B1G

[abpk2903]

Here's the deal. May people and "experts" claim that the Big Ten is a very weak conference and in a rebuilding phase, which I tend to agree. I did, however notice today that the Big 10 has 4 teams in the top 20, another in the top 25, and a few more receiving votes in the AP poll. This means the country views about half the league as Top 25 teams.

Now how does a conference where many say the top half wouldn't play .500 in the Big 12, PAC 12, or SEC get so many teams ranked in the polls? I personally feel that the only 2 teams that would have a chance of playing .500 in those conferences are OSU and Michigan (and Mich would be close).

This is the problem with the polling system. Every major conference is going to get its top 4 or 5 teams ranked because the AP and Coaches are spread out across he country.

Just for fun, does anyone have a realistic answer on how to make the polls less regionalized and more accurate with the true 25 best teams in the country. I personally feel Nebraska would lose to TCU by 3 tds yet are ranked above them in the polls.

[El-Moldo]

As of September 2, Sagarin has only TWO Big Ten teams in the top 20. OSU at 13 and Michigan at 19. There is NO bias in his rankings.

[abpk2903]

Honestly, with my seeing eye test, that seems accurate. Does he provide the formula he uses to determine his rankings?

[beastmodejack]

Polls are a total joke, especially pre-season polls. I knew a sports writer who had a vote years ago, and he said it was ridiculous. He would only see maybe 3-4 games a week and had to base his rankings on stats he read on-line or highlights. Coaches polls are even worse, they only see the teams they play or maybe a Thursday or Friday nigh game once in a while. Not sure what system would work best, but I don't even pay attention to polls. It will be interesting to see what happens when the playoff system comes into play.