What will the 4/11 Division A Poll look like?

[Ravaging Beast]

Deleted post...sounded mean.

[Ravaging Beast]

Here is how I see the poll going this year since everyone is losing to everyone. There will be very close grouping just like the past few polls.

Grouping 1: BYU (It looks like everyone agrees on this. They should get all but one of the first place votes since coaches never vote for their own team as number one)
Grouping 2 (#2 and #3): CSU and Oregon
Grouping 3 (#4, #5, and #6): Michigan, ASU, and Colorado
Grouping 4 (#7, #8, #9, and #10): UMD, UCSB, SSU, and Northeastern
Grouping 5 (#11, #12, and #13): Arizona, Utah, FSU
Grouping 6 (#14, #15, and #16): Lindenwood, Cal Poly, Texas A&M, Va Tech, Florida

For the poll, I expect all of these groupings to be very close points wise.

[BOWSER]

Why do so many people have Utah staying at the same position, or gaining a spot? since the last poll they have not beaten anyone of weight and dropped 3.

Just wondering. Not hating.

[asulax]

i dont see how FSU gets dropped so much. if you are using the logic that team A beat C by more than B did, then how do you justify SSU staying so high, they beat VT by 5 less goals than FSU did.

[westcoastlax]

Sonoma has beaten VT by three goals the last 3 years in a row. How come all of a sudden it's a big deal?

FSU hasn't really been playing any teams lately that can help them in the polls. Plus a loss to a weak NCAA team can't help. They have to have a good showing against Florida to prove themselves to the pollsters at this point.

Also with ASU most likely jumping up in the next poll it is going to make everyone drop a spot in the polls. Plus for some reason Northeastern is still sticking around near the top even though they have played one ranked team all season, so that is why FSU is sitting in their current position.

[bullhighutewoozgriffclam]

the main reason i keep utah where they are in my poll, as i explained, is because i'm biased. truthfully though no one else has a resume equally impressive, or at least full of quality opponents and quality wins. easy as that.

no one behind them deserves to be ahead of them. it's as easy as that, and i'm biased.

[CATLAX MAN]

Sonoma has beaten VT by three goals the last 3 years in a row. How come all of a sudden it's a big deal?

FSU hasn't really been playing any teams lately that can help them in the polls.

Neither has Sonoma, for that matter.

[Oduck]

I realize that BYU, CSU and Oregon are all very talented teams, and that CSU has played a different season than their opener against Oregon would have suggested, but does anybody see a problem with Oregon being behind two teams that they beat? Oregon played well against CSU, and if it wasnt for a nice 4 goal run very late in the 4th during the BYU game, the score very easily could have been 8, 3. The voters obviously face a very tough decision, there are going to be some interesting twists for the top 10 on Wednesday!

[Ravaging Beast]

...but does anybody see a problem with Oregon being behind two teams that they beat?

No. Do you see a reason for Oregon to be ahead of ASU and Colorado? You have to come to a compromise. Sonny should add a rule that nobody can use this argument (we beat them so we should be ahead of them) for the rest of the season or they face being kicked off the boards. Just a thought.

[Oduck]

Before you burst a vessel, I was not implying that Oregon should move to number one. It is obvious that BYU should grab the top spot in the next poll. I was simply pointing out that nobody had even discussed those wins for Oregon as a reason to perhaps be second or third. Any way it goes, all three teams have some tough losses and also some very quality wins.

[Ravaging Beast]

Sounds good. Those wins are why they will be #3 and not #6 or higher.

[Sonny]

Sonny should add a rule that nobody can use this argument (we beat them so we should be ahead of them) for the rest of the season or they face being kicked off the boards. Just a thought.

Nah. I will just add a rule that you have to pay me a dollar when you want to use that argument. I will die a rich man.

[x1dschm]

I need some clarification. As a voter how do you figure in a win or loss to Chapman?

Chapman has had their season cancelled (or maybe postponed cancellation is more the appropriate classification as the final ruling is still pending) but they are still allowed to play the games.

So if you beat Chapman is that a quality win? If you lose what does that mean? If Chapman is DQ'd officially what does that mean to the teams that have beaten/lost to them?

It really only matters to bubble teams like Utah and Cal Poly SLO, but UCSB could use the quality win as well to bulster their ranking.

[CATLAX MAN]

There is already a long thread discussing this. Nothing changes as far a Chapman is concerned. Their season did not get cancelled and the games count the same as any other game. The only difference is that Chapman is barred from post-season play and being included in the Top 25 poll.

[StrykerFSU]

FSU hasn't really been playing any teams lately that can help them in the polls. Plus a loss to a weak NCAA team can't help. They have to have a good showing against Florida to prove themselves to the pollsters at this point.

I'm just curious what makes a weak NCAA team? If FSU is the only team that plays against a particular NCAA team how can you judge that team to be weak in terms of MCLA competition?

I would speculate that FSU schedules games against NCAA teams, perhaps "weak" using your yardstick, not for their potential value in the eyes of the pollsters (any value is debatable) but because of the dearth of high level competition at the MCLA level in the southeast and the attractiveness of Florida as a springtime destination for northeastern schools.

I also suppose that beating UGA, VT, GT, UNH, Buffalo, and every other MCLA team on their schedule outside of former #1 UM proves nothing to the pollsters. In my opinion, FSU has beaten who they are supposed to beat and their ranking is a pretty good reflection of their performance. At this point, the top team in the SELC can't hope for a much higher ranking than 8 or 9 until they get a win over the UM's of the world.