Bo Pelini's Final Coaches Poll Ballot - Shameless?

by Jon Johnston on Dec 9, 2008 11:00 AM CST in Football Comment 10 comments

The Final Coaches poll ballot has been released. Below is how Nebraska coach Bo Pelini voted:

Oklahoma
Texas
Florida
Southern Cal
Alabama
Texas Tech
Penn State
Utah
Boise State
Ohio State
TCU
Cincinnati
Oklahoma State
Oregon
Georgia Tech
Ball State
Brigham Young
Georgia
Oregon State
Virginia Tech
Missouri
Nebraska
Mississippi
Michigan State
Pittsburgh

Note Pelini put Missouri on the ballot, and just like I did, one place above Nebraska. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News calls Pelini's vote "utter shamelessness", so I assume that he'd say the same about me.

Nebraska lost four games - to Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Virginia Tech. Two of those teams are in the top five. Virginia Tech won their conference, and Missouri was the Big 12 North representative. Not a bad group of losses. Is it really that shameless that Pelini would be voting for his own team?

Mississippi and Oregon State both finished the season 8-4. Mississippi lost to Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Alabama. Urban Meyer had them ranked 11th (big shock there), but otherwise, not a great group of losses.

Oregon State lost to Stanford, Penn State (45-14), Utah, and Oregon. Stanford is a head scratcher (beginning of the season), but the others are at least respectable.

Still, why not Nebraska?

0 recs | Comment 10 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Not Flaming here

and yes, Nebraska beat the Buffs but the shameless comment probably comes less from who you lost to but rather who you beat.

The Ralphie Report - Shoulder to Shoulder...All Colorado Buffaloes on SBNation - http://www.ralphiereport.com/

by irish1611 on Dec 9, 2008 11:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Exactly what I was going to say

Nebraksa’s best win was at home against Kansas (or maybe at home against Western Michigan). Everyone else they beat had a losing record or was 6-6 in a non-BCS conference.

Both of the teams you mention have wins that are a tad more impressive than 7-5 Kansas.

by Texas Wahoo on Dec 9, 2008 11:21 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

don't necessarily disagree

but when you compare it to Urban Meyer voting Miss so high, then call his understandable, it’s rather a reach isn’t it.

Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!

by Jon Johnston on Dec 10, 2008 8:57 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Certainly

I think they’re both a little hard to defend. I was just talking about the Nebraska ranking and not about the article as a whole.

by Texas Wahoo on Dec 10, 2008 1:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't have Nebraska on my ballot

But I certainly have no problems with anyone who did.

I think calling his ballot “utter shamelessness” is multiple steps too far.

http://www.RockMNation.com
Home of "Thrust Nunchuk Upward"

by RPT on Dec 9, 2008 2:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

ballot

I only got to see you guys play twice, but I would say you should handle Michigan State and Pitt. Ole Miss would be a real fight though.

If Nebraska was 6-6 or in the top 15, I’d agree with the writer, but at 8-4 and in the 20-25 range its just an opinion with arguments for and against.

by DrB on Dec 10, 2008 10:05 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Just polls

It doesn’t mean a whole lot anyway. After the BCS the polls don’t matter, and the BCS is a joke, a whole different debate. The Huskers were 8-4 not to bad, a whole bunch of teams were around that mark so it is all opinion are the Big XII offenses or SEC defenses tougher. We had losses to good teams but I agree that we never really beat someone who was outstanding so I would say we are in the 23 to 35 range. But I’m sure Pelini’s ballot isn’t the only one that has his team ranked a little higher than it should be. The bowl season should tell a lot about who is better the SEC or the Big XII and that should help clear up the rankings for all us bottom feeders in the polls.

by Huzkerfan on Dec 10, 2008 12:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I see nothing wrong with Pelini's ballot.

In fact if you switched OU and UT, I think it would be very close to the way I would have ranked the teams.

by the1austin on Dec 10, 2008 1:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Do you guys

think if we beat Clemson – that:

- it’s a quality win?
- we’ll end up ranked by AP or coaches poll’s?

Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!

by Jon Johnston on Dec 10, 2008 4:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think so if.....

the Big XII performs well in the bowls and we beat Clemson we should be in the top 25, it is like you said “Why not Nebraska?” its all subjective. We played well late in the year, as good as anybody from 18 to 25 and that includes the Mizzou team that trottled us(They have been nose diving since the Okie State loss).

This is my case for Nebraska to sneak in at 24 or 25 if we beat Clemson and the Big XII does well. We got beat by Mizzou and Va Tech. so it hard to be ranked ahead of them if they win.

Mississippi and Oregon State are the only ones with as they say a"quality" win Florida and USC. Both are very impressive to me, maybe they caught them asleep but they still caught them. #23 Mizzou’s biggest win was probably us early, #22 Ball State nothing to impressive (Indiana please), #21 Pitt did beat West Virginia but they lost to Colorado, #20 Northwestern is in the forever overrated Big 10, #19 Va. Tech did beat us but also early, and #18 Michigan State again the forever overrated Big 10.

If we end up ranked great but it doesn’t matter a whole lot. I believe Pelini’s teams best football is ahead of them no matter where we end up ranked this year.

by Huzkerfan on Dec 10, 2008 6:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs