AP Ranking

[GTNavyNuke]

Brent Key >>>>>>Danny Hall

fify

Ga Tech didn't get a single preseason vote. These voters don't like to consider they are wrong or very misguided. Takes more "evidence" than we appreciate to get most of them to make big ballot changes. A Week 0 last secord win over an overrated (maybe) FSU team & a "chakly" win over a G5 opponent won't matter as much to them as it does to us. Tech will certainly get votes. But not enough to crack top 25.

I'm not objective... & it irritates me the arbitrary-ness of placing teams in rank order in the 10-40 range. Yet somehow having that number (>=25) next to a team's name carries such weight.

Given our SoS, this ranking doesn't matter at all. Either we win and move up or we lose and it's moot.

I'm still focused first on winning 6 games and making the postseason. Given our SoS (heard it was estimated preseason to be 5th hardest in country), that will still be progress over last year. We look better than least year so far so enjoying the ride.

 

[TechPhi97]

I just took a look at the initial rankings (all receiving points) and of the four team in the pre-season Top 25 that lost, only FSU lost to a non-ranked team. Everyone else (Clemson, A&M and LSU) lost to someone that was also ranked. My guess is that A&M and LSU won't fall out of the Top 25 - down to 23 and 24 or something like that. Clemson is going to be on the edge, but it wouldn't surprise me if they ended up 26-28. The real question is how FSU plays tonight to stay in.

If FSU crushes BC, then they probably stay in the Top 25. That leaves one spot (most likely), and that spot will probably go to Louisville (they were #26 in the rankings).

If FSU skates by BC or loses, this leaves 2 spots. I can see Louisville and us getting in for those 2 spots. This would, incidentally, make our matchup with them in 2 weeks a pretty big deal.

I personally don't care if we're ranked, I'd almost like to be outside the Top 25 when we face Louisville to keep that chip on our shoulder. It makes the UL matchup similar to the FSU game - if we lose we were "supposed to" but if we win we get a spot in the Top 25 - all upside, no downside from a perception point of view.

 

[roadkill]

Rankings matter, and not just at the end of the season. While they may be wildly inaccurate and biased in preseason/early season, AP rankings drive favorable brand recognition and TV slots.

If you don’t think favorable brand recognition is important to the future of GT football, I don’t know what to tell you.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I just took a look at the initial rankings (all receiving points) and of the four team in the pre-season Top 25 that lost, only FSU lost to a non-ranked team. Everyone else (Clemson, A&M and LSU) lost to someone that was also ranked. My guess is that A&M and LSU won't fall out of the Top 25 - down to 23 and 24 or something like that. Clemson is going to be on the edge, but it wouldn't surprise me if they ended up 26-28. The real question is how FSU plays tonight to stay in.

If FSU crushes BC, then they probably stay in the Top 25. That leaves one spot (most likely), and that spot will probably go to Louisville (they were #26 in the rankings).

If FSU skates by BC or loses, this leaves 2 spots. I can see Louisville and us getting in for those 2 spots. This would, incidentally, make our matchup with them in 2 weeks a pretty big deal.

I personally don't care if we're ranked, I'd almost like to be outside the Top 25 when we face Louisville to keep that chip on our shoulder. It makes the UL matchup similar to the FSU game - if we lose we were "supposed to" but if we win we get a spot in the Top 25 - all upside, no downside from a perception point of view.

Disagree. If we’re already in the Top25 after this week, then beating Syracuse and VMI will move us up a little more and a little more if other teams keep losing. Then, a marquee game against UL gives us talk on Game Day and amongst all the talking heads. When we beat a ranked UL, we’re propelled into thr Top10. That’s where we need to be.

If we move into the Top25 after UL, then a single loss will drop us back out. Not what we want.

 

[stinger78]

Those with institutional memory, double entendre intended, know how polls can screw us over. If you don’t make enough progress early in a poll a single loss can completely drop you out. Pollsters are sluggish about dropping teams they’ve already ranked high. They stubbornly resist overturning their preseason biases. Hence it will be harder to drop certain teams, like Clemson, FSU, and LSU, than it will be to raise certain teams like Ga Tech.

