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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Cincydawg on December 31, 2022, 11:56:04 AM

Title: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: Cincydawg on December 31, 2022, 11:56:04 AM
2022 Preseason Football Polls | College Poll Archive (http://www.collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=1202)

Teams in the top ten in 2022 preseason include Oklahoma, A&M, ND, and Utah.  TCU got zero votes.

The top three did well, #4 was Clemson who wasn't awful, but not that.  ND was #5, they ended up "OK".  Michigan State was 15 followed by Miami at 16.  This is probably close to typical, the top three nearly always end up in the top ten.  From there it gets dicey.
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: FearlessF on December 31, 2022, 12:37:53 PM
obviously, the preseason or even early season polls don't matter a bit
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on December 31, 2022, 02:14:04 PM
What was the least important preseason poll of all time? 
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: Cincydawg on January 01, 2023, 07:56:01 AM
Dunno ... missing TCU obviously was a thing this year.  They obviously caught some breaks, but that happens in CFB.  I guess we'll read more about TCU and how they got there now.  

I was pullin' for them, even if the refs weren't.  \\\
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: MrNubbz on January 01, 2023, 08:41:17 AM
What you did there - I saw it
   (https://media0.giphy.com/media/ZqlvCTNHpqrio/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47n85kdzr4pwrakkfzr7g085g6wwi4rsw7yxj4ydy1&rid=giphy.gif) 
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: Gigem on January 02, 2023, 08:51:13 AM
None of the polls are important at all anymore.  With the CFP going to 12 teams there is absolutely no reason to even have them. They’re really just talking points for sports writers and sports media. 
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: FearlessF on January 02, 2023, 08:53:23 AM
They've always been just talking points for sports writers and sports media.

until the final poll
Title: Re: Preseason Polls? Do they matter?
Post by: bayareabadger on January 02, 2023, 09:26:13 AM
None of the polls are important at all anymore.  With the CFP going to 12 teams there is absolutely no reason to even have them. They’re really just talking points for sports writers and sports media.
More than that, fans love them. Absolutely love them. If the high-end media didn't provide them, the mid-grade would. And if they didn't the low end would. People love things ranked and love complaining about rankings. 

I remember reading somewhere, the preseason AP poll was a relatively good predictor, in part because the bar for any predictions are rather low. College football is simultaneously somewhat static, but also super random. 

This year was interesting because there was sort of a big gap. You had 10 teams that started ranked and finished ranked, and most of of them moved negligibly. ND fell from 5 to 21. NC State dropped from 13 to 23, which is honestly a difference of like one win. Next biggest move was Michigan from 8 to 2.

But you also had 15 dang teams that fell out, some spectacularly (Oklahoma, A&M, Baylor, I guess OKState). Here's how everyone that dropped out finished:

6 Texas A&M 5-7
9 Oklahoma 6-7
10 Baylor 6-7
12 Oklahoma State 7-6
15 Michigan State 5-7
16 Miami (FL) 5-7
17 Pitt 9-4
18 Wisconsin 7-6
19 Arkansas 7-6
20 Kentucky 7-6
21 Ole Miss 8-5
22 Wake Forest 8-5
23 Cincinnati 9-4
24 Houston 8-5
25 BYU 8-5

Some of those might bounce back in when the final comes out (thought bowls are sort of terrible for rankings. All in all, a few big swings, a lot of minor ones, which is just how the sport goes, a presume.