College Football - Week of 11/10

November 11, 2007

Cbs is predicting a Florida vs Illinois in Orlando on New Years Day, wow would that be interesting.

You know if there's any chance this could happen when all of the bowls get sorted out, that it will happen. Zook vs. his old team - could ask for an easier storyline to promote.

Keener98 · November 11, 2007

Cbs is predicting a Florida vs Illinois in Orlando on New Years Day, wow would that be interesting.

You know if there's any chance this could happen when all of the bowls get sorted out, that it will happen. Zook vs. his old team - could ask for an easier storyline to promote.

No doubt

NCCubFan · November 11, 2007

7 wins might not do it anymore, though. At least not for a Big Ten bowl. Not with Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, and Purdue losing today.

Unfortunately that's quite possible. One bad thing about OSU losing is that it cost the Big 11 a bowl bid. They had seven bowl tie-ins plus a likely OSU title game bid, but with the loss OSU will get one of the seven bids that otherwise would have gone to another team.

Sosa21MVP · November 11, 2007

7 wins might not do it anymore, though. At least not for a Big Ten bowl. Not with Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, and Purdue losing today.
Unfortunately that's quite possible. One bad thing about OSU losing is that it cost the Big 11 a bowl bid. They had seven bowl tie-ins plus a likely OSU title game bid, but with the loss OSU will get one of the seven bids that otherwise would have gone to another team.

I really haven't seen a scenario where a 7 win Indiana team doesn't get a bowl bid. I'm highly skeptical of that being a realistic outcome.

NewUserName · November 11, 2007

Also the Big Ten now has 10 bowl eligible teams. I cant wait until the Big Ten wins the National Title and Wins one of the Citrus or Outback bowls against the SEC

Well I was most certainly wrong!! I still think that a Big Ten team will win either the

Citrus or the Outback

cubweiser03 · November 11, 2007

Great win for Illini, they played really well. It takes a little excitement out of the UM/OSU game next week but id rather live with that than OSU in the NCG.

In case you missed it Lou Holtz said the Big 12 was the best conference because of Mizz/OU/Kansas. Dont get me wrong those 3 teams are very good but after that and maybe Texas i dont know what else to like. Speaking of Mizz, why isnt Chase Daniel talked about as being a NFL prospect (or maybe he is im just missing it). He could use a couple inches, thats the only thing i see holding him back. Also i see they just landed the #3 QB recruit, well done.

If Brian Kelly, coach of Cincinnati, isnt on your coaches radar he should be. Im not sure he will be another Jim Tressel coming from the D2 coaches rank but he should get a look to coach a bigger program soon.

Balsa · November 11, 2007

Hot damn what a game!

I said it was possible, but I'm still shocked that it happened!

Illinois defeats a No. 1 ranked team?? :pig:

The great news is that I'm probably going to the bowl game!!! :mrgreen:

CuseCubFan69 · November 11, 2007

Actually, I don't see how the SEC is stronger than the Pac-10 at all. This year it's LSU, then 2nd tier teams like Florida and Georgia. There are a ton of bottom-tier teams in that conference this year, from Mississippi State to Vandy to Ole Miss -- all are complete bunk.

Wow...TT, are you joking or drunk? The SEC has 11 bowl eligible teams this year...11. I think we'd played this game last year, and your SEC hatred is again clouding your judgment a bit, IMO.

The SEC's weak teams consist of Ole Miss and Ole Miss alone this year.

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:

A: They play horrible teams out of conference

B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

Careless · November 11, 2007

Great win for Illini, they played really well. It takes a little excitement out of the UM/OSU game next week but id rather live with that than OSU in the NCG.

In case you missed it Lou Holtz said the Big 12 was the best conference because of Mizz/OU/Kansas. Dont get me wrong those 3 teams are very good but after that and maybe Texas i dont know what else to like. Speaking of Mizz, why isnt Chase Daniel talked about as being a NFL prospect (or maybe he is im just missing it). He could use a couple inches, thats the only thing i see holding him back. Also i see they just landed the #3 QB recruit, well done.

Well, it depends on how you determine which conference is "best"

Best team? Best few teams? Best winning percentage as a conference?

da bears · November 11, 2007

Great win for Illini, they played really well. It takes a little excitement out of the UM/OSU game next week but id rather live with that than OSU in the NCG.