The argument about wanting Tech unranked to keep us humble and focused makes sense but it also ignores the new reality of a 12 team playoff. If you want to make the playoff now you want to be in front of the pollsters eyes, on their radar, and in their minds, for as many weeks as you can. You can’t simply rely on having a perfect record or winning a conference championship. You need a fall back plan and that fall back plan is constant visibility in the rankings. As many have pointed out, and most intelligent people acknowledge, the SEC will probably grab most playoff slots because of their visibility in the polls starting in the preseason and in the early weeks. “Being good” is a self fulfilling prophecy for them. If an SEC team finishes 9-3 but was a preseason favorite, and it’s between them a team that barely made the top 25 all season, but has an identical record, guess who gets in?

It’s why I want conference champs only. Let the teams decide who gets in by their play on the field. Get the media the heck out of it and let them just report.

 

[FredJacket]

Rankings matter, and not just at the end of the season. While they may be wildly inaccurate and biased in preseason/early season, AP rankings drive favorable brand recognition and TV slots.

If you don’t think favorable brand recognition is important to the future of GT football, I don’t know what to tell you.

I am a late-comer to this point of view. But I'm all in now. Two things are true...
1) Just win & we will "end up" about right rankings wise.
2) Get ranked early & it will make a difference in a lot of intangible things that matter.

 

[Sarrick]

I think we are in the phase of a rebuild where we want as many eyes on us as possible to continue building up our brand. So the more we are in the rankings the better. We should want the eyes on us, because that is how we will continue to grow as a program to deal with these situations all the time.

 

[305jacket]

The benefits of being ranked (brand, Dan excitement, media popularity) outweigh the risks of being ranked (team overconfidence, opponent preparation) in my mind.

Getting ranked again will help pull back the tech fans that were uninterested in the Collins era.

 

[slugboy]

The benefits of being ranked (brand, Dan excitement, media popularity) outweigh the risks of being ranked (team overconfidence, opponent preparation) in my mind.

Getting ranked again will help pull back the tech fans that were uninterested in the Collins era.

Having more highlights on offense and defense will do that

 

[iceeater1969]

The best and one of the most enduring things that has happened to GT football was when Angel C saw the Gt Alumni seats were ALL RED AT THE 45-0 UGA GAMES WHICH WAS after the 55-0 ND GAME. From that moment Gt athletics started to change.

We have seen and been a part the massive increase in alumni giving, coaching and player improvent, as well as the city wide branding. GT IS BUILDING from inside out and will be a force in football - " stay in ga and build here at a great academic school" is working with first 5 star recruitand top 20 recruit class.

The country remembers
100-0 & RED BDS. They are going to be slow to persuade we are real and not flash in pan.

I am really hopeful we can keep getting better without any defeats till ND and UGA. But even I know that the othercteams have good coaches and players.

Let's just link along barely winning and then play great at the benz ND game.

Making HALF of the 100-0 go away can happen in that game. We will likely lose.
BUT AFTER PLAYING ND TOUGH WE WILL BE IN TOP 25.
GO JACKETS

 

[Thwg777]

Rankings matter every week if we ever want a shot at making the playoffs outside of an automatic qualifier.

 

[tomknight]

The best and one of the most enduring things that has happened to GT football was when Angel C saw the Gt Alumni seats were ALL RED AT THE 45-0 UGA GAMES WHICH WAS after the 55-0 ND GAME. From that moment Gt athletics started to change.

We have seen and been a part the massive increase in alumni giving, coaching and player improvent, as well as the city wide branding. GT IS BUILDING from inside out and will be a force in football - " stay in ga and build here at a great academic school" is working with first 5 star recruitand top 20 recruit class.

The country remembers
100-0 & RED BDS. They are going to be slow to persuade we are real and not flash in pan.

