http://www.mrisports.com/ en Copyright 2012 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:43:26 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss No rants on Murray State this week, although it is likely the streak will end when the Racers meet St. Mary's in Bracket Busters. One quick note on the made-for-television event. If ESPN could pressure one of the big leagues into participating (and this is not the Mountain West, or Atlantic 10, this is one of the big boys), it would fulfill a much greater purpose. When the mid-majors face the big boys, it is always at the beginning of the season, before the smaller schools have had a chance for their teams to really come together. But if the schools played now, there is a greater chance we could see the "upsets", and see the teams earn that extra win that gets them into the tournament. All anyone is asking for is a shot, and this is the one shot that many of these high-performing teams are asking for. Beating another Missouri Valley team, or a Colonial team isn't as meaningful as beating one of the middle of the pack Big Ten or Big 12 teams, ones that might be the last one in the tournament. Instead, the teams who truly deserve that extra spot could get it, even if it is just for a single round. Enjoy the rankings this week. More in the weeks to come, including the return of the tournament projections. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/02/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_10.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/02/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_10.html Basketball Feature Rankings Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:43:26 -0600 Bracket Project , the Racers are on the six line. It is close to where the MRI would slot them (the rest of the Project does not agree so nicely). The inputs, such as a three-seed from several outlets, are a little nuts though. There is also one site that doesn't even mention Murray State (totally not right). Then again, this is the site that accused me of being nuts for rating George Mason and some other mid-majors high. Murray State is still a good team, and the Racers will likely be in the tournament should they not make it through the OVC tournament. They just aren't among the top 12 teams in the country.]]> http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_9.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_9.html Basketball Feature Rankings Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:41:13 -0600 It is late, so no soapbox standing today. But let's just say this: Big Ten (Yes!) Georgetown (No!) Connecticut (No!) Pac-12 (Do they actually still play basketball?) Cue the rankings http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_8.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_8.html Basketball Feature Rankings Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:03:55 -0600 finished in the top 10 percent of "America" finishing in the 90th percentile in the ESPN College Bowl Mania. Just goes to show that the computer continues to be smarter than most college football fans. So be careful what you criticize. Check out all the final rankings in the bowl final football MRI for 2011-12.]]> http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_football_computer_rankings_2011_bowl_final.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_football_computer_rankings_2011_bowl_final.html Feature Football Top 25 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:45:55 -0600 one of these. Wisconsin is very much still a contender. Remember that North Carolina took a few weeks to even appear in the MRI rankings. And any team that reaches the magical 100 point mark in the rankings is almost guaranteed a tournament spot. Many teams go through these funks. Most recover. Wisconsin is one of those teams. There are other teams that people should be questioning right now. Both Connecticut and Georgetown took hard losses this weekend. Both were ranked highly in the AP poll. Neither had been higher than No. 20 in the MRI. The schedules were not overwhelming. They didn't dominate any games. They squeaked their way to their position in the computer, and it was a shaky one at that. So why did they get any love, other than for the name on their jersey, in the human polls? The same question can be asked about Harvard. If not for a win over Florida State, the record would be built on the backs of a number of questionable teams. Add in the loss to Connecticut and they look even shakier. Before that loss they were not even sniffing the top 25 in the computer despite an undefeated record (the same could be said for Murray State right now, who at least makes the ranking bubble list). If there is no Tommy Amaker in Boston, there is no Harvard with a number next to it. It is important to keep in mind as we move deep into the season that the human polls are very flawed. (Note: The computers are flawed too. The MRI is historically only 75 percent correct.) But just because a team is highly ranked, or has a big gaudy record, that doesn't mean that they are excellent/unstoppable/elite eight material. Remember that Connecticut came out of seemingly nowhere last season to win the title. Remember that teams consistently "surprise" come March, because expectations are so skewed by the human polls. You have to use all the data available to make judgements. Wisconsin could still make a big splash come the tournament. Whether that is a second weekend appearance, or a Final Four run remains to be seen and a lot depends on what happens over the next 6 weeks. Don't overreact to numbers you see on January 9. Teams will change. Teams will evolve. And only then will we see who the real contenders for the title are. And maybe it will be Connecticut, Georgetown, Harvard and the Badgers after all. Check out all the rankings in week 7 of the basketball MRI. ]]> http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_7.