We are who they thought we were.

[dinosaurbbq]

http://cfn.At their request, this network is being blocked from this site./2/1345092.html
College Football News does a weekly ranking of the top 125 in college football every week. I look at those rankings weekly since SU hasn't sniffed an actual Top 25 poll in a while. We actually started out ranked #51 preseason. If we lose to FSU but win over Pitt and BC, I predict we'll end up right around that same number at the end of the year. Here's a look at how we have moved around this year and how the other teams we've played have been ranked:
PSU was preseason ranked #49 and as I said, we were #51. After losing to PSU, we slipped to #62 and PSU skyrocketed up to #36.
Northwestern was preseason ranked #31 and up to #29 before our game. We lost and fell to #66, while NW rose up to #24.
Wagner was not ranked as an FCS school. We trounced them and still fell to #67.
Tulane was preseason ranked #99, down to #117 before our game. We trounced them and fell to #68 while Tulane rose to #116.
The bye week saw us rise to #65 due to other teams losing.
Clemson was preseason ranked #14, up to #3 before our game. Clemson killed us, stayed at #3 and we actually rose to #64.
NC State was preseason ranked #50, was at #56 before our game. We won and rose to #61 while NC State fell to #62.
Ga Tech was preseason ranked #42, was at #46 before our game. Ga Tech killed us, stayed at #46 and we fell to #64.
Wake Forest was preseason ranked #59, was at #58 before our game. We won and rose to #63, while Wake fell to #64.
Maryland was preseason ranked #63 and was #59 before our game. We won and rose to #60 while Maryland fell to #61.
That's a decent pattern that says after winning, we haven't really been given much credit and instead the teams we beat have been moved down to the spot below us as if to say, "Dang NC State, Wake and Maryland, we thought you were better than that!"
FSU was preseason ranked #2 and is now #2. I would expect if it plays out as expected, they will not see any gain from beating us and we will lose a few spots to #63.
Pitt was preseason ranked #65 and is now #38. Pitt's win over Notre Dame was enough to make it rise from #66 to #38 in 1 week which is an incredible jump. Pitt plays UNC before us and if Pitt wins over UNC as I expect, Pitt won't rise much maybe a spot or two. We win that Pitt game, we likely jump up into the low to mid 50's.
BC was preseason ranked #61 and is now #55. If BC wins over NC State and Maryland before our game, I would expect BC to be in the #46-50 range. If we are at that point low to mid 50's, and we beat BC, I would expect us to end up #49-51 range, which is right about where we started. Dang those guys at CFN are good!
If all that happens, I would be happy with our season. It means we go 7-5 and bowling. It means we were better this year than the rest of the third tier ACC programs (Tier I FSU, Clemson, Tier II Miami, Va Tech, Duke, Ga Tech, Tier III SU, BC, Pitt, Maryland, UNC, Wake, Tier IV UVA and NC State). I don't really know whether Ga Tech belongs in Tier II or Tier III just as the rest of the country doesn't really know whether Ga Tech is a decent team or not. At 7-5, record is the same as what I predict ours will be but they obviously dominated us and the rest of the Tier IIIs. Its the gimmick one trick pony that does what it does well, but is so one trick that if you have a game plan and athletes, they can't compete.
Man I hope Cuse goes out there and wins so I can see if I'm right.
And of course the actual wins and effect on recruiting, national perception and a bowl game are just gravy.

 

[sufandu]

That's a decent pattern that says after winning, we haven't really been given much credit and instead the teams we beat have been moved down to the spot below us as if to say, "Dang NC State, Wake and Maryland, we thought you were better than that!"

I think our perception was set with the way we lost those first two games. We haven't beaten anybody good enough to change it. Our only two chances to beat respected teams that could've changed that perception resulted in beatdowns.

 

[OrangePA]

I think our perception was set with the way we lost those first two games. We haven't beaten anybody good enough to change it. Our only two chances to beat respected teams that could've changed that perception resulted in beatdowns.

I don't know, I think that the wins against Tulane, WF, and MD and NC State away are solid wins.

