Belmore Rankings: Week 9

Boise State and Penn State are climbing:

1. Texas (8-0)
2. Alabama (8-0)
3. Boise State (7-0)
4. Georgia (7-1)
5. USC (6-1)
6. Oklahoma (7-1)
7. Florida (6-1)
8. Oklahoma State (7-1)
9. Penn State (9-0)
10. Utah (8-0)

And I don’t care that Penn State is so low.  They have played a weak schedule so far, and while I don’t actually think Boise State is worthy of a #3 position, I don’t think Penn State is either.  That win over Oregon State sure looks good when you do a head to head comparison of PSU and USC, however.

It does appear that based on my rankings, if Texas and Alabama win out and their schedule doesn’t suddenly take a nosedive by the end of the season, they’ll be the top two.  I have no problem with that, as they have both looked mighty impressive so far.  This Texas-Oklahoma State game this weekend should be a good one, and will definitely solidify Texas’ position should they win.

Here are the top six conferences, same as last week:

1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. Big Ten
4. Big East
5. ACC
6. Mountain West

Commentary Attacks Liberals for Attacking Palin’s Wardrobe, Skirts Real Issues

Ruben Navarrette Jr., a columnist and editorial board member for the San Diego Union-Tribune, wrote a commentary this morning for CNN.com. In it he attacks liberals for attacking Joe The Plumber and Sarah Palin, all the while avoiding the real issues of whether Palin is even qualified to be vice president.

What was Joe thinking: that we live in a democracy where everyday Americans who pay the salaries of elected officials can dare question their policies? That just isn’t done.

To prove it, the elites who run the Democratic Party — along with their surrogates in the media and organized labor — went after the plumber.

We now know that Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher owes back taxes, doesn’t have a plumbing license (he told the Associated Press he doesn’t need one because he works for someone else’s company), and may not be registered to vote.

Commenting on a CNN.com story, one condescending reader wrote that Joe the Plumber should pipe down and “get back in my bathroom and unclog the toilet.”

First off, Ruben, don’t be an assclown.  The Democrats are supposed to take heat for digging up the fact that Mr. Wurzelbacher is a great example of why our country is in the toilet?  It was either show that he is a liar and a criminal (owing back taxes is in fact a crime), or let him speak unopposed even though he has no qualifications whatsoever.  Right.  And one other thing, Ruby (can I call you Ruby?), you lose all credibility when you start quoting comments on online articles.  Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel.

McCain oversold it when he said Palin was the most qualified vice presidential candidate in recent history. Better than Dick Cheney? Could she be worse?

Oversold?  That’s the understatement of the year.  She is not only not the most qualified vice presidential candidate in recent history, she is by a wide margin the least. Dick Cheney, for all his faults (such as looking out for his own interests and continually fucking over the American people), was an extremely qualified candidate.  He was the Secretary of Defense during H.W.’s presidency, and was the CEO of Haliburton.  A country is nothing but a giant company in a different field, and his resume made him easily qualified for the job.  Palin, on the other hand, is a governor.  Of a tiny state far removed from the lower 48.  She is the lowest common denominator when it comes to politics, and those need to be left behind.

I could go on and on about this article, but I think I’m going to stop.  Ruben, Palin, and all the people they represent disgust me.  Quit being so goddamn selfish and look out the window; if you don’t think your fellow American needs help, then you need to go to a different country.  We don’t want you here.

Belmore Rankings: Week 8

Things are starting to get interesting in the ol’ world of college football.  More teams are beating up on each other, and the picture of who the true top teams are is becoming clearer and clearer.  Behold, my top 10:

1. Texas (7-0)
2. Alabama (7-0)
3. Oklahoma (6-1)
4. Georgia (6-1)
5. Oklahoma State (7-0)
6. Ohio State (7-1)
7. Boise State (6-0)
8. USC (5-1)
9. Florida (5-1)
10. Utah (8-0)

Before everyone jumps all over the low USC ranking, remember: USC beat Ohio State.  That is considered a good loss for OSU.  USC lost to Oregon State.  That is a very bad loss (and the Beavers beating up on my Huskies, currently ranked #119, doesn’t make it look any better).  If USC is truly the better team (take out the first half of the Oregon State game, and they’ve played the best football in the nation, period), it will reflect in the ratings as the season goes on.  We’re just over halfway; there is still a lot of football to be played.

