Final Poll

[appstate38]

What do you think the final FCS poll of the year will look like???

I guess App would be #1, but after that I would go with...

2. UD
3.UNI
4. SIU
5. JMU
6. Richmond
7. EWU
8 UMass
9. Wofford
10. Montana

[proasu89]

NDSU belongs in there.

[Polar Bear]

NDSU belongs in there.

NDSU belongs in the top 5. Thanks for throwing us a bone:)

[bostonspider]

Not sure JMU with a final record of 8-4 deserves to be in the top 5, even if they played a great game against ASU.

1. ASU
2. UD
3. UR
4. SIU
5. UNI
6. NDSU
7. UMass
8. Montana
9. JMU
10. Wofford

[crunifan]

1) Appalachian State
2) Delaware
3) Richmond
4) UNI
5) SIU
6) North Dakota State

[D1B]

Montana 12th or 13th.xnodx

[93henfan]

1) Appalachian State
2) Delaware
3) Richmond
4) UNI
5) SIU
6) North Dakota State

^Ding-ding-ding. We have a winner.

[UNHWildCats]

how bout some top 10 love for UNH :p

[ursus arctos horribilis]

1. ASU
2. UD
3. UR
4. SIU
5. UNI
6. NDSU
7. UMass
8. Wofford
9. JMU
10. Montana

[Yosef84]

Traditionally, the two championship teams get the top two spots, but it's hard to ignore UNI. They had one loss in the semi's and played a tough Gateway schedule. No way they're lower than third, and an argument could be made for second. (I know...the head to head win is hard to get past for Delaware...not trying to diss the Blue Hens).

[bostonspider]

Traditionally, the two championship teams get the top two spots, but it's hard to ignore UNI. They had one loss in the semi's and played a tough Gateway schedule. No way they're lower than third, and an argument could be made for second. (I know...the head to head win is hard to get past for Delaware...not trying to diss the Blue Hens).

But they lost in the quarters not the semifinals, after a tough tough first round win... I think that really counts against them.

[Gil Dobie]

The four semi-finalist made my top four. Of the Quarter-final losers, I thought EWU was the best.

1. Appalachian St.
2. Richmond
3. Delaware
4. Southern Illinois
5. Eastern Washington

[appfan2008]

APP STATE #1?

Yeah sounds good to me...

then UD UR SIU UNI NDSU and then everyone else

[WrenFGun]

1. ASU
2. UD
3. UNI
4. UR
5. SIU
6. NDSU
7. Wofford
8. EWU
9. UMass
10. Montana
11. McNeese State
12. JMU
13. UNH

That's probably the rankings worth noting. Below UNH would be the other playoff teams (W. Kentucky, EIU [though maybe not], DSU [though probably not], Fordham) and then teams like Ga. Southern, Elon, Villanova, The Cidatel, YSU.

[ASUPATCH]

Montana lost one game by a missed FG and is getting no love. I can see Mcneese dropping after they got beaten soundly but Montana was narrowly beaten.I think Montana could be as high as 6 or 7.

[Proud Griz Man]

Montana lost one game by a missed FG and is getting no love. I can see Mcneese dropping after they got beaten soundly but Montana was narrowly beaten.I think Montana could be as high as 6 or 7.

xnodx

Oh, what could have been if there had not been ....

[crunifan]

1. ASU
2. UD
3. UNI
4. UR
5. SIU
6. NDSU
7. Wofford
8. EWU
9. UMass
10. Montana
11. McNeese State
12. JMU
13. UNH

That's probably the rankings worth noting. Below UNH would be the other playoff teams (W. Kentucky, EIU [though maybe not], DSU [though probably not], Fordham) and then teams like Ga. Southern, Elon, Villanova, The Cidatel, YSU.

WKU left the Gateway after last year to join the FBS in the Sun Belt...

But, I do like your rankings. I would chnage one thing though and I would put Richmond above UNI.

[DTSpider]

Interesting question on whether to rank UD above UR or not. UR won @ UD, but UD made the finals.

[Eight Legger]

UD will probably be ranked above us, BUT we put up a stronger showing against ASU, and we had to play at their place, not a neutral site, plus we beat UD. I'm biased, but I'd move us ahead of the Hens for those two reasons.

[HiHiYikas]

UD will probably be ranked above us, BUT we put up a stronger showing against ASU, and we had to play at their place...
I completely agree with this, and voted accordingly. Of course, that's also why I had JMU > UR in my final poll.

[lizrdgizrd]

I had to go with SIU before UNI. Close game in the regular season and SIU went farther in the playoffs.

[bostonspider]

I completely agree with this, and voted accordingly. Of course, that's also why I had JMU > UR in my final poll.


Even though UR beat JMU @ JMU??

[Gil Dobie]

I had to go with SIU before UNI. Close game in the regular season and SIU went farther in the playoffs.