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_7.html Basketball Feature Rankings Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:31:19 -0600 No blabbering this week. Just the rankings. All rankings are based on Division I game results through January 1, 2012. Happy New Year. Happy rankings. Unless you went to Grambling. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_6.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2012/01/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_6.html Basketball Feature Rankings Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:16:52 -0600 For some schools, it just takes time. Everyone knew that North Carolina was good. The Tar Heels showed that in flashes during the early season. But it took until Christmas before they truly found themselves. North Carolina destroyed Nicholls State (which is to be expected) and then dismantled Texas to the tune of 20 points. That is why the Tar Heels have vaulted to No. 4 in the MRI rankings. The things that had been holding North Carolina back -- rebounding and turnovers -- are suddenly a thing of the past. The two losses to UNLV and Kentucky almost feel like a different team was playing. North Carolina is now averaging almost 10 more rebounds a game than its opponents. And it is now just about average in the takeaway department. North Carolina has arrived, and is poised to challenge Syracuse, Ohio State and Wisconsin for the top of the heap. There are still six teams that have not lost a game this season, to go with 11 teams that have not beaten another Division 1 team. Keep an eye on Murray State to see if they can survive as the lowest ranked of the undefeated. And watch Alabama A&M for when they might break through. Although being ranked 309 isn't exactly encouraging. Check out all the rankings in Week 5 of the MRI. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_5.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_5.html Basketball Feature Rankings Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:56:32 -0600 It is no secret that the Pac-12 is down this season. Utah certainly isn't fooling anyone, neither are USC, Arizona State or Washington. That Washington lost to South Dakota State on Sunday probably cemented how poor the conference is this year. After all, the Huskies were some experts' picks to win the league. More surprising is how quickly the ACC drops off after the top few teams. There is North Carolina, and Florida State. There is Virginia and Duke. And then what? Virginia Tech is currently 8-3, except that is only good enough for No. 58 in the MRI. It isn't that Virginia Tech isn't "good". They just aren't measuring up to the top talent in the conference. After that, the teams are just a mess of average. With the new expanded tournament entering its second season, there is probably still a shot for 5 or 6 ACC teams to make it in, but some of the middling teams are going to have to really show what they can do during the conference season. It won't be easy. It will likely require at least one win over a team at the top. More likely, it will take two wins of that magnitude, especially with the Mountain West, Missouri Valley and Atlantic 10 all making strong showings this season. The country could be in for a repeat of 2006, when the Missouri Valley entered 4 teams into the tournament. It was a shock then, but Creighton, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State are all making cases to play deep into March. Even Illinois State and Indiana State could be considered "good wins" for someone this season. The story is the same in the Atlantic 10. In the end, the ACC, the conference that formerly set the standard for basketball, might end up with just as many bids in the tournament as two conferences thought of as inferior. Just something to keep in mind when this super-conferences talk of seceding from the NCAA. They might not take all of the super with them. Check out all the rankings in week 4 of the MRI. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_4.