Monday, November 16, 2009
1. Montana
2. Southern Illinois
3. Villanova
4. Richmond
5. William & Mary
6. Appalachian St.
7. Elon
8. McNeese St.
9. South Carolina St.
10. Stephen F. Austin
11. New Hampshire
12. South Dakota St.
13. Northern Iowa
14. Jacksonville St.
15. Holy Cross
16. Eastern Illinois
17. Weber St.
18. Liberty
19. Colgate
20. Pennsylvania
21. Montana St.
22. Lafayette
23. Delaware
24. Prairie View A&M
25. Harvard
Monday, November 9, 2009
I feel like in almost every year, Montana spends at least one week ranked No. 1. This year, that week is this week.
1. Montana
2. Southern Illinois
3. Elon
4. Villanova
5. Richmond
6. William & Mary
7. New Hampshire
8. Appalachian St.
9. South Carolina St.
10. McNeese St.
11. Stephen F. Austin
12. South Dakota St.
13. Northern Iowa
14. Jacksonville St.
15. Holy Cross
16. Eastern Illinois
17. Lafayette
18. Delaware
19. Weber St.
20. Harvard
21. Liberty
22. Southeastern Louisiana
23. Colgate
24. Texas St.
25. Pennsylvania
Monday, November 2, 2009
I bounced UMass. Too much uncertaintly. Too many turnovers. Struggles at QB. AWOL running game etc.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. Southern Illinois
4. Elon
5. Villanova
6. William & Mary
7. New Hampshire
8. Appalachian St.
9. South Carolina St.
10. McNeese St.
11. South Dakota St.
12. Stephen F. Austin
13. Northern Iowa
14. Jacksonville St.
15. Holy Cross
16. Eastern Illinois
17. Lafayette
18. Colgate
19. Delaware
20. Cal Poly
21. Weber St.
22. Central Arkansas
23. Harvard
24. Liberty
25. Southeastern Louisiana
Monday, October 26, 2009
How far do you drop the Minutemen for losing to a team everyone loses to? Does it matter that they didn't look very good in that loss? That their running backs are hurt and that the quarterback spot is a question mark?
The answers: Three spots. Yes and Yes.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. Southern Illinois
4. Elon
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. Villanova
7. William & Mary
8. New Hampshire
9. Appalachian St.
10. Cal Poly
11. South Carolina St.
12. McNeese St.
13. South Dakota St.
14. Northern Iowa
15. Delaware
16. Central Arkansas
17. Weber St.
18. Jacksonville St.
19. Massachusetts
20. Holy Cross
21. Eastern Illinois
22. Lafayette
23. Colgate
24. Northern Arizona
25. Harvard
Monday, October 19, 2009
This wasn't an easy ballot.
One through five was easy enough. All are either undefeated or have just FBS losses. Six through nine is where it gets tricky.
I made Northern Iowa No. 2 because it has the best loss of the four teams, but its a circular thing. I made Southern Illinois No. 3 because of its good win over Northern Iowa. The reason SIU is an acceptable loss is because beating Northern Iowa is a good win. So maybe they're both overrated.
The CAA triumverate that follows was even more ridiculous to sort out. I'm a big believer in weighting head-to-head heavily, BUT I watched New Hampshire look not so good in losing to UMass. So of the three some UNH has by far the worst loss of the group and it happened the most recently. If New Hampshire had beaten Villanova in the Philly suburbs I might have put UNH at No. 7, but I convinced myself that because Wildcat vs. Wildcat was close in the Granite State, Nova might have won if that game was at Villanova.
So I put Nova at No. 7. W&M and UNH haven't played yet. W&M's loss is better. UNH has better wins. I put W&M at No. 8 because I didn't want Villanova and UNH back-to-back because of the head-to-head factor.
There is no right answer.
UMass is my No. 16.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. Southern Illinois
4. Elon
5. Stephen F. Austin
6. Northern Iowa
7. Villanova
8. William & Mary
9. New Hampshire
10. Appalachian St.
11. Cal Poly
12. South Carolina St.
13. Jacksonville St.
14. Delaware
15. McNeese St.
16. Massachusetts
17. Central Arkansas
18. Weber St.
19. South Dakota St.
20. Colgate
21. Montana St.
22. Lafayette
23. Holy Cross
24. Morgan St.
25. Eastern Illinois
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Losses by FCS top 25 teams:
2. Northern Iowa Panthers (5-2) lost to Southern Ill (27-20)
4. New Hampshire Wildcats (5-1) lost to Massachusetts (23-17) (Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium)
10. Central Arkansas Bears (4-2)lost to Stephen F Austin (33-30) (Estes Stadium)
16. James Madison Dukes (2-4) lost Vto illanova (27-0) (Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field)
21. Eastern Washington Eagles (4-3) lost to Montana (41-34) (Washington-Grizzly Stadium)
22. Florida A&M Rattlers (4-2) lost to SC State (35-20) (Dawson Bulldog Stadium)
Monday, October 12, 2009
It wasn't an easy week to vote with so many teams losing. UMass certainly looks suspect after Saturday Hence the significant plunge.
1. Richmond
2. Montana
3. New Hampshire
4. Northern Iowa
5. Villanova
6. William & Mary
7. Southern Illinois
8. Elon
9. Appalachian St.
10. Stephen F. Austin
11. Central Arkansas
12. Cal Poly
13. South Carolina St.
14. Jacksonville St.
15. James Madison
16. Delaware
17. McNeese St.
18. Weber St.
19. South Dakota St.
20. Harvard
21. Colgate
22. Massachusetts
23. Eastern Washington
24. Montana St.
25. Florida A&M
Monday, October 5, 2009
Admittedly I don't know who is better Villanova or Richmond, but with a win over W&M, the Wildcats resume is better. So Nova moves up to No. 1 for me.
I still can't believe Hofstra beat JMU.
UMass up to No. 13, but I feel like I'll have a better feel for how good the Minutemen are a week from now.
