2/27/08 Lax World MCLA Division 1 Top 25 poll is out!

[Sonny]

LINK:
http://www.collegelax.us/news/?p=6876

[WaterBoy]

I haven't been following the season AT ALL this year, but I've learned from past experience that I shouldn't be barred from making a stong yet uninformed comment. I just figured I'd give it a whirl.

I just wanted to interject that finally my predictions about Chapman are proving... at least somewhat accurate (I don't want to jinx them), just in time for me to not be around anymore. This paragraph is, to every possibly extent, a juvenile "I told you so." A fie on you, nay-sayers.

Also from what I've looked at briefly, it appears as though there may be some shakeup coming later down the road this season for the perennial powerhouse teams (this may be horribly off base). I just can't imagine, based only off what I've seen and heard, that some of those top dozen or so will be anywhere near there at the end. Fun stuff, and it looks like this season will see some new (strong) blood in the upper echelon on the national level.

God I miss this stuff.

[StrykerFSU]

Not to bring hate on the boys from Provo but didn't they lose that game to Chapman? How can they be voted #1 by 20 voters? You have to drop them and then let them earn the spot back by their play through the rest of the season. This is a pretty egregious example of the inertia in the polls created by ranking teams in the preseason.

[Tim Gray]

I was a bit surprised at how far BC and Utah dropped, as well as how high Indiana climbed.

[CassiusClay]

Florida beats UGA, yet still does not go above them in the rankings....
UGA beat BC, as well as other ranked teams, yet still does not go above them...
Lindenwood also lost to UNRANKED Georgia Tech, but they still dont drop in rankings...
And Florida State has beaten.......Utah???


Polls need to consider teams on how good they are THIS year, rather than how they have been in the past.

[Ravaging Beast]

Florida beats UGA, yet still does not go above them in the rankings....
UGA beat BC, as well as other ranked teams, yet still does not go above them...
Lindenwood also lost to UNRANKED Georgia Tech, but they still dont drop in rankings...

SELC deserves more respect.
Polls need to consider teams on how good they are THIS year, rather than how they have been in the past.

That kind of reasoning (theam A beat team B, so they should be higher than team B) doesn't work in the MCLA. I like the poll. It looks exactly how I predicted. BYU will have plenty of chances down the road to lose their #1 ranking. Chapman was correctly rewarded for their win. As we learned last year, the good teams are going to lose. The SEC was given a lot of respect. Three teams is a lot. And Waterboy, I don't get your "I told you so." When was this? Three seasons ago?

[Tim Gray]

Florida beats UGA, yet still does not go above them in the rankings....
UGA beat BC, as well as other ranked teams, yet still does not go above them...
Lindenwood also lost to UNRANKED Georgia Tech, but they still dont drop in rankings...
And Florida State has beaten.......Utah???


Polls need to consider teams on how good they are THIS year, rather than how they have been in the past.

Unfortunately, it's not that easy sometimes as GA also lost to Lindenwood, whom you have dropping in the polls. With me at least, GA was one of the hardest teams to rank, b/c they have wins and loses vs ranked teams. Over the last two years, the parity that has come into the league has really made it difficult as a pollster.

[StrykerFSU]

As an addendum to my earlier post...Chapman moves up 9 spots on the basis of their defeat of the #1 team in the country but the losing team doesn't drop at all. I don't get it. I think you have to vote UMD #1 in this poll. CSU, BYU, and UMD all play each other in the next month so those teams would shake themselves out.

[onpoint]

I don't remember five different teams receiving #1 votes in the same poll ever happening.

[LaxTV_Admin]

As an addendum to my earlier post...Chapman moves up 9 spots on the basis of their defeat of the #1 team in the country but the losing team doesn't drop at all. I don't get it. I think you have to vote UMD #1 in this poll. CSU, BYU, and UMD all play each other in the next month so those teams would shake themselves out.

On what basis? What has UMD or CSU done this year to prove they deserve the #1 ranking. No offense to either team, but they have not played a game that yet warrants them being #1.

If either are indeed #1 they will prove it as they earn the spot instead of being given it.

But you know what is great. We can debate this endlessly on the boards, it is so fun.

[Ravaging Beast]

I think you have to vote UMD #1 in this poll. CSU, BYU, and UMD all play each other in the next month so those teams would shake themselves out.

Please explain to me what UMD has done. Because I haven't seen it. BYU has beat UCSB and Simon Fraser, both ranked teams. If you are trying to base a number 1 ranking on last season, that wouldn't play out either. I was quite disappointed with UMD in Dallas. The team BYU lost to will probably be #1 or #2 by seasons end as long as they don't poo the bed (as sohotrightnow used to put it).

[StrykerFSU]

UMD hasn't lost and as I pointed out in my post, they will play BYU and CSU this month.

It's my opinion that you should expect a lot of movement in early season polls as the natural order of things shakes itself out. BYU is #1 but loses, so they shouldn't be #1 anymore. CSU lost to a DIII team in their only game so far so I think you could make an argument for them if you are comfortable having an 0-1 team as the #1 team in the land. Chapman already moved up 9 spots, maybe send them all the way to the top? That leaves UMD who won handily in their only game so far this season so of the top 4 teams I think they have a legitimate claim on the top spot. They would have to beat BYU and CSU to hold on to it.

I just don't understand how BYU got 20 first place votes after losing. It's early so it really doesn't matter who is #1 but I thought that the voting breakdown was interesting and noteworthy. I don't think I'm coming out of left field by suggesting that the #3 team (UMD) should have been #1 given my interpretation of what everyone has done thus far this season.

[BB]

On the same note- What has BYU done? Lost to a solid chapman team? How does that warrant an overwhelming majority of #1 votes.

With a loss they should have had to play back up to #1. I would have been happier with Chapman #1 than I would with BYU crushing like they did. I don't get it.

It is all going to sort itself out in the long term. But I am still confused by some of the voters logic.

Ravaging you are correct- UMD/CSU did nothing to deserve the #1. But BYU did do something to lose it!!! They should be ranked just ahead of the team they beat UCSB. They lost in one of their first games of the season. I don't care who you put up there but BYU should drop around 3-4 spots and someone has to take their place.

Bump Chapman to 3 and BYU at 4 and the poll makes sense. Or Bump Chapman to 1 BYU to 4 and it still makes more sense because at least Chapman won.

[fullofregrets]

Guys,

After talking with many BYU players this morning, they too are a little miffed about still being # 1, in their minds they should have dropped further, and in fact were expecting it. I wounder how it will affect their mind set as they go into the remainder of their schedule. But more interestingly how will it affect those teams they play against, is there an added incentive to beat them now because they seem to be on a pedestal they can't fall off of in the minds of the voters.

[BYULAX31]

Guys,

After talking with many BYU players this morning.

I'm calling shenanigans. There is no way 95% of them wake up before 9.