College Football Poll: The Top 11 and The Pick 6 and more

Playoff….Polls….Selection committee….Strength of Schedule….Access Bowls….Welcome to the new world of College Football. We happen to believe polls still matter. Why? We like polls. The little number next  to the team’s logo on TV tells us this is a good team. And if both have a number next to their logo…it’s really big.  If you don’t think the playoff selection committee will be influenced by polls, you are wrong.  When the Harris Poll came into the formula for the BCS, it rarely differed from the AP Poll or the Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll came out after the season started. We are creatures of habit and the playoff selection committee will have the same habits as all other voters in polls. Sure, they may have more data in front of them than coaches when they put their poll together, but you will not find a team ranked 12th in the Coaches Poll ranked 2 or 3 in the playoff committee’s poll. Speaking of polls, we have changed as well. Gone is the top 25. Why? Because we said so. We give you the top 11. Why 11? Because the selection committee is not just picking the top four teams for their little invitational(It’s not a playoff. Playoffs don’t have at-large bids. Playoffs have specific guidelines that determine what a team needs to do to make a playoff. This new system is not a playoff). The committee is also picking the teams for the other Access Bowls. That also includes the top team from the Group of 5, that’s all the conferences Texas AD Steve Patterson hates and believes Texas pays for. Or the group where about a dozen teams would roll Wake Forest even though their president explains why autonomy is so good. So we get 11 from the Power 5 and one from the Group of 5. Would we ever rank a Group of 5 team in the Top 11? Sure, if we think they are one of the 11 best teams in the country. We rank teams based on what they’ve done. Since no one has done anything so far, we are ranking teams based on who we believe are the best teams going into the season. So here comes the Top 11 and the Pick 6(top teams from the Group of Five conferences-where the committee will select their top team who gets a berth in one of the Access Bowls) TOP 11 TW      LW      TEAM 1          -           Florida State- A 2.5 touchdown favorite against Oklahoma State? Yes, sounds about right 2          -           Alabama- Saban has won with first-year starters at QB. Plenty of talent 3          -           UCLA- We are high on the Bruins who get Oregon, Stanford and USC at home 4          -          Michigan State- Sparty may lose at Oregon, but they are good and team to beat in the Big Ten 5          -          Oklahoma- Is Trevor Knight good or did he have one really big game? 6          -          Auburn- Great seasons need a miracle or two but can you do it again? 7          -          Oregon- Like shampoo…score, score, repeat and not win national title 8          -          Ohio State- Do not think they drop much without Miller. Why? Because Urban Meyer is good 9          -          LSU- I can listen to Les Miles read poetry and I’d love it 10       –           South Carolina- If Mike Davis is healthy is one of the best backs in the country 11        -          Stanford- Because David Shaw is very good and someday will make  jump to NFL Just missed: USC, Baylor, Clemson, Arizona State PICK 6 TW     LW      TEAM 1          -          UCF- Bortles gone but plenty of talent on offense and defense back seven is back 2         –          Cincinnati- Suddenly Ohio State game gets interesting and will give Miami(the one in Florida) fits 3         –          Boise State- A lot of people love Ole Miss. Rebels get Broncs to start season in a good one 4         –          Louisiana-Lafayette- Get to know Mark Hudspeth. He won’t be at Lafayette much longer 5         –          Marshall- I get it. Many predict a 13-0 season. But the non-conference schedule is weak, really weak 6         –          Bowling Green- Can beat Indiana at home and travels to Wisconsin. Offense will be fun to watch Just missed: East Carolina, Houston, Arkansas State, Utah State CONFERENCE RANKINGS 1. SEC 2. Pac 12 3. Big XII 4. ACC 5. Big Ten 6. AAC 7. MWC 8. MAC 9. CUSA 10. Sun Belt