I am really hopeful we can keep getting better without any defeats till ND and UGA. But even I know that the othercteams have good coaches and players.

Let's just link along barely winning and then play great at the benz ND game.

Making HALF of the 100-0 go away can happen in that game. We will likely lose.
BUT AFTER PLAYING ND TOUGH WE WILL BE IN TOP 25.
GO JACKETS

I really doubt that anyone besides our fan base remembers that stuff. of course, the GameDay folks will bring it up, ad nauseum, prior to those 2 games.

 

[GTech63]

I care less if we are ranked. Just prepare for the next game and win. Don't pay attention to the press clippings. Continue your hard work. Listen to your coaches. I hope we still pray as a team. Not to win but to allow us to play to the level and better each player and coach is capable and prevent serious injury.

FYI from Saban transition write up: Sylvester Croom and a longtime pastor at College Hill Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, has come to Alabama's practice on Thursdays for years to pray with the players. He said he has had a front-row seat for all the coaching transitions at Alabama since Bear Bryant retired in 1982.

 

[dmurdock]

The benefits of being ranked (brand, Dan excitement, media popularity) outweigh the risks of being ranked (team overconfidence, opponent preparation) in my mind.

Getting ranked again will help pull back the tech fans that were uninterested in the Collins era.

Which Dan will get excited, or is it all Dans? Asking for a fan.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Disagree. If we’re already in the Top25 after this week, then beating Syracuse and VMI will move us up a little more and a little more if other teams keep losing. Then, a marquee game against UL gives us talk on Game Day and amongst all the talking heads. When we beat a ranked UL, we’re propelled into thr Top10. That’s where we need to be.

If we move into the Top25 after UL, then a single loss will drop us back out. Not what we want.

I think you’re absolutely correct. Being humble, hungry, and unnoticed, is no longer an effective way to impress the voters, if it ever was. Pollsters prefer incremental movement up the standings. If you are outside the top 20 and beat a top 10 team chances are good you will remain several spots lower than the top 10 team you just beat.

I get people fearing Tech won’t keep their heads on straight if they move up “too quickly” but that’s the coaches job. I still have slight PTSD from 1990. Tech did everything they needed to do to be undisputed national champions but even though they were the only undefeated major program in the country it was like pulling teeth to get them up in the polls and they came within 1 vote of being snubbed as national champions.

The goal for every smart program over the last 20 years has been to talk up your program in the preseason and try to get a hyped ranking before you play your first tough opponent. Then, if you lose, let people be stunned that your team had an off day while getting beaten by a potential #1 team.

 

[stinger78]

I think you’re absolutely correct. Being humble, hungry, and unnoticed, is no longer an effective way to impress the voters, if it ever was. Pollsters prefer incremental movement up the standings. If you are outside the top 20 and beat a top 10 team chances are good you will remain several spots lower than the top 10 team you just beat.

I get people fearing Tech won’t keep their heads on straight if they move up “too quickly” but that’s the coaches job. I still have slight PTSD from 1990. Tech did everything they needed to do to be undisputed national champions but even though they were the only undefeated major program in the country it was like pulling teeth to get them up in the polls and they came within 1 vote of being snubbed as national champions.

The goal for every smart program over the last 20 years has been to talk up your program in the preseason and try to get a hyped ranking before you play your first tough opponent. Then, if you lose, let people be stunned that your team had an off day while getting beaten by a potential #1 team.

Unless you’re Coach Prime and your team is Colorado. And yes, I’m still pi$$ed.

 

[57jacket]

Polls don't mean crap this early.

 

[kg01]

Polls don't mean crap this early.

True but polls make us feel good.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Polls don't mean crap this early.

No, the polls are absolutely bogus and don’t mean anything with regard to how good teams actually are right now.

But, Yes, the early polls do help determine who gets a bigger piece of the pie later in the year and it’s naive to want to be left out of them right now.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Polls don't mean crap this early.

Although they don’t mean anything early, they do bias the voters and, thus, are important.