Sports Network - Preseason Poll

[TexasTerror]

Sports Network Top 25...

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/TSN-DIV-1AA-POLL.htm

Team (First-place votes) Record Points Previous Rank
1. Villanova Wildcats (104) 14-1 3,112 1
2. Montana Grizzlies (9) 14-1 2,899 2
3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (8) 11-3 2,857 3
4. William & Mary Tribe (3) 11-3 2,631 4
5. Southern Illinois Salukis (1) 11-2 2,569 6
6. Richmond Spiders (1) 11-2 2,317 5
7. Elon Phoenix 9-3 2,243 9
8. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 10-3 2,041 10
9. South Dakota State Jackrabbits 8-4 1,863 11
10. New Hampshire Wildcats 10-3 1,837 7
11. South Carolina State Bulldogs 10-2 1,607 8
12. McNeese State Cowboys 9-3 1,475 12
13. Eastern Washington Eagles 8-4 1,422 3
14. Northern Iowa Panthers 7-4 1,269 18
15. James Madison Dukes 6-5 1,237 NR
16. Delaware Blue Hens 6-5 879 NR
17. Jacksonville State Gamecocks 8-3 833 16
18. Eastern Illinois Panthers 8-4 762 19
19. Weber State Wildcats 7-5 716 17
20. Prairie View A&M Panthers 9-1 709 15
21. Liberty Flames 8-3 633 22
22. Colgate Raiders 9-2 608 21
23. Penn Quakers 8-2 593 20
24. Montana State Bobcats 7-4 584 NR
25. Holy Cross Crusaders 9-3 560 14

Others receiving votes: Illinois State 488, Wofford 311, Northern Arizona 286, Cal Poly 239, Furman 229, Texas State 206, Florida A&M 153, Lafayette 98, Maine 88, Harvard 85, Eastern Kentucky 81, UC Davis 61, Samford 61, Massachusetts 45, Southeastern Louisiana 45, Alabama A&M 45, Missuori State 40, Central Arkansas 39, Norfolk State 28, Lehigh 27, Old Dominion 25, Grambling State 24, Davidson 23, Georgia Southern 22, Princeton 21, Dayton 20, Portland State 18, Chattanooga 17, Youngstown State 15, Idaho State 15, Southern utah 14, Northwestern State 12, Indiana State 12, Stony Brook 12, Hampton 12, Gardner-Webb 11, Tennessee Tech 9, Robert Morris 9, North Dakota 8, Southern 8, Central Connecticut State 7, Morgan State 7, Jackson State 7, North Carolina A&T 6, VMI 5, North Dakota State 5, Austin Peay 4, Butler 4, Alcorn State 3, Jacksonville 2, Texas Southern 2, Brown 2, Howard 2, Cornell 1, Coastal Carolina 1.

[TexasTerror]

Initial thoughts...

Six teams getting at least one vote to be the #1 team in the nation. No real stretches, which is admirable of a TSN poll...

Hope Prairie View is happy with their No. 20 ranking. I figure they are deserving of a #20-25 team and the TSN complied, while AGS did not...

In the ORV, we're seeing are our typical ridiculous votes - namely Northwestern State's 12 and Idaho State's 15. Really?!? Indiana State even got 12! There's a few other that are pretty laughable, but this is the preseason poll - guess we've come to expect this, especially from the TSN.

Would think we'd get the typical knucklehead or two, but there's way too much bias here!

[danefan]

Has to be some voting error....



Others receiving votes: Illinois State 488, Wofford 311, Northern Arizona 286, Cal Poly 239, Furman 229, Texas State 206, Florida A&M 153, Lafayette 98, Maine 88, Harvard 85, Eastern Kentucky 81, UC Davis 61, Samford 61, Massachusetts 45, Southeastern Louisiana 45, Alabama A&M 45, Missuori State 40, Central Arkansas 39, Norfolk State 28, Lehigh 27, Old Dominion 25, Grambling State 24, Davidson 23, Georgia Southern 22, Princeton 21, Dayton 20, Portland State 18, Chattanooga 17, Youngstown State 15, Idaho State 15, Southern utah 14, Northwestern State 12, Indiana State 12, Stony Brook 12, Hampton 12, Gardner-Webb 11, Tennessee Tech 9, Robert Morris 9, North Dakota 8, Southern 8, Central Connecticut State 7, Morgan State 7, Jackson State 7, North Carolina A&T 6, VMI 5, North Dakota State 5, Austin Peay 4, Butler 4, Alcorn State 3, Jacksonville 2, Texas Southern 2, Brown 2, Howard 2, Cornell 1, Coastal Carolina 1.

