Mumme Poll, Week 15

Here it is kids, my final Mumme Poll for the regular season. As always, top 5 noted by asterisk with explanations to follow:

Alabama*
Florida*
Texas*
Oklahoma*
USC*
Penn State
Texas Tech
Utah
Boise State
Ohio State
TCU
Oklahoma State

-Alabama is in top five despite the loss to Florida. They didnʼt get their doors blown off like I expected and showed that maybe they did deserve that #1 ranking. The game with Utah should be interesting, but I expect them to win fairly easily. Obviously, project #1 for Nick Saban has to be to figure out a way to throw the ball when needed. Once they get down two scores, they donʼt have much of a chance at coming back.

-Florida had their most impressive victory of the year IMO. Thatʼs the first team thatʼs not crapped its pants just because Florida was on the other sideline since Ole Miss. Iʼm impressed with this team this year and I wonder whether Oklahoma can beat them. They have the championship team mettle and that showed during the SEC game.

-Texas is still in top 5 after being idle. They get a consolation prize of the BCS punching bag known as Ohio State. Letʼs see them take out their frustrations on the sweater vests.

-Oklahoma obliterated another team. This teamʼs offense is clicking on all cylinders right now and showing no signs of slowing down. I wonder if the surgery on Bradfordʼs hand will affect him in the title game. Iʼm excited to see this team go up against an elite defense and see if they can still chuck it around like theyʼve been doing.

-Penn State is smelling roses. I still donʼt think they can beat Alabama or USC, so that keeps them out of the top five. Weʼll find out half of that assumption on New Yearʼs Day.

-Texas Tech sure fell off the map quick. Apparently Leach is target #1 for Auburn. I wonder how Bobby Lowder will respond to Pirate football. This team gets a chance to redeem itself against Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl. That should be a good one.

-Utah is going to the Sugar Bowl. Hereʼs hoping they play more like Utah of ʽ04/Boise State ʼ06, than Hawaii ʼ07.

-Boise State remains in the top twelve after an unbeaten season, but no BCS dreams for them.

-Ohio State is going to the Fiesta Bowl. Hopefully because this game doesnʼt have national title implications riding on it, theyʼll actually show up and be competitive.

-TCU is in the top twelve. Maybe TCU deserves some national title credit. They along with Texas held the Oklahoma offense to its season low output of 35. Oh wait, they lost to Oklahoma. Nevermind then.

-This last spot was difficult to pick because Ball State decided to crap the bed against Buffalo. I mean who else are you going to put here. I went with Oklahoma State because they were the least embarrassed by Oklahoma in the last few weeks.

-This took about 10 minutes to compile as the only change from last week is Ball State being replaced by Oklahoma State. Itʼs been a fun ride this year. Iʼm curious to see how everything turns out after the bowls. Are we going to take it upon ourselves to crown a champion or are we going to be like the Coachesʼ Poll and automatically vote the BCS Title game winner?

Mumme Poll, Week 14

Okay, it's been a couple of days and now I've had time to relax and reflect after Saturday. I've gone on to more constructive things like my weekly Mumme Poll! Results should be up at the Senator's site tomorrow. Top 5 are noted by asterisk, with explanations to follow:

Alabama*
Florida*
Texas*
Oklahoma*
USC*
Utah
Texas Tech
Penn State
Ohio State
Boise State
TCU
Ball State


-My top five hasn’t changed from the past week

-Alabama and Florida set to meet in one of the more anticipated SEC title games with a bid to the BCS National Championship Game on the line.

-Texas and Oklahoma finish tied in the Big 12 South with Oklahoma representing the South in the title game due to BCS rankings. I don’t know if one can say that Oklahoma was not deserving, but that’s sure got to sting for the people in Austin. I guess looking at the season as a whole, beating Cincinnati and TCU is more impressive than anything Texas did out of conference. I’m sure that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.

-USC put the proverbial final nail in Charlie Weis’ coffin on Saturday. How did this team lose to Oregon State?? Their defense took the 1st half of that game off and has been lights out the rest of the season. I’d love to see a USC/Florida bowl game.

-Utah is idle, likely has its bid to New Orleans locked up.

-Texas Tech squeaks by Baylor. I guess in the end, a Cotton Bowl bid isn’t a bad consolation, but it’s certainly strange that they were completely out of the running for the Big 12 South. The loss to Oklahoma certainly was crippling, but this team went from national title front runner to 3rd best team in the Big 12 in a week. Using the BCS was definitely the wrong way to go about it.

-Penn State locked up its Rose Bowl bid and was idle. Joe Paterno also had successful hip replacement surgery so hopefully he'll be on the sidelines for the game. Say what you will, but Joe Paterno should stick around as long as he wants. He's one of the reasons why I love college football so much more than the NFL. He's an institution.