In case you missed it Lou Holtz said the Big 12 was the best conference because of Mizz/OU/Kansas. Dont get me wrong those 3 teams are very good but after that and maybe Texas i dont know what else to like. Speaking of Mizz, why isnt Chase Daniel talked about as being a NFL prospect (or maybe he is im just missing it). He could use a couple inches, thats the only thing i see holding him back. Also i see they just landed the #3 QB recruit, well done.

If Brian Kelly, coach of Cincinnati, isnt on your coaches radar he should be. Im not sure he will be another Jim Tressel coming from the D2 coaches rank but he should get a look to coach a bigger program soon.

Chase Daniel, in my biased opinion, should definitely get a shot in the NFL. I saw some website that said if he came out this year he could be a third or fourth round draft pick (not sure if I believe that). I have seen more than a few "experts" say he could be another Drew Brees.

With a strong performance in the last two games of the year, I think that Chase should definitely be invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. I don't think he will win it, but he should definitely be invited.

Soul · November 11, 2007

Actually, I don't see how the SEC is stronger than the Pac-10 at all. This year it's LSU, then 2nd tier teams like Florida and Georgia. There are a ton of bottom-tier teams in that conference this year, from Mississippi State to Vandy to Ole Miss -- all are complete bunk.

Wow...TT, are you joking or drunk? The SEC has 11 bowl eligible teams this year...11. I think we'd played this game last year, and your SEC hatred is again clouding your judgment a bit, IMO.

The SEC's weak teams consist of Ole Miss and Ole Miss alone this year.

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

I don't think it's ever possible to "prove" a conference is better.

When I look at the SEC, to me it's clearly the best. I honestly think if a team like Oregon had to go through that SEC schedule, they'd put up at least 2 conference losses. Same goes for any of the other top teams in any other conference.

Name your team. They'd lose at least 2 in the SEC.

CuseCubFan69 · November 11, 2007

Actually, I don't see how the SEC is stronger than the Pac-10 at all. This year it's LSU, then 2nd tier teams like Florida and Georgia. There are a ton of bottom-tier teams in that conference this year, from Mississippi State to Vandy to Ole Miss -- all are complete bunk.

Wow...TT, are you joking or drunk? The SEC has 11 bowl eligible teams this year...11. I think we'd played this game last year, and your SEC hatred is again clouding your judgment a bit, IMO.

The SEC's weak teams consist of Ole Miss and Ole Miss alone this year.

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

I don't think it's ever possible to "prove" a conference is better.

When I look at the SEC, to me it's clearly the best. I honestly think if a team like Oregon had to go through that SEC schedule, they'd put up at least 2 conference losses. Same goes for any of the other top teams in any other conference.

Name your team. They'd lose at least 2 in the SEC.

Tell me why you think it's the best.

fiver · November 11, 2007

Actually, I don't see how the SEC is stronger than the Pac-10 at all. This year it's LSU, then 2nd tier teams like Florida and Georgia. There are a ton of bottom-tier teams in that conference this year, from Mississippi State to Vandy to Ole Miss -- all are complete bunk.

Wow...TT, are you joking or drunk? The SEC has 11 bowl eligible teams this year...11. I think we'd played this game last year, and your SEC hatred is again clouding your judgment a bit, IMO.

The SEC's weak teams consist of Ole Miss and Ole Miss alone this year.

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

I believe the SEC has more depth than the PAC 10 this year, and that was the spirit of my original post.

Out of curiosity, which conference do you deem to be the best this season, Cuse? Are you saying that you are unwilling to make such a judgment? I agree, no conference is head and shoulders above the rest, but being non-commital is an awfully safe road to take.

No, Misssissippi State isn't great, and they are likely a bottom tier SEC team this year. I'd probably take Mississippi State over other conferences' bottom tier teams if I was forced to make a wager.

No, LSU has proven nothing this year, and they've definitely not proven anything against top 10 ranked out of conference teams.

Truly, I don't expect you to believe the SEC is the strongest conference from top to bottom this year, Cuse...You seem to have a distaste for them for whatever reason, and you bashed them even after bowl season last year.

