Post by LSUbest on Dec 30, 2005 15:19:27 GMT -6
DETERMINING THE RELATIVE STRENGTH OF TEAMS THAT DO NOT PLAY EACH OTHER
IF TWO TEAMS DONT PLAY EACH OTHER, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH TEAM IS BETTER? WE HAVE TO DO THIS ALL THE TIME. FOR INSTANCE, HOW DO WE KNOW THAT LSU WAS BETTER THAN BOISE STATE LAST YEAR IF THEY HAD THE SAME RECORD? OR GEORGIA BETTER THAN TCU?
OF COURSE, WE CAN'T KNOW WITH ANY EMPIRICAL CERTAINTITY BECAUSE TO GET THAT CERTAINTITY WE WOULD NEED THE TWO TEAMS TO PLAY.
HOWEVER, WE MAKE SUCH SUBJECTIVE JUDGMENTS ALL THE TIME. A TEAM THAT FINISHES 10-1 IN THE SEC IS ALMOST ALWAYS THOUGHT OF AS A MUCH, MUCH, MUCH STRONGER TEAM THAN A CUSA TEAM THAT FINISHES 10-1.
FOR INSTANCE, WHY IN 1998 WHEN TENNESSEE WAS 12-0 THOUGHT OF AS A MUCH BETTER TEAM THAN TULANE, A TEAM THAT ALSO FINISHED 12-0?
WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF JUDGMENT SYSTEM TO ON WHICH TO BASE THESE DETERMINATIONS OR ELSE WE HAVE NO NEED TO DIVIDE TEAMS INTO CONFERENCES OR EVEN DIVISIONS (DIV IAA, ETC.).
THIS IS HOW I COMPARE/RANK TEAMS IF THEY DON'T PLAY EACH OTHER. NUMBERED IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.
1. W/L RECORD
2. STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
3. MARGIN OF VICTORY
4. NUMBER OF RANKED TEAMS PLAYED (SIMILAR, BUT EXACTLY THE SAME AS SOS BECAUSE TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST).
5. RESULTS AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS IF ANY
6. HOW TEAMS DID ON THE ROAD.
7. STRENGTH OF DEFENSE.
8. TALENT AND COACHING
IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO 2003, LSU WAS AHEAD OF USC IN EACH OF THE ABOVE CATEGORIES.
FACT, FICTION, AND OPINION:
FACT: LSU HAD A TOUGHER STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE THAN USC
FACT: LSU HAD A LARGER MARGIN OF VICTORY THAN USC
FACT: LSU PLAYED FIVE TIMES THE NUMBER OF RANKED TEAMS DURING THE REGULAR SEASON THAN USC.
FACT: LSU'S ONLY LOSS WAS TO A RANKED TEAM. USC'S ONLY LOSS WAS TO UNRANKED, SIX LOSS CAL.
FACT: LSU HAD BETTER RESULTS AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS, ARIZONA AND AUBURN, THAN USC.
FACT: COMMON OPPONENTS COACHES AND PLAYERS (ARIZONA AND AUBURN AGAIN) SAID AFTER PLAYING BOTH TEAMS THAT LSU WAS BETTER. SOURCE: msnbc.msn.com/id/3475396/
FACT: LSU HAD THE #1 DEFENSE IN THE NATION. USC HAD THE 30TH, INCLUDING THE 110TH RATED PASS DEFENSE.
FACT: LSU HAD MORE WINS THAN USC.
FACT: LSU WON TWO CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. USC WON ZERO. ITS BOWL WIN WAS OVER #6.
FACT: LSU PLAYED A PLAYOFF. LSU'S LAST FOUR GAMES WERE AGAINST #13, #27, #5, AND #3. LSU WON BY AN AVERAGE OF OVER 15 AGAINST EACH.
FACT: USC PLAYED NOTHING RESEMBLING A PLAYOFF. IT FINISHED THE SEASON BY PLAYING 3 UNRANKED TEAMS, AND THEN AN OVERRATED MICHIGAN TEAM THAT LOST 3 GAMES, INCLUDING ONE TO AN UNRANKED TEAM.
FACT: LSU PLAYED RANKED TEAMS ON THE ROAD.
FACT: USC PLAYED ZERO RANKED TEAMS ON THE ROAD. CONSIDERING HOW IT DID AGAINST UNRANKED CAL ON THE ROAD, A LOSS, WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN SOME DIFFERENT ARGUMENTS ABOUT WHO DESERVED TO BE IN THE SUGAR IN OU'S STEAD.
