D-II AP Poll. Why can't we get this right?

[tshadow]

I agree.

 

I also see others' point that a HS football poll doesn't matter. What's the point of even having one, then? Why not just do away with it if the voters won't even take the time to do five minutes of research?

 

I don't have a dog in this hunt either but I can answer the question... It matters if the players read the paper... If they are aware of the poll. When I played (warmed the bench) I would look at both polls and power rankings zealously. What I was mainly seeking was to know if our team was appreciated. Kids have a harder time tuning out criticism and humiliation.

[Kublah]

I think most who follow D II closely realize that on a given night the best A teams can compete with or even beat many of the AA teams, simply not the better ones. Briarcrest is improved but still not in the upper half of AA. The result of the ECHS-CBHS game this Friday should be more telling.

 

Well said. The last time USJ and Briarcrest played, USJ won 49-12 I believe. Of course, the year before that Briarcrest won by a similar margin. I think Webb, ECS, SGIS, and USJ are all capable of playing a good game against most of the teams in DII-AA but would struggle mightily over the course of a season in the division.

 

I haven't seen CBHS play this year but, from looking at scores, wouldn't be too surprised if ECS pulls the upset. ECS has a lot of talent to be on the verge of slipping below .500.

Edited October 2, 2012 by KublahKD

[TheBigRedDog]

Done. Here's my email to the voters (I get the emails because I voted from 2009-2011):

 

Good poll, everyone. You do a diligent job with your research and voting. As a 2009-2011 voter who still gets these emails (I'm no longer a media member and thus ineligible), I wanted to make one quick point:

 

As you likely know, DII is split into two divisions. While DII-A features teams with strong tradition, it is a collection of smaller schools that have fared poorly against teams from DII-AA. The larger class is 10-1 against the smaller since 2010. Webb, St. George's and USJ are having good seasons, but most would agree they are not on the same level as MUS, CBHS, MBA, Baylor, etc.

 

As an example, when Webb played in DII-AA for two seasons, it went 5-8 in league play. When the Spartans moved down to DII-A, they went 18-1 in league play during the next two seasons, winning two state titles.

 

The two leagues are far from equal. It would be fairer for each league to have its own poll instead of being lumped together. But in the meantime, ranking Webb and St. George's ahead of teams like MUS, CBHS and MBA is not representative of the merits of those squads. If you believe differently, continue voting as you wish. But if you don't have a DII team in your area and aren't familiar with the differences between the two leagues, hopefully this helps.

 

That's all. Please receive this message in the way it was intended -- not as criticism but as a nugget of information. Happy voting!

 

Thanks, Wes. Well put.