IdaGriz01
Well-known member
As I said on the previous Poll Guesses thread, probably the most interesting thing this week involves what the pollsters might do with Missouri State. The other losses by ranked teams should be fairly routine. As for the Griz, as “#15 Fan” said on the other Guesses thread, “a win is a win.”
Poll Guess, Team, (Record), [Current Rank]
#1 NDSU (4-1) [1]
#2 South Dakota State (4-1) [2]
#3 Montana (5-0) [3]
#4 Montana State (4-1) [4]
#5 Sacramento State (4-0) [5]
#6 Delaware (5-0) [6]
#7 Weber State (4-0) [8]
#8 Jackson State (4-0) [9]
#9 Holy Cross (5-0) [10]
#10 Incarnate Word (4-1) [11]
#11 Chattanooga (4-1) [12]
#12 Mercer (4-1) [13]
#13 Villanova (3-2) [14]
#14 UT Martin (3-2) [15]
#15 Samford (4-1) [16]
#16 William & Mary (4-1) [18]
#17 Southern Illinois (3-2) [19]
#18 North Dakota (3-2) NR
#19 Missouri State (2-3) [7]
#20 SE Louisiana (3-2) [21]
#21 Elon (4-1) [23]
#22 Richmond (3-2) [17]
#23 SE Missouri State (4-1) [24]
#24 Eastern Washington (1-3) [20]
#25 Eastern Kentucky (3-2) [25]
NR Austin Peay (4-2) [22]
While it’s possible the Griz could slip a spot (or two), I don’t think they will. Online accounts of the game show that, after a slow start, the Griz ran off and put the game away by the third quarter. They may frown on UM allowing a couple scores in garbage time, but I don’t think that will affect the votes all that much.
Although the pollsters don’t seem to be too impressed by Margin of Victory, it would not surprise me if they nudged Sac State ahead of Montana State … as a reward for their solid road win over Cal Poly. I say that because Sac was only 16 votes behind MSU in the last poll. (They were over 120 votes behind the Griz.)
After that, it’s pretty clear sailing until you have to decide where the pollsters will put Missouri State after their loss to North Dakota. That guess is complicated by the fact that the pollsters have looked favorably on UND in the past. They had them as high as #19 until their loss to Southern Illinois (a ranked team). So, I decided on a total WAG: Jump North Dakota in at #18 and stick MSU just behind them. That has the attraction of putting them among teams with somewhat similar records.
I may have punished Richmond a bit too much … they lost in double overtime on the road at #23 Elon. Still, I do think the pollsters will want to slot them in below Elon, which is at 4-1.
As expected, EWU got thumped at Florida, even though they did score a couple TDs in garbage time. It could have been worse; the Gators clearly took their foot off the gas after halftime. In fact, the Eags could conceivably drop out of the top-25. That 1-3 records looks really bad until you recall that the losses were two FBS opponents and #4 Montana State.
Dropping Austin Peay out of the top-25 was an easy call. When you’re sitting at #22 and get pounded by an unranked opponent … you’re gone. That, of course, makes a spot for North Dakota to move in.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.
Poll Guess, Team, (Record), [Current Rank]
#1 NDSU (4-1) [1]
#2 South Dakota State (4-1) [2]
#3 Montana (5-0) [3]
#4 Montana State (4-1) [4]
#5 Sacramento State (4-0) [5]
#6 Delaware (5-0) [6]
#7 Weber State (4-0) [8]
#8 Jackson State (4-0) [9]
#9 Holy Cross (5-0) [10]
#10 Incarnate Word (4-1) [11]
#11 Chattanooga (4-1) [12]
#12 Mercer (4-1) [13]
#13 Villanova (3-2) [14]
#14 UT Martin (3-2) [15]
#15 Samford (4-1) [16]
#16 William & Mary (4-1) [18]
#17 Southern Illinois (3-2) [19]
#18 North Dakota (3-2) NR
#19 Missouri State (2-3) [7]
#20 SE Louisiana (3-2) [21]
#21 Elon (4-1) [23]
#22 Richmond (3-2) [17]
#23 SE Missouri State (4-1) [24]
#24 Eastern Washington (1-3) [20]
#25 Eastern Kentucky (3-2) [25]
NR Austin Peay (4-2) [22]
While it’s possible the Griz could slip a spot (or two), I don’t think they will. Online accounts of the game show that, after a slow start, the Griz ran off and put the game away by the third quarter. They may frown on UM allowing a couple scores in garbage time, but I don’t think that will affect the votes all that much.
Although the pollsters don’t seem to be too impressed by Margin of Victory, it would not surprise me if they nudged Sac State ahead of Montana State … as a reward for their solid road win over Cal Poly. I say that because Sac was only 16 votes behind MSU in the last poll. (They were over 120 votes behind the Griz.)
After that, it’s pretty clear sailing until you have to decide where the pollsters will put Missouri State after their loss to North Dakota. That guess is complicated by the fact that the pollsters have looked favorably on UND in the past. They had them as high as #19 until their loss to Southern Illinois (a ranked team). So, I decided on a total WAG: Jump North Dakota in at #18 and stick MSU just behind them. That has the attraction of putting them among teams with somewhat similar records.
I may have punished Richmond a bit too much … they lost in double overtime on the road at #23 Elon. Still, I do think the pollsters will want to slot them in below Elon, which is at 4-1.
As expected, EWU got thumped at Florida, even though they did score a couple TDs in garbage time. It could have been worse; the Gators clearly took their foot off the gas after halftime. In fact, the Eags could conceivably drop out of the top-25. That 1-3 records looks really bad until you recall that the losses were two FBS opponents and #4 Montana State.
Dropping Austin Peay out of the top-25 was an easy call. When you’re sitting at #22 and get pounded by an unranked opponent … you’re gone. That, of course, makes a spot for North Dakota to move in.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.
