Editor's note: J.P. Giglio is one of 60 AP voters.
• JP Top 25 archive
• AP, USA Today polls
• Pollspeak (how everyone else voted)
There are only eight major Division I teams, out of 120, with either one loss or less. There are 33 teams with either two or three losses.
Thirty-three teams for 17 spots? That helps explain the disparity between my top 25 and the AP top 25, where we have only three teams in common spots (Florida, Alabama and Georgia Tech).
Another, more troubling concern, is the flat-out dismissal of head-to-head to results.
For example, Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina are each 7-3. UNC beat both Virginia Tech and Miami but ranks No. 26 in the AP poll, while VT is inexplicably No. 16 and Miami is No. 21.
The cluster in the Pac-10 is even more confusing and a microcosm of the whole process. Six Pac-10 teams are separated by one game. Stanford, the hottest of the group, beat Oregon and clobbered Southern California, but ranks behind the Ducks in the proper poll, presumably because Oregon beat USC first.
The timing of the wins shouldn't matter, just the result, which is also why I have Iowa in front of Penn State and Houston in front of Oklahoma State.
1. Florida
Record: 10-0
Losses: none
Good wins: @ LSU, Georgia
Last week: 1 (won @ South Carolina, 24-14)
This week: FIU
2. Alabama
Record: 10-0
Losses: none
Good wins: LSU, @ Ole Miss, VT
Last week: 3 (won @ Mississippi State, 31-3)
This week: Chattanooga
3. TCU
Record: 10-0
Losses: none
Good wins: @ Clemson, Utah, @ BYU
Last week: 4 (beat Utah, 55-28)
This week: @ Wyoming
4. Texas
Record: 10-0
Losses: none
Good wins: @ Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
Last week: 2 (won @ Baylor, 47-14)
This week: Kansas
5. Boise State
Record: 10-0
Losses: none
Good wins: Oregon
Last week: 5 (beat Idaho, 63-25)
This week: @ Utah State
6. Cincinnati
Record: 10-0
Losses: none
Good wins: @ Oregon State, West Virginia, @ Rutgers
Last week: 6 (beat West Virginia, 24-21)
This week: Illinois (Friday)
7. Georgia Tech
Record: 10-1
Losses: @ Miami
Good wins: Clemson, VT, UNC
Last week: 7 (won @ Duke, 49-10)
This week: open
8. Ohio State
Record: 9-2
Losses: USC, @ Purdue, Navy
Good wins: Iowa, @ Penn State, Wisconsin
Last week: 15 (beat Iowa, 27-24)
This week: @ Michigan
9. LSU
Record: 8-2
Losses: Florida, @ Alabama
Good wins: @ Georgia, Auburn
Last week: 8 (beat Louisiana Tech, 24-16)
This week: @ Ole Miss
10. Pitt
Record: 9-1
Loss: @ N.C. State
Good wins: Navy, Rutgers, Notre Dame
Last week: 14 (beat Notre Dame, 27-22)
This week: @ West Virginia
11. Clemson
Record: 7-3
Losses: TCU, @ GT, @ Maryland
Good wins: @ Miami
Last week: 19 (won @ N.C. State, 43-23)
This week: Virginia
12. Stanford
Record: 7-3
Losses: @ Wake, @ Oregon State, @ Arizona
Good wins: Oregon, @ USC
Last week: NR (beat USC, 55-21)
This week: Cal
13. Oregon
Record: 8-2
Losses: @ Boise State, @ Stanford
Good wins: USC, Utah, Cal
Last week: 9 (beat Arizona State, 44-21)
This week: @ Arizona
14. Iowa
Record: 9-2
Losses: Northwestern, @ Ohio State
Good wins: @ Penn State, Arizona, Wisconsin
Last week: 16 (lost @ Ohio State, 27-24)
This week: Minnesota
15. Penn State
Record: 9-2
Losses: Iowa, Ohio State
Good wins: Temple
Last week: 23 (beat Indiana, 31-20)
This week: @ Michigan State
16. Wisconsin
Record: 8-2
Losses: @ Ohio State, Iowa
Good wins: none
Last week: 22 (beat Michigan, 45-24)
This week: @ Northwestern
17. Houston
Record: 8-2
Losses: @ UTEP, @ UCF
Good wins: @ Oklahoma State
Last week: 11 (lost @ UCF, 37-32)
This week: Memphis
18. Oklahoma State
Record: 8-2
Losses: Texas, Houston
Good wins: Georgia
Last week: 20 (beat Texas Tech, 24-17)
This week: Colorado (Thursday)
19. USC
Record: 7-3
Losses: @ Washington, Stanford, @ Oregon
Good wins: @ Ohio State, @ Cal, @ Notre Dame, Oregon State
Last week: 10 (lost to Stanford, 55-21)
This week: UCLA
20. Oregon State
Record: 7-3
Losses: Cincinnati, @ USC, Arizona
Good wins: Stanford, @ Cal
Last week: 24 (beat Washington, 48-21)
This week: @ Washington State
21. UNC
Record: 7-3
Losses: @ GT, FSU, Virginia
Good wins: VT, Miami
Last week: NR (beat Miami, 33-24)
This week: @ BC
22. Virginia Tech
Record: 7-3
Losses: Alabama, GT, UNC
Good wins: Miami, Nebraska
Last week: 21 (won @ Maryland, 36-9)
This week: N.C. State
23. Miami
Record: 7-3
Losses: @ VT, @ UNC, Clemson
Good wins: GT, Oklahoma
Last week: 13 (lost @ UNC, 33-24)
This week: Duke
24. BYU
Record: 8-2
Losses: FSU, TCU
Good wins: Oklahoma
Last week: 25 (won @ New Mexico, 24-19)
This week: Air Force
25. Utah
Record: 8-2
Losses: @ TCU, @ Oregon
Good wins: none
Last week: 12 (lost @ TCU, 55-28)
This week: San Diego State
Comments
I'm sure including the Heels
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 00:53 — heelzfanI'm sure including the Heels on your ballot had to hurt you JP.
I guess we wound up going a little better than 6-6 after all eh JP.
Rankings
Wed, 11/18/2009 - 03:23 — LetsGoPittJP: I like your call about head-to-head, tho with such a long season, losing to someone on opening day may not be indicative of the team you are today. I think the Ducks would beat BSU today.
Anyway, UNC has looked very good this month and should be ranked ahead of a collapsing Miami and an over-rated Va-Tech. I can't believe you have Houston in the top 20, UNC is better.
And USC, man, I wouldn't give them a vote. Cal, Nebraska and BYU would porbably beat USC today.
Well, looking forward to this weekend's Cal-Stanford game!
ACC is no doormat
Wed, 11/18/2009 - 10:17 — heelsno1NC State's win over Pitt;
Wake's win over Stanford;
Miami over Oklahoma;
UNC over VT & Miami.
Parity Rules
Wed, 11/18/2009 - 11:08 — JPDOhioWith the possible exception of the SEC, most of the BCS conferences are interchangeable. The way things have gone this season, I think anyone is hard-pressed to say that the ACC, overall, is better or worse than the Big East, Big Ten, etc. Without actually running the numbers, I would bet that the results of head-to-head competition between conferences are pretty even.
Ohio State and Pitt
Mon, 11/16/2009 - 15:48 — JPDOhioThe Buckeyes beat Navy, barely.
Pitt did not beat themselves. They beat Notre Dame (Yay!)