-Ohio State, also idle, is looking at a BCS at-large bid. Who would have thought that after the demolition in LA back in September. Kudos to Jim Tressel for keeping the troops focused and to the rest of the Big 10 (outside of Penn State) for being a glorified pillow fight. The Big Ten is kinda like the SEC this year with a huge gap between the top and the middle.

-Boise State was idle this past week, but they likely won't get a BCS bid. Per Mark Schlabach's chat on ESPN.com today and here (H/T, Senator), the gears are turning to get a bowl matchup with Ball State. That could be exciting. Like the Senator, I remember that great Liberty Bowl in 2004 when Boise State played Louisville. Maybe the most exciting game I've ever watched.

-TCU is the next best team IMO so they get in.

-Ball State gets in b/c they’re undefeated. I wanted to put GA Tech here, but I can’t get over the thrashing by UNC, the near miss to Gardner Webb, and Virginia Tech game. Tech was no doubt impressive in its last two games, but they got beat by some pretty inferior competition this year. Then again, that's the story of the year in the ACC this year. Their slogan should be "Thursday night in the ACC!!: Where ranked teams go to die". Ball State gets in by default as I refuse to consider a Big East team or any other ACC team.

-This took me 15 minutes.

-The first 10 teams were pretty easy to pick, but the final two were a toss-up for me. I don’t think Boise or Ball State are great teams, but honestly who else are you going to put there? Missouri lost, Oklahoma State got thrashed to home, and Georgia played the most depressing game since the loss to Tech in 1999. Of the three loss teams, I believe Tech may be the best, but who knows.

I know everyone hates this word, but I think it rings truer today than ever in college football. Parity exists, folks. The top flight programs are still going to stay at the top, but with the spread of talent due to scholarship limitations, any team is vulnerable on any given Saturday.

Mumme Poll, Week 13

After the crazy shake-up that was the weekend in college football, here is my Mumme Poll for Week 13.  The results will be up at the Senator's site on Wednesday.  Top 5 noted by asterisk with explanations to follow.

Alabama*

Florida*

Texas*

Oklahoma*

USC*

Utah

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Penn State

Ohio State

Missouri

Georgia

- Alabama remains in the top 5 after an idle week

- Florida remains in the top 5 after an idle week.  Wait, they played this weekend?  I thought that was a scrimmage.  They put up 70 points on a hapless FCS school?? Oh, I guess that's supposed to be impressive.  Does anyone remember the scene from "There's Something About Mary" where Matt Dillon's character is playing the group of mentally handicapped people in flag football and he just runs over everyone while stiff arming them and essentially kicking their helpless asses?  Yeah, that's what Saturday's game for Florida vs. the Citadel was.  Let's see if they put up 70 against FSU, then I'll be impressed.  It really is a joke to me that big time schools would schedule an FCS opponent this late in the season.

- Texas has hope again after Oklahoma beat Texas Tech this weekend.  In the current BCS rankings, Texas is ranked above Oklahoma so as of right now, they are in line to represent the South in the Big 12 title game.  That could change if Oklahoma beats Okie State this weekend.

- Oklahoma remains in the top five after depantsing Texas Tech on national television.  I can't remember the last time a team absolutely embarassed it's opponent like that on the national state.  Oh wait, I forgot that Georgia played Florida and Alabama this year on the national stage this year, and got embarassed both times.  I digress.

- USC switches places with Texas Tech because of Tech's loss and USC's bye week.  They take on Notre Dame next weekend in LA.  That should be the final nail in Charlie Weis' proverbial coffin.  I'd really like to see this team play Florida because I think their defense against Florida's offense would be a great matchup.  Right now it looks like USC will be playing post-season ball in either Tempe or New Orleans because it's becoming clearer that Oregon State will be in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

- Utah pretty much assured themselves of another trip to Tempe.  By securing a second BCS trip in four years, I believe they reached the level of national respect that most teams in the BCS conferences get.  Congrats, Utes.

- Texas Tech, where do I start with you? Garrrrr, Bob Stoops stole all your pirate gold.  Let me go ahead and sent out a big THANK YOU for going ahead and crapping your pants on national television on Saturday.  Georgia won't be the only team that did it this year.

- Oklahoma State remains in the top twelve after a bye week.  They have a big game with Oklahoma this weekend that could boost their credentials for inclusion in the top five.

- Penn State is smelling roses.  Penn State clinched its first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1994 with an utter demolition of Michigan State on Saturday.  Congrats to Joe Paterno who told the pep rally crowd on Friday that he will be returning for another year in 2009.  He underwent a successful hip replacement surgery on Sunday and should be ready for the Rose Bowl on January 1st.

