A word before we begin.
I realize I haven't really discussed what my "ranking method" is for the BlogPoll, and the best I can say is "a meld."
I don't go by the straight resume ranking method, at least as practiced by Sunday Morning QB. I cannot quibble with his choices as a straight resume ranking, but I don't believe that Georgia is the best team in the country (which would be my criteria for ranking them No. 1), nor do I think Cal is the No. 2 school in the nation.
This isn't to say that SMQ's method is wrong, per se. Rather, it's not the way I vote.
But I also think who you play and how well you play them is significant. It has to be factored into the equation. A team that plays 12 cupcakes has not done anything to prove how good a team it is.
So my voting method, in short, is a meld of power poll and resume ranking. I will push a team up or down from time to time based on who they play.
That said, the Week 3 ballot currently looks thusly:
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU |
 2 |
| 2 | Texas |
 1 |
| 3 | Southern Cal |
1 |
| 4 | Oklahoma |
8 |
| 5 | West Virginia |
1 |
| 6 | California |
1 |
| 7 | Florida |
1 |
| 8 | Rutgers |
2 |
| 9 | Nebraska |
2 |
| 10 | Wisconsin |
3 |
| 11 | Penn State |
10 |
| 12 | South Carolina |
4 |
| 13 | UCLA |
4 |
| 14 | Boston College |
9 |
| 15 | Louisville |
2 |
| 16 | Ohio State |
2 |
| 17 | Georgia Tech |
8 |
| 18 | Oregon |
8 |
| 19 | Arkansas | -- |
| 20 | Georgia |
5 |
| 21 | Hawaii |
1 |
| 22 | Tennessee |
4 |
| 23 | Texas A&M |
3 |
| 24 | Clemson |
2 |
| 25 | South Florida |
1 |
Justifications, clarifications, explanations:
--LSU at No. 1. Screw Les Miles; this is a ferocious team that has rolled over two teams from BCS league, thanking Michael Henig for his help in their first game before thrashing VT so soundly I dropped the Hokies out of the poll.
--USC, back at 3. They beat up on Idaho and then took a week off, while Texas rebounded nicely from a near disaster against Arkansas State. So I'm back to my belief that the Longhorns are better. The Nebraska game could change that.
--Oklahoma. I'm a skeptic no more.
--Wisconsin. The close game against UNLV scares me.
--Penn State. Looking better every day.
--Louisville. I dropped them because of the atrocious defensive performance against Middle Tennessee State. Even in the Big East, you have to be able to play some defense.