FACT: LSU has 8 more players from 2003 than USC currently playing in the NFL
THE STRANGE ABSENCE OF USC'S FAN'S ARGUMENTS FOR USC'S WORTHINESS:
WHERE IS USC'S ARGUMENT?
WITH ALL THE FACTS I THROW OUT HERE, ISN'T IT ODD THAT USC FANS NEVER REBUTE THEM? YOU WOULD THINK SOME GENIUS USC FANS (ISN'T USC SUPPOSED TO BE A GOOD SCHOOL? OR IS IT ONE OF THOSE PAY 30 GRAND A YEAR AND GET B'S TYPE SCHOOL?) WOULD MAKE SOMETHING OF AN ARGUMENT.
BUT THERE IS NONE.
SURE, SOME OF YOU WILL SAY THAT THE USC FANS JUST AREN'T OBSESSIVE LIKE I AM. OTHERS WILL SAY USC FANS SIMPLY DON'T CARE BECAUSE THEY'VE WON MANY NATIONAL TITLES WHILE LSU HAS ONLY WON 2 IN THE PAST FIFTY YEARS.
REMEMBER, THOUGH, USC HASN'T WON A NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 78.
REMEMBER, USC FANS HAVE TRIED TO ARGUE WITH ME IN THE PAST.
REMEMBER, THE INTERNET BRINGS OUT PRIDE IN PEOPLE. PEOPLE WANT TO ARGUE THEIR CASE UNTIL THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY EMBARRASSED AND HUMILIATED. USC FANS IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND BY ME, AND THESE SAME USC FANS THAT CONTINUE TO POST NOW, SUCH AS NYCUSC, PACTENFAN, STR8TEASTCOAST, AENEASTROJAN, ETC., CURRENTLY ABSTAIN FROM THE ARGUMENT ALTOGETHER, NOT BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER CARE BUT BECAUSE I HAVE DESTROYED EACH OF THE ARGUMENTS AND COUNTER-ARGUMENTS.
IF USC HAD A CASE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE. SIMPLY PUT, USC IS THE MOST OVERRATED TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL. USC FANS REALIZE THIS, AND HOPE THAT THIS OFF SEASON MOVES ALONG QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IT WILL SHUT ME UP.
IF TWO TEAMS DONT PLAY EACH OTHER, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH TEAM IS BETTER? WE HAVE TO DO THIS ALL THE TIME. FOR INSTANCE, HOW DO WE KNOW THAT LSU WAS BETTER THAN BOISE STATE LAST YEAR IF THEY HAD THE SAME RECORD? OR GEORGIA BETTER THAN TCU?
OF COURSE, WE CAN'T KNOW WITH ANY EMPIRICAL CERTAINTITY BECAUSE TO GET THAT CERTAINTITY WE WOULD NEED THE TWO TEAMS TO PLAY.
HOWEVER, WE MAKE SUCH SUBJECTIVE JUDGMENTS ALL THE TIME. A TEAM THAT FINISHES 10-1 IN THE SEC IS ALMOST ALWAYS THOUGHT OF AS A MUCH, MUCH, MUCH STRONGER TEAM THAN A CUSA TEAM THAT FINISHES 10-1.
FOR INSTANCE, WHY IN 1998 WHEN TENNESSEE WAS 12-0 THOUGHT OF AS A MUCH BETTER TEAM THAN TULANE, A TEAM THAT ALSO FINISHED 12-0?
WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF JUDGMENT SYSTEM TO ON WHICH TO BASE THESE DETERMINATIONS OR ELSE WE HAVE NO NEED TO DIVIDE TEAMS INTO CONFERENCES OR EVEN DIVISIONS (DIV IAA, ETC.).
THIS IS HOW I COMPARE/RANK TEAMS IF THEY DON'T PLAY EACH OTHER. NUMBERED IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.
1. W/L RECORD
2. STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
3. MARGIN OF VICTORY
4. NUMBER OF RANKED TEAMS PLAYED (SIMILAR, BUT EXACTLY THE SAME AS SOS BECAUSE TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST).
5. RESULTS AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS IF ANY
6. HOW TEAMS DID ON THE ROAD.
7. STRENGTH OF DEFENSE.
8. TALENT AND COACHING
IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO 2003, LSU WAS AHEAD OF USC IN EACH OF THE ABOVE CATEGORIES.
