LSU returns to No. 1 in AP football poll

[Suzie]

LSU returns to No. 1 in AP football poll

<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY --> By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer 25 minutes ago

<!-- end storyhdr --> NEW YORK - LSU is getting a second chance at No. 1. The Tigers took advantage of Ohio State's loss and regained the top ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday. Oregon is not far behind at No. 2.


MORE HERE (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071111/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_t25_college_fb_poll;_ylt=AjgOGjW_fQKrfMN80JTNF OWs0NUE)

[hellinon]

:thumb::thumb:

[PaulRevere]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

Still waiting for the BCS rankings.

The way things have been going this season, being #1 and 2 are precarious perches. I'd like to see both LSU and UO win out and go to the Sugar Bowl. Their only danger is of over-confidence against teams not doing well this year, which is different from bad teams.

Of the two, Oregon has a better chance of doing a belly flop somewhere in their last three games against UA, UCLA, and OSU (Oregon State, that is).

That said, let me bash KU for being overrated! They haven't earned their lofty perch, and I think that Mizzou will send them plummeting back to earth; either them or OU/Texas in the Big 12 championship game. Personally, I'd rank them #6 today.

[Incident_command]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex


Of the two, Oregon has a better chance of doing a belly flop somewhere in their last three games against UA, UCLA, and OSU (Oregon State, that is).

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I think they both could. LSU will have to play Fl again or a tough Bulldog team. While I dont like LSU, if they get by they will deserve it.

[Suzie]

<table class="tablehead" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="stathead"><td>BCS Standings</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td> 1. LSU (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=99) 9-1</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td> 2. Oregon (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2483) 8-1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td> 3. Kansas (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2305) 10-0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td> 4. Oklahoma (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=201) 9-1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td> 5. Missouri (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=142) 9-1</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td> 6. West Virginia (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=277) 8-1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td> 7. Ohio State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=194) 10-1</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td> 8. Arizona State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=9) 9-1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td> 9. Georgia (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=61) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>10. Virginia Tech (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=259) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>11. USC (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=30) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>12. Florida (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=57) 7-3</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>13. Texas (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=251) 9-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>14. Virginia (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=258) 9-2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>15. Clemson (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=228) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>16. Hawaii (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=62) 9-0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>17. Boston College (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=103) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>18. Boise State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=68) 9-1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>19. Illinois (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=356) 8-3</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>20. Tennessee (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2633) 7-3</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>21. Michigan (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=130) 8-3</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>22. Cincinnati (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2132) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>23. Kentucky (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=96) 7-3</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>24. Connecticut (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=41) 8-2</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>25. Wisconsin (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=275) 8-3</td></tr></tbody></table>

[mkafrica]

*sigh*... I still have to say though... Go Bucks! Beat Michigan! :biggrin:

[BabyBeastie]

I know. People also love to hate us. Just look at the rankings. WVU over OSU? WTF?

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Actually, I have no feelings one way or the other about Ohio State. My two favorite teams are the Florida State University Seminoles and ANY TEAM that beats the UF swamplizards and Miami whirlwinds, :evilgrin:. (I'm not crazy about Tennessee either, but at least my distaste for them doesn't border on hatred, and my extreme dislike for South Carolina only extends to their head coach :D)

[Suzie]

I know. People also love to hate us. Just look at the rankings. WVU over OSU? WTF?

They lost to an unranked team. The team WV lost to was in the top 25. Their schedule over all has been tougher.

[BabyBeastie]

Yes, but WVU isn't even ranked #1 in their conference.

OSU is ranked #1 in their conference.

The Fighting Illini have a damn good team.

[Suzie]

That's because Connecticut hasn't had any conference losses up to this point their only loss was to Virginia which is a non conference team for them. WV will play Connecticut week after next. Conference rankings until the season is over really don't mean anything. South Florida beat us and were ranked at the time and in our conference. Virginia beat Connecticut but they were not ranked and since they aren't in the conference it didn't count against them in the conference ranking.

[BabyBeastie]

Perceived "strength-of-schedule" is not the only determining factor. It really doesn't mean much when WVU's SOS is at -0.136 and OSU is at -0.172.

As far as S.O.S. goes, UTEP had a "tougher" schedule than WVU and OSU because theirs is rated at -0.134.

WTF!

[Seabee]

The avatar says it all, guess if I am happy or not about LSU returning to the #1 status.

