Final Blog Poll of the regular season. This was a fun one to put together (for the first time in several weeks. At the top it is really hard to argue against Alabama. Only undefeated team in a major conference, the Tide is #1 until they lose. After that it gets tricky...
Oklahoma vs. Texas - arguably the two best teams in the country and one of them is going to get screwed. Even if Alabama loses to Florida, we all know that Florida will leap-frog Texas into the BCS Title game. But I chose OK over TX in spite of the obvious head to head win by the Longhorns, because if I factor in that game then I have to factor in the Tex loss to TT and then when you factor in the OK win over TT we are back to square one.
The OK win over Tech was the most dominant and that is my primary evaluator. Strength of schedule is very similar with a slight edge to Texas. Total defense and total offense are very similar with slight edges going to Oklahoma.
The whole scenario is intriguing and would all be moot if a playoff was in the cards, but it 's not and my unofficial vote goes to the Sooners.
USC vs. Florida - this debate is getting lost in the discussion. But it is equally as important as the OK/Tex debate. I for one am not convinced that Florida belongs ahead of USC. Both teams have one loss to 8-4 teams that are by most measurables better than average in their conference. Both teams have bounced back to win any perceived big game along the way in convincing fashion.
Two things stand out to me as to why USC should get the nod at 4th place. First of all they lost on the road while Florida lost at home. Secondly USC's defense is just so dominant that I believe they are clearly the better team. Since their loss to Oregon state they have given up a total of five touchdowns in eight games (average of just over six ppg). In that stretch they have had three shutouts and two games allowing just a field goal. Granted, two of those shutouts were against the Pac-10 teams from Washington but Florida allowed 19 points to Citadel!
Unfortunately their win over UCLA will not be as sexy as Florida's potential win over Bama and Florida will remain ahead of USC, but I do not believe it is accurate. If Missouri were to upset Oklahoma and Florida were to beat Alabama, I think USC would have a very strong argument for a spot in the BCS title game.
Utah vs. Boise State vs. Ball State - the unbeaten non-BCS teams. This simply comes down to strength of schedule. Utah (72), Boise St (115), Ball St (119). ANd I'm sorry, Boise State fans but a strength of schedule of 115 does not warrant a BCS game over a team like Ohio State. If you want further proof. Minnesota beat Bowling Green 42-17 on the road. Boise State had the Falcons at home and won 20-7. Not exactly enough evidence to put Minnesota in a BCS game but proof enough to me that BSU does not belong.
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| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | -- |
| 2 | Oklahoma | -- |
| 3 | Texas | -- |
| 4 | Southern Cal |
 1 |
| 5 | Florida |
 1 |
| 6 | Penn State |
1 |
| 7 | Texas Tech |
1 |
| 8 | Ohio State | -- |
| 9 | Utah |
1 |
| 10 | Boise State |
4 |
| 11 | Ball State |
5 |
| 12 | Cincinnati |
3 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State |
2 |
| 14 | Oregon |
6 |
| 15 | Georgia Tech |
9 |
| 16 | Boston College |
6 |
| 17 | Michigan State |
1 |
| 18 | TCU |
1 |
| 19 | Georgia |
10 |
| 20 | Northwestern |
1 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh |
4 |
| 22 | Iowa |
1 |
| 23 | Oregon State |
10 |
| 24 | Mississippi |
2 |
| 25 | Missouri |
13 |
This ballot may look a little different. I didn't post last week's ballot so I kind of had to start from scratch. This is probably a good thing as it makes me re-look at my entire ballot.