2nd MDIA Div. A Poll (3/9/05). Thoughts, Predictions, etc.

[TheLoo]

There will be HUGE shakeups in the polls.

Lindenwood is on a tear and should make the top 15 at least.
Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, Simon Frasier, Florida, Duluth, should all fall considerable, some of them will fall off, and I think that Lindenwood will capitolize on the spaces left by these teams. Oregon will fall to because of Frasier. Chico will fall to because of Frasier. New Hampshire wont move up because of their slim margin wins over now non-ranked teams. Seems like everyone but a select few (CSU, UCSB, SSU, Lindenwood) are having trouble winning consistantly. Even BYU, Arizona and Michigan should fall. Colorado might move up. It should be a wide open poll.

[Walter]

Even BYU, Arizona and Michigan should fall.

Should fall where? Behind CU? Behind LU? Or maybe FSU and VT. There are 7 top teams and the order will be as follows. You can bet on it.*

1. UCSB
2. CSU
3. SSU
4. BYU
5. Michigan
6. AZ
7. CU

*not meant for actual betting purposes.

[tamu33]

New Hampshire wont move up because of their slim margin wins over now non-ranked teams.

The wins were OOC games that were played in a mud pit. Those were their first games of the year against teams who had 6 to 7 games of experience under their belt. I still give them credit for the wins.

[CATLAX MAN]

CATLAX,
CSU recieved 5 #1 votes last poll, so it is not like they don't have the respect to be a number one team. I think their performances have proved them deserving of that spot. I will say that UCSB is definitely nipping at their heels.

You didn't answer the question. UCSB beat CSU twice last year. Both teams are undefeated this year. UCSB got 25 1st place votes in the 1st poll this year. So what changes this picture? Your logic doesn't make much sense.

[CATLAX MAN]

Lindenwood is on a tear and should make the top 15 at least.

They'll get a ranking, but I'd be very surprised if it was that high. Usually you have to beat someone in the top 15 to get ranked there. That has not happened. Until it does (and it won't due to their powderpuff schedule) it will be hard for them to make a move up that far.

[dukeuniv21]

Last year doesn't matter period! That's great the UCSB beat them twice last year but this poll is about this year not who beat who last year, because if that was the case there would be no need to play the games this year just hand UCSB the trophy for this year and all of the following years, it would save alot of time and money. Right now CSU has been the more impressive team and if they do overtake UCSB, not to say that they will, I think they deserve it. Right now everyone at the top is beating eachother up and there is no clear cut team after 2 in the polls, and it should get even more confusing with the games in the next couple of weeks. UCSB is the returning national champs not the national champs and has to earn their number 1 seed, in my mind last year doesn't mean anything because if it did why are we playing games this year. I think that Utah will and should make the top 25 and will have to work really hard to get into that top 12 to make the tournament, if this team was in another conference, not the RMLC or the WCLL i think they would be a tournament team, just too bad for them they are in a very competative conference maybe they can win against BYU or CSU but very unlikely.

[tamu33]

I was merely stating that other people in the country agree with me as to who is number one. That is proved by the 5 people who voted CSU #1 during the first regular season poll. Last year is over. I do not carry over past years performances for this poll. I voted CSU tops because I believe that they are the top team in the country. I am one person. The reason we have more than one pollster is because we all have different opinions. I am basing mine off what I see on the field and read on these boards. The 25 #1 votes recieved was for the pre-season poll. Look where alot of those teams are now. Things change from one poll to the next. I know both are undefeated, until they play we will have this same discussion. Like I said, you have your opinion and I have mine.

[CATLAX MAN]

Just to clarify, the 25 1st place votes were not in the pre-season poll. It came in the 1st regular season poll released on 2/23/05; the same poll you refer to that CSU got the 5 1st place votes.

Let me ask the question a different way. Have either of you seen UCSB and CSU play this year? I know that TAMU has seen CSU. If you haven't, then how can you say that one team is better than the other without a common point of reference? Without that information, all you can look at is what happened last year as a point of reference. It is my contention, just as it was last year when the roles were reversed, that the #1 team stays the #1 team until beaten or until there is determinable evidence to the contrary. In any case, this situation will be settled by next Saturday.