- Ohio State kept Michigan in that game for far too long.  Still, their only two losses are to USC and Penn State, so all in all a pretty good year for the sweater vests.

- Missouri remains in the top twelve on an idle week.

- Georgia also remains in the top twelve on an idle week.  Things may change next week depending on how they handle the NATS.

- This took me about five minutes to compile.  The only changes were switching USC and Texas Tech in the top five.

Mumme Poll, Week 12

Posting's been pretty light the last week. I'm trying to wrap up an audit at one of my clients so real life has taken some precedent. Here's my Mumme Poll for Week 12. The results for the poll are located here. Top five noted by asterisk, explanations to follow:

Florida*
Alabama*
Texas Tech*
Texas*
Oklahoma*
Oklahoma State
USC
Missouri
Utah
Penn State
Ohio State
Georgia

- Florida is the best team in the country right now. They are playing at a level that hasnʼt been seen since the Nebraska teams of the mid-90s. Sure upsets can happen (see Ole Miss), but I honestly donʼt see the point for the teams left on their schedule to even show up right now. Not one team left on their schedule will stay within 21 points of this team, Alabama and whatever Big 12 team they play in the MNC game included.

- Alabama gave a scare for one half after Miss. St. went up 7-5, but ended up pulling away and blowing them out mostly due to special teams play and defense. Has there been a more unimpressive QB on a national title contender in recent years (Craig Krenzel & Matt Mauk included)?

- Texas Tech remains in the top five during the bye week. Weʼll know more about the MNC after Saturday when they play Oklahoma. They surely will be underdogs and we can see if the pirate power can stand up for one more big time game before the Big 12 championship.

- Texas took care of business against Kansas and besides Florida is still the most impressive one loss team in America.

- Oklahoma remains in the top five after dispatching a helpless Texas A&M team this weekend. They have a good chance to get back in the MNC carousel if they can beat Texas Tech this weekend. Iʼm guessing Oklahoma will be about a seven point favorite or so.

- Oklahoma State took care of a tougher than expected Colorado team and are probably the best of the two loss teams at this point.

- USC remains in the top twelve after fighting off another scare from the Cardinal and pulling away in the second half. This teamʼs defense could keep it in the game against just about anyone. Iʼd love to see them play Florida if both miss out on the MNC.

- Missouri is in the top twelve after dispatching of Iowa State pretty handily on the road. They still have a chance to throw a wrench in the BCS if they should win the Big 12 title game.

- Utah destroyed San Diego State and the only thing between them and a BCS-at large bid is a game next week against BYU at home.

- Penn State stays in the top twelve during an idle week.

- Ohio State beat the Fighting ʽZookers on the road and other than the crap your pants effort at USC, this team hasnʼt looked half bad this season.

- Georgia is the last team in. It was a toss-up between them and Boise State for me. Boise State struggled on the road with a hapless Idaho team while Georgia struggled on the road with a hapless Auburn team. Iʼm more impressed by the Auburn struggle than the Idaho struggle, therefore Georgia gets the final spot. This team better spend the next two weeks learning to tackle or Jonathan Dwyerʼs going to make them look silly.

-I spent about 5 minutes compiling this as my ballot didnʼt change from last week.

Mumme Poll, Week 11

I participate in a weekly polling over at the Senator's site. For an explanation, here is the basic premise for the poll. Below is my Mumme Poll for Week 11. Top 5 are noted by asterisks, explanations to follow. Also, note that my teams are ranked in no particular order, so just because they're the last team in the list doesn't mean I think they're the worst of the top 12 and vice-versa for first in the top 5:

Alabama*
Texas Tech*
Florida*
Oklahoma*
Texas*

Utah
Southern California
Penn State
Oklahoma State
Missouri
Ohio State
Georgia

- Alabama won the type of game that championship teams usually have one of during the year. A game that they grinded out despite playing fairly poorly.

- Now that Texas Tech is running the football and playing defense, they might have a claim to the best team in the country.

- Florida obliterated Vanderbilt on the road clinching the SEC East. They have no real challenges between them and Miami outside of the SEC Title Game. They are clicking on all cylinders and Tebow is trying to make another case for the Heisman.

- Oklahoma gets in the top five over Southern Cal because the loss to Texas is not nearly as bad as the loss to Oregon State. Oklahoma has practically quit playing defense this season once their LB Ryan Reynolds went down, but the offense hasn't let up at all. Should they beat Texas Tech, the tiebreaker for the Big 12 title game gets interesting.

