AP Poll Dissection Week Six: Yes, Glenn Guilbeau Has Washington Ahead of Notre Dame
You’re a Weird One, Glenn Guilbeau: Guilbeau trends toward the bizarre. This week he does not disappoint. He has both Michigan State and Michigan in the Top 20. Extending that logic, he would hold Notre Dame in high esteem for holding those two teams to nine points. Instead, he’s the lowest voter on Notre Dame (15). He has them two places behind Washington (13). Washington! This would be the Washington team that is winless on the road, has not beaten an FBS team at home by 10 points and was not competitive against the team he covers LSU (11) or Oregon. He also has Nebraska ranked.
The Inimitable Jon Wilner: Wilner is the highest voter on Michigan (14) and Michigan State (18). He has LSU (7) above Ohio State (8) and West Virginia (10). He has Texas all the way down at (20), though he moved up both West Virginia and Texas after their game Saturday Night. He remains the only voter on Dooley’s bandwagon with Tennessee (23) and has Rutgers unranked.
Most Overrated: Clemson. Every voter has the Tigers at least 21st. Kirk Bohls has Clemson 9th. What have they done? Clemson got their doors blown off by Florida State, a now not so juggernautish-looking Florida State. Their toughest opponent besides FSU was Auburn – Yes, SRS 74 Auburn – and only beat them by a touchdown. It’s not clear what Clemson has done to inspire such unanimity besides being overrated to start the season and lingering by on inertia because they have not played anyone.
Most Underrated: Arizona State. Not your greatest resumé. We’re not holding a candle for Todd Graham to get some good publicity. That said ASU is 4-1 with three AQ conference wins. They beat down Illinois and Utah at home. They won by double-digits away at Cal. Their one loss was by four on the road at Missouri. Ranking 7th in total defense, they should have some staying capacity. The Sun Devils, however, are outside the Top 25 and were left off 50/60 ballots.
Most Accurately Ranked: Michigan. The Wolverines squeaked back into the AP Top 25 this week at 25. That’s dead on. It’s hard to fault Michigan’s losses to Alabama and to Notre Dame. Those teams have trailed a game for about 15 seconds combined this season. It’s hard crediting them for their wins too much. Their young defense bent considerably without breaking against Air Force. UMass was a body bag. They did look solid after the bye week though, covering the spread by 28 against a Purdue team many thought primed to upset them. They have the ability to be a Top 25 team. The stats, 31st in yards per play offense and 21st in yards per play defense, suggest they are in that discussion. They just haven’t quite proven it. Worth noting: SRS has Michigan at (25). FEI has Michigan at (24).
Our Rankings
It’s unfair to throw stones at others with no vulnerable edifice. Here is our shot at rankings. We find the 1-25 ranking system with the small data size arbitrary, so we organized the teams into tiers. Teams within the tiers are in no particular order.
The Leader: Alabama. [They have not let a team challenge them this season.]
The Contenders: Oregon, West Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Notre Dame
Just Off Contention: Ohio State, Kansas State, LSU, Georgia, Texas, Florida State
Very Good: USC, Stanford, Oregon State, Oklahoma
Top 25: Mississippi State, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Louisiana Tech
Borderline: Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers, Louisville
[Photo via Presswire]

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62 Responses to “AP Poll Dissection Week Six: Yes, Glenn Guilbeau Has Washington Ahead of Notre Dame”
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October 8th, 2012 at 3:10 PM
Glenn Guilbeau
Sounds like a child molester.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:12 PM
Those ND uni’s looked SICK in person, especially the helmets. I was converted.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:12 PM
To me, LSU is the most overranked team in the country. I can’t think of a single reason to put them in the top 20 other than “they were good last year and they play in the SEC.” LSU struggled with Auburn and Towson before scoring six points against a decent Florida team. The Tigers are a mess.
Struggled with Michigan being “accurately ranked” as well. The Wolverines got their shit pushed in by the only good teams they faced.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:13 PM
So Borderline is Top 25, but just barely Top 25, or is there only 21 teams in your Top 25?
