Here at TOC we're proud to be a voting member of the BlogPoll. I'll be doing the voting this year, and I will be doing my best to avoid the dreaded C/K award which haunted Michigan State eons ago. Before I display it, a couple notes on my philosophy:
- Style counts, big time. One of the reasons Northwestern's not on this ballot is that I still can't get out of my head how Wisconsin put up 80 on them last year. Missing Dan Persa isn't an excuse.
- I'll do this as a power poll four weeks in, therein it will switch to resume based.
- Your input is greatly appreciated. I will change my ballot if you make a good argument for Team A or Team B
- I will use caution when ranking MSU. Like I said, the C/K award has mysterious powers. Thall shall not trifle with the C/K award.
Now that the explanation is through, here's the ballot:
UPDATE: Bullishness on Southern MIss registered, and they have been moved out. Moved Texas down due to their 5-7 season last year, moved Notre Dame up after I discovered they have 19 starters returning. Moved Washington in to replace Southern Miss, because they return 15 non-special teams starters and also to live every week like it's SARK WEEK.
The Only Colors Ballot - Week 1
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 2 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -- |
| 3 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 4 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 5 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 6 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 7 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 8 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 9 | Texas A&M Aggies | -- |
| 10 | Florida St. Seminoles | -- |
| 11 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -- |
| 12 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -- |
| 13 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 14 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 15 | Georgia Bulldogs | -- |
| 16 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -- |
| 17 | Michigan St. Spartans | -- |
| 18 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -- |
| 19 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | -- |
| 20 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 21 | Penn St. Nittany Lions | -- |
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | -- |
| 23 | Texas Longhorns | -- |
| 24 | Washington Huskies | -- |
| 25 | Air Force Falcons | -- |
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
You probably have a few questions. I'll do my best to explain after the jump.
- Alabama: You know why they're number one. Let's continue before my PTSD triggers.
- Virginia Tech: You might have raised an eyebrow. Here are their non-conference games: Appalachian State, at East Carolina, Arkansas State, at Marshall. Their other road games are Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. I know I'm taking a flyer, but I think this could be the Hokies' year, even if they have a new QB and only 12 starters returning. You may laugh now.
- LSU: They could be down their QB before the season starts. This may only improve them. It's Les Miles' world, and we're just living in it.
- Boise State: Lose their opener against Georgia then win the rest? That sounds like a #4 team to me.
- Oregon: It's either them or Stanford as the top Pac-10 team here, and they return just enough offensive starters to outscore any of their Pac-10 opponents.
- Oklahoma: Could've been number one, but the loss of Travis Lewis for the first few games could hurt them, especially against Florida State.
- TCU Horned Frogs: Only return three offensive starters, but the record of defensive superiority the past few years puts them here.
As for the rest, I'm willing to entertain any argument. Michigan State's outside the top 15 until I see the offensive line in action, in case you're curious.