FACT, FICTION, AND OPINION:
FACT: LSU HAD A TOUGHER STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE THAN USC
FACT: LSU HAD A LARGER MARGIN OF VICTORY THAN USC
FACT: LSU PLAYED FIVE TIMES THE NUMBER OF RANKED TEAMS DURING THE REGULAR SEASON THAN USC.
FACT: LSU'S ONLY LOSS WAS TO A RANKED TEAM. USC'S ONLY LOSS WAS TO UNRANKED, SIX LOSS CAL.
FACT: LSU HAD BETTER RESULTS AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS, ARIZONA AND AUBURN, THAN USC.
FACT: COMMON OPPONENTS COACHES AND PLAYERS (ARIZONA AND AUBURN AGAIN) SAID AFTER PLAYING BOTH TEAMS THAT LSU WAS BETTER. SOURCE: msnbc.msn.com/id/3475396/
FACT: LSU HAD THE #1 DEFENSE IN THE NATION. USC HAD THE 30TH, INCLUDING THE 110TH RATED PASS DEFENSE.
FACT: LSU HAD MORE WINS THAN USC.
FACT: LSU WON TWO CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. USC WON ZERO. ITS BOWL WIN WAS OVER #6.
FACT: LSU PLAYED A PLAYOFF. LSU'S LAST FOUR GAMES WERE AGAINST #13, #27, #5, AND #3. LSU WON BY AN AVERAGE OF OVER 15 AGAINST EACH.
FACT: USC PLAYED NOTHING RESEMBLING A PLAYOFF. IT FINISHED THE SEASON BY PLAYING 3 UNRANKED TEAMS, AND THEN AN OVERRATED MICHIGAN TEAM THAT LOST 3 GAMES, INCLUDING ONE TO AN UNRANKED TEAM.
FACT: LSU PLAYED RANKED TEAMS ON THE ROAD.
FACT: USC PLAYED ZERO RANKED TEAMS ON THE ROAD. CONSIDERING HOW IT DID AGAINST UNRANKED CAL ON THE ROAD, A LOSS, WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN SOME DIFFERENT ARGUMENTS ABOUT WHO DESERVED TO BE IN THE SUGAR IN OU'S STEAD.
FACT: LSU has 8 more players from 2003 than USC currently playing in the NFL
THE STRANGE ABSENCE OF USC'S FAN'S ARGUMENTS FOR USC'S WORTHINESS:
WHERE IS USC'S ARGUMENT?
WITH ALL THE FACTS I THROW OUT HERE, ISN'T IT ODD THAT USC FANS NEVER REBUTE THEM? YOU WOULD THINK SOME GENIUS USC FANS (ISN'T USC SUPPOSED TO BE A GOOD SCHOOL? OR IS IT ONE OF THOSE PAY 30 GRAND A YEAR AND GET B'S TYPE SCHOOL?) WOULD MAKE SOMETHING OF AN ARGUMENT.
BUT THERE IS NONE.
SURE, SOME OF YOU WILL SAY THAT THE USC FANS JUST AREN'T OBSESSIVE LIKE I AM. OTHERS WILL SAY USC FANS SIMPLY DON'T CARE BECAUSE THEY'VE WON MANY NATIONAL TITLES WHILE LSU HAS ONLY WON 2 IN THE PAST FIFTY YEARS.
REMEMBER, THOUGH, USC HASN'T WON A NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 78.
REMEMBER, USC FANS HAVE TRIED TO ARGUE WITH ME IN THE PAST.
REMEMBER, THE INTERNET BRINGS OUT PRIDE IN PEOPLE. PEOPLE WANT TO ARGUE THEIR CASE UNTIL THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY EMBARRASSED AND HUMILIATED. USC FANS IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND BY ME, AND THESE SAME USC FANS THAT CONTINUE TO POST NOW, SUCH AS NYCUSC, PACTENFAN, STR8TEASTCOAST, AENEASTROJAN, ETC., CURRENTLY ABSTAIN FROM THE ARGUMENT ALTOGETHER, NOT BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER CARE BUT BECAUSE I HAVE DESTROYED EACH OF THE ARGUMENTS AND COUNTER-ARGUMENTS.
IF USC HAD A CASE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE. SIMPLY PUT, USC IS THE MOST OVERRATED TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL. USC FANS REALIZE THIS, AND HOPE THAT THIS OFF SEASON MOVES ALONG QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IT WILL SHUT ME UP.