[SpidersSportsEditor]

Richmond picked 6th in the CAA and 6th in the nation. That must be a first.

[GeauxLions94]

Richmond picked 6th in the CAA and 6th in the nation. That must be a first.

How about sixth in the nation WITH A FIRST PLACE VOTE

[SpidersSportsEditor]

How about sixth in the nation WITH A FIRST PLACE VOTE

Someone must have heard we had a QB from USC and panicked. I could see sixth with a great season, can't see first.

[89rabbit]

It is nice to start the season in the top 10. xhypedx


Of course it is not how you start but how you finish that matters. xthumbsupx

[darell1976]

Sports Network Top 25...

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/misc/TSN-DIV-1AA-POLL.htm

Team (First-place votes) Record Points Previous Rank
1. Villanova Wildcats (104) 14-1 3,112 1
2. Montana Grizzlies (9) 14-1 2,899 2
3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (8) 11-3 2,857 3
4. William & Mary Tribe (3) 11-3 2,631 4
5. Southern Illinois Salukis (1) 11-2 2,569 6
6. Richmond Spiders (1) 11-2 2,317 5
7. Elon Phoenix 9-3 2,243 9
8. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 10-3 2,041 10
9. South Dakota State Jackrabbits 8-4 1,863 11
10. New Hampshire Wildcats 10-3 1,837 7
11. South Carolina State Bulldogs 10-2 1,607 8
12. McNeese State Cowboys 9-3 1,475 12
13. Eastern Washington Eagles 8-4 1,422 3
14. Northern Iowa Panthers 7-4 1,269 18
15. James Madison Dukes 6-5 1,237 NR
16. Delaware Blue Hens 6-5 879 NR
17. Jacksonville State Gamecocks 8-3 833 16
18. Eastern Illinois Panthers 8-4 762 19
19. Weber State Wildcats 7-5 716 17
20. Prairie View A&M Panthers 9-1 709 15
21. Liberty Flames 8-3 633 22
22. Colgate Raiders 9-2 608 21
23. Penn Quakers 8-2 593 20
24. Montana State Bobcats 7-4 584 NR
25. Holy Cross Crusaders 9-3 560 14

Others receiving votes: Illinois State 488, Wofford 311, Northern Arizona 286, Cal Poly 239, Furman 229, Texas State 206, Florida A&M 153, Lafayette 98, Maine 88, Harvard 85, Eastern Kentucky 81, UC Davis 61, Samford 61, Massachusetts 45, Southeastern Louisiana 45, Alabama A&M 45, Missuori State 40, Central Arkansas 39, Norfolk State 28, Lehigh 27, Old Dominion 25, Grambling State 24, Davidson 23, Georgia Southern 22, Princeton 21, Dayton 20, Portland State 18, Chattanooga 17, Youngstown State 15, Idaho State 15, Southern utah 14, Northwestern State 12, Indiana State 12, Stony Brook 12, Hampton 12, Gardner-Webb 11, Tennessee Tech 9, Robert Morris 9, North Dakota 8, Southern 8, Central Connecticut State 7, Morgan State 7, Jackson State 7, North Carolina A&T 6, VMI 5, North Dakota State 5, Austin Peay 4, Butler 4, Alcorn State 3, Jacksonville 2, Texas Southern 2, Brown 2, Howard 2, Cornell 1, Coastal Carolina 1.

xhurrayxxsmileyclapxxthumbsupx

[Model Citizen]

As outrageous as the votes for Davidson seem, one first has to ask whether to take a poll seriously that does not list its voters.

[PaladinFan]

As outrageous as the votes for Davidson seem, one first has to ask whether to take a poll seriously that does not list its voters.

Any poll that has Wofford with more votes than Furman has to be question. Wofford went 3-8 and got pummeled by the Paladins in 2009.

[danefan]

Any poll that has Wofford with more votes than Furman has to be question. Wofford went 3-8 and got pummeled by the Paladins in 2009.

Davidson was 3-8 in the PFL and lost to Lenor-Rhyne by 42 points! xlolx

[TexasTerror]

As outrageous as the votes for Davidson seem, one first has to ask whether to take a poll seriously that does not list its voters.

It is the media poll...that includes some SIDs, etc.

We've seen questionable practices in this poll before, as in when Harvard was about 15-20 and receiving the same first-place vote the entire season! They've actually thrown out certain writers from years' past, who probably follow the national scene more than some of the locals who cover their own specific FCS school and gave their teams unappropriate love.

[danefan]

It is the media poll...that includes some SIDs, etc.