[Dan Wishengrad]

I would like to speak as a frustrated voter who has spent about six hours already on my vote and keep seeing it change significantly with each new draft. I am comfortable with my top six spots, but not ready to cast my ballot on #7-25 at all. I have thirty-three teams I feel are deserving of consideration, and almost half of these won't ultimately make my cut. My only solace is that these early polls are somewhat of window-dressing anyway, that when it comes time to cast the one that counts -- the final regular-season poll, we voters will have complete schedules of results for all teams to compare. I will confess that the toughest team to rank right now is BC -- we have to go by 2004 since the Eagles have yet to play a game in '05. Where BC fits in the rankings now is a total crap-shoot for us all.

[tamu33]

.....The 25 #1 votes recieved was for the pre-season poll. Look where alot of those teams are now.....

Catlax - I retract this statement, thank you for pointing that out. In my haste to refute, I didn't check to see how many votes UCSB actually recieved. To answer your questions, I have seen CSU play but not UCSB this year. We aren't in a league where every voter can see every team they vote for. That is why we take scores and evaluate them. Several coaches are on the list of voters, as well as former players. Those people only have a limited scope of the teams they can actually see. I don't know of a single voter who uses game tapes to base their votes off of. That being said. I still have CSU as my top team in the country and you're right next saturday we will know if I am right or wrong.

[tamu33]

To me this whole conversation of who's top dog is irrelavent. It is like arguing that the Yankees are better than the Redsox when it is still spring training. Until they meet, everyone has their own opinion.

I think this forum, as well as the voters need to worry about (like Dan said) the mid-pack group of the USL-MDIA. Parity within the MDIA has been a growing part of the league since it's inception. This year proves to be one of the toughest as more teams compete for the limited number of at-large spots for nationals.

[chillipepper]

I know the poles are decided by scores and rankings. Lindenwood does not play any top ten teams this year. Who would play and unranked team from last year, but last year doesnt matter. The thing that scores and rankings lack is being able to watch a game. Besides for the Illinois game, lindenwood has dictated the pace of every game they have played, you have to see it to believe in them. the skill is there, lindenwood is a top ten team.

[dukeuniv21]

Lindenwood's opponents records so far are 9-15 total. I'm sorry you need to beat competition than that if you want to be a "top ten team". Their opponents' record so far is 11-26. I'm sorry but you have to play better teams maybe teams with above .500 records. And if they are so good they will win their conference tournament, and then see what real competition looks like when they get to MN. On their schedule they have #12 MN-Dulth who will drop far if not out of the top 25, #24 Texas, who will drop out of the top 25, and #24 Texas Tech who will drop out of the top 25. Bad teams get on good teams schedules too, you can't say just because you were bad means that you can't schedule games against good teams, look at Auburn and other teams that were able to get onto CSU schedule, San Diego State onto UCSB's schedule, the Texas schools onto BYU, CSU, AZ, CU, and many other teams schedules. Be careful to call a team beating bad teams a "top ten team" because they haven't lost.

[AlumniLax]

Lindenwood's opponents records so far are 9-15 total. I'm sorry you need to beat competition than that if you want to be a "top ten team". Their opponents' record so far is 11-26. I'm sorry but you have to play better teams maybe teams with above .500 records. And if they are so good they will win their conference tournament, and then see what real competition looks like when they get to MN. On their schedule they have #12 MN-Dulth who will drop far if not out of the top 25, #24 Texas, who will drop out of the top 25, and #24 Texas Tech who will drop out of the top 25. Bad teams get on good teams schedules too, you can't say just because you were bad means that you can't schedule games against good teams, look at Auburn and other teams that were able to get onto CSU schedule, San Diego State onto UCSB's schedule, the Texas schools onto BYU, CSU, AZ, CU, and many other teams schedules. Be careful to call a team beating bad teams a "top ten team" because they haven't lost.

I agree. I am getting pretty tired of people saying that Lindenwood is on a tear. Gimme a break people. THEY DON"T PLAY ANYONE OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE!! Texas and TTU would have seemed to boost their rankings and now they wont. You can't get into the Top 15 of this league when your combined opponents are 9-15 and 11-26 respectively. Gimme a break people.

[DG]

It is my contention, just as it was last year when the roles were reversed, that the #1 team stays the #1 team until beaten or until there is determinable evidence to the contrary. In any case, this situation will be settled by next Saturday.

This is why I hate the preseason and early season polls. They are all guesswork at that point, and are based mostly on last year's performance. The first poll should be in week 5 or 6, after teams have had a chance to show what they can do.

DG