Guys like John Wilner frustrate me. They set the original poll without watching a game (because nobody can have even watched a game before the season starts.) Then, they start talking about 'quality' wins based on the very poll they created, without watching anyone play. Oregon's still number 2 in the latest AP Poll but with a week off next week, and everyone in the SEC running their mouths about how tough it is despite the conference not playing anyone in the non-conference, it may not last. Even if Oregon beats 7 ranked opponents this year, which it could.



In the latest poll he voted Florida ahead of Oregon. That may be fair, but consider that the polls that come out before the season and ridiculously put some teams too high, are the same polls he's using to validate a quality win. And I'm sure he won't be the only one, and that many 'voters' didn't even see the 2nd half Oregon stood around in just to get the game over because they were up 35 and Kelly doesn't run the same stuff when it's that big a blowout. (He says he does but, 'c'mon.) No, they woke up and thought, 'Wow, Oregon gave up 24 points?' Um, yeah, with freshmen in the game, 1/3 of the crowd a Mashofsky and the Husky band sitting on it's hands. The last 7 came as time expired in fact.



Oregon's SOS isn't as strong this year. Why? Kansas State chickened out. The Bill Snyder beeping sound is still echoing after he backed out of playing Oregon. Also, nobody ranked Arizona number 5. BEFORE ANYONE HAD EVEN PLAYED A GAME. If they had, Oregon's SOS would look fine. Nobody had ranked UW number 7, BEFORE ANYONE HAD PLAYED A GAME. If they had, even with a loss to LSU, Oregon's SOS would look fine.



The point is, you can't set the numbers based on hearsay, then say, 'They haven't played anyone.' Especially when they're beating ranked teams by 40 and 50 points.



The question isn't, who have you beaten? The question is, 'Which team looks like the 2nd best team right now? If it's Florida? Fine. If it's Oregon? Fine. But it's not because you thought Georgia was going to be good back in August.



I've said it a hundred times, many of them here. Don't have a vote until the 2nd weekend in October. No AP, no USA Today, none of it. Everyone's then played enough games by then. (Won't happen because TV wanting to pimp all these games to casual fans. "See number 5 so and so in a battle of...")



Florida's schedule looks tough because everyone ranked those teams 'before' the season. Then they all played patsies (except LSU for the most part) and still looked tough for a month. When they play Louisiana Lafayette and Jacksonville State in consecutive weeks in November is Wilner going to drop them? If Georgia loses a couple more times, or Texas A & M starts losing, is he going to drop them? He won't. He'll have forgotten. (Just here to remind everyone.)



The whole system is rigged to show that SEC teams are better. But they only really play each other. Just like Oregon only plays in the Pac 12. And don't give me the non-conference BS. Oregon had both Kansas State and New Mexico on their schedule (when New Mexico was good). Both programs wimped out.



Oregon handed Washington a knuckle sandwich after the Huskies didn't just have a week, they had 9 days to prepare. They shut out Arizona and hung 49 on them. No quality wins. Really? They beat two teams that were ranked at the time? (Hey, they put it out there, not me.) Wait, they didn't beat them, they slaughtered them. Oregon's beaten two ranked teams by a combined score of 101-24. And they destroyed Fresno State, who last I checked is 4-2 and their only other loss is to Tulsa on the road, by a point. Tulsa's going to win 10 games this year. Fresno State goes to Boise St. next weekend. You know who to root for Duck fans.



If Oregon runs the table they'll have beaten 7 ranked teams by the time the season's over. USC, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford (and the Pac-12 title game of course.)



Let me repeat that, If Oregon runs the table they'll wins over 7 ranked teams when the season's over. Incredibly, they're beating those teams by such a big margin, they're knocking them out, of the top 25.



If they do so, they need to move back up as they win those right? They won't. You'll hear, 'But I can't move them past Florida or so and so, because they're schedule is tough too.' Which means, if you schedule patsies in the pre-season it's fine if you're in the SEC because we've ranked high teams in your conference. Even though we haven't seen them play. But when they beat 5 patsies, we can say we were right.



You have to look at who they're beating, and how. Not only, not only a fake number besides their name. You have to actually watch, watch the games. Most of these guys don't. Because nobody can watch all the games, in one day. You can't, they're all on Saturday and the polls come out, 9 hours later.



I don't know if Oregon's better than Florida. Nobody does. But we know Florida didn't play anyone in the non-conference, and neither did anyone they've beaten. The writers said, 'They're really great.' And now they're justifying it. (Oregon's really no different.) Fake opinions based on nothing, used to validate opinion's now



Oregon has a bye next week. Root for Fresno State to beat Boise State, and for Stanford to go into South Bend and take out media darling Notre Dame.



What a system.