Not great wins, but solid wins.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

Pitt is decently ahead of us and would help us rise a good bit. Pitt is basically where Penn St. was to start the year. Its odd to me, because Pitt sucks . . . and BC swallows.

 

[sufandu]

I don't know, I think that the wins against Tulane, WF, and MD and NC State away are solid wins.

Not great wins, but solid wins.

Sure, solid enough to keep us from sliding, but not good enough to change an already established perception. The people coming up with these rankings aren't actually watching the games, so all they know is that we're beating teams that may or may not scrape up enough wins to make a minor bowl (that sounds pretty familiar). If we want to be perceived differently, we have to beat teams that are respected. We're 0-4 with that this year. If we pull out 3 more wins, maybe we can do that, since all the teams we have left are more respected than who we've beaten.

 

[Mark Lufkin]

what happens when we finish 9-4?

 

[Rocco]

There are not 59 teams that are "better" than us. No way, no how.

 

[GoSU96]

There are not 59 teams that are "better" than us. No way, no how.

Yep

 

[Rocco]

Yep

So you agree or disagree?

 

[SmilinBob]

North Carolina is playing really good football right now and Pitt will have their hands full.

How is SU ranked among the 5-4 teams that are in the Big 5? What annoys the hell out of me is if SU played patsy 1/2 instead of PSU/NW they'd be 7-2 and the whole outlook would be different.

 

[upperdeck]

funny that we are now ahead of both PSU and NW in the sagarin after losing to them.

 

[SU2NASA]

What happens when we beat Florida State?

 

[BlazeOrange]

How is SU ranked among the 5-4 teams that are in the Big 5?

Here you go, along with a few other cherry-picked teams (ACC in Blue and Orange):

2. Florida State 9-0
7. Clemson 8-1
28. Vanderbilt 5-4
29. Duke 7-2
30. Virginia Tech 7-3
31. Iowa 6-4
34. Miami 7-2
35. Georgia Tech 6-3
38. Pittsburgh 5-4
39. Notre Dame 7-3
41. Florida 4-5
43. Navy 5-4
46. West Virginia 4-6
48. Boise State 5-3
49. Indiana 4-5
50. Mississippi State 4-5
51. Penn State 5-4
52. Tennessee 4-6
53. Northwestern 4-5
54. Washington State 4-5
55. Boston College 5-4
56. Rutgers 5-3
57. Utah 4-5
58. Arkansas 3-7
59. TCU 4-6
60. Syracuse 5-4
61. Maryland 5-4
63. Illinois 3-6
67. Wake Forest 4-6
68. North Carolina 4-5
78. NC State 3-6
79. Buffalo 7-2
80. Virginia 2-8
88. Tulane 6-4
116. Connecticut 0-8

 

[Crusty]

I stopped counting the teams we can beat.

 

[BlazeOrange]

How many bowl games are there this year? 35?

Looks like roughly the top 40 are eligible right now, with another 35-40 within a win or two. Still not certain if there will be enough 6-win teams or if some will be left out.

 

[AccuRater]

Thanks, Dino. Great post.

 

[SmilinBob]

How many times in a row do we have to beat WV by 100 to get some respect? God I freakon hate these things as they just add to the bullcrap that too often is college football. Greg Robinson beat more OOC AQ teams than Mississippi St has beat since 1999, anybody can lose to Bama and play a crap OOC.

 

[Crusty]

One of the problems is that it is not just SU it is all Northeastern football. Of the nine NE states only PA enjoys any respect.

We actually need to have teams like UConn (yeah, I know ), BC, Rutgers (yeah, I know Rutgers) play competitive football or we will never get the respect we deserve.

In basketball it is a different story.

(For you geographical illiterates out there NE includes: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.)

 

[SmilinBob]

I'm hoping that the ACC thing will help SU in this type of thing Crusty. ESPN has their band of merrymen pumping the Big 10 and SEC and that dolt that kept saying that Miami is not a good team obviously has an agenda. 7-2 and not a good team but they continue to talk about Florida who we know isn't that good. Teams are only good when they fit the agenda and they suck when they don't, it's like watching 8 year olds talk.