From: zjsg12@hou.amoco.com (Jeffry S. Gracey)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
Subject: Re: Aggie News and schedule strength
Date: 15 Oct 92 15:48:37 GMT
Reply-To: zjsg12@hou.amoco.com
Organization: Amoco

In article AA04572@dseg.ti.com, noonan@icd3 (Michael Noonan) writes:>
>How convenient that you waited until this poll to make this posting.
>Ohio State (on Michigan's schedule) drops out of the top 25, and
>Stanford enters the top 10.  This is the first time all season that
>the AP Poll has allowed A&M to even *try* to woof about their schedule.
>
>Oh well, since I'm bored and you (an Aggie, no less) brought up the
>schedule strength argument again....
>
>Here are the AP Top 10, listed in order of schedule strength based
>on the number of ranked opponents.  (The "#" column is the number
>of ranked opponants the team plays.)  
>
>The opponents with numbers in parentheses are teams that were ranked at
>one time during the season and the number is their furthest advancement
>in the poll.  They were not included in the attempt to rank the schedules,
>but are included merely because they were considered good enough at one
>time to be ranked.  Besides, this is my table, and I felt like it. :-)
>
>
>The Associated Press Top Ten Teams and their Ranked Opponents
>=================================================================
>    AP                  AP  Ranked
>#  Rank School         Rank Opponents    Outcome
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>6    6  Florida State    2  Miami           L
>                        16  Ga Tech         
>                        17  Virginia        
>                        19  Clemson         W
>                        21  N.C. State      W
>                        23  Florida         
>-----------------------------------------------
>5    8  Stanford         1  Washington      
>                         5  Texas A&M       L
>                        12  Notre Dame      W
>                        18  Southern Cal    
>                        22  Washington St   
>                       (11) UCLA            W
>-----------------------------------------------
>4    2  Miami, Florida   6  Florida State   W    (13.25)
>                         9  Penn State      W
>                        14  Syracuse        
>                        24  West Virginia   
>                       (16) Iowa            W
>                       (21) San Diego St    
>
>     9  Penn State       2  Miami           L    (14.50)
>                        12  Notre Dame      
>                        20  Boston college  
>                        24  West Virginia   
>                       (24) BYU             
>
>     1  Washington       8  Stanford             (14.75)
>                        11  Nebraska        W
>                        18  Southern Cal    W
>                        22  Washington St   
>                       (17) California      W
>-----------------------------------------------
>3   10  Georgia         13  Tennessee       L
>                        16  Georgia Tech    
>                        23  Florida         
>                       (25) Mississippi     W
>-----------------------------------------------
>2    4  Alabama         13  Tennessee            (14.00)
>                        15  Mississippi St. 
>                       (25) Mississippi     
>
>     7  Colorado        11  Nebraska             (18.00)
>                        25  Kansas          
>                       (13) Oklahoma        
>                       (16) Iowa            W
>-----------------------------------------------
>1    5  Texas A&M        8  Stanford        W
>                       (25) Texas
>
>     3  Michigan        12  Notre Dame      T
>                       (12) Ohio State      
>                       (16) Iowa
>
>(Ranks are taken from the 12 Oct 92 AP Poll.  Ties were broken by
> the averages in perentheses to the right.)
>
>This is perhaps the most arbitrary table ever compiled.
>A ranking based on the rankings of opponents which are based on
>sports writers opinions during one week of a season that is not
>even half over.  I must have been more bored than I thought.
>
>As far as the Aggies are concerned, they better be pretty happy
>about getting into the Kickoff Classic, or they'd have had *the*
>worst schedule of any top 25 team.  Its hard not to schedule
>*any* top 25 teams for the regular season, but somehow their AD
>managed to do it.  (I know, the SWC sucks.)
>
>-Mike Noonan

Thanks for the info, Mike. It is very interesting. I was glad you put that arbitrary stuff in there, though. I was going to ask WHEN ratings are most important - the beginning of the year or later into the season. I feel that they become more accurate the later into the season that you get. In this case, A&M's schedule is starting to look a LITTLE better. Texas will probably rise in the coming weeks (due to that infamous weak SWC schedule subject that has been beaten into the ground on the net).

Call me stupid, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see Houston slip into the bottom of the poll (#25) by the end of the year. I know they got drummed by Michigan, but they did give Illinois a really good beating.

I just hope we get a chance to settle this in the bowls at the end of the year. An A&M/Miami game would really be nice to see.

As always - Gig `Em Aggies,
                 
         Jeff Gracey '91

P.S .- -Some predictions:
         
          Tennessee will beat Alabama
	  Stanford will beat Washington
	  Leaving:	
             1) Miami
	     2) Michigan
             3) Texas A&M