Here is it and yes, I voted for Minnesota at #23.
My ballot is unusually different from last week's. I vaulted teams like Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Not so much because they had outstanding weeks but because I felt like I had them too low to begin with. On the flip side I dropped a handful of teams a spot or two despite winning their games, again this was a rethinking of where I had them and feeling as though BYU, Utah, Cal, Wake and Boise State were a bit too high in my week 6 poll.
As far as Minnesota is concerned I have no problem with my current ranking of the Gophers. I realize there is a lot of discussion surrounding their lack of a difficult schedule. But take a look at some of the other teams above or near the Gophers in the most recent AP/Coaches' polls and their strength of schedule ranking...
- Minnesota - 77
- Ball State - 107
- TCU - 91
- Tulsa - 141
- Florida State - 127
- BYU - 121
- Missouri - 87
- Texas Tech - 105
- Kansas - 95
- Georgia Tech - 89
Why do teams like Ball State, BYU, TCU or Texas Tech get ranked as high as they do despite a worse strength of schedule? I know the Big Ten is down but does it actually deserve less respect than MAC or Mountain West? BYU is the eithg best team in the country with a SOS ranking of 121?
Minnesota earned a significant win on the road against a good team. Their strength of schedule is not in the top 30, but they are winning their games and deserve a top 25 ranking as much as any of the other teams in the 20-27 range.
Rank | Team | Delta |
---|---|---|
1 | Alabama | 1 |
2 | Texas | 4 |
3 | Penn State | 2 |
4 | Oklahoma | 3 |
5 | Southern Cal | 2 |
6 | Florida | 4 |
7 | Georgia | 2 |
8 | Ohio State | -- |
9 | Texas Tech | 3 |
10 | LSU | 6 |
11 | Missouri | 8 |
12 | Brigham Young | 1 |
13 | Kansas | -- |
14 | Oklahoma State | 7 |
15 | Virginia Tech | 5 |
16 | South Florida | 1 |
17 | Utah | 1 |
18 | Boise State | 1 |
19 | Wake Forest | 1 |
20 | California | 1 |
21 | Michigan State | 1 |
22 | North Carolina | 4 |
23 | Minnesota | 3 |
24 | Pittsburgh | 1 |
25 | Ball State | 1 |
Thoughts?