I had the same train of thought. xthumbsupx

[HiHiYikas]

Even though UR beat JMU @ JMU??
Absolutely. Wofford and GaSo beat ASU in the regular season, but, based on how the season ended, neither team should be ranked ahead of ASU. Crazier things than 1-point conference road wins happen all through the regular season.

By the time the playoffs began, though, JMU made it pretty clear that they were better prepared to play against the national champs than UR (or EWU or UD, for that matter).

[bostonspider]

I think that line of reasoning is somewhat flawed. There was a whole season played, including the playoffs, and JMU finished 8-4, including losses to UNC, UD, UR and ASU. Richmond finished 11-3 with losses to Vandy, Towson (ouch) and ASU. I think you need to look at the whole body of work, including the playoffs to give a final ranking, not just that they played ASU tough. I mean just because the Baltimore Ravens played the Patriots the toughest by far does not mean they are the 2nd best team right???

[HiHiYikas]

I think that line of reasoning is somewhat flawed. There was a whole season played, including the playoffs, and JMU finished 8-4, including losses to UNC, UD, UR and ASU. Richmond finished 11-3 with losses to Vandy, Towson (ouch) and ASU. I think you need to look at the whole body of work, including the playoffs to give a final ranking, not just that they played ASU tough. I mean just because the Baltimore Ravens played the Patriots the toughest by far does not mean they are the 2nd best team right???
I agree with you, for the most part. Every voter's line of reasoning is somewhat flawed. Mine, yours, the next guy's, etc. That's why polling is basically flawed. Polling pits a semi-final loser and an opening round loser against one another for the National Championship.

"Common opponent" reasoning is flawed. "Body of work" reasoning is flawed. "Strength of schedule" reasoning is flawed. "Recent performance" reasoning is flawed. Even "head to head" reasoning is flawed (and so, when #20 beats #2, the two don't switch places in the polls).

It's all flawed, so the best you can do is create some kind of hybrid version of multiple reasoning methods.

And in my version...

1-point regular-season win over JMU + 20-point playoff loss to National Champ < 1-point regular-season loss to UR + 1-point playoff loss to National Champ.

[bostonspider]

I agree head to head won't switch a 2 and 20 ranked team, but shouldn't it for a 3 and a 4 or something in that order? If two teams are closely rated to each other and one beat the other, than I think that should take precedence to a match up with a commom foe, who may or may not have made the same errors, or played the same game plan...

[NE MT GRIZZ]

Montana lost one game by a missed FG and is getting no love. I can see Mcneese dropping after they got beaten soundly but Montana was narrowly beaten.I think Montana could be as high as 6 or 7.

I completely agree.

I think the Grizz would have given App a much better game than either Richmond or Delaware.

[UNIFanSince1983]

I had to go with SIU before UNI. Close game in the regular season and SIU went farther in the playoffs.

But both lost to Delaware at home when it comes down to it, and UNI won head to head. So that reasoning is a little flawed. Now that said I would go:

1)App St.
2)UD
3)SIU
4)Richmond
5)UNI

[lizrdgizrd]

But both lost to Delaware at home when it comes down to it, and UNI won head to head. So that reasoning is a little flawed. Now that said I would go:

1)App St.
2)UD
3)SIU
4)Richmond
5)UNI
But a 3 point loss head-to-head in a conference game makes the two pretty darn close to equal in my book. Tell me that if they played that game again it would definitely end the same way. xeyebrowx

[HiHiYikas]

I agree head to head won't switch a 2 and 20 ranked team, but shouldn't it for a 3 and a 4 or something in that order? If two teams are closely rated to each other and one beat the other, than I think that should take precedence to a match up with a commom foe, who may or may not have made the same errors, or played the same game plan...

I'm not so sure...like lizrdgizrd said...


But a 3 point loss head-to-head in a conference game makes the two pretty darn close to equal in my book.

Taking head-to-head-reasoning into account UR = JMU (or at least pretty darn close, as of the end of October).

Taking common-opponent reasoning into account, ASU > JMU by 1; > UR by 20...JMU > UR, as of the end of November/middle of December)

[bostonspider]

But in the SIU / UNI version, SIU went further in the playoffs, and there for deserved consideration. In UR / JMU case, it was UR that went much further in the playoffs, finished with 3 more wins, and also beat not only JMU but the other team in the finals in UD, which JMU did not... All in all I can't see how it cannot be said that UR had a better year and therefore should be ranked higher.

[JMU-MRD-DAD]

ASU # 1..................end of discussion.....being # 2..# 3 etc......still sucks.

[AppHokie]

Just my thoughts...

1. ASU
2. UD
3. UNI
4. UR
5. NDSU
6. SIU
7. EWU
8. Wofford
9. Montana
10. JMU
11. UMass
12. McNeese St
13. UNH
14. Youngstown
15. Eastern Ill
16. Ga So

[bostonspider]

When are the final sportswriters and coaches polls released?