Posted on 08/04/2007 7:39:24 PM PDT by GOP_Raider
Georgia's strong 2006 finish, which included wins over Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech, certainly impressed the 60 coaches who vote in the USA Today college football poll. The Bulldogs, who were 9-4 in 2006, were No. 13 when the preseason poll was released Friday.
The Bulldogs, who have major holes to fill on both sides of the ball, were one of six SEC teams ranked in the preseason poll. LSU, picked by the media to win the conference championship, was No. 2, while Florida, the defending national champion, was No. 3.
--snip--
As is his tradition, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier gave his No. 25 vote to Duke, where he was head coach from 1987-89. Duke has lost 20 straight games. Normally, Spurrier's vote barely makes a ripple but on Friday Jim Welch, USA Today's deputy managing editor for sports, expressed concerns.
"It's clear that what once might have seemed quaint has begun to lose its charm," Welch said in a USA Today story that accompanied the poll. "We're hopeful that before next season the coaches association can prevail upon Coach Spurrier to find another way to salute his former team — or that Duke gets better in a hurry."
Contacted Friday morning by the AJC, Spurrier said he doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
"It's a vote for a school that has been special to me and my family," said Spurrier, who won an ACC championship at Duke in 1989. "They hired me when I didn't have job. I've been doing it for about 15 years and all of a sudden they want to make a big deal out of it."
--snip--
"I doubt if they'll get my next vote but I always feel like I owe that to Duke University,"
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
One Top 25 votes Dook will get this century in football.
Er Only Top 25 votes Dook will get this century in football.
I think Spurrier’s vote shows just how pointless pre-season polls are.
They shouldn’t even have polls until the fifth week anyway.
Dook is one win UNC will get this year. Maybe it’s only win.
Does he just do this during the preseason or does this carryover into the regular season?
Does anyone really care that Spurrier votes Duke 25th at the start of every year? Must be a slow sports news day.
*throws sun visor in a fit of rage*
You’d think Spurrier is making a mockery out of the polls.....yet considering the way college football chooses its champion is a mockery anyway, I guess it doesn’t mean very much.
Should not be using polls to determine national champion period. Have a playoff. Every other level of football has one.
“I think Spurrier’s vote shows just how pointless pre-season polls are.”
On the contrary, they are every bit as used as preseason basketball polls. If the polls play a factor in setting SoS for computer rankings from the start (and they do) then the result of Spurrier’s vote has been to inflate somewhat the ACC. So indirectly, this benefits Duke’s opponents, like Miami and FSU.
Right, I am admittedly a Gator fan bias for Spurrier, but really who cares if he votes Duke 25th every year? It affects absolutely NOTHING.
I believe that SOS is calculated based on wins against D1A teams and losses, opponents wins and losses and opponents opponents wins and losses the same as in the college basketball RPI. That would mean it has nothing to do with rankings.
You heard it here first and you can take it to the bank: OSU will beat UGA.
Perhaps you’re right. But I can’t get past the fact that you have to start somewhere with SoS rankings. How would you rank the first week’s results without ranking at least somehow prior to that week? There is no way that the computer rankings will just assume that an undefeated Miami U beating Bowling Green is the equivalent of an undefeated U Miami beating FSU in the first week (not that this is necessarily the case schedule-wise this year, but you get the issue I’m raising here). There must be a built-in pre-ranking as a result.
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