahead of those that lost. And, for all those Tech fans out there, the Jackets are 23. Its Nice!

So here are the top 4 teams of this weeks rankings, and do not laugh it is only the first week.

Ranking	Team	Win		Loss	Conference	Score
1	Maryland	1	-	0	ACC	148.9
2	Fresno St.	1	-	0	WAC	139.26
3	Cincinnati	1	-	0	Big East	132.01
4	Air Force	1	-	0	MWC	130.01

So, Maryland is the best team in the country... right. Well, they at least they didn't let a DIAA team score/run on them very much. Woo Hoo. And for the bottom two. You probably guessed it, but NO ONE answered the poll question. Rice and Michigan. Both were beaten by DIAA teams, and apparently Rice got beaten alittle worse. Oh well, maybe next year for that undefeated season Owls.

One other note. Dan sent me a hilarious quote from an article from ESPN's Page 2. It is about football fan rules.

From Rule 1:

Nor may you root for Harvard and Yale, any more than you could matriculate at both places, unless you're really, really smart, in which case you're probably building prototype military surveillance nanobots in your MIT dorm room, and/or devising a computerized ranking system* to shame Jeff Sagarin.

* Note: In scenario No. 2, you are allowed to root for the spread. Just make sure Skynet never becomes self-aware

Here is the link

Yeah, well, what can I say. I love the comments. Keep them coming. I will also get a new poll up soon. So everyone vote. I know there is at least one person out there reading this. She said I had a good last post.

The Polls Came Out (not of the closet)

Well, the first "true" polls have been released by the "experts". The polls show some interesting things, but none are as interesting as the Computer Ballot of your's truly. You will have to wait until either tomorrow evening or Friday morning to see the first Computer Ballot rankings but today will review what the pollsters think.

In the AP (which I think is probably a better indication of true rankings) we have these:

1. USC
2. LSU
3. West Virginia
4. Florida
5. Oklahoma

Compared to the USA Today "Coaches" Poll:

1. USC
2. LSU
3. Florida
4. West Virginia
5. Wisconsin

Alright, in the first week the remnants of the awfulness that is the preseason rankings are still showing there ugly heads. Clearly USC struggled in it's first contest but yet still ranks Numero Uno. Why? Because they didn't lose, so why "drop" them in the rankings. This does not make any sense because clearly they were not the best team, struggling with Idaho. Another interesting find of the preseason rankings: Tennessee. They LOST. Yet, are still ranked in the top 25. Why? They were ranked high enough in the preseason not to drop out. This philosophy is completely backwards. Why try to judge something on no experience in the contests yet when they actually have a said contest, rank according to the judgment of nothing? So many other teams actually won their first game, so why not put them higher than Tennessee? I can see if the game was close much of the way, and both played so well that you have to keep Tenn in the rankings, but here's the thing, Cal is 10. Not even ahead of Texas and USC who could barely get a W against their second/third tier teams. I say no more preseason rankings... or at least throw them completely out after the first week of the season.

Alright, lets start the countdown to the BCS.

The First Weekend

Well, the first weekend of games are now in the books... well, maybe not my books quite yet but they have been played. Got a little backed up with homework, so that I why there was no post last night and hopefully I will be able to get to the one tonight.

Anyway, the top 25 polls were delayed so the game last night (Clemson vs. FSU) could be played before the new polls were released. The underdog won, so good thing they waited even though everyone probably knew Clemson was going to win because FSU just stinks lately. In other ranking news, Michigan (top 5 in the preseason) lost to DIAA App. St. That is pretty amazing, but really not all that amazing because App. St. had won the DIAA national championship the past two years. But, non-the-less Michigan is sure going to drop. I can't wait to see where they come out in my first weeks rankings.

More later.