1. Villanova
2. Richmond
3. Montana
4. McNeese St.
5. Northern Iowa
6. William & Mary
7. Appalachian St.
8. New Hampshire
9. Southern Illinois
10. Elon
11. Cal Poly
12. Eastern Washington
13. Massachusetts
14. Central Arkansas
15. James Madison
16. Montana St.
17. South Carolina St.
18. Jacksonville St.
19. Weber St.
20. Holy Cross
21. Eastern Kentucky
22. South Dakota St.
23. Harvard
24. Colgate
25. Florida A&M
Sunday, September 27, 2009
1. Richmond
2. Villanova
3. William & Mary
4. McNeese St.
5. Montana
6. Northern Iowa
7. James Madison
8. Appalachian St.
9. Southern Illinois
10. New Hampshire
11. Weber St.
12. Elon
13. Central Arkansas
14. Cal Poly
15. Massachusetts
16. Eastern Washington
17. South Carolina St.
18. Jacksonville St.
19. Wofford
20. Texas St.
21. South Dakota St.
22. Holy Cross
23. Eastern Kentucky
24. Harvard
25. Eastern Illinois
Monday, September 14, 2009
1. Richmond
2. Villanova
3. William & Mary
4. McNeese St.
5. Montana
6. Northern Iowa
7. James Madison
8. Appalachian St.
9. Southern Illinois
10. New Hampshire
11. Weber St.
12. Wofford
13. Elon
14. Central Arkansas
15. Cal Poly
16. Eastern Washington
17. South Carolina St.
18. Maine
19. Massachusetts
20. Jacksonville St.
21. Texas St.
22. Harvard
23. South Dakota St.
24. Holy Cross
25. Eastern Kentucky
Monday, September 7, 2009
My general belief is that I won't drop a team for losing to an FBS team. A school that happened to lose to a FBS foe might drop because a team behind them did something that earned a leap frog, but on my ballot you can gain from beating an FBS, but you can't lose for falling. But I'll all but guarantee when the polls come out that several schools will have dropped after FBS losses. I'm off my soap box for now. Here's my top 25:
1. Richmond
2. Appalachian St.
3. Villanova
4. William & Mary
5. Montana
6. Northern Iowa
7. James Madison
8. Southern Illinois
9. New Hampshire
10. Weber St.
11. Wofford
12. Elon
13. Central Arkansas
14. Cal Poly
15. McNeese St.
16. Eastern Washington
17. South Carolina St.
18. Maine
19. Massachusetts
20. Jacksonville St.
21. Texas St.
22. Harvard
23. South Dakota St.
24. Holy Cross
25. Eastern Kentucky
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Sports Network top 25 was released Wednesday afternoon and the
Minutemen were picked No. 18. UMass is one of seven CAA Teams ranked in
the poll:
1. Appalachian State Mountaineers (79)
2. Richmond Spiders (72)
3. Montana Grizzlies (2)
4. Northern Iowa Panthers (2)
5. Villanova Wildcats (2)
6. James Madison Dukes (1)
7. Southern Illinois Salukis
8. New Hampshire Wildcats
9. Weber State Wildcats (1)
10. Wofford Terriers
11. Elon Phoenix
12. Cal Poly Mustangs
13. Central Arkansas Bears
14. William & Mary Tribe
15. McNeese State Cowboys
16. South Carolina State Bulldogs (1)
17. Massachusetts Minutemen
18. Eastern Washington Eagles
19. Maine Black Bears
20. Texas State Bobcats
21. Jacksonville State Gamecocks
22. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
23. Harvard Crimson
24. Eastern Kentucky Colonels
25. Grambling State Tigers
25. Holy Cross Crusaders
My ballot looked like this:
1. Appalachian St.
2. Richmond
3. Montana
4. Northern Iowa
5. Villanova
6. James Madison
7. Southern Illinois
8. New Hampshire
9. Weber St.
10. Wofford
11. Elon
12. Central Arkansas
13. Cal Poly
14. McNeese St.
15. William & Mary
16. Eastern Washington
17. South Carolina St.
18. Maine
19. Massachusetts
20. Jacksonville St.
21. Texas St.
22. Harvard
23. South Dakota St.
24. Holy Cross
25. Grambling St.
...less than four months til Christmas...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The first of the two most reputable Championship Subdivisions top 25 - FCS Coaches Poll - was released today and UMass is No. 18.
But somebody picked the Minutemen No. 1. Coaches polls are not public so it's impossible to know who?
I have no idea how good UMass will really be this year. Too many uncertain elements, starting at quarterback. But I'd like to hear the logic of who thought the Minutemen are the best team in the country.
The Sports Network poll, which I'm a voter in has not yet been released.
...five hours til Rescue Me...
Monday, December 8, 2008
1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Oklahoma
4. Pitt
5. Gonzaga
6. Xavier
7. Texas
8. Duke
9. Syracuse
10. Wake Forest
11. Purdue
12. Tennessee
13. Notre Dame
14. Michigan
15. Georgetown
16. Ohio State
17. Memphis
18. UCLA
19. Louisville
20. Baylor
21. Dayton
22. Michigan State
23. Arizona State
24. Kansas
25. Marquette
...three days til UMass-Holy Cross...
Monday, December 1, 2008
After two weeks of tournaments and clashes between top 25 teams, I blew up my poll and started again. That accounts for Syracuse landing at No. 11 and Wake Forest at No. 12. Dayton is in after beating Marquette on the road.
