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The Week 2 QuackPoll Fancies Itself Clairvoyant

That's the only way I can explain Wisconsin ranked 21st.

How do I get this cast in pewter and put atop a music box that plays the LSU fight song when you open it?
How do I get this cast in pewter and put atop a music box that plays the LSU fight song when you open it?
Bob Levey

Like I said last week, this poll tends to always be the wackiest. A one game sample size, plus a wide variety of voting methods and styles, equals some strangeness. And this week, I seem to be the one voting most outside the consensus, though I think I'm the only one with any sense. I voted on the Week 1 performances, and nothing else. You won't find an 0-1 team in my ballot, no matter how well I think they'll rebound. And you can't objectively justify ranking teams like LSU, Alabama, or UCLA, teams that underwhelmed in their opener, above teams like Texas A&M or Georgia, who looked fantastic. For the record, I voted Texas A&M #1, simply because they destroyed a good opponent on the road, while Georgia did it at home. The other voters, the ones who put Florida State or Alabama in the Top 5, or Wisconsin or South Carolina in the Top 25, did so because that's where they see those teams ending up come November, and not because of what they did in August. I think that's silly, but according to democracy, I'm a raving lunatic. Let's take a look at the poll:

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Rank Name Points (250 max)
1 Florida State (7) 232
2 Oregon 221
3 Georgia (2) 217
T-4 Alabama 196
T-4 Oklahoma 196
6 Texas A&M (1) 193
7 Michigan State 186
8 Baylor 170
9 USC 163
10 Stanford 159
11 Auburn 150
12 LSU 146
13 Arizona State 113
14 Ole Miss 101
15 UCLA 99
16 Ohio State 94
17 Notre Dame 93
18 Kansas State 74
19 Michigan 70
20 Nebraska 63
21 Wisconsin 43
22 North Carolina 33
23 Missouri 31
T-24 Arizona 30
T-24 Texas 30

Also receiving votes: Louisville (18), Oklahoma State (15), South Carolina (15), Clemson (14), California (12), Mississippi State (11), Duke (9), West Virginia (8), Utah (8), Maryland (7), Florida (6), Marshall (5), Rutgers (5), Temple (3), Indiana (1), UT-San Antonio (1)

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The Oregon bias keeps the Ducks at #2 despite lingering nits that we may be picking about the linebackers and special teams. The only 0-1 team to end up in the top 25 is Wisconsin, who were so polite in handing a free win to LSU on Saturday evening. I didn't rank either of those teams on principle because that game was so atrocious to watch. Again, I'm a raving lunatic.

The Drunken Voter this week is Brandon, who moved Wisconsin up two spots following their loss, from #15 to #13. That second-half collapse must have really made an impression.

The Lazy Voter this week wasn't all that lazy due to all the chaos, but I'm giving it to Ryan, whose top 12 after Week 1 included ten of the teams from his preseason top 12. Some may say that just means he did a good job predicting. I say he's not trying hard enough.

The Sheep Voter goes to - for the second straight week - Sean Larson, who still has a 1-2 of Florida State-Alabama, despite neither team looking all that impressive last week. I can forgive Florida State for playing a close one, because I think Oklahoma State is a legit Big XII contender. But West Virginia is decidedly mediocre, and they exposed some holes in the Alabama defense.

To round it out, let's go to the biases!

Blogger Loves Hates
Tako USC (#5) Alabama (#21)
Chris Auburn (#7) Baylor (#12)
Brandon Wisconsin (#13) Texas A&M (#14)
Ryan Oklahoma (#3) USC (#13)
Rusty Georgia (#1) UCLA (unranked)
Sean G. Texas (#14) Oklahoma (#10)
Sean L. Alabama (#2) Michigan State (#9)
Dave Ole Miss (#6) Oregon (#12)
Dom LSU (#4) Baylor (#20)
Noah Michigan State (#4) Ole Miss (#22)

Awards History

Drunk - Rusty, Brandon

Lazy - Dave, Ryan

Sheep - Larson, Larson