For what it's worth, the Pac 10, Big 12, and Big Ten all are strong football conferences this year, and I've never stated otherwise. The ACC and Big East both have strong teams as well.

Edit - Yes, South Florida beat Auburn early in the season. Do you believe they would beat Auburn 3 times or more out of 5? I'm asking if you believe they are the better team...If this season has proven anything, it's that NCAA football is becoming more and more like the NFL...any given Saturday.

Double Edit - LSU had 4 first round draft picks last year, and they could have as many as 4 again this year. This doesn't prove anything, but it's an interesting fact.

CuseCubFan69 · November 11, 2007

Actually, I don't see how the SEC is stronger than the Pac-10 at all. This year it's LSU, then 2nd tier teams like Florida and Georgia. There are a ton of bottom-tier teams in that conference this year, from Mississippi State to Vandy to Ole Miss -- all are complete bunk.

Wow...TT, are you joking or drunk? The SEC has 11 bowl eligible teams this year...11. I think we'd played this game last year, and your SEC hatred is again clouding your judgment a bit, IMO.

The SEC's weak teams consist of Ole Miss and Ole Miss alone this year.

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

Out of curiosity, which conference do you deem to be the best this season, Cuse? Are you saying that you are unwilling to make such a judgment? I agree, no conference is head and shoulders above the rest, but being non-commital is an awfully safe road to take.

No, Misssissippi State isn't great, and they are likely a bottom tier SEC team this year. I'd probably take Mississippi State over other conferences' bottom tier teams if I was forced to make a wager.

No, LSU has proven nothing this year, and they've definitely not proven anything against top 10 ranked out of conference teams.

I believe the SEC has more depth than the PAC 10 this year, and that was the spirit of my original post.

Truly, I don't expect you to believe the SEC is the strongest conference from top to bottom this year, Cuse...You seem to have a distaste for them for whatever reason, and you bashed them even after bowl season last year.

For what it's worth, the Pac 10, Big 12, and Big Ten all are strong football conferences this year, and I've never stated otherwise. The ACC and Big East both have strong teams as well.

The bashing comes with the fact that they are judged the best out of hand with no doubts and this imo without a breakdown of what they have done. It annoys me that a one loss SEC team gets a chance to play for the title but a 1 loss BE team is knocked out of contention. It annoys me that the BE has done very well against the SEC but for some reason that doesn't count. 6 out of 8 BE teams can also beat any team in the country and not only that, go into the stadiums of non BCS schools and play them there. This illusion of the SEC as the best is because they set up their schedules that make it play that way. Florida has a loss last year and they of course get to go to the BCS Champ game. Were they deserving, yes like many other one loss teams. But like always, they got the chance. Louisville and WV didn't get a whiff and they each had one loss. The BE last place team last year won 4 games and was deep.

Now go to this year. LSU has a loss. Oregon is better imo but LSU is ahead of them. Florida has 3 losses and is ranked 15th while playing no one out of conference but of course, those tough SEC teams. Just tell me who have the SEC beat out of conference that makes them better? What makes them deeper? Playing small schools at home 3 to 4 times? Rutgers does this and their schedule sucks. An SEC team does this and it's because the SEC is so tough. I don't don't get the logic of it. Syracuse could go 5-0 or 4-1 by playing little schools out of schedule too but it doesn't as they play 3 to 4 BCS schools a home and away every year. Would this make the BE better if they did the SEC thing and scheduled 4 to 5 home games out of conference because that is what the SEC does. WV blows out Miss St and then they win against Kentucky and Alabama. How does that make the SEC deep? Because they lost to another team in their conference that hasn't beaten anyone? I apologize if this comes out as bashing because it's not meant to be that. I just want to be shown why the SEC is better or deeper than the rest of the conferences in college football. I use the BE because that's the conference I'm most familiar with and I could plug in the Big 12, PAC 10, ACC or Big 10 as well.

fiver · November 11, 2007

Actually, I don't see how the SEC is stronger than the Pac-10 at all. This year it's LSU, then 2nd tier teams like Florida and Georgia. There are a ton of bottom-tier teams in that conference this year, from Mississippi State to Vandy to Ole Miss -- all are complete bunk.

