College football fans - how do you feel about a BCS Title Game between Wisconsin and Utah? The downside: outside of fans of either school, no one knows more than two players on the two teams combined. The upside: at least it’s not Ohio State, ready to get shellacked by an SEC school again.
The LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that title game match-up reflects the top two teams in the Colley Matrix, one of six computer ranking systems used to determine the BCS rankings. The match-up also goes to show why the Massey Rankings - another of the six - comes with the following disclaimer:
“Early season ratings will fluctuate significantly until a sufficient number of games have been played.”
So we shouldn’t put too much stock into the computer’s early season rankings. But it’s a heck of a lot of fun, isn’t it? For example, the Colley Matrix has Vanderbilt at No. 4 and Nebraska at No. 5 (I guess you get a lot of credit for beating New Mexico State?), with Ball State comfortably in the Top Ten? And USC? They are No. 14, smack in between Florida and…Minnesota.
Until there is more data, the computer rankings are basically like drawing names out of a hat. Some might say that these rankings prove that human observation is more powerful than computer models when ranking football teams. But I’d like to remind you that West Virgina received seven votes in the latest Coaches Poll. Seriously.
11:10 am on September 23rd, 2008
have we not learned anything from the robot wars of the future that haven’t actually happened yet but I’m sure will? using the Colley Matrix to deterine national title games is the first step in a slippery slope to enslavement to robot masters.
11:59 am on September 23rd, 2008
The funny thing about Utah’s success (and Boise) is that guys like Urban Meyer and Dan Hawkins previously looked like geniuses. Now, not so much.
12:46 pm on September 23rd, 2008
Agreed with rdub. Not having a playoff of some sort, and instead entrusting computers to determine a national champion is just not something I want.
Even if it is Wisconsin v Utah.
2:10 pm on September 23rd, 2008
This is intramurals, Brooks…
And sure hope the BCS has some sort of Robot Insurance plan in place, for when the metal ones comes.
2:57 pm on September 23rd, 2008
rdub:
If this continues, in 20 years we will all be hailing President Executron, I agree
3:13 pm on September 23rd, 2008
My dream BCS title game involves coeds in Lingerie Bowl uniforms.
3:22 pm on September 23rd, 2008
USC is strong enough with poll voters that they're probably in if 3-4 teams all run the table.
AS LONG as they easily run the table. Not too many close games.
5:22 am on September 24th, 2008
not trying to toot my own horn six years after the fact, but for my opinion on the colley matrix, you can see an article i wrote for the student newspaper at the university of miami in november of 2002.
http://www.themiamihurricane.com/2002/11/08/bcs-burns-miami-for-time-being/
wes colley is a joke and the fact that his system is used in the bcs (which is a bit of a joke in its own right) is an even bigger joke. lots of joking..