Preseason polls are a scourge. They create an unjustified inertia to teams who start highly ranked, prejudicing us against other more worthy teams who may not have started out as high. But, they sell newspapers and generate page views. They satisfy that basic human instinct shared by every football fan: the desperate need to see their team ranked and validated. Well, Dawg fans, get ready to be validated!The ridiculously early preseason polls are out and things look good for the Dawgs. Tony Barnhart has the Dawgs at No. 1. So does Stewart Mandel. So does Mark Schlabach. So does Thayer Evans of the New York Times. Wow. We were hoping for top 5, but No. 1 works too.
The good news is it is far, far better to start the season at the top. It gives the weight and inertia that makes a loss (or two this year) easier to handle if they happen. Essentially, it keeps you in the title discussion longer.
The bad news is that the season is far, far away. It's certainly flattering to be highly thought of now, but who knows what will happen between now and the first AP poll. My guess is at least one underage possession, a fake ID charge, a transfer to Georgia Military College, and a slew of scooter violations. If that's it, we'll be lucky. Keep your fingers crossed for no injuries and no serious suspensions.
Lastly, just because the Dawgs are sitting on top now, this doesn't justify the existence of such polls. They are still largely bad for college football. But if they are going to exist, and they always will, it's better that they benefit us rather than create an obstacle to overcome.
Quinton
7 comments:
The good news on the suspension front for 2008.
1. We've only lost 1 season opener in the past 14 years. Southern Miss in Donnan's first year.
2. We get GSU and CMU in the first two games. So we should have any Scooters Gone Wild violators back by Game 3.
3. We haven't lost a Game 3 of any season since 1991 at Alabama.
/Random Useless Trivia
can we have an officer dedicated to daily license suspension checks as well?
That seems to a common theme over the last few years as well.
Amen to that! Preseason polls, well, you said it, just co-signing.
And scared as hell, but awesome to get some respect to start the season. Good news is those fears (i.e. years of under-performing against inferior opponents) seem SEEM to have been washed away by the advent of Evil Richt.
Now about that schedule . . .
GO DAWGS!
Akeem Hebron is back on campus. Will someone be keeping him away from the downtown bars??? PLEASE!!
Maybe we should confiscate scooters and issue bicycles. Riding a bike around the hilly campus will be good off-season leg training. Of course, there are citations that can be issued to cyclists as well. And whatever they are, I am sure the APD and UGAPD will make sure they are strictly enforced.
Wasn't it Lisa Simpson who needed to be ranked and validated when the teachers of Springfield elementary went on strike? I know, it doesn't really matter and it may not be where the headline came from but I had to ask.
Yeah Paul - That dadgum carpetbaggin' Donnan ruined my wedding night. Gave in to my wife's request of that day as our wedding day, but only if we would be done & gone in time to watch the game (hey - I was only thinking about the guests, like any good host would). She gives in to that, so about 50 of us end up at local sports bar here in Charlotte to watch. Should have known better than to let her talk me into getting married on opening day (guess i can't blame Donnan - I jinxed him). Let's just say it took a couple of days to get the marriage consumated.
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