October 8th, 2012 at 3:13 PM
Braaaaaxton
Sabino’s out for a while. Sucks, he was finally starting to play well. Gonna be a whole lot of Freshman playing LB for the time being.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:14 PM
Why did you make “team” plural? They self-destructed against ND.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:16 PM
Your rankings seem sound. At least you’ve given up on your Northwestern fascination after their big wins over Syracuse, BC, Vandy and Indiana.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:17 PM
Defense is still amazing.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:17 PM
I thought ND only beat them by 7 despite having 12 turnovers. Also, what team deserves that ranking ahead of them?
October 8th, 2012 at 3:21 PM
Defense is still amazing.
They are as good defensively as they are awful offensively.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:21 PM
I guess. 22 against Towson, though.
This brings me back to the whole chicken/egg argument again: is LSU’s defense good, or have they really benefited from playing kinda crappy offenses?
I dont think a squad with an offense that bad is a legit top 15 team. And this is coming from a guy who thought LSU deserved half the national title last year.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:21 PM
Michigan outgained Notre Dame and scored six points on five trips to the Red Zone.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:21 PM
Penn State.
/I keed, kinda
October 8th, 2012 at 3:23 PM
OK, so Notre Dame completely shut them down when it mattered.
If the argument that Michigan didn’t get its ass kicked because they should have scored 30 points and only scored six, well, I’m not sure that’s a particularly great defense.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:26 PM
McGloin for B1G Player of the Year!
October 8th, 2012 at 3:28 PM
Sick as in vomit inducing? Yes.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:28 PM
Think Shoelace is going to take that one, but McGloin is having a hell of a year. PSU should in all reality be 5-1, which is incredible when you think of what they went through. It took four missed FGs and a missed XP for Virginia to win by one point. PSU wins that game easily if Fera doesn’t bolt for Texas (kinda happy he missed that kick to tie WVU, not gonna lie).
McGloin is a good kid. Nice to see him succeed.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:29 PM
more like it.
also, LOLGeorgia.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:30 PM
La. Tech, gettin’ some TBL love!
If they get by A&M this weekend, they have a strong shot at going undefeated, which will likely garner them only a top 20 ranking and a berth in the Holiday Bowl or whatever its called these days, despite wins over AQ schools Illinois and Va. Tech.
Then Sonny Dykes will leave to go coach Tennessee or Auburn.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:32 PM
Did anybody at TBL Chicago actually go to the game? Or was this a bar event?
October 8th, 2012 at 3:32 PM
Nope. Braxton.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:33 PM
What’s amazing about LSU is that it has a head coach who has decided to pursue a strategy that takes TMQ’s “no punting” philosophy to its extreme by adding “no passing either.”
October 8th, 2012 at 3:33 PM
No. They should be 4-2. That is their record.
I guess. They’ve played literally NO ONE. Spare me on the Northwestern argument. Northwestern is the same team they’ve always been. SO GOOD! Then they play a team with a pulse from another conference and lose.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:33 PM
Those ND uni’s looked SICK in person, especially the helmets.
/makes note to ignore all future opinions from this person
October 8th, 2012 at 3:34 PM
TampaBo did, poor bastard sporting a U jersey and everything…most of the congregation was at an ND place, bartenders wearing Catholics vs. Convicts shirts, fun times
October 8th, 2012 at 3:34 PM
They were all picking Lefty up off the floor.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:34 PM
Do you mean outside of their losses? Or am I not understanding this correctly?
October 8th, 2012 at 3:35 PM
From Vlad’s link…that is a very dumb statement. the Michigan game is the Buckeye’s bowl game this season…the teams motivation should be in beating the shit out pf tSUN not getting brax invited to NY
October 8th, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Are we supposed to see some sort of hidden picture in the gold half of those Notre Dame helmets?
Just terrible.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:36 PM
That’s being very generous towards Virginia
October 8th, 2012 at 3:36 PM
No doubt. He’ll win back to back in his Jr and Sr years.
/Anything is possible
October 8th, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Is this where the stories from TBL Chicago go?
/ wish I could have been there
October 8th, 2012 at 3:38 PM
Are we supposed to see some sort of hidden picture in the gold half of those Notre Dame helmets?
