USA TODAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL

[BloodAtFirstBite]

Week 1 USA Today Poll

1. Ohio State (28) 0-0 1,487

2. Texas (11) 0-0 1,378

3. USC (1) 0-0 1,348

3. Notre Dame (9) 0-0 1,348

5. Oklahoma (13) 0-0 1,320

6. Auburn (1) 0-0 1,206

7. West Virginia 0-0 1,202

8. Florida 0-0 1,054

9. LSU 0-0 1,037

10. Florida State 0-0 874

11. Miami (FL) 0-0 839

12. California 0-0 798

13. Louisville 0-0 785

14. Georgia 0-0 784

15. Michigan 0-0 778

16. Virginia Tech 0-0 591

17. Iowa 0-0 519

18. Clemson 0-0 493

19. Penn State 0-0 406

20. Oregon 0-0 373

21. TCU 0-0 270

22. Nebraska 0-0 261

23. Tennessee 0-0 216

24. Alabama 0-0 210

25. Texas Tech 0-0 198

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES

Arizona State 182, Boston College 87, Utah 84, Arkansas 64, South Carolina 55, Boise State 46, Wisconsin 37, UCLA 29, Georgia Tech 28, Fresno State 14, Tulsa 11, Iowa State 9, Minnesota 9, Maryland 8, Purdue 7, TEXAS AM 6, Memphis 5, Nevada 3, UTEP 3, Rutgers 2, NORTHN ILLINOIS 2, Northwestern 2, Oregon State 2, Arizona 2, Brigham Young 2, Colorado 1, Duke 1.

[WJMorris3]

Notre Dame is ranked way too high - I don't think they're in the top 25, not with the conference schedule they play.

[jkrdevil]

Duke 1. WHO IN THE HELL GAVE DUKE A VOTE?

My guess is Duke's head coach.

Notre Dame is ranked way too high - I don't think they're in the top 25, not with the conference schedule they play.

Classic

[WJMorris3]

Duke 1. WHO IN THE HELL GAVE DUKE A VOTE?

My guess is Duke's head coach.

Notre Dame is ranked way too high - I don't think they're in the top 25, not with the conference schedule they play.

Classic

Well, it's true. The only two conference games they have are the two Sisters of the Poor schools. You shouldn't be able to make a BCS bowl playing a schedule like Notre Dame's, even if you go unbeaten.

[OMMF]

How can a school not in a conference play a conference schedule? And if you're a big school, already playing a tough conference schedule, would you put Notre Dame on it just to add a challenge? Granted, you do get some great non-conference matchups from big schools (last year's fantastic Ohio State-Texas game comes to mind) but you can't expect all the teams to play 12 potential #1's.

[DG_YouKnowWhatThatMeans]

I understand that it's part of the game and all, but I really wish there wasn't a poll released until at least November. It's just so silly to say one school is better than another before a single game has even been played. The worst part of all is that, unlike NFL or MLB Power Rankings, these actually matter in determining the BCS.

It's a tired argument though, isn't it?

[usahockeyrube]

Week 1 USA Today Poll

1. Ohio State (28) 0-0 1,487

2. Texas (11) 0-0 1,378

3. USC (1) 0-0 1,348

3. Notre Dame (9) 0-0 1,348

5. Oklahoma (13) 0-0 1,320

6. Auburn (1) 0-0 1,206

7. West Virginia 0-0 1,202

8. Florida 0-0 1,054

9. LSU 0-0 1,037

10. Florida State 0-0 874

11. Miami (FL) 0-0 839

12. California 0-0 798

13. Louisville 0-0 785

14. Georgia 0-0 784

15. Michigan 0-0 778

16. Virginia Tech 0-0 591

17. Iowa 0-0 519

18. Clemson 0-0 493

19. Penn State 0-0 406

20. Oregon 0-0 373

21. TCU 0-0 270

22. Nebraska 0-0 261

23. Tennessee 0-0 216

24. Alabama 0-0 210

25. Texas Tech 0-0 198

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES

Arizona State 182, Boston College 87, Utah 84, Arkansas 64, South Carolina 55, Boise State 46, Wisconsin 37, UCLA 29, Georgia Tech 28, Fresno State 14, Tulsa 11, Iowa State 9, Minnesota 9, Maryland 8, Purdue 7, TEXAS AM 6, Memphis 5, Nevada 3, UTEP 3, Rutgers 2, NORTHN ILLINOIS 2, Northwestern 2, Oregon State 2, Arizona 2, Brigham Young 2, Colorado 1, Duke 1.

Minnesota 9 Votes!!!

Hell Yeah!!!