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_4.html Basketball Feature Rankings Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:12:42 -0600 Every few years the world of college sports finds itself here, reeling in the aftermath of a brawl on the field or court. The biggest one that sticks in memory came between Miami and Florida International on the football field. In that circumstance, the administrators at the school failed to do what would have made history. They failed to impose proper punishment for denigrating the university by behaving in a manner that has no place in sports, pro or college. A few suspensions were handed out, but a couple of games is nothing to players anymore. Look at the list of players who begin each season sitting on the bench in college basketball for rules violations or eligibility issues. Several big name freshman sat on the pine while their teams played through five or six games. No big deal. That is just the way things roll in college basketball. Everyone knows it is dirty. The kids take the slap on the wrist that comes along with that, and move on. So when Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin talked a tough game following his team's loss to Xavier, it was a breath of fresh air. It sounded like Cronin was going to do something unprecedented. He was going to make sure that players understood that playing college sports is not something that should be guaranteed to them, no matter how good they are. He was going to show that talent should never trump character on the court. He was willing to risk his own season -- and possibly his job -- to make a point. And then he and Cincinnati fell right on their faces. Not only did Yancy Gates and Cheikh Mbodj get off with a smaller punishment than television analysts thought (6 games vs. 10 games), they seem to get off with a slap on the wrist. Sure Cronin says that he will have to make sure they are serious about being sorry before they will actually be allowed back. But he also said he had to decide who was going to be on the team. Gates has had trouble with Cronin before. Last season, he moped his way into a suspension. But moping and sucker punching an opponent are two different things. And for Mbodj to kick at a player when he is down on the ground? That is unforgivable. This was a street brawl pure and simple. If you want to set an example, to show that this sort of thing isn't tolerated in your program, or your sport, you kick those players off the team. Let recruits see that you value character along with skill on your team, not just collecting a bunch of "thugs" as the kids called themselves. That is what they are after all, kids. They don't get it. They don't understand exactly what Cronin was saying. Not everyone gets to go to a good college, let alone go to college at all. These kids were given a gift to play a sport at a high level. Gates might have been good enough to have a career as a reserve in the NBA. But that isn't a license to behave like a common criminal by throwing your fist into someone who looked as if they were just trying to get some separation between the two teams. Both of these players should be packing their bags today. Their parents should be coming to take them home. Only when some coach has the guts to make such a move will this type of behavior begin to leave the game. Only then will all coaches start to make the right choice. And then we can get back to basketball. Check out all the rankings in Week 3 of the MRI. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_3.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_3.html Basketball Feature Rankings Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:56:26 -0600 More than a decade into the BCS era and I am still amazed at the outrage over who is selected to play in the BCS bowls outside of the Championship Game. There is a lot of money on the line for sure, but the fact remains that the other bowls are most often a side show to the big one. Unless there is a year without a clear No. 1, the other games don't matter, no matter what bowl supporters will tell you. Fans get to watch their team one more time (and for some teams -- Illinois, UCLA, Purdue -- this isn't a good thing), and that is it. So when Kansas State was left out of a BCS bowl, and instead is shipped to the Cotton Bowl, it didn't really bother me. After all, the Wildcats were 36th in the MRI. Yes, No. 36. That is out of even "on the bubble" range. The outrage began on Saturday night when there were rumors that Virginia Tech might sneak over Kansas State. It continued through Sunday night and the official announcement. People on Twitter were considering how much they would need to drink in order to make sense of this travesty. Sorry, I don't see the problem. The MRI might be in the minority... or singularity here, but Virginia Tech was much higher in the rankings than Kansas state. Whereas most of the computers had the Wildcats within the top five, the MRI was not so nice. The MRI did agree with the other buckets of bytes on the ranking of Virginia Tech. So why was Kansas State so far off? First let's remember, the MRI utilizes a weighted margin of victory in the rankings. It is an important distinction, and one that makes the BCS computers "inaccurate" in a way. And second, the MRI is the only computer that actually incorporates the performance on the field. Another way to put it is that the MRI looks at the building blocks of the end results: how well an offense did, how well a defense did, how much a team dominated. In a sense, the MRI incorporates the "eye test" without needing to see anything because all of the inputs into a win are part of the formula. And in the eye test, Kansas State loses, big time. Based on the MRI strength of schedule, the two teams are about even. That may seem hard to believe given the difference between the ACC and Big 12 this season. But lost in all the upper level strength of the Big 12 was that Kansas State