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Monday, December 12, 2005
Bison slip in polls
We have never put much faith in the polls. Yeah, sure, we post them here each Monday. But that is for informational purposes only. It is certainly not an endorsement.

We know how these things work. In the AP poll, a bunch of writers vote. In the coaches poll, the sports information directors do the voting (or at least a good portion of it). Even if the coaches actually fill out their own ballots, they suffer from the same handicap the writers do. Nobody who votes in these things actually sees most of the teams they vote on.

The AP poll is weighted heavily with writers from large papers that cover the major players from the BCS conferences. The panel for the coaches poll, surprisingly, is heavily weighted with guys from mid-major schools.

It does not matter. None of these voters actually get to see many games outside of the ones the teams they coach or cover play. If they do, it is on television, which usually means teams from the major conferences.

It creates a bias that is all but impossible for a mid-major to overcome.

Don't believe it? How else do you explain Bucknell falling in both polls this week after losing a tough game to No. 3 (in both polls) Villanova. Evidently, beating Bucknell impressed the voters. Six other unbeaten teams are still ranked lower than 'Nova, which climbed a spot in both polls.

Yet Bucknell fell six spots in the USA Today/ESPN poll and four spots in the AP poll.

The Bison are now eighth among others receiving votes in the coaches poll, fifth in the AP.

Somebody has to explain to us how Indiana (5-2), whose only "quality" win came over an overrated Kentucky team, can lose to Indiana State and stay in the top 25? And don't say because they beat Kentucky. Kentucky (6-3) has beaten one team that could be considered even a little impressive-- West Virginia. The rest of the wins came over the likes of South Dakota State, Lipscomb, Liberty, High Point and Georgia State. Yet Kentucky is ranked in both polls.

So is Iowa (7-3), despite losses last week to Northern Iowa and Iowa State. Iowa's wins other than Kentucky? Valparaiso, Fairfield, Texas-San Antonio, Maryland-Eastern Shore, North Carolina State and Colgate.

Maryland has two losses and only one quality win, Boston College. Boston College in turn also has two losses and a win over Oklahoma State is the only thing close to a quality W for the Eagles. Yet both the Terps and BC are ranked.

Yet Bucknell, with wins over Syracuse and DePaul -- on the road, and one loss against the No. 3 team in the nation, not only is not ranked, but actually lost votes this week.

Bucknell's loss to Villanova did not hurt them in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll. Bucknell held on to third in those rankings, actually gaining 14 more points (though previous No. 4 Northern Iowa did leapfrog BU after beating Iowa).

It apparently did not hurt them with Dick "Hoops" Weiss of the New York Daily News, either. Weiss lists Bucknell as his No. 23 team in a column today.
Published at 6:49 PM by Hoop Time.
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