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Mountain Damn Values from the Paint Rock River Valley

Review of “Bama Profiles in Courage: Laykin”: (Capers) Barr flexes through an emotional range that most writers would never dare attempt … Humor and Bama sorrow are fused together like twined tree trunks that keep each other standing…..It’s part satire, part character study, with a wry lens on fame, fandom, and the modern South. Well done, Capers, well done.”– Ian Allen, The Times Literary Supplement.

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ESPN’s College football list of the most overrated and underrated teams of the past decade

Here is the link; [ESPN] 1. Florida State (-63) (1999, 1996, 1994) 2. Tennessee (-58) (1998) 3. Washington (-42) (1991) 4. Miami (-35) (2001, 1991) T5. Ohio State (-34) (2002, 1998) T5. Nebraska (-34) (1997, 1995, 1993) 7. Florida (-33 1/2) (2006, 1996) 8. Michigan (-25) (1997) 9. Texas (-24) (2005) 10. Clemson (-22) Hmm.…

Capers Barr
1–2 minutes

Here is the link; [ESPN]

1. Florida State (-63) (1999, 1996, 1994)

2. Tennessee (-58) (1998)

3. Washington (-42) (1991)

4. Miami (-35) (2001, 1991)

T5. Ohio State (-34) (2002, 1998)

T5. Nebraska (-34) (1997, 1995, 1993)

7. Florida (-33 1/2) (2006, 1996)

8. Michigan (-25) (1997)

9. Texas (-24) (2005)

10. Clemson (-22)

Hmm. How many national championships have these teams won? Especially compared to these teams:

1. Washington St. (+51)

2. Boise State (+48)

3. Oregon (+32 1/2)

4. Arkansas (+26)

5. Wisconsin (+23)

6. Louisville (+20)

7. TCU (+18)

T8. Boston College (+17)

T8. Iowa (+17)

T8. Maryland (+17)

Overrated? Articles like this suggest that it is the team’s fault. It is more mental masturbation by idiot sportswriters who pick the teams in the poll. Wiki: The (AP) rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation. Each voter provides his own ranking of the top 25 teams, and the individual rankings are then combined to produce the national ranking

It seems to me that this shows more that sportswriters don’t know much about what they are voting on. As usual. They apply the hype and then blame teams when they don’t live up to it.

Just for fun, lets look at Notre Dame. until the last few years, ND’s strength of schedule was impressive. Very few fluff teams – no pansy conference basement dwellers to beat up on. Like Army and Navy, right?

Although Notre Dame has failed to live up to lofty preseason rankings five times in the last 10 years, it also rose from unranked to ranked three times, finishing No. 15 in 2000, No. 17 in 2002 and No. 9 in 2005. Resulting in… what again? Bowl victories because they were legitimately ranked? Or losses in Bowl games they didn’t deserve to be in in the first place and were completely outmatched? I forget exactly.

Notre Dame’s recent bowl “successes”:

1995 Fiesta Bowl v. Colorado: L 24-41

1996 Orange Bowl v. Florida State: L 26-31

1997 Independence Bowl v. LSU: L 9-27

1999 Gator Bowl v. Georgia Tech: L 28-35

2001 Fiesta Bowl v. Oregon State: L 9-41

2003 Gator Bowl v. NC State: L 6-28

2004 Insight.com Bowl v. Oregon State: L 21-38

2006 Fiesta Bowl v. Ohio State: L 20-34

2007 Sugar Bowl v. LSU: L 14-41

9 straight bowl losses… very impressive!

10 responses to “ESPN’s College football list of the most overrated and underrated teams of the past decade”

  1. bigfootfool Avatar
    bigfootfool

    Yeah if I had a vote in the AP poll I would vote based on the colors of the uniforms. Green is my favorite color!

  2. Joel Avatar
    Joel

    Further proof that people can get the #’s to say whatever they want them to say. Especially since almost each one of those teams in the top 10 “most overrated” have won a national championship since 1990 (Clemson being the only one). Next thing you know, they’re gonna put out a list of the most overhyped National Champions of the past 20 years. Or maybe they will do one of those “Virtual Tournaments” with all the National Champions of the past 20 years. Funny thing though, no current Big East teams will be represented on any of those…

  3. T-KGB -- (Taurean "Killer" Green "Buds") Avatar
    T-KGB — (Taurean “Killer” Green “Buds”)

    Nice point Joel — but I want to know — of those teams listed as “overrated,” which is is more “Now.”

  4. bigfootfool Avatar
    bigfootfool

    Well I would have to say they got some of the underrated teams correct, but I think that using the numbers to say which teams isn’t quite as accurate as showing those highly ranked teams losing to teams that are below them.. Take Auburn’s loss to Arkansas last year. Does that indicate overrating of AU? Underrating of UA? or just a nice upset?

  5. Saban Felcher Avatar
    Saban Felcher

    How did Bama from 2000 (I think?) not make the cut? They were preseason #3 and ended up with 3 wins???

  6. Saban Felcher Avatar
    Saban Felcher

    Maybe I misunderstood the premise of the article…

    Need less Saban in my diet.

  7. Tyrone Prothro's Floppy Get-A-Way Stick Avatar
    Tyrone Prothro’s Floppy Get-A-Way Stick

    @5 Alabama is too irrelevant to make that list.

  8. gatorhippy Avatar
    gatorhippy

    All this article is saying is that the programs listed as overrated have not met expectations that they were garnered in the pre-season…

    You can surely win a MNC but still finish an average of 5 to 6 spots lower than where projected the other nine years…

    As far as ND on the list…

    It just shows that the voters have either had them pegged or that the have been able to balnace their positon by countering when they have benn overrated by being underrated other years…

  9. Jai Eugene Avatar
    Jai Eugene

    @9 stop defending the irish

  10. gatorhippy Avatar
    gatorhippy

    Jai?

    You posted at number 9…

    And I’m not defending the Irish…

    I’m defending the rating system…

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