also played Eastern Kentucky and Kent State, along with Miami. They also got the fun games against Kansas, troublemaker Iowa State and a fading Texas A&M. Virginia Tech's similar weakness was against Appalachian State, East Carolina and Marshall. And then Boston College, Duke and Miami. The one big difference might be that Virginia Tech got to play against Arkansas State, a team that ended up No. 22 in the MRI. The Hokies were one of the two teams that beat the Red Wolves this year (along with Illinois). Nothing here separates the teams clearly. Nothing hears warrants the "Don't ever schedule anyone" cries that come from the doubters. Nothing here is enough to say that Virginia Tech did anything different than Kansas State did, because the Wildcats... they didn't exactly schedule LSU, did they? Next, go back to the margin of victory. Kansas State won two games by more than a touchdown: Kent State and Kansas. That includes just a three-point win by the Wildcats over Eastern Kentucky. The best win by the Wildcats was a 1-point victory over a No. 15 Baylor, followed by a 4-point win over No. 23 Texas. Virginia Tech had seven games that they won by more than a touchdown. The best win was an 11-point win over a No. 21 Georgia Tech, followed by its 26-7 beating of Arkansas State (that is still not ranked, although probably deserves to be and will show that in the bowl game against Northern Illinois. Yes, they are good). If you go further down the list of "inputs" into the MRI, Virginia Tech wins out. Passing offense: Kansas State, 109th; Virginia Tech, 66th Rushing offense: Kansas State, 29th; Virginia Tech, 31st Defense: Kansas State, 74th; Virginia Tech, 13th Turnover differential: Kansas State +13; Virginia Tech, +6 The numbers aren't totally in favor of the Hokies, but Virginia Tech win the head-to-head battles by a wide margin. And if you consider how teams that have a high number of close victories and a turnover differential clearly in their favor are more likely to regress the next season, Kansas State almost lucked into this season. The MRI isn't the end all of computer rankings. It isn't the absolute arbiter of what is correct in college football. But Virginia Tech outperformed the Wildcats this season. That and they bring a lot of fans to bowl games. The Sugar Bowl will not be disappointed in their selection, even if Kansas State fans are. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/kansas_state_bcs_snub.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/kansas_state_bcs_snub.html Big Number Country Football Kansas State Virginia Tech Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:22:54 -0600 Ohio State made a few statements this week, dismantling Duke and then releasing any more pent-up scoring on Texas Pan-American. It was the destruction of a very good Duke team though that catapulted the Buckeyes into the top spot in the rankings this week. Syracuse and Kentucky are right there with Ohio State at the top of the list. But it was the movement lower down that made a big difference this week. MRI readers from the opening rankings had a leg up on the rest of the country this week for sure. When UCSB challenged UNLV and had everyone surprised, the MRI readers were not shocked. They knew the Gauchos were ranked last week and should have been pretty good against the Rebels. Near the end of the week, Wichita State was moving up the list and already challenging to be part of the top 25 (they moved up to No. 14). Therefore, it wasn't surprising when they finally managed to knock off UNLV, and did it in impressive fashion. Perhaps we should be paying attention to what Boise State and Southern Mississippi accomplish this week. What did the MRI get wrong last week? It certainly appears that the Dayton ranking from Week 1 was a blip on the radar. The Flyers went from winning a tournament in Florida to being blown out by the MAC's Buffalo. The spiral down continued with a loss to Murray State, dropping Dayton into the 60s in the rankings. On the underrated side, it was Iona and Wyoming who stole the show. The Gaels haven't lost since a one-point loss to Purdue in the opener. That includes a 26-point thrashing of Maryland. The Cowboys have just a single loss this year (albeit against weaker competition), and trounced all the competition this week to move up. Of all the ranked teams, their hold might be the most tenuous. Check out all the rankings in Week 2 of the basketball MRI. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_2.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_2.html Basketball Feature Rankings Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:39:03 -0600 I understand the money grab that is the conference championship game. But I often wonder if conferences are better off not having them. The Big Ten expanded so they could hold one. The first one was fantastic, especially with Gus Johnson on the call. The Big XII is no longer big enough to have one. The conference might be better off for it. Here is the thing that bothers me. You can have a team like Houston, who had a great season and probably deserved a huge reward for that season. It all came undone on Saturday morning. Houston likely won't get a BCS bid now. They won't even go to the best Conference USA bowl game. The Cougars season is torpedoed because of the