We've seen questionable practices in this poll before, as in when Harvard was about 15-20 and receiving the same first-place vote the entire season! They've actually thrown out certain writers from years' past, who probably follow the national scene more than some of the locals who cover their own specific FCS school and gave their teams unappropriate love.

Most national polls have a list of voters. They are also required to post their ballots.

For example:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/onlinenews.ap.org/collegefootball_rankings/voters.php?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME

If TSN followed this path they'd force their voters to be more committed to the poll.

[DFW HOYA]

So which of the votes makes the least sense, 12 for Indiana State, five for VMI, or two for Howard?

80 teams out of 119 were cited! (Some of us were not...)

[NHwildEcat]

This poll is crap.

[TokyoGriz]

It is nice to start the season in the top 10. xhypedx


Of course it is not how you start but how you finish that matters. xthumbsupx

Indeed ....... you guys better remember that if we meet again this year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz_opg3JR3M

I see SDSU is ranked #9 just below SF Austin who we shut out 51-0 last year the week after the SDSU comeback. Really think it should be other way around.

IMO though Montana is overranked at #2. I would put us around 4th to 5th. Lost alot of key players last year, new coach, lots of new kids in program.

[TheValleyRaider]

So which of the votes makes the least sense, 12 for Indiana State, five for VMI, or two for Howard?

Cornell's vote? They went 2-8, then fired their coach. Okay then...

[89rabbit]

Indeed ....... you guys better remember that if we meet again this year!

xblahblahx

[GoAgs72]

Actually, it does matter some where you start in the polls. If you're at the top, you drop slowly with a loss or two - people give you the benefit of the doubt. If you're trying to break into the top 25, you've got to be a super team with a hot schedule to even get noticed at times. I think these polls do have some impact on the at-large selections at the end of the season.

[danefan]

Actually, it does matter some where you start in the polls. If you're at the top, you drop slowly with a loss or two - people give you the benefit of the doubt. If you're trying to break into the top 25, you've got to be a super team with a hot schedule to even get noticed at times. I think these polls do have some impact on the at-large selections at the end of the season.

I agree. Where your team is ranked has to effect the at-large bids in some may. While not officially, the committee is human and a high ranking in the TSN has got to help.

That's why I hope the new blood at TSN takes a serious look at the joke this poll has become in the last few years. Sure we get to settle it on the field, but nationally football fans are accustomed to the "poll mentality" in college football. An FCS team can use a national ranking to its advantage in a number of ways, including recruiting , marketing, etc. TSN should take better care to ensure the correct teams are being rewarded.

My suggestions would be:
1. Auditing ballots

2. Limiting voting to active members of the media. Writing one blog on the internets does not make you qualified to vote in a national poll. I'd rather have 20 knowledgeable voters then 120 guys that only know about one team. Shoot, there are posters on here with more FCS knowledge in big toe then a lot of the so-called "media members" that vote in this poll.

3. Posting a list of voters and their ballots on a weekly basis like is done with FBS AP poll

4. Removing SIDs from voting. I suspect a great number of the major homer voters are SIDs that throw their school's name in there just so they can put a story about it on their website.

[danefan]

I am available, should TSN need a consultant to right this ship. I'll even cut my normal hourly rate in half. ;) :)

[Tribe4SF]

I see SDSU is ranked #9 just below SF Austin who we shut out 51-0 last year the week after the SDSU comeback. Really think it should be other way around.



Of course you pummeled SFA. You got their QB drunk.xbeerchugx

[PhoenixPhan06]

The top 10 is pretty close to what most of us had months ago in our preseason polls. Outside of that, there were many surprises to say the least!!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

If Illinois State is better than Northern Arizona, Cal Poly, Furman, and Florida A&M this year, I'd gladly eat a shoe.

[TokyoGriz]

Of course you pummeled SFA. You got their QB drunk.xbeerchugx

lol ya the 2.5 day hangover is killer for visiting QBs !

We have some good microbrews up here though they might have helped the situation. lol

Given this is preseason poll South Dakota State really should be ahead of SFA though given their dismal playoff performance in Missoula IMO.

[RabidRabbit]

If Illinois State is better than Northern Arizona, Cal Poly, Furman, and Florida A&M this year, I'd gladly eat a shoe.

Want leather or sneaker? xsmiley_wix

[birdsflyhigh]

Maybe some pickles or mustard with that sneaker?

[Panther88]

This poll, like the ags poll, is meaningless. :D

[TexasTerror]

This poll, like the ags poll, is meaningless. :D

Sadly enough, this poll does factor into how they deal with at-large selection...though, I guess that is "meaningless" to the SWAC.