1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Oklahoma
4. Duke
5. Pitt
6. Purdue
7. Notre Dame
8. Gonzaga
9. Xavier
10. Texas
11. Syracuse
12. Wake Forest
13. Tennessee
14. UCLA
15. Georgetown
16. Michigan
17. Memphis
18. Louisville
19. Michigan State
20. Baylor
21. Dayton
22. Arizona State
23. Kansas
24. Marquette
25. Florida
...two days til Rudolph on TV...
Monday, November 24, 2008
I wasn't sure quite where to put Michigan, UCLA and Xavier. My hold up with UCLA wasn't so much as they lost the game, but don't appear to have a go to scorer, which will matter in a lot of games.
Xavier looked better than I thought. I imagine this week will sort out some things.
1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Louisville
4. Duke
5. Purdue
6. Notre Dame
7. Michigan State
8. Texas
9. Pitt
10. Oklahoma
11. Xavier
12. Gonzaga
13. Tennessee
14. Marquette
15. Georgetown
16. Michigan
17. Memphis
18. UCLA
19. Arizona State
20. St. Mary's
21. Villanova
22. Kansas
23. Florida
24. Davidson
25. Miami
...one day til Jacksonville State...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
W1. James Madison
W2. Appalachian State
W3. Cal Poly
4. Northern Iowa
5. Wofford
6. Villanova
7. Montana
8. Richmond
9. Southern Illinois
10. Weber State
11. New Hampshire
12. Harvard
13. SC State
14. Colgate
15. Central Arkansas
16. Grambling
17. Eastern Kentucky
18. Jacksonville State
19. Liberty
20. Maine
21. Elon
22. Tenn-Martin
23. William & Mary
24. Furman
25. UMass
...two days til Jacksonville State...
Monday, November 17, 2008
I spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out where I was going to insert URI and how far I'd drop Duke before the Blue Devils squeaked it out. This is the same poll as last week.
1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Louisville
4. UCLA
5. Purdue
6. Notre Dame
7. Michigan State
8. Texas
9. Pitt
10. Oklahoma
11. Gonzaga
12. Duke
13. Tennessee
14. Memphis
15. Marquette
16. Georgetown
17. USC
18. Arizona State
19. St. Mary's
20. Villanova
21. Xavier
22. Kansas
23. Davidson
24 Ohio State
25. Miami
Football - First time in quite some time that UMass doesn't appear here.
1. James Madison
2. Appalachian State
3. Cal Poly
4. Northern Iowa
5. Weber State
6. Wofford
7. Villanova
8. Montana
9. Richmond
10. Southern Illinois
11. Maine
12. Elon
13. Harvard
14. New Hampshire
15. Tenn-Martin
16. William & Mary
17. SC State
18. Colgate
19. Furman
20. Central Arkansas
21. Grambling
22. McNeese State
23. Jacksonville State
24. Holy Cross
25. Eastern Kentucky
...16.5 hours til Cal vs. Kellogg tips...
Monday, November 10, 2008
1. James Madison
2. Appalachian State
3. Cal Poly
4. Northern Iowa
5. Weber State
6. Wofford
7. Villanova
8. Montana
9. Richmond
10. Southern Illinois
11. Elon
12. Furman
13. William & Mary
14. Maine
15. Harvard
16. New Hampshire
17. Tenn-Martin
18. SC State
19. Colgate
20. Central Arkansas
21. UMass
22. Grambling
23. Tenn State
24. McNeese State
25. Lafayette
...two days til hoops...
Monday, November 3, 2008
1. James Madison
2. Appalachian State
3. Cal Poly
4. Northern Iowa
5. Weber State
6. Wofford
7. Villanova
8. Montana
9. Richmond
10. Southern Illinois
11. Elon
12. New Hampshire
13. Furman
14. William & Mary
15. UMass
16. Harvard
17. Tenn-Martin
18. Maine
19. Northwestern State
20. SC State
21. Colgate
22. Central Arkansas
23. No. Arizona
24. Grambling
25. Tenn State
...one week til UMass-Maine...