championship game. Talk to Virginia Tech about how they feel. They also missed out, and probably won't get a BCS invite thanks to their loss to Clemson. They had to face the one team that solved the Hokie puzzle this season again. They lost again. In fact, the ACC Championship game is probably the biggest destroyer of dreams out there. Perhaps it is because the team that usually dominates in the ACC isn't actually as dominant as they seem, but it does feel like there are more upsets in that one game than in any other. The best SEC team usually wins. The best Big XII team used to win. But not so much in the ACC, and definitely not usually in games like the MAC title game, or the CUSA event. But enough with that. There are no tears being shed over Houston's loss. It just saves the whiners who would say that the Cougars never got their chance. As far as this computer is concerned, the two best teams are LSU and Alabama in that order. It took an extra game for LSU to prove it, but they finally got over the hump into first place. Oklahoma State did everything it could to crash the SEC party at the top of the rankings, but it ended up five points short. That the difference is less than nine points is important. It means that Alabama and Oklahoma State are essentially even. The real difference in a game between the two would be whomever had home-field advantage. Even on a neutral field, the Tide would have just a small percentage edge over the Cowboys. Gundy's gunners tried. They just missed doing enough. Here is the almost regular season final MRI (save the Army-Navy game). Enjoy the bowl selection show, if you can keep from being too disappointed in the rematch. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_football_computer_rankings_2011_week_12.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/12/college_football_computer_rankings_2011_week_12.html Feature Football Top 25 Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:34:00 -0600 its AD. After all, he is the nemesis of the MRI. Where does that leave the MRI? There are still 344 teams to rank. There are still ridiculous numbers of games. And the weekend after Thanksgiving has passed, meaning the rankings mean something. Even better, everyone played a game, which is something that can't always be counted on in college basketball. As with football, there will be no "Teams people care about," only a list of the next 10 teams outside of the top 25. If the list for football was long, the list for basketball was even longer. There is still a Wofford Watch, because we can't give up on the mascot of the MRI. And if there is ever any question about where a team you care about sits, just shoot an email to bmiraski at mrisports.com and I will answer it. So with that, on to the first installment of the MRI for 2011-2012.]]> http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/11/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_1.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/11/college_basketball_computer_rankings_2011_week_1.html Basketball Feature Rankings Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:48:04 -0600 the worst team ever in the MRI. That is the worst team of the last nine years. And Akron won a game. It could have been worse if the Zips had managed to screw up the game against VMI. The team ended 118th in scoring offense, 116th in scoring defense, 105th in passing yards and 103rd in rushing. The only worse quartet might be Nickelback. A lot will depend on how the Zips opponents do for the remainder of the season. Let's say Ohio loses in the MAC title game. That sends Akron even further south. But then it becomes a question of how Ohio State, Temple, Cincinnati, Western Michigan and Ohio will do in their bowl games. It is going to take a lot of wins by those teams to pull Akron up past the futility shown by North Texas in 2008. Things at the top are a little more jumbled. Alabama still leads, but Houston has pulled ahead of LSU. Oklahoma, which still has another game (as do the Cougars and Tigers) could also move up into that top duo. The Cougars and LSU even have a shot at taking the top spot away from the Tide, at least until the bowl games begin. Every other team is essentially out of the running for the MRI championship. Despite Wisconsin's big gain this week, getting another 20 points in two games will be a difficult feat, especially when whomever is No. 1 will be playing at least one more game. The same logic applies to Stanford, who will not be in the PAC-12 title game, or Boise State which has no title game. The complaints will come, especially if Houston takes the title. People will say they don't deserve it because they don't play anyone (although they will get a test in a BCS game now). But that shouldn't take away from what they would have accomplished, being one of the possibly only two teams to win every game this season. Outside of Oklahoma, which may have played the strongest slate of any of the contenders, no one has exactly scheduled 12 tough games. LSU might win the "ranked team" battle, but games against Northwestern State and Western Kentucky drop the overall profile. Alabama soured its own achievements with games against Kent State (allowable some years, but not this one), Georgia Southern and North Texas. Here is a thought for you. Houston at the end of the year will have a win over UCLA (which may win the PAC-12 thanks to USC's "troubles"), and strong teams in Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. That is a pretty good showing for the Cougars. Not as impressive as Oklahoma or Alabama or LSU. But still a pretty good year. A BCS win wouldn't be a bad addition.]]