[WJMorris3]

How can a school not in a conference play a conference schedule? And if you're a big school, already playing a tough conference schedule, would you put Notre Dame on it just to add a challenge? Granted, you do get some great non-conference matchups from big schools (last year's fantastic Ohio State-Texas game comes to mind) but you can't expect all the teams to play 12 potential #1's.

And why not? I'd love to see Notre Dame play a schedule as follows:

Week 1: at Florida

Week 2: at Michigan

Week 3: at Ohio State

Week 4: at Florida St

Week 5: at Texas

Week 6: at Oklahoma

Week 7: at Miami (FL)

Week 8: at West Virginia

Week 9: at Auburn

Week 10: at LSU

Week 11: at Penn State

Week 12: at USC

That's about the only kind of schedule that would let Notre Dame earn a BCS bid, in my mind.

[OMMF]

How can a school not in a conference play a conference schedule? And if you're a big school, already playing a tough conference schedule, would you put Notre Dame on it just to add a challenge? Granted, you do get some great non-conference matchups from big schools (last year's fantastic Ohio State-Texas game comes to mind) but you can't expect all the teams to play 12 potential #1's.

And why not? I'd love to see Notre Dame play a schedule as follows:

Week 1: at Florida

Week 2: at Michigan

Week 3: at Ohio State

Week 4: at Florida St

Week 5: at Texas

Week 6: at Oklahoma

Week 7: at Miami (FL)

Week 8: at West Virginia

Week 9: at Auburn

Week 10: at LSU

Week 11: at Penn State

Week 12: at USC

That's about the only kind of schedule that would let Notre Dame earn a BCS bid, in my mind.

Apparently, once again, there is no room for (touchdown) Jesus.

[WJMorris3]

No bias here. Of course, this is me who wants to see a playoff setup. 12 teams - the 11 conference champions, plus the 2nd best team from the best conference.

[OMMF]

No bias here. Of course, this is me who wants to see a playoff setup. 12 teams - the 11 conference champions, plus the 2nd best team from the best conference.

You saw my ninja edit. Damn.

Still, what happens if Navy has a hard schedule, wins all 12 games and is ranked 1 or 2 in the BCS (dreaming, I know), you would not take them simply because they are an independant?

[footballfiji]

Firstly, I'm not a Notre Dame supporter in any way (in fact I'm kind of indifferent to them) but I think Notre Dame gets ranked high for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the Name. Name any other school that has had 3 movies (there's probably more but I can name three of the top of my head) about it.

Second, people bash their schedule but look at it this way. From a Coaches perspective one of the hardest things on your team is travel and preperation. Notre Dame travels a ton of miles for a season.

at Georgia Tech (676 mi)

at Michigan State (153 mi)

at Navy (613 mi )

at Air Force (1,152 mi )

at USC (2,093 mi)

That's a total of 4,687 miles travled. That's a ton for one team.

For comparison let's look at Ohio State:

at Texas (1,272 mi)

at Iowa (545 mi)

at MSU (256 mi)

at Illinois (295 mi )

at N'Western (398 mi )

That's 2,765. Only a little over half.

and Auburn:

at Mississippi St (270 mi)

at South Carolina (314 mi)

at Ole Miss (331 mi)

at Alabama (187 mi)

That's only 1102 miles. Less than a quarter.

So by not being in a conference. Notre Dame's schedule hurts them even more in travel alone. Sure you could say they are playing weak schools when they travel (you'd be wrong but anyway) but I ultimately feel the Coaches see that Notre Dame is returning it's offensive core from a BCS team, has a tough schedule but manageable schedule and is Notre frickin Dame they will include them as at least a Top 10 team.

[WJMorris3]

No bias here.  Of course, this is me who wants to see a playoff setup.  12 teams - the 11 conference champions, plus the 2nd best team from the best conference.

You saw my ninja edit. Damn.

Still, what happens if Navy has a hard schedule, wins all 12 games and is ranked 1 or 2 in the BCS (dreaming, I know), you would not take them simply because they are an independant?

Well, let's face it. The days of being an independent are over with, for all practical purposes. Let Notre Dame join a conference, then we'll talk.

[TFoA]

No bias here.  Of course, this is me who wants to see a playoff setup.  12 teams - the 11 conference champions, plus the 2nd best team from the best conference.

You saw my ninja edit. Damn.

Still, what happens if Navy has a hard schedule, wins all 12 games and is ranked 1 or 2 in the BCS (dreaming, I know), you would not take them simply because they are an independant?

Well, let's face it. The days of being an independent are over with, for all practical purposes. Let Notre Dame join a conference, then we'll talk.

Hmmm, so you'd call this a cakewalk? I mean, you're making it seem as if they're beating up on teams below the BCS tier. Almost every team they play is in a BCS conference. Therefore they play a BCS schedule, and therefore they should go to a BCS if they have a good enough record ala last year's 9-3. (Should be 10-2, damn Bush Push.)

