How should we choose the top 25 (or Top 10) teams in the country?
1. Best Teams One Game Neutral Field: These are the teams who we expect to be most likely to win on a neutral field for one game. The best without any consideration to what schedule they play or where they play. Neutral field. They may play a brutal schedule (Big10 East, SEC West, etc.) and may not actually win even 10 games but they pass the eye test and a common sense test as one of the best in the country. (Michigan / LSU 2016)
2. Most Likely to Win Lots of Games: These teams that are good, probably very good, but more importantly they seem to clearly be better than all of the 12 teams on their schedule. They play a bunch of good teams but don't have any giant schedule killers on their slate. They have a modest but a real shot at winning 12 games. (South Florida / Western Michigan 2016?)
Questions:
Which one is the RIGHT way to do it?
How do you think poll voters ACTUALLY do it?
1. Best Teams One Game Neutral Field: These are the teams who we expect to be most likely to win on a neutral field for one game. The best without any consideration to what schedule they play or where they play. Neutral field. They may play a brutal schedule (Big10 East, SEC West, etc.) and may not actually win even 10 games but they pass the eye test and a common sense test as one of the best in the country. (Michigan / LSU 2016)
2. Most Likely to Win Lots of Games: These teams that are good, probably very good, but more importantly they seem to clearly be better than all of the 12 teams on their schedule. They play a bunch of good teams but don't have any giant schedule killers on their slate. They have a modest but a real shot at winning 12 games. (South Florida / Western Michigan 2016?)
Questions:
Which one is the RIGHT way to do it?
How do you think poll voters ACTUALLY do it?
