Phil Steele says no dice for Huskers in AP

[RedDenver]

Everyone realizes that all past experiences we have had with polls are meaningless now, right? A committee is picking who goes to the 4-team playoff and which team outside the big 5 conferences (previously known as the BCS conferences less the Big East) will get into a major bowl. The other teams in the bowl games are back to the old system of mostly conference tie-ins.

It doesn't matter whether you can climb back up the polls because you lose early or late. The polls are completely and utterly meaningless. It's a brand new world in college football.

I see what you're saying but it is still of relative importance where a team is ranked. It can't be completely top 4 or bust mentality. If that were the case, should we quit paying attention for this season already? Because, I hate to break the news but, we very likely will not be top 4 by the end of the upcoming season (I know- I'm really going out on a limb here with this prediction). I can guarantee that most fans will feel it is important and meaningful if we are ranked #6 or #10 or #20 or unranked come seasons end.

What difference where we're ranked if we go to the Rose Bowl? Or if we're #5 and end up in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl? Much like basketball, the polls will become less and less talked about or relevant.

 

[Junior]

Wait... this is a prediction of the preseason AP Top 25? And people care?

 

[Landlord]

What difference where we're ranked if we go to the Rose Bowl? Or if we're #5 and end up in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl? Much like basketball, the polls will become less and less talked about or relevant.

What if we were one of three one-loss teams vying for the last spot of the playoff, but started unranked while the other two started ranked?

 

[knapplc]

We'd probably have quite a bit of momentum to get into that last spot, in that scenario. To go from unranked to vying for the last playoff spot means a pretty meteoric rise, and that makes for a pretty compelling storyline.

I doubt a team would be kept out of the playoffs because they started the season unranked. That wouldn't be a metric they'd use to determine who's in or out.

 

[sd'sker]

We'd probably have quite a bit of momentum to get into that last spot, in that scenario. To go from unranked to vying for the last playoff spot means a pretty meteoric rise, and that makes for a pretty compelling storyline.

I doubt a team would be kept out of the playoffs because they started the season unranked. That wouldn't be a metric they'd use to determine who's in or out.

but we wouldn't want to be the ultra preantepenultimate team in that scenario.

 

[Landlord]

I doubt a team would be kept out of the playoffs because they started the season unranked. That wouldn't be a metric they'd use to determine who's in or out.

Not because of that reason specifically, but the point is that the polls, especially the early pointless polls, perpetuate bias and influence perspective.

 

[Redux]

The polls are great for telling us who SHOULD be good. Florida did a great job showing us that isnt always the case. Also, do we need Alabama to be ranked 1 or 2 to tell us they are gonna be great? No, we just need to remember there are guys out there paying the best athletes to go play for Saban.

WhOops got a little off topic. The preseasons dont matter until week 1. Then they add flare to early decent non con matchups, and yes set some early bias. But winning solves our woes so if Phil Steele wants to eat some crow in April, coolio.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

The polls are great for telling us who SHOULD be good. Florida did a great job showing us that isnt always the case. Also, do we need Alabama to be ranked 1 or 2 to tell us they are gonna be great? No, we just need to remember there are guys out there paying the best athletes to go play for Saban.

WhOops got a little off topic. The preseasons dont matter until week 1. Then they add flare to early decent non con matchups, and yes set some early bias. But winning solves our woes so if Phil Steele wants to eat some crow in April, coolio.

there's a pack mentality where the AP voters will follow guys like Steele and most likely the committee will follow the AP. So the gossip matters a bit.

But big money programs should get the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

The polls have meant nothing until the final one of the year. Basically, the preseason polls are saying that they are picking 2 teams to play for the NC in APRIL and as long as they don't lose, that's what it will be.

The BCS rankings from time to time have jumbled the top 3 or 4 as long as they were undefeated but it never varied drastically. So who gives a damn if you're ranked #9 or #29 in April?

The polls do mean something. They establish an early bias. This can be unfairly beneficial and also detrimental to a team depending on where they're at - especially good teams from non-AQ conferences; their ability to make BCS games depends entirely on being ranked a certain place in the polls. Being ranked higher lends you more media coverage and attention, which in turn makes you more visible and in a more positive way to recruits, gets you better tv slots, etc.

Being unranked early is less meaningful than losing late.

Nebraska and the Big 10 are hardly under the radar. If Nebraska wins, we'll be in the mix. If there's a bias, it's on our side.

Frankly, we play better with less pressure and less expectation. Being unranked early doesn't hurt us at all. We've earned our current non-ranking. Hopefully that rankles the players a bit.

And we will still be on TV every week.

 

[Redux]

Nebraska doesnt require an early top 25 ranking if we go undefeated. The name alone sells itself. With wins, we will move up. Yeah a late loss can easily bury us though.

 

[knapplc]

I doubt a team would be kept out of the playoffs because they started the season unranked. That wouldn't be a metric they'd use to determine who's in or out.

Not because of that reason specifically, but the point is that the polls, especially the early pointless polls, perpetuate bias and influence perspective.

Yes, I do agree with this.

 

[Landlord]

Frankly, we play better with less pressure and less expectation.

I thought this was an interesting statement, and wasn't sure whether or not I agreed with it, so I ran some quick numbers. Here's our win-loss record under Bo broken down into where we were ranked at the time.

Outside the top 25 - 23-8

Top 21-25 - 9-7

Top 16-20 - 7-5

Top 11-15 - 7-3

Top 6-10 - 10-3

Top 1-5 - 0-1

Add those up and our record while ranked is 33-9 versus 23-8 unranked. Whatever that's worth. My numbers might also have mistakes.

 

[Redux]

Interesting numbers but the thing thats missing is overall performance in said games. The team plays with a bit more grit and tencity and focus.

 

[Landlord]

Interesting numbers but the thing thats missing is overall performance in said games. The team plays with a bit more grit and tencity and focus.

When?

 

[Redux]

Interesting numbers but the thing thats missing is overall performance in said games. The team plays with a bit more grit and tencity and focus.

When?

Dangit....Im at work doing this from my phone so no links are gonna happen.

Okay take 2011 for example. We drip a horrid game to Wiscy. Were getting manhandled by tOSU but a spark happens and we comeback big time. Same year we drop an uninspired game to the purples and travel up to Happy Valley and play some smashmouth old school ball with PSU for a win.

2012 we get blasted by the buckeyes after dropping a game to the bruins. Bo says win the eff out.

Comeback win at NW, Blast Michigan at home, comeback at Sparty, hard fought win over PSU, handle Minny, and hold off Iowa to win out. Granted what followed that was god awful but winning out that year was some fun gritty, entertaining football. It felt like the 2 losses on their record at that point made them more focused and more ready to do whatever necessary to win.

Even last year when the chips were down, injuries piled up, we found ways to win with our backs against the wall. Maybe our W-L record isnt the greatest but were a hell of alot of fun to watch. Its seemed like the last few years it was "National Title Year" mentality from the team. Theyd play tight and uninspired. Once that first loss or two set in the monkeys off the back and they playmore loosely but also play with more purpose because if not things could go really badly.

Maybe Im alone on this, just my perception.