Post Your Top 10

[OrangeAfroMan]

Army and Pitt became the 52nd and 53rd teams to be ranked this season, setting a record for the most ranked teams since the poll expanded to 25 in 1989. The previous high was 51 teams ranked in 2008.

This doesn't sound lazy.............

Boy, you really want me to be wrong, don't you?
It is lazy, actually, because they automatically drop a team that loses out of the rankings, look around for the unranked team with the best record, and throw them in.   

[Cincydawg]

I drop a team that loses out of the rankings and look around for some unranked team to add also.

[Cincydawg]

I suppose there is a rational alternative somewhere.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Well let's take Cincinnati.  They were barely ranked and played undefeated, highly-ranked UCF, they lost.  But weren't they supposed to lose?  
So they lose the team they're supposed to lose to and they're moved out of the top 25 and replaced with Whoever State. 

Why?  Because it's a herd of 61 sheep.

[Cincydawg]

I imagine some of these sheep ranked Cincinnati, right?  Others getting votes?

AS I said way back, these folks are busy, they spend MAYBE 5 minutes on this, at most.  They know their contribution is of "limited" influence anyway.  Round up the usual suspects.

This is why folks wanted to try computers back in the day.  "We" learned that algorithms are subject to weirdness at times.  Thanks Al Gore!!!

[OrangeAfroMan]

This is why folks wanted to try computers back in the day.  "We" learned that algorithms are subject to weirdness at times.  Thanks Al Gore!!!

By this, I think you meant "We learned that algorithms don't contain nearly as much of the inherent bias as people do."  Right?

[Cincydawg]

No, I mean what I said, algorithms are the classic example of GIGO.

And that is why we almost NEVER hear about computer rankings today.  If they had any real value, they'd be front and center.

[Kris60]

By this, I think you meant "We learned that algorithms don't contain nearly as much of the inherent bias as people do."  Right?

I’m with CD on this.  Some of the stuff these computers spit out defies explanation.  Sagarin is one of the more well known and cited computer rankings.  Here are some of his current gems.
Iowa is 7-4 and ranked 8th in the country with a SOS of 32.
Penn St is 8-3 with a SOS of 16 and a win over Iowa.  They are ranked 10th.
Mississippi St is 7-4 and ranked 9th in the country with a SOS of 27.
LSU is 9-2 with a SOS of 20 and a win over Miss St.  They are ranked 15th.
Oh, and North Dakota St is ranked 23rd in the country.  Not in FBS, but including all the FCS teams.

[Cincydawg]

One year here "we" devised our own computer ranking system with help from The Bobs.  It ended up  being "OK" as I recall, but only in the sense that it mostly mirrored the AP poll.

Yay, great accomplishment.

[FearlessF]

most reasonable systems mirror the lazy AP poll

[OrangeAfroMan]

No, I mean what I said, algorithms are the classic example of GIGO.

And that is why we almost NEVER hear about computer rankings today.  If they had any real value, they'd be front and center.

I couldn't disagree more. 
People don't trust objective computer rankings over people rankings.  Sort of like self-driving cars.  90% of traffic deaths could be averted with self-driving cars, but because there'd be no one to blame when a fatality did occur, no one wants them to catch on.
Computers were once used in college football, but not really.  Didn't trust them enough to use their actual algorithms, they were dictated to and compromised.  
If people were so smart, we'd trust the objective computers.

[OrangeAfroMan]

most reasonable systems mirror the lazy AP poll

How do you define "reasonable"?

[OrangeAfroMan]

btw, the committee having Florida at 11 is nuts.  Florida is nowhere near the 11th-best team in the country.

[Cincydawg]

Which team below Florida is better?

A lot of teams LOOK over ranked until you check the alternatives who look no better.

We all have opinions.  Computer algorithms are just complex human opinions, in general, adjusted by humans over time to make them appear to be "more reasonable", which means, more like human polls.  I bet with time one could perfect an algorithm that would mimic the AP poll 90% or better.  

And what would that accomplish?

And of course in football, you have the inherent problem of lack of syllogism.