Final Poll

[TMcCourt]

I am just asking if we should have a final poll. I won't say my opinion because it really doesn't matter but I think College football/lacrosse does a final poll even knowing that one team is the # 1. I wonder why we don't? Having a preseason poll has a lot more speculation than a final poll. Why havea preseason if you are scared to have a post season?

[RealisticObserver]

I think it would be interesting to have a final season poll.
Obviously the #1 team is the tourney winner, but there could be some shake up from 2-15.

I don't follow many teams around the country, so I will admit my opinion here is bias, but #6 UMD, played 3 of the final four teams this year. And each at one point was ranked #1 I think.
UMD lost all 3 games by a combined 4 goals. (by 1 to BYU at BYU, by 1 to CSU at CSU, and by 2 to Oregon yesterday)
UMD also beat Lindenwood, a tourney participant.
That might not be the toughest schedule in the country given the league they play in, but I don't think many teams can say they took 3 different #1 teams to a 1 goal game.
I am not saying they would jump to a #3 in a post-season poll, but it would just be interesting to evaluate teams after they played on the big stage and taking everything into account.

So if there was a post-season poll, I don't think one could just assume the teams would shake out how they exited Nationals.

Of course, polls and "almost" wins don't mean anything. The last team standing in Dallas is all anyone remembers.

[CATLAX MAN]

The last team standing in Dallas is all anyone remembers.

....and that is exactly the reason why the final poll was gotten rid of. After the tournament is over, who cares if you finished 2nd or 87th?

[RealisticObserver]

...and that is exactly the reason why the final poll was gotten rid of. After the tournament is over, who cares if you finished 2nd or 87th?

I can agree, but then anyone could argue why have polls at all? Play the regular season. The league winners get in, a selection of a few others based on regular season results and #1 is crown at the end.

No one cares if you were #1 or #87 last month.

[DG]

...and that is exactly the reason why the final poll was gotten rid of. After the tournament is over, who cares if you finished 2nd or 87th?

I can agree, but then anyone could argue why have polls at all? Play the regular season. The league winners get in, a selection of a few others based on regular season results and #1 is crown at the end.

No one cares if you were #1 or #87 last month.

I think you are describing the current arrangement. The only poll that matters is the last poll of the year before Nationals...

[RealisticObserver]

I think you are describing the current arrangement. The only poll that matters is the last poll of the year before Nationals...[/quote]

I realize that, but they post polls pre-season and throughout the year. So why not do a final one or do none. They are meaningless. But everyone likes some recognition I guess.

[DG]

I realize that, but they post polls pre-season and throughout the year. So why not do a final one or do none. They are meaningless. But everyone likes some recognition I guess.

Imagine how you would feel if there was only one poll at the end of the year, and you were #17. It would be ugly, IMO.

I understand the need for a pre-season poll, and that it generates excitement and buzz for the league. However, the pre-season poll is the one I have always had a problem with. It is purely based on speculation, and always puts teams into certain "slots." Then people say when poll #2 comes around..."Well, they haven't lost since the last poll, so why should they move down?"

I'd prefer that the first poll be done after a few games have been played. Then again, many of the WCLL teams will have played 5 or 6 times before some PCLL teams play their first game. So there's no way to win...

[CATLAX MAN]

I realize that, but they post polls pre-season and throughout the year. So why not do a final one or do none. They are meaningless. But everyone likes some recognition I guess.

Not true. It gives teams feedback during the season as to how they stand. It also gives them an idea about the likelihood of making the tournament, which, in turn, gives them advance notice to step up the fundraising efforts, professor notifications, etc.

[RealisticObserver]

Not true. It gives teams feedback during the season as to how they stand. It also gives them an idea about the likelihood of making the tournament, which, in turn, gives them advance notice to step up the fundraising efforts, professor notifications, etc.[/quote]

Point taken on your "advance notice" but I am coming from a league where there is only 1 team going, and that is the winner. So the poll is meaningless. You got to win the league to get in. So whether we are #2 or "also getting votes" it doesn't much matter unless we win our league.

Polls are fun. They give those of us who aren't on the field something to talk about.

[CATLAX MAN]

You got to win the league to get in.

Isn't that true for every team in every league?

but I am coming from a league where there is only 1 team going, and that is the winner.

That is what the PCLL used to say, but look at what happened this year. It's not out of the realm of possibility for other teams to improve themselves enough to earn an at-large berth. It takes talent, coaching, commitment, fund raising, etc. No team is excluded from the tourney at-large positions based on league affiliation. You need to make it happen, then you will appreciate the value of the polls.

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

I dont see the need for a post-season poll. That is shown by the performance in the tourney. However, a pre-season poll can take into account the off-season changes a team has made. New coaches, graduated seniors, outstanding freshman, experience from the past year. All precursors of the upcoming season, rather than trying to assign who had a better loss in the quarterfinals.

[shep]

There's not a lot of value in either the pre or post season poll, but as others have said there's a real problem with a preseason poll as it's based purely on speculation, yet can impact the entire season and even whether or not a team gets to nationals at the end of the year (i.e. an unranked preseason team has a much higher hill to climb than a team that is over-rated in the preseason poll).

[JerzWB]

I don't follow many teams around the country, so I will admit my opinion here is bias, but #6 UMD, played 3 of the final four teams this year. And each at one point was ranked #1 I think. UMD lost all 3 games by a combined 4 goals. (by 1 to BYU at BYU, by 1 to CSU at CSU, and by 2 to Oregon yesterday).

This is the first year that UMD made some real noise around the country, and I congratulate them for that. But I will say it again.

ALL YEAR
Wins:
#14 Lindenwood
#22 Cal Poly
#11 Sonoma (who was garbage this year compared to other Sonoma teams)

Loses:
#1 BYU
#2 CSU
#20 Utah
#3 Oregon
#13 Northeastern (you can scratch that one if you want)

#3-6?!?! C'mon. Lie to me, lie to these boards, but don't lie to yourself. They are a legit 9 or 10 team. One who could upset a top team, but will still drop a few games to weaker opponents.

[Mr. Jefferson]

JERZ 9 -10 is a joke......youve been bashing them all year...Im sorry who do you think is better than they are? Id say the top 4, and thats about it...

[JerzWB]

JERZ 9 -10 is a joke......youve been bashing them all year...Im sorry who do you think is better than they are? Id say the top 4, and thats about it...

And I will stop as soon AS THEY BEAT SOMEBODY! I made the comment right after the CSU game, that I will "eat my words" when they get past the second round of Nationals because they will have beaten somebody in the top 8

No order. All of these teams have a much more impressive resume.
BYU
CSU
OREGON
BC
Arizona
CU
UCSB

Next comes NE, UMD, ASU. I would have kept ASU ahead of them but the CSU game is tough to overlook. And NE did just beat UMD. This brings up the value of consolation games and I don't want to get into that. So I could agree with #8.

But it doesn't matter! We can start this all over again next Feb!