[Suzie]

I am not sure what you are saying here, do you mean strength of schedule doesn't mean anything? But the higher and more important determining factor is that they lost to an unranked team and it's late in the season so they can't recover from it. Ohio state lost to an unranked big ten team late in the season. That means they are done because it's too late to beat other teams that have beat them. WV lost to a ranked team then went on to beat teams that beat the team that beat them so it was recoverable for them. LSU is still up there because they lost to a ranked team.

The only thing that will stop this is to have some sort play off system. Which I think would be good.

[BabyBeastie]

What the rankings say is that if you lose in the beginning of the season, you get a second chance at a top ranking later on, but if you're a top ranked team and you lose toward the end of the season, you're screwed...royally.

A team like Ohio State doesn't get any breaks for losing to a team that has a great game like Illinois later on in the season because of Illinois' ranking. OSU's ranking after that game is not a true reflection of how good a team they are. Some other team's lack of abilities or their "SOS" in the previous weeks suddenly has a negative effect on a much better opponent.

As for recovering late in the season, it's possible, but it depends upon your opponents ranking...something determined by another team and not you.

Personally, I hate the BCS rankings system. It's stupid. We do need a playoff system.

[Suzie]

But the tables can turn on any of us. If in week 4 you go down you have blown it. But OSU has a big name preference in the BCS, much more so than WVU because there is never a bump for less popular football programs among sports writers and TV coverage. Look at Notre Dame, they stink this year and they still get the prestige slopped all over them on the sports channels.

I agree I hate the BCS system, because it's tougher for the less popular teams to gain ground out of the gate and pre season rankings favor big money schools. Play offs would give everyone a better shot.

[Seabee]

A team like Ohio State doesn't get any breaks for losing to a team that has a great game like Illinois later on in the season because of Illinois' ranking. OSU's ranking after that game is not a true reflection of how good a team they are. Some other team's lack of abilities or their "SOS" in the previous weeks suddenly has a negative effect on a much better opponent.

Well I will not disagree with you about Ohio being a really good team, but, in the BCS's defense it does turn the pressure up on the bigger powerhouse teams like LSU, OSU, Oregon, etc. to perform an peak performance especially at the end of the season when it counts the most. A playoff system would be fairer to the Division I-AA or maybe even Division II teams who would never have gotten a chance to play the bigger schools. It would nominally effect the larger universities.

[BabyBeastie]

And when teams like OSU turn up the pressure and start blowing out teams by 30, 40, 50 points, their SOS goes to crap.

Yep, we need some playoffs.

[Suzie]

Well I am not so sure WV can win out the rest of the season, especially if they play the way they did last week.

[BabyBeastie]

I saw that game. They looked really good to me. The GOLD uniforms were a nice touch. Plus they got some revenge.

[Beowulf]

A playoff system would be fairer to the Division I-AA or maybe even Division II teams who would never have gotten a chance to play the bigger schools. It would nominally effect the larger universities.

I've been saying this since the BCS went to a computer based system, Seabee. A playoff system is the only really fair way to determine who goes to the championship game since.

Take, say, the top 8 teams in the poll after the last week and have a playdown.

1 vs. 8
2 vs. 7
3 vs. 6
4 vs. 5

Then a semi-final round and a then the championship.
We can still have our invites to other bowl games and of course, those who lose in the playoffs can still get a bowl bid.

Make it like college hoops. Play for #1, not vote on it.

[Seabee]

A playoff system is the only really fair way to determine who goes to the championship game since.

Agreed 100%.

[Suzie]

I saw that game. They looked really good to me. The GOLD uniforms were a nice touch. Plus they got some revenge.

Well you can really see them on the field that's for sure. :lol:

I thought they should have done better. I don't know what's going on with Slaton some say he isn't playing like he used to because he doesn't want to get hurt and wants to go on to the NFL. They might not want him anymore if he doesn't start showing them why they wanted him in the first place. I think Devine might be as good but it seems like they don't want to play him. I would love to see a game with both of them playing the whole time at their best.

[Suzie]

Arizona is beating Oregon in the first half. 31 - 11

[Suzie]

Arizona won!!! 34 - 24 :boogie:

[RayChuang]

Arizona won!!! 34 - 24 :boogie:

However, be aware of West Virginia at Cincinnati. The University of Cincinnati has a very high powered offense that could drive WVU's defense nuts....

[Suzie]

I am not so sure they can win out ... I hope they can. But they need to do better than they have been.