S 02 @ Georgia Tech

S 09 # 19 PENN STATE

S 16 #15 MICHIGAN

S 23 @ Michigan St.

S 30 PURDUE

O 07 STANFORD

O 21 UCLA

O 28 @ Navy (Baltimore)

N 04 NORTH CAROLINA

N 11 @ Air Force

N 18 ARMY

N 25 @ #3 Southern Cal

[OnWis97]

I understand that it's part of the game and all, but I really wish there wasn't a poll released until at least November. It's just so silly to say one school is better than another before a single game has even been played. The worst part of all is that, unlike NFL or MLB Power Rankings, these actually matter in determining the BCS.

It's a tired argument though, isn't it?

I absolutely agree.

The problem is that there is this unwritten "no leapfrogging" rule. So sometimes the one loss or undefeated team on the outside looking in is that way because they started out ranked low.

If we release no poll until November, then voters choose the top undefeated team based on who they feel is the best, not based on "no leapfrogging" the team that happened to be ranked highly in August.

[WJMorris3]

No bias here.  Of course, this is me who wants to see a playoff setup.  12 teams - the 11 conference champions, plus the 2nd best team from the best conference.

You saw my ninja edit. Damn.

Still, what happens if Navy has a hard schedule, wins all 12 games and is ranked 1 or 2 in the BCS (dreaming, I know), you would not take them simply because they are an independant?

Well, let's face it. The days of being an independent are over with, for all practical purposes. Let Notre Dame join a conference, then we'll talk.

Hmmm, so you'd call this a cakewalk? I mean, you're making it seem as if they're beating up on teams below the BCS tier. Almost every team they play is in a BCS conference. Therefore they play a BCS schedule, and therefore they should go to a BCS if they have a good enough record ala last year's 9-3. (Should be 10-2, damn Bush Push.)

S 02 @ Georgia Tech

S 09 # 19 PENN STATE

S 16 #15 MICHIGAN

S 23 @ Michigan St.

S 30 PURDUE

O 07 STANFORD

O 21 UCLA

O 28 @ Navy (Baltimore)

N 04 NORTH CAROLINA

N 11 @ Air Force

N 18 ARMY

N 25 @ #3 Southern Cal

They don't have the guts this year to play games at Beaver Stadium, at the Big House, at Purdue, at Stanford, at UCLA, at UNC, and at Army? Then no, they don't play a suitable BCS schedule.

Don't get me wrong, I root for Notre Dame. They're not as good as the coaches' poll wants to make them out (I have them as #66).

[TFoA]

You talk about them not wanting to go to those places and play, IIRC they won at all of those places just last year, and the only reason why they didn't win at Beaver Stadium, UCLA, and UNC is because they didn't play them last year. But I digress, the point is this: They were undefeated on the road last year, so I doubt a lack of guts is the reason why they aren't playing those teams at their place.

[WJMorris3]

You talk about them not wanting to go to those places and play, IIRC they won at all of those places just last year, and the only reason why they didn't win at Beaver Stadium, UCLA, and UNC is because they didn't play them last year. But I digress, the point is this: They were undefeated on the road last year, so I doubt a lack of guts is the reason why they aren't playing those teams at their place.

I think they're afraid to play 12 road games in a year.

[TFoA]

You talk about them not wanting to go to those places and play, IIRC they won at all of those places just last year, and the only reason why they didn't win at Beaver Stadium, UCLA, and UNC is because they didn't play them last year. But I digress, the point is this: They were undefeated on the road last year, so I doubt a lack of guts is the reason why they aren't playing those teams at their place.

I think they're afraid to play 12 road games in a year.

Ask Tulane how that went last year.

Other than a hurricane of ridiculous proportions hitting their home turf and forcing them out, nobody in their right mind is going to play 12 road games. If they did, and somehow got out with a 10-2 record, then forget just BCS, they should just be given the Nat'l Title, right then and there. But yeah, I will agree with you when you say they aren't #3. But they've got to be Top 25, no way that they are as low as #66.

[jkrdevil]

At first I thought you were joking but it seems that you are serious.

What do you want them to do play nothing but road games? Not have any home games for their students and fans to attend? Whats the point of having a fottball team if the school can't draw some revenue from it?

Honestly though all those teams they play at home they have played on the road in the past or will play on the road in the future. As far as their schedule not being of BCS quality as mentioned before ever team they play, except for Navy and Army who are independent, is in a BCS conferences.

For comparision let's look at the defending champion Texas Longhorns schedule. They play such powerhouses as North Texas and Sam Houston State (a division I-AA school) both game are which at home.

You can't say with a straight face that Notre Dame doesn't play BCS strength schedule.