Wow...TT, are you joking or drunk? The SEC has 11 bowl eligible teams this year...11. I think we'd played this game last year, and your SEC hatred is again clouding your judgment a bit, IMO.

The SEC's weak teams consist of Ole Miss and Ole Miss alone this year.

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

Out of curiosity, which conference do you deem to be the best this season, Cuse? Are you saying that you are unwilling to make such a judgment? I agree, no conference is head and shoulders above the rest, but being non-commital is an awfully safe road to take.

No, Misssissippi State isn't great, and they are likely a bottom tier SEC team this year. I'd probably take Mississippi State over other conferences' bottom tier teams if I was forced to make a wager.

No, LSU has proven nothing this year, and they've definitely not proven anything against top 10 ranked out of conference teams.

I believe the SEC has more depth than the PAC 10 this year, and that was the spirit of my original post.

Truly, I don't expect you to believe the SEC is the strongest conference from top to bottom this year, Cuse...You seem to have a distaste for them for whatever reason, and you bashed them even after bowl season last year.

For what it's worth, the Pac 10, Big 12, and Big Ten all are strong football conferences this year, and I've never stated otherwise. The ACC and Big East both have strong teams as well.

The bashing comes with the fact that they are judged the best out of hand with no doubts and this imo without a breakdown of what they have done. It annoys me that a one loss SEC team gets a chance to play for the title but a 1 loss BE team is knocked out of contention. It annoys me that the BE has done very well against the SEC but for some reason that doesn't count. 6 out of 8 BE teams can also beat any team in the country and not only that, go into the stadiums of non BCS schools and play them there. This illusion of the SEC as the best is because they set up their schedules that make it play that way. Florida has a loss last year and they of course get to go to the BCS Champ game. Were they deserving, yes like many other one loss teams. But like always, they got the chance. Louisville and WV didn't get a whiff and they each had one loss. The BE last place team last year won 4 games and was deep.

Now go to this year. LSU has a loss. Oregon is better imo but LSU is ahead of them. Florida has 3 losses and is ranked 15th while playing no one out of conference but of course, those tough SEC teams. Just tell me who have the SEC beat out of conference that makes them better? What makes them deeper? Playing small schools at home 3 to 4 times? Rutgers does this and their schedule sucks. An SEC team does this and it's because the SEC is so tough. I don't don't get the logic of it. Syracuse could go 5-0 or 4-1 by playing little schools out of schedule too but it doesn't as they play 3 to 4 BCS schools a home and away every year. Would this make the BE better if they did the SEC thing and scheduled 4 to 5 home games out of conference because that is what the SEC does. WV blows out Miss St and then they win against Kentucky and Alabama. How does that make the SEC deep? Because they lost to another team in their conference that hasn't beaten anyone? I apologize if this comes out as bashing because it's not meant to be that. I just want to be shown why the SEC is better or deeper than the rest of the conferences in college football. I use the BE because that's the conference I'm most familiar with and I could plug in the Big 12, PAC 10, ACC or Big 10 as well.

Oregon would likely be ranked in front of LSU had LSU not beaten #9 Virginia Tech 48-7.

snoodmonger · November 11, 2007

Why is Matt Ryan still on Heisman watch lists? Reesing should be ahead of him, and Daniel should definitely be ahead of him.

Matt Ryan: 59.4%, 3269 yds, 24 TD, 13 INT, 129.8 Rating

Chase Daniel: 69.4%, 3306 yds, 26 TD, 9 INT, 154.7 Rating

Todd Reesing: 62.0%, 2647 yds, 26 TD, 4 INT, 151.8 Rating

Mephistopheles · November 11, 2007

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

Honestly you shouldn't look at one non conference game to grade a team. Over the course of the season there are numerous mathematical paths to get from one conference to another. For instance here are three (of thousands) chains to link LSU and Oregon:

LSU beat Florida by 4. Florida beat Tennessee by 39. Tennessee lost to Cal by 14. Cal beat Oregon 7. Thus for that chain LSU is 4 + 39 - 14 + 7 = 36 points over Oregon.

