01-08-2014, 02:23 PM
The final Sagarin ratings:
1. FSU
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Auburn
5. Stanford
6. MSU
Stanford is #1 in SOS with 9 teams in Sagarin's top 30, and a 7-2 record against those teams. Nice for the good guys, but, Oregon at #2, Bama at #3 and MSU below Stanford? Seriously?
So, whether it's a beauty contest (humans) or football's version of trying to solve a Millennium Prize Problem (computers), perhaps it's best not to get too wrapped up in end-of-the-season rankings. During-the-season rankings are only important to the extent that they might influence the playoff selection committee.
1. FSU
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Auburn
5. Stanford
6. MSU
Stanford is #1 in SOS with 9 teams in Sagarin's top 30, and a 7-2 record against those teams. Nice for the good guys, but, Oregon at #2, Bama at #3 and MSU below Stanford? Seriously?
So, whether it's a beauty contest (humans) or football's version of trying to solve a Millennium Prize Problem (computers), perhaps it's best not to get too wrapped up in end-of-the-season rankings. During-the-season rankings are only important to the extent that they might influence the playoff selection committee.
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)