They remind me of the pots and pans my wife wants to get for the kitchen, except in copper.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:39 PM
The TBL Chicago pictures showing up on twitter are mildly fascinating.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:40 PM
I just love that Gene Smith keeps skating along. What a joke.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:40 PM
13-6 = “shit pushed in.” Got it.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:41 PM
South Carolina can beat Bama. Love that team.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:41 PM
The vote between him and Joel Stave will be decided in the final game of the season
October 8th, 2012 at 3:43 PM
Geno Smith > Snuffy Smith > Gene Smith
October 8th, 2012 at 3:43 PM
Agree…how he didn’t lose his job during tatgate (and especially after not sacrificing last years postseason) is a mystery to me
October 8th, 2012 at 3:43 PM
I don’t understand why Pitt lost to Syracuse with the 5th best QB in FBS.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:44 PM
Penn State is looking better and better every week. Bill O Brien gettin shit done. The rousing cheers when Fickin makes a 20 yard field goal are always entertaining, too.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:46 PM
The differences between a Jay Paterno run offense and a Bill O’Brien run offense are notable and staggering.
I can’t watch that kid kick anymore. I can’t take it.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:49 PM
He means Alabama and Notre Dame have trailed for 15 seconds combined this season (which is true).
October 8th, 2012 at 3:49 PM
Of course now that I look at the stats… Sunseri played fine, though no TDs (only saw a little bit of the game). But I will never think of him as a ‘good’ QB, no matter how many 300 yard games he has.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:52 PM
I forced everyone to watch the Arkansas-Auburn game most of the early afternoon. for that I apologize, thankfully, most present probably don’t remember.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:53 PM
Can someone link me a few? Haven’t seen any.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:55 PM
Did anyone bring sig others to TBL Chicago? I’m pretty sure I can’t go on a fun trip without my wife if it’s to hang out with people I don’t even know.
October 8th, 2012 at 3:56 PM
When is TBL Cleveland? (fuck you Spence, wherever you are)
October 8th, 2012 at 3:58 PM
I would also like to know who is most similar and dissimilar to how they come across here… DEETS, PEOPLE!!!
October 8th, 2012 at 3:59 PM
TBL Nashville might be Wednesday morning if I can get PeerlessPrices to sober up long enough to play golf.
October 8th, 2012 at 4:01 PM
Got it…thanks.
October 8th, 2012 at 4:02 PM
That’s sort of my problem. Wife wouldn’t be thrilled about me leaving her with the kids and also would think I was crazy to go hang out with people I don’t know.
October 8th, 2012 at 4:07 PM
thanks for the invite, jackwagon.
/can’t go anyway…gots to work
//sour grapes
October 8th, 2012 at 4:08 PM
Yeah, it’s one thing if it’s a golf trip with my best friends or brothers, but random people is strange-ish.
Plus I like traveling with her, and I wouldn’t have a problem bringing her to a TBL meetup, I just wonder if it’s frowned upon, since she looks down on everyone that comments on internet blogs…
October 8th, 2012 at 4:09 PM
How many times have I tried to get you to go out for drinks or golf? You’ve got the baby and work and the house. I can’t help your crappy life choices
October 8th, 2012 at 4:10 PM
Also in this boat. She wonders who all those people on Twitter are as it is.
October 8th, 2012 at 4:21 PM
I’ve taken my wife with me to internet blog commenter meetups. we met Sparty on a trip up in NYC, Patphish when he and his wife were in St. Augustine for a long weekend, and Knightro and his girlfriend when they were up at Fernandina Beach. I mostly take her for my protection though.
October 8th, 2012 at 4:23 PM
I agree.
October 8th, 2012 at 4:25 PM
holy shit, how can I forget taking her to meet GatorTrey at his tailgate in Gainesville?
October 8th, 2012 at 4:29 PM
Options were slim in that time slot, plus it gave Lefty a chance to rail against Boob Chizik so I support the choice
SportsGal isn’t like the demonically possessed girl from The Exorcist like I was expecting
October 8th, 2012 at 4:34 PM
What an abortion that was. Our 2008 team would beat this team 44-10 with all 10 of those points coming off of special teams. I was only able to watch the 1st half, then I started drinking moonshine, bourbon, and beer. I felt no pain. Until yesterday.