- Texas remains in the top five after taking care of business against Baylor. I can't fault them for losing on what was essentially the last play of the game against Texas Tech.

- Utah is in the top twelve by virtue of their game against TCU last week which was a real slug fest if you watched it. You could argue they were the beneficiary of some missed field goals, but they're still undefeated and still beat the team that beat the OMG Best Team Ever.

- Speaking of the OMG Best Team Ever, Southern California remains in the top twelve with virtually no shot of moving into the top five the rest of the season. They've played no one of value since the Oregon State game and I'm penalizing them as such.

- Penn State drops out of the top five, but remains in the top twelve after the mind-boggling loss at Iowa. I'm blaming it on the pink locker rooms. How do you think the Rose Bowl feels about it's potential Rose Bowl match up of Penn State-Oregon State right now? For those that have forgotten, Penn State beat Oregon State 45-14 in September.

- Oklahoma State remains in the top twelve despite getting pretty much annihilated by Texas Tech. The game they played at Texas carries a lot of clout in my mind. I just think Texas Tech is playing at another level right now, so I'm not holding that against the Cowboys.

- Missouri gets back in the top twelve based on TCU's loss. Missouri's two losses are better than TCU's right now and they've pretty much wrapped up the Big 12 North.

- Ohio State is in the top twelve after a win against Northwestern this weekend. The only blemishes to date are to the two potential Rose Bowl participants, so their resume doesn't look too bad right now, but not too great either.

- Georgia sneaks back into my top twelve after a gut check win in Lexington. Honestly, if the only other team with a top twelve argument were anyone but Ball State, the Dawgs wouldn't be in my top twelve. This team has some serious issues on the defensive side of the ball right now. In the end, their two losses have come to the #1 and #3 ranked teams in the country right now. If I'm not going to hold Texas Tech's annihilation against Oklahoma State because Tech is playing at another level right now, then I reserve the right to use the same rationale for Georgia getting destroyed by Florida.

- This week's poll took me a little longer this week to work on, approximately 45 minutes.

- There's no room in my poll for any Big East teams or ACC teams at this point of the season. North Carolina came closest, but they've got this ugly losses against Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Let me know what you folks think, agree or disagree.

Mumme Poll, Week 10

Hopefully any Dawg fans out there are reading the Senator. If not, shame on you. He has a weekly poll that he started in reference to the absurdity that was New Mexico coach Hal Mumme's final 2007 poll. The details of how voting works are spelled out here. Anyways, here's the Mumme Poll I submitted for Week 10. Top 5 are noted by asterisks, explanations to follow. Also, note that my teams are ranked in no particular order, so just because they're the last team in the list doesn't mean I think they're the worst of the top 12 and vice-versa for first in the top 5:

Alabama*
Texas Tech*
Florida*
Penn State*
Texas*

Oklahoma
Southern California
TCU
Utah
Georgia Tech
Oklahoma State
Ball State

- Alabama remains in the top five because they took care of business like they were supposed to.

- Texas Tech moves into the top five after pretty much dominating Texas for the majority of the ballgame on both sides of the ball and I'm finally a pirate believer now.

- Florida might be the best team in the country right now. They don't wow you with offense like last year, but they are well coached and like Vanderbilt earlier this season, will make you pay for all your mistakes (see Georgia and Kentucky games).

- Penn State remains in top five being idle. 

- Texas played horribly for three and a half quarters, but put it all together near the end. They have an argument with Florida as to who is the best one-loss team in America.

- Oklahoma stays in the top 12, but doesn't crack the top five. Just from the eyeball test, it looks like they've quit playing defense this year. If their offense ever sputters, there are a lot of teams that could beat them.

- Southern Cal remains in top 12 after posting another shutout. Seriously, is their defense this good, or have they not played a real offense yet? I think it's that good.

- TCU & Utah are riding together in the top 12 from the Mountain West looking to become BCS busters.

- Georgia Tech gets in after an impressive win over Florida State aided by a timely defensive goal line play that caused the game-ending fumble. Who would have thought that of the two major teams in Georgia, Georgia Tech now has the only realistic shot at a BCS bowl?

- Oklahoma State is in the top 12, and they're closer to the top five than being out of my ballot entirely. That loss to Texas was not bad and they'll get their shot against Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the coming weeks to prove they belong in the top five.

- Ball State rounds out my ballot merely because I couldn't justify putting Ohio State or West Virginia in.

- I spent about 25 minutes compiling this.

- I dropped Georgia this week from my ballot. I can't put my finger on why Georgia is fast becoming the Ohio State of the SEC, but this is becoming rather embarassing to show up for big games and continously get your ass handed to you.