LSU beat Alabama by 7. Alabama beat Houston by 6. Houston lost to Oregon by 21. Thus for that Chain LSU is 7 + 6 - 21 = -8 points over Oregon.

LSU beat MTSU by 44. MTSU lost to FAU by 13. FAU lost to Okie State by 38. Okie State beat Nebraska by 31. Nebraska lost to USC by 18. USC lost to Oregon by 7. Thus for that chain LSU is -1 points over Oregon

You can do this over and over across each possible chain in D1. You then average them to get a rating which allows you to compare teams. I simplified the system significantly, but that's essentially how Saragin's ratings work. I've done a ton of research on systems like this and hope to publish a paper on it some time next semester. In the Saragin rating the score is in points. So if team A has a score of 90 and team B 75, then we'd expect A to beat B by 15. A system like this is by far the best way to objectively analyze teams and their conferences.

Doing this over and over we get something like this:

1. 95.8 Oregon

2. 93.4 LSU

3. 93.2 Kansas

4. 92.8 Oklahoma

5. 92.5 Ohio State

6. 92.2 Florida

7. 91.5 West Virginia

8. 89.5 USC

9. 87.5 Cincinnati

10. 87.3 Arizona State

11. 86.6 South Florida

12. 86.2 Clemson

13. 86.1 Missouri

14. 84.2 Texas

15. 83.5 Boise State

16. 83.3 Georgia

17. 82.5 Virginia Tech

18. 82.4 Texas Tech

19. 82.4 Penn State

20. 82.4 Kentucky

21. 81.6 Auburn

22. 81.4 Connecticut

23. 81.3 Arkansas

24. 81.2 Michigan

25. 81.0 UCLA

Now to grade the conferences you can simply take the teams and average them.

1. 80.8 SEC

2. 79.0 Big East

3. 78.3 Pac Ten

4. 77.4 Big XII

5. 76.6 Big Ten

6. 76.2 ACC

The difference between the SEC and the Big Ten is almost as big as the difference between the Big Ten and Mountain West. Yes the SEC is the best conference in football and it's not really debatable.

November 11, 2007

You aren't seriously advocating that system are you? Using margin of victory? Please.

snoodmonger · November 11, 2007

(18) Auburn at (10) Georgia -- Georgia by 3
(12) USC at (24) California -- USC by 7
Illinois at (1) Ohio State -- Ohio State by 21 WRONG
(5) Kansas at Oklahoma State -- Kansas by 7
Louisville at (6) West Virginia -- West Virginia by 24
Florida State at (11) Virginia Tech -- FSU by 3 WRONG
(13) Michigan at Wisconsin -- Michigan by 10 WRONG
Texas Tech at (15) Texas -- Texas Tech by 3 WRONG
(16) Connecticut at Cincinnati -- Cincinnati by 5
(17) Florida at South Carolina -- Florida by 20
Wake Forest at (20) Clemson -- Clemson by 10
Arkansas at (22) Tennessee -- Arkansas by 5 WRONG
(23) Virginia at Miami -- Miami by 7 WRONG

Top 25 mismatches
------------------
Louisiana Tech at (2) LSU -- LSU by 30
Baylor at (4) Oklahoma -- Oklahoma by 35
Texas A&M at (7) Missouri -- Missouri by 24
(8) Boston College at Maryland -- Boston College by 10 WRONG
(9) Arizona State at UCLA -- Arizona State by 10
Fresno State at (14) Hawaii -- Hawaii by 14
(19) Boise State at Utah State -- Boise State by 21
(25) Kentucky at Vanderbilt -- Kentucky by 7

Haven't seen most of these teams play, so essentially, I'm winging it.

Not sure how we're measuring right and wrong here. I missed the "closeness factor" of many games but stil picked the winning team. I've bolded the games where I did not pick the winner.

I ended up 14/21 under that grading method.

Mephistopheles · November 11, 2007

I was gonna do a standard score based off point differential when I got the chance

Mephistopheles · November 11, 2007

You aren't seriously advocating that system are you? Using margin of victory? Please.

It's more accurate of a predictor than not using margin of victory. It may not be politically correct, but it should be used.