Now, when it comes to the top conferences, the Pac-10 is looking more and more pathetic.  They have lost ground from last week when I said they were slowly catching back up.  If Washington can beat Notre Dame, that will definitely help, but let’s not hold our breath:

1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. Big Ten
4. Big East
5. ACC
6. Mountain West

I’m only going to show the top 6 conferences from now on, as there are six BCS conferences, so that’s all that matters.  Oops, did I just say the Mountain West is more deserving of a BCS birth than the Pac-10?  I just might have.  Not like it matters, as I still think USC will make it’s way into the title game.

Belmore Rankings: Week 7

Vanderbilt lost to a bad team, Oklahoma lost to a good one, and Florida beat a good one, leaving us with this:

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma State
4. Michigan State
5. Boise State
6. Wake Forest
7. USC
8. Oklahoma
9. Florida
10. Ohio State

The anomaly seem to be Michigan State and Wake Forest, but I have no qualms.  The whole methodology of my formula is taking care of business against other teams who are taking care of business, which they are both doing.  But, one loss can certainly have its toll, as Vanderbilt dropped from #2 to #18 in one week.  We shall see as the season goes on.  However, SEC vs. Big 12 seems about right, since they’re the two top conferences:

1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. Big Ten
4. ACC
5. Big East
6. Mountain West
7. Pacific-10
8. WAC
9. Independent
10. Mid-American
11. Conference USA
12. Sun Belt

The Pac-10 is slowly creeping up on the Mountain West, and we can only cross our fingers that the top 6 conferences are indeed the BCS conferences by the end of the year.  Otherwise, well, it will show how worthless the BCS really is.  Without a playoff, it is as good of a tool as we’re going to get, but that certainly does not mean it is better than a playoff.  It is, in fact, much worse.

Belmore Rankings: Week 6

Not a lot of shake up in the rankings this week, but I’m just fine with that (note: I’ve jumped on the Vanderbilt bandwagon and have abandoned my poor Huskies – currently tied for last – at least for this season).  Here are the top 10:

1. Alabama
2. Vanderbilt
3. Missouri
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Boise State
7. Ball State
8. Michigan State
9. Virginia Tech
10. Utah

The Big 12 really benefited this weekend, and is now the top conference, according to my ratings.  The top 3 conferences are way ahead of the rest of the nation, but the Pac-10 did jump ahead of the WAC (but is still behind the Mountain West, which is pathetic):

1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. Big Ten
4. Big East
5. ACC
6. Mountain West
7. Independent
8. Pacific-10
9. WAC
10. Mid-American
11. Conference USA
12. Sun Belt

As always, it is very early in the season, so nothing much can be learned from these.  It is interesting to see there is a lot of objective data to back up the pundits who are ripping into the Pac-10.  Outside of Cal, USC, and Oregon (in that order), there is nothing to talk about.  And trust me, after a few more weeks that will dwindle down to just USC.

Belmore Rankings: Week 5!

That’s right, they’re back!  The famous Belmore Rankings (who correctly called the BCS top 2 last year based on my own proprietary formula, without any subjective analysis of the teams) are here and calculated through the fifth week of the season.  Without further ado, here is my top 10:

1. Alabama
2. Vanderbilt
3. Boise State
4. Utah
5. Texas
6. Northwestern
7. Oklahoma
8. Nebraska
9. Ball State
10. Virginia Tech

I’m not going to go into details, as it’s too early in the season (and even as a brother of a Vanderbilt alum, even I think that’s too high of a ranking), but there they are.  And for those keeping score at home, Washington currently has the second toughest schedule to date.  And last but not least, here are the ranking of conferences:

1. SEC
2. Big Ten
3. Big 12
4. ACC
5. Big East
6. Mountain West
7. WAC
8. Independent
9. Pacific-10
10. Mid-American
11. Conference USA
12. Sun Belt

That’s right, the four independent teams have collectively done better than the Pac-10.  If you want my opinion, that makes this bad UW season hurt that much more.