This Week's Poll - Pollsters confronting a confusing mess!!

by **CPLaxGM** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:45 pm

I've been involved with the USLIA since its inception, and each year there are some confusing results (e.g. Team A beats Team B who beats Team C but Team C beats Team A). However, the top 10 teams (and especially the top 5) have usually been pretty clear cut with the confusing scenarios playing themselves out in the bottom half of the Top 25 poll. However, this season has really been turned upside down. With the exception of CSU and Sonoma and possibly FSU, the rest of the Top 25 is wide open. We are only a month into the season, and we have already had an incredible number of seemingly contradictory, circular game results.

Although it makes the season interesting and hopefully will infuse some new blood into the National Championship Tournament, it looks to be a difficult season for the pollsters. Good luck figuring this week's poll out!

**Sponsor**

by **Sonny** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:51 pm

Dan Wishengrad wrote:I'm digging around for that old dartboard to help me with my poll vote. All these contrary results have given me a whopping migraine, and a random ranking might be an improvement over whatever else I can come up with. I may have to follow Bluto's advice from "Animal House" and "drink heavily" before before casting my ballot.

by **Rob Graff** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:54 pm

Concur with Dan.

Just found the SSU/VaTech score - SSU14 VaTech 11

by **grinderpete** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 12:57 pm

I have no clue what do. I am thinking of actually letting my wife vote for me.

by **Danny Hogan** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:07 pm

utah 6
arizona5

kinda flew under the radar as well.

by **lil lady lax fan** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:11 pm

You could always use the old Names-in-the-hat route and draw out the top ten list that way...

Good luck to the pollsters, you have my sympathy.

by **CATLAX MAN** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:12 pm

I was putting together my Message Board poll vote last night, and I can sympathize with what the real poll voters are going through this week. Outside of #1 & #2 (depending on which order you have them), the rest is very difficult. It would've been a little easier before the AZ-Utah result came in. Yikes. Good luck to all of you this week.

by **Sonny** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:35 pm

Tried to put together an initial straw poll on paper at lunch. This has to be the toughest poll I've ever voted on, bar none.

by **laxfan25** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:37 pm

Fortunately it's still early in the season - hopefully things will clarify before the final poll! Definitiely an eventful week, and it's nice to see so many teams hitting the road and playing some top-notch opponents.

by **Bluevelvet** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:48 pm

How about this? Just off the top....
1. SSU- no reason to drop
2. CSU- no reason to drop or rise
3. Michigan- defeated UCSD and UCSB in competitve games lost to BYU
4. UCSB- 5-2;brutal sched; 2 competitive losses to high ranked teams CSU and UMich
5. FSU- beat GaTech; NCAA games aside, weak MDIA schedule, no top 10 opp?
6. Oregon- no comp yet-had trouble w SFU
7. Colorado- Texas isn't the real world
8. AZ- up and down BYU/Utah
9. UCSD- 4-2; 2 loses to top teams SSU & UMich, both close
10. BYU-Still better than the rest
11. Lindenwood
12. Va Tech (previously had them at #15-edited)
13. Northeastern
14. Cal Poly
15. Ga Tech

Remember everyone said how hard this was, so maybe you don't agree.

by **LaxC21** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 5:28 pm

Has BYU ever dropped out of the top 10? Just curious.

by **grinderpete** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 5:33 pm

LaxC21 wrote:Has BYU ever dropped out of the top 10? Just curious.

Not that I can recall.

by **EvanFSU** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 6:34 pm

FSU plays BYU and Virginia Tech which are in the top 10 and 2 top D2 schools....they dont have the toughest schedule but it's not a cupcake either.

by **CATLAX MAN** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 6:48 pm

Bluevelvet wrote:Remember everyone said how hard this was, so maybe you don't agree.

I'd have a hard time moving AZ into #8 after their loss to Utah. I didn't have Northeastern as high as you did. Most of the rest of the teams are the same but in slightly different spots here & there. This is the dilemma that the pollsters face this week . . .the relative placement of teams.

by **Bluevelvet** on Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:08 pm

EvanFSU wrote:FSU plays BYU and Virginia Tech which are in the top 10 and 2 top D2 schools....they dont have the toughest schedule but it's not a cupcake either.

Regarding FSU schedule, BYU and VaTech may be out of the top 10 soon. (see the question mark after "no top 10 opp"?
But, I think FSUs schedule is pretty cupcake for a top 5 team.
Who knows how the NCAA teams will treat these games? Scrimmage? Serious? Play everyone?
If you are a top 5 team, you have to play top 5 or top 10 MDIA teams to see where you stand. Compare FSU's schedule to BYU, UCSB, Mich, CSU, SSU. Frankly, I don't understand it, after FSU played such an ambitious schedule last year. I would say thay that FSU has the weakest schedule in the top 10, by quite a bit.

On Arizona, I saw them play at BYU on TV and they looked like a top 10 team. I forgave the loss to Utah as a let down. Maybe, I forgave too much. I had to put AZ ahead of BYU and I still think BYU is a top 10 team.

In retrospect, I think I put Va Tech too low. They only lost to SSU. It wasn't a blow out. They probably should be above Northeastern. I edited the post to reflect this.