Ohio State beats another ranked team, and moves DOWN in the Polls. Again !

What's going to happen if they LOSE a game ?

osufan I feel your pain. Back in the glory days, Penn State would often drop, or be leap frogged by other teams, even when PSU would win. While the BCS folks say margin of victory does not matter...it does. A close call counts as a bad game, rather than a win counting as a win.

OSUfan...

Feeling your pain, it is screwed up. Seems some teams are just BCS Darlings who can do no wrong (Miami & Notre Dame) but when programs improve/raise their game, it takes a long time for the BCS to acknowledge them in any way let alone respect the bottom line, wins (no matter how ugly).

That's why I think the whole BCS ratings are bogus.

But that's just my opinion...

pittkid

pittkid, have you checked the AP poll? Even though FSU beat a very good Georgia Tech team (and teams are usually rewarded for 4th quarter comebacks - see Miami), they were leapfrogged by - Pittsburgh! (Of course, that was after FSU leapfrogged you guys the week before)

osufan, if close calls were counted as losses, then I don't think the Buckeyes would even be in the poll anymore. As it is, close calls give pollsters the opportunity to move up somebody who has had a "better" win (such as Miami, USC and Michigan). If all the top teams keep winning, you will have to wait until your game over Iowa to get a chance at the kind of win that will move you up. Unless you guys put up solid wins when one of the others has a close call of their own.

Jim

Hey Guys:

Well, it is good to see that OSU fans have not let me down, I stated in the section about this weekend's games that OSU fans would be screaming loudly over this. While I do not agree with polls most of the time, I do however see how Michigan jumped over Ohio State. I personally would not have placed Michigan over Ohio State just over this weekend's games, but I already have Michigan ranked higher to start the year. While I do not believe that teams should be dropped down unless they lose, I totally see why Michigan was jumped ahead by pollsters. Ohio State started out looking very impressive against Washington, and then have wallowed in mediocrity the last 2 weeks. Pollsters look at that, and with Michigan looking so much more impressive against Notre Dame, I cannot say that I am surprised that Ohio State was jumped over. The only people that can fix this situation is the Ohio State players themselves. They need to get their heads out of their butts and start playing the level of dominant football that this team is capable of before people are going to start taking notice. Right now, everyone is just looking at them as a team hanging around the Top 10 because that is where they started the year at, not because they deserve to be there. But that is just my observation of what so many people are saying about Ohio State. Personally, it I was playing at Ohio State right now, I would be so motivated to come out and just blow a team right off the field with our talent, because Ohio State has the talent to do that. When will we see that talent put on display? Well, I just dont know when, or if, that level of play will be shown by Ohio State. However, I hope they do finally show the potential that this team embodies.

David
Exfballplayer

Well,

BikeJocks, none of these polls make sense sometimes, I didn't see the AP poll.

I just get dissapointed when teams like OSU get a win over another RANKED opponent, and move down because it wasn't a "good enough" win for others taste. While some teams (even Pittsburgh) pad the first three or four games with fluffer teams just looking for any attention. Or worse, KSU (#6 or higher in most polls I think) haven't played ANYONE I have heard of yet. :confused:

And with the BCS, I can't see them always getting the best two teams in the land to go at it.

pittkid

Polls are all about attempting to measure the relative strength of the teams. In this case, Michigan beat an undefeated ranked team 38-0 while the Buckeyes beat a once-defeated lower-ranked team in triple OT (at home, no less).

As I said on another thread, with success (and it's hard to argue with an undefeated NC season), comes increased expectations and scrutiny. OSU is not getting treated any differently than any other program, especially big name programs with track records of success. I think OSU fans should be happy their team has had enough success (and recent success) to have the increased scrutiny and expectations rather than complaining about it.

In '94, Penn State won less than impressively against Indiana and Nebraska overtook them for #1. In '97, Nebraska was #1 and needed overtime to meat Mizzou and dropped 2 spots to #3 despite pulling out the win. Those are just two examples off the top of my head that deal with teams not only dropping in the polls, but dropping from #1 -- something that used to NEVER happen unless a team lost. I think pollsters have become more willing to move teams around for things other than W's and L's. I think this is a good thing (especially with the crap shoot that is preseason rankings), but ultimately it just points out the need for a playoff.

Hang in there osufan -- the Buckeyes are still undefeated.

I agree MeatChicken won big over N.Dame.

Don't forget Ohio State is THE GAME for everyone on our schedule, they will all be super psyched to play OSU. OSU was without their starting center Saturday, plus they are still adjusting to fill the void left by Clarrett.

Bowling Green up next. I guess OSU has to beat them by 50 points to earn respect LOL. Losing can just be by one point however LOL.

I'm not really bothered by the polls. Ohio State doesn't seem to have the swagger that they had last year. Things are different without Clarett. Last year was Ohio State's year. It takes alot to build a dynasty year in and year out. I'm just thrilled that we had last year and played in one of the most exciting national championship games ever played in the historty of college football. I don't have it in me emotionally for Ohio State to take me on another roller coaster again this year. Of course, I may change my mind if both OSU and Michigan are undefeated when they face eachother.

Polls are meaningless at this time of year. Ohio State is one of a slew of undefeated teams...with so many, how are you going to choose between them without taking some note of victory margin or how dominant they they were in the games they've played?

Exactly, JC. And yes, osufan, OSU is THE game on most team's schedules. And yes, that means the Buckeyes are more likely to get a team's best shot. But that's no different than Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami, Florida State, Nebraska, Oklahoma or any other program with a history of success. Ohio State is not getting treated any differently or being held to any different standard than any of the rest of those programs with a history of success. But don't forget it cuts both ways: although they may be held to higher expectations than some newer successful programs, OSU and other "traditional" powers get the benefit of the doubt in preseason rankings and generally won't fall as far after a loss.

Hey Guys:

Every one of the last few posts are right on the money. It is good to see people who can objectively look at things. That is not always that easy to do, as I tend to be the first one to defend my alma mater. Loyalty to your school's program is to be admired and encouraged, as long as you don't lose your sanity over it!!! LOL There will never be a perfect way to do polls. First, everyone thought that if you take the human factor out of it, and let the computer crunch the numbers, things would work out better. Well, y'all have seen over the past few years what that has brought to college football. If you are a person that follow's college football strictly by the polls, I feel sorry for you, because you will miss out on a lot of enjoyement of the game, and you will go insane; just ask the coaches. I cannot tell you how many times Coach Hatfield would tell us "Rankings mean nothing until the end of the year. That final ranking of Conference or National Champions is the only real ranking that matters." So, for all of you fans out there who still have an undefeated team to support, just sit back, and grin at the rest of the college football fans who do not have that luxury, knowing that you still have the chance of your team going to New Orleans in January 2004. THAT is the goal worth shooting for!!!!

David
Exfballplayer