i think i'm on an island when i say this..... and maybe Bimini isl or one of the Faulken islands... somewhere nobody wants to be, whichever you choose.
POWER rankings, to me, are just about ALL about eye test. but there is more to it than that. consistency is what means (to me) how a team should rank in a real ranking. meaning, and in example:
(hypothetical mid season: )
we know tOSU is pretty good.. they've beaten everyone they've played. however, they barely beat an ooc VT, though the week before they stomped a mud hole in the Illini, who beat VT like a drum..
meanwhile, VT just doesn't play well unless they play somebody nowhere near as talented- but then they click and and put up 50+ points... except in that Illini game, who took them out of their comfort zone on that day, and because (to the eye) VT didn't have an answer for one key position- which was the slot receiver. tOSU DID have an answer to that Illini threat and shut them down- the fighting Illini had nothing that would budge tOSU, but VT did- they got in a dogfight upfront pushing match, and almost beat tOSU- neither team could move the ball through the air, and maybe because tOSU doesn't have a slot threat like the Illini have, or maybe because VT figured out a way to stop that from happening again.
other than these games, VT is 5-2, the fighting Illini are 4-3, and tOSU is 7-0...
who has the best team (ignoring the helmets)?
to me, this is ALL about eye test, and it's all about power rankings- and both feed overall rankings. consistency is the key- if a team can pass at will against anyone they play (or rush... or both) no matter who they play, and they are consistent week in week out, then... they're pretty dang good... if a team just flashes momentarily, but look like they can beat anyone WHILE they flash, then- they are a pretty dang good team but just not consistent, so... lower ranking. it's the consistency i think that separates teams with similar builds- and that's on coaching (preparation) and execution more than anything imHo, and why we give 'helmet' teams breaks, and also- the better coaches are far more consistent... hence why they're good coaches... and why we're suspect of 'pan flashers'...
imHo, the ACC has done everything it can to bury the reputation they earned in the early part of the century, and they are the conference atop the others.