Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Wine Called Red Guitar, Why the AP Has Its Top Ten Wrong, and How The Early Heisman Watch is Incorrect

Sure, I only went 2/4 on my picks in my last blog. 

But I am a college football aficionado.


I'm not a wine connoisseur.

I'm not the guy who insightfully analyzes a wine's bittersweet savor, its wholesome red body, and the dexterous aroma that can only wafted after a couple swirls of the glass while.

The wine I'm currently sipping is called Red Guitar.

Awesome name.

It's not too bitter, not too sweet.

Yum.

That's the extent of my wine knowledge and interpretation. You want a wine with a cool name and mediocre taste? Get Red Guitar.

This is probably the last time I'll be featuring wine on this blog but its mediocrity is very reflective of the Associated Press' (AP) job ranking the Top 25 teams (I'll just be correcting the Top 10)  for the beginning of week 6. Same goes for those updating the early Heisman Trophy race.

Just some quick background on the rankings. The BCS ranking system, the one that counts for playing in bowl games, is made up of the AP poll, the USA Today Coaches poll, and a bunch of other useless stats and formulas. So when the AP poll gets it wrong, it could ruin a team's season.

Here is the current AP (left) and Coahes (right) poll
1. LSU                              1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama                       2. LSU
3. Oklahoma                     3. Alabama
4. Wisconsin                    4. Stanford
5. Boise State                   5. Wisconsin
6. Oklahoma State            6. Boise State
7. Stanford                       7. Oklahoma State
8. Clemson                       8. Clemson
9. Oregon                         9. Oregon
10. Arkansas                    10. Texas

The coaches have a more realistic view of how the polls should look. Come on AP, get with it. Stop conforming to what all the longwinded "experts" on TV have to say. Open your eyes and watch a game once in a while. If you're reading this post then I'll assume you've read the previous one explaining how much LSU doesn't deserve the number 1 spot. This is how the polls should look at this moment, right now.

1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. LSU
4. Boise State
5. Oklahoma State
6. Wisconsin
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Georgia Tech
10. Michigan

I'll explain quickly. Alabama is flawless on offense and defense with the best head coach in the nation. Oklahoma would be but their QB is overrated, though he still gets the job done. LSU is lucky to get this spot but I will give them props for beating three ranked opponents in their first five games. Boise State has a top three QB in the country with the most creative coach; they reload every year and will silence the critics this season. Oklahoma State's offense fires on all cylinders. Brandon Weeden is my Heisman favorite (we'll get to this later) and is also a top three QB, though he's been the consensus number 1 the last two games. Wisconsin beat my Big 10 pick Nebraska and has the meanest offensive line in the game. Stanford has the third of the top QB trifecta. Andrew Luck is a hall of fame player-in-the-making and his first real test won't come until the Cardinal host the Oregon Ducks on 11/12. Clemson is also a big winner thus far in the season beating back-to-back-to-back ranked opponents in Auburn, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. Wild card picks Georgia Tech and Michigan round out my top 10 because their respective offensives are the most explosive in the country. GT runs the exciting triple option game and cannot be stopped. They have the top rushing offense and second highest scoring total in the land. Michgan's defense has surprisingly allowed the second least amount of points. On offense,  QB Denard Robinson is another Heisman hopefull racking up 1,396 total yards so far.

Hey, AP writers and various coaches. Learn from this.

The Heisman watch is also mediocre. Do your homework ESPN. Watch a game. There is no official ranking system for early Heisman candidates, so I'm using ESPN's picks as my frame of reference. Up to and including week 5, here is their list (L) compared to my accurate list (R).

1. Andrew Luck~ Stanford QB                      1. Andrew Luck
2. Russell Wilson~ Wisconsin QB                2. Kellen Moore
3. Kellen Moore~ Boise State QB                  3. Brandon Weeden~ Oklahoma St QB
4. Trent Richardson~ Alabama RB                4. Robert Griffin III
5. Robert Griffin III~ Baylor QB                     5. Marcus Lattimore
6. Landry Jones~ Oklahoma QB                   6. Denard Robinson
7. Marcus Lattimore~ South Carolina RB      7. Michael Dyer~ Auburn RB
8. Tyrann Mathieu~ LSU CB                          8. Russell Wilson
9. Denard Robinson~ Michigan QB               9. LaMichael James~ Oregon RB



As you can see, the professionally done poll contains players from 6/10 top ten teams. For all you noobs, this is because the Heisman is subtly a team award as much as it is for individual achievement. Bluntly, you have to be on a winning team to win it. That's part of what the voters use as criteria (voters consist of past winners, AP writers, and various coaches). I don't look at stats or records like ESPN is doing. I turn to something more valuable; instinct. I look for explosion and intangibles. I'm looking for a guy who's going to carry his team across the goal line. My numbers 1,2,3,5,6,7 do exactly that. They are the above and beyond players who might not win, but have distinguished themselves physically and mentally. Numbers 4,8,9 are almost there, but their stats are off the charts. Oh, and I'm calling it now. Michael Dyer and Marcus Lattimore are going to be next year's top two Heisman contenders throughout the entire season.

Hey, Heisman voters. Learn from this


Hey, eager audience. Learn from this


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