> http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/11/college_football_computer_rankings_2011_week_11.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/11/college_football_computer_rankings_2011_week_11.html Feature Football Top 25 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:00:00 -0600 All the upsets have people talking. But all they complain and complain about are the lack of playoffs. Well, maybe we should look at how this computer sees the world first. The facts here say that you can lose a game and still be considered the best. Now, you shouldn't go losing to a really bad team, say an FCS team. But you can lose. Heck, you can lose twice and still be considered a good team. Texas has made an art of that. Four times, and still a top 25 squad (although not for long now that they can't move the ball). Here is something else to keep in mind if you are a top team: playing an FCS opponent makes you look cheap. Alabama won handily against theirs and yet it cost them much of the lead in the MRI that it had built. Lots of teams have done their bit to "help" out the FCS teams. But all it has done is water down what those teams have accomplished over the course of the season. There is a reason why the SEC is no longer the top conference in this computer. Almost half the league took a big hit in its ranking by playing a team outside of the FBS. That doesn't make the league better; that doesn't make the sport better. All it makes is a lot of money for the school off the backs of its fans, who have to -- for the most part -- watch blowouts. Play a real team, and get some real respect for it. But aside from that, here is what we are left with this season: Alabama, LSU, Houston, Oklahoma. Those are the teams that have "separated" themselves from the rest of the FBS. Even with two losses from Oklahoma; even with a less than stellar schedule from Houston. Look at those four and tell me why one of them doesn't belong. You could harp on Houston, but the Cougars can't control their league. They can only control their performance, which has been record setting. You could say Oklahoma lost twice, but that is why it is last among those contenders. It has proven that it can beat almost anyone else in the country. And you can say you don't want a rematch. Oh well. Sometimes, those are the breaks. Would anyone really be complaining about a rematch if the two teams weren't in the same conference? I doubt it. Because it would have been almost 3 months since we saw the game. And it can be even better the second time. I do have one last gripe before unleashing the rankings. A lot of people are down on the BCS because it may give us that rematch of Alabama and LSU. Or Alabama might sneak in the back door without playing for the SEC title and play another contender out there, like a Stanford in the Championship. The complaint this time around is that a team that doesn't win its conference shouldn't be playing for the National Championship. OK, fine, but then if there is a playoff, you can't make the playoff without winning your conference. Does that seem like the playoff you want? Oh, is that a no? You want there to be more than one team from a conference in the playoff picture? I am sorry. That isn't what I just heard from you. You said you didn't want a team that didn't win its conference to play for the National Championship, something that might happen if a non-conference winner was allowed into the playoffs as an at-large team. It is hard to understand why this is such a big deal to have a non-conference champion win the National Title in football, but in basketball it is OK. Conferences aren't the tidy little packages they used to be any longer. Teams in the Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 and SEC don't play every other team in the conference. You can't even say that the winner of the Championship games in those conferences is really the best team from that conference. Upsets happen. We like upsets. That is partially why you want a playoff. That is partially why everyone loves college football. So disregarding a team because they didn't win their conference, even if they might have been the second best team in that conference and just not in the correct geographical, or metaphorical alignment to play for the conference title is silly. Alabama is good. Alabama is damn good. Who else has stopped LSU like they did this season? They just didn't come out on top because the kicking game let them down. You want to look me in the eye and tell me that they aren't among the top teams in the country and maybe still the best team out there, even with a loss? Fine, but you would be wrong. At least, that is what my computer thinks. Check out all the rankings in Week 10 of the football MRI. http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/11/mri_football_20_87.html http://www.mrisports.com/archives/2011/11/mri_football_20_87.html Feature Football Top 25 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:00:00 -0600