Most sophisticated models like that actually don't take pure points over. They scale down as you blow out a team. Others simply cutoff at 3 TDs or something. However, these modifications generally make the model less accurate, so that arguments not very effective.

jaydee · November 11, 2007

just curious, did the SEC win any big out of conference games this year?

Andy · November 11, 2007

just curious, did the SEC win any big out of conference games this year?

LSU 48, Virginia Tech 7

CuseCubFan69 · November 11, 2007

That's funny because 3 weeks ago you said Mississippi St was bad after they got blown out by West Virginia but then they beat Kentucky and Alabama and now they're good? Or is it just when they play BE teams they are bad like when Auburn lost to S.Florida? Maybe they're only good because:
A: They play horrible teams out of conference
B: Play all out of conference games at home

I don't deny that it's a solid conference, but it's not the best. No one has stood out to be that or proven to be that.

Honestly you shouldn't look at one non conference game to grade a team. Over the course of the season there are numerous mathematical paths to get from one conference to another. For instance here are three (of thousands) chains to link LSU and Oregon:

LSU beat Florida by 4. Florida beat Tennessee by 39. Tennessee lost to Cal by 14. Cal beat Oregon 7. Thus for that chain LSU is 4 + 39 - 14 + 7 = 36 points over Oregon.
LSU beat Alabama by 7. Alabama beat Houston by 6. Houston lost to Oregon by 21. Thus for that Chain LSU is 7 + 6 - 21 = -8 points over Oregon.
LSU beat MTSU by 44. MTSU lost to FAU by 13. FAU lost to Okie State by 38. Okie State beat Nebraska by 31. Nebraska lost to USC by 18. USC lost to Oregon by 7. Thus for that chain LSU is -1 points over Oregon

You can do this over and over across each possible chain in D1. You then average them to get a rating which allows you to compare teams. I simplified the system significantly, but that's essentially how Saragin's ratings work. I've done a ton of research on systems like this and hope to publish a paper on it some time next semester. In the Saragin rating the score is in points. So if team A has a score of 90 and team B 75, then we'd expect A to beat B by 15. A system like this is by far the best way to objectively analyze teams and their conferences.

Doing this over and over we get something like this:
1. 95.8 Oregon
2. 93.4 LSU
3. 93.2 Kansas
4. 92.8 Oklahoma
5. 92.5 Ohio State
6. 92.2 Florida
7. 91.5 West Virginia
8. 89.5 USC
9. 87.5 Cincinnati
10. 87.3 Arizona State
11. 86.6 South Florida
12. 86.2 Clemson
13. 86.1 Missouri
14. 84.2 Texas
15. 83.5 Boise State
16. 83.3 Georgia
17. 82.5 Virginia Tech
18. 82.4 Texas Tech
19. 82.4 Penn State
20. 82.4 Kentucky
21. 81.6 Auburn
22. 81.4 Connecticut
23. 81.3 Arkansas
24. 81.2 Michigan
25. 81.0 UCLA

Now to grade the conferences you can simply take the teams and average them.

1. 80.8 SEC
2. 79.0 Big East
3. 78.3 Pac Ten
4. 77.4 Big XII
5. 76.6 Big Ten
6. 76.2 ACC

The difference between the SEC and the Big Ten is almost as big as the difference between the Big Ten and Mountain West. Yes the SEC is the best conference in football and it's not really debatable.

I don't see this logic and it just works for the teams that run up the score and don't play anybody out of conference. WV didn't play White for the whole second half against Miss St so they get punished while Florida throws for 2 TD's in the last 3 minutes of a blowout against Florida International and that is better thing? Your examples are of SEC teams playing horrible teams and somehow getting credit for it. Number 2, it doesn't take into account where the games are played like road wins out of conference, another thing that helps the SEC teams.

Transmogrified Tiger · November 11, 2007

You aren't seriously advocating that system are you? Using margin of victory? Please.

It's more accurate of a predictor than not using margin of victory. It may not be politically correct, but it should be used.

Most sophisticated models like that actually don't take pure points over. They scale down as you blow out a team. Others simply cutoff at 3 TDs or something. However, these modifications generally make the model less accurate, so that arguments not very effective.

Accurate for what, prediction? I don't see how that could be useful in football with its short schedules.

College Football - Week of 11/10

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