Preseason Top 10  

A valid point by my esteemed co-blogger. My top 10, admittedly, does not necessarily reflect those virtues espoused by a traditional top 10. That said, it certainly does take into account personnel and coaching. Does this mean I believe Auburn has the best players and coaches in America? No, but it does mean that I believe they have enough coaching and playing talent to win every game on their schedule as currently constituted. Given that none of these teams have played a single down of football yet, it would seem superfluous to try and rank them based on dominance and/or momentum. The USA Today poll came out a few days ago and had Ohio State and Texas ranked first and second in the nation (as most polls will I am sure). What is the point of those rankings? Since the teams play each other in the 2nd week of the season, the likelihood that those two teams will be 1 and 2 at the end of the season seems slim to none. The same could be said of ranking both USC and Notre Dame in the top 2. Given that the whole notion of a preseason poll runs contrary to that which the poll is supposed to stand for, I think my approach is more valid and telling than those taken by the AP, Coaches, and USA Today (to name a few). If and when we do weekly polls or power rankings (which I assume will be done) the top 10 will no doubt look nothing like what I have now. That said, if the goal is to get to the BCS Championship game, shouldn't a preseason poll take into account ALL factors that go into getting a team there? I guess the main point I am making is this: In my view the goal of weekly polls is to show which teams are playing the best (because there is actual empirical evidence-i.e. the games-on which to base the rankings). The goal of a preseason poll should be to predict the final outcome of the season (since we have no idea what teams can actually do yet).