[FormerPokeCenter]

Sadly enough, this poll does factor into how they deal with at-large selection...though, I guess that is "meaningless" to the SWAC.

The SWAC shouldn't even be in FCS. They're all SHREWD BIDNESS OPERATORS, clearly making the <cough> big bucks on the classic games <cough>, don't participate in the playoffs and appear to be more interested in "making money" than determining a champion on the field.

Oh yeah, and several of their member teams postulate that they'll NEVER play another FCS team in one breath and then scream that all we have to do to find out how good they are is to line up across from them in the next...

If that's the bottom line and the polls are meaningless, why even be in this division?

[gram4life]

The SWAC shouldn't even be in FCS. They're all SHREWD BIDNESS OPERATORS, clearly making the <cough> big bucks on the classic games <cough>, don't participate in the playoffs and appear to be more interested in "making money" than determining a champion on the field.

Oh yeah, and several of their member teams postulate that they'll NEVER play another FCS team in one breath and then scream that all we have to do to find out how good they are is to line up across from them in the next...

If that's the bottom line and the polls are meaningless, why even be in this division?

How do you get several from just one poster.

[Panther88]

The SWAC shouldn't even be in FCS. They're all SHREWD BIDNESS OPERATORS, clearly making the <cough> big bucks on the classic games <cough>, don't participate in the playoffs and appear to be more interested in "making money" than determining a champion on the field.

Oh yeah, and several of their member teams postulate that they'll NEVER play another FCS team in one breath and then scream that all we have to do to find out how good they are is to line up across from them in the next...

If that's the bottom line and the polls are meaningless, why even be in this division?

Here's the phone # to the SWAC HQers in B'ham, Ala-----------------> 205.251.7573.

Get to it. (the answers you seek will be answered, I'm sure) :)

[TexasTerror]

Get to it. (the answers you seek will be answered, I'm sure) :)

Not 100% sure about that...

I'm still waiting to hear back from them regarding a legitimate information request that has nothing to do with football or futbol... xwhistlex

[Panther88]

Not 100% sure about that...

I'm still waiting to hear back from them regarding a legitimate information request that has nothing to do with football or futbol... xwhistlex

I'll 3-way them for ya' via at&t if you cannot call yourself.

205.251.7573

[FormerPokeCenter]

How do you get several from just one poster.

While that exact verbiage has been used by one particular poster in the thread about the AGS poll, I can assure you I've heard a variant of that line from several SWAC fans. I heard it from Southern ad infinitum after the second (or was it the third time?) that Southern backed out of contract deals with us...

So, I stand by the word "several"...

I'll throw out a qualification of those remarks: Grambling has been nothing but honorable in their dealings with McNeese. The smack got intense, but it was all good natured.

Texas Southern, as a program has always been nothing but honorable in their dealings with McNeese. I thought they were incredibly classy right after Hurricane Rita.

And, even Prairie View has been honorable in their dealings with us. It's only been since they've had one good season that their fans have copped an attitude. I guess that happens when they haven't been there perennially like Grambling has ;)

Still, even with all that, if y'all are making SO much money (which doesn't show up in the state's budget analysis, by the way) and have no interest in the playoffs, why not expand Robinson, move up to FCS and really start raking in the big bucks?

Congrats on the game with Ruston Community College. I'm glad they finally had the guts to schedule y'all...I'll be a Grambling Fan that day ;)

[FormerPokeCenter]

I'll 3-way them for ya' via at&t if you cannot call yourself.

205.251.7573

I called that number and told them I wanted to talk to them about scheduling some games. When they found out I wasn't interested in trying to start a Classic, they hung up on me ;)

[Panther88]

I called that number and told them I wanted to talk to them about scheduling some games. When they found out I wasn't interested in trying to start a Classic, they hung up on me ;)

You didn't hold your mouth right and didn't grease the right palm(s) w/ $$$$. That's why they hung up on you. lol

[FormerPokeCenter]

You didn't hold your mouth right and didn't grease the right palm(s) w/ $$$$. That's why they hung up on you. lol

Oh well, I'll guess I'll just have to find a way to get over not having a classic game. Maybe I'll console myself with the FCS playoffs! ;)

[Saint3333]

So ~60 teams got votes??? There are about the same number of FBS and FCS schools, yet the FBS poll only has 15 teams receiving votes outside the top 25. And just look at some of these teams, someone needs to send a memo to these voters. Davidson, Dayton, Indiana State, the list goes on. What a joke, just goes to show no one knows the good FCS teams after the top 15 maybe 20 year to year.

[DotCat]

I was wondering how Davidson got in there myself?


Has to be some voting error....