Polls 11/16/2009

[www.uscho.com]

    Team (First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Miami (42)	        8-1-3	986	1
2	North Dakota (2)	7-2-1	916	2
3	Denver (2)	        6-3-1	855	4
4	Mass.-Lowell ( 3)	7-2-1	824	5
5	Cornell		        4-1-0	781	3
6	Michigan State (1)	9-2-1	727	13
7	Colorado College	7-2-1	695	10
8	Bemidji State		8-1-1	658	7
9	Yale		        2-1-2	506	12
10	Alaska		        7-2-1	505	9
11	Massachusetts		7-2-0	414	14
12	Nebraska-Omaha		5-2-3	371	11
13	Quinnipiac		8-1-0	366	20
14	Notre Dame		5-5-2	299	8
15	Wisconsin		6-3-1	242	NR
16	Michigan		4-6-0	230	6
17	Vermont		        4-4-1	222	15
17	Boston College		4-3-1	222	16
19	Princeton		3-2-1	181	19
20	Minnesota-Duluth	7-4-1	175	18

Others Receiving Votes: Ferris State 128, St. Cloud State 46, Colgate 43, Boston University 41, Merrimack 17, Rensselaer 16, Providence 12, Union 9, Northeastern 8, RIT 3, New Hampshire 2

I suppose Cornell is still ahead of Yale, despite the sound beating we received on Friday, due to an impression that our style is more competitive within the NC$$ as a whole. I suppose.

We're ahead of them because, in a weekly poll, #3 and #12 are not going to cross paths unless something drastic happens. And a poll voter isn't going to look at a boxscore and see 3-2 Yale with an ENG as a "sound beating."

Jordan 04
We're ahead of them because, in a weekly poll, #3 and #12 are not going to cross paths unless something drastic happens. And a poll voter isn't going to look at a boxscore and see 3-2 Yale with an ENG as a "sound beating."

Especially when the soundly beaten wins 6-0 on the road the next day while the savage beaters tie Colgate at home

Jordan 04
We're ahead of them because, in a weekly poll, #3 and #12 are not going to cross paths unless something drastic happens. And a poll voter isn't going to look at a boxscore and see 3-2 Yale with an ENG as a "sound beating."

And that's exactly why I don't think any polls in a sport should start until at least 1/3 of the season has gone by. We started out ahead and will stay there, almost regardless of what Yale does. If the first poll was after 1/1 then there would be enough of the season to start to make some sense of it.

I am really looking forward to #5 Cornell giving #2 North Dakota a good beating

We're really good at avoiding those random, contrarian #1 votes that have been thrown around.

Jim Hyla

Jordan 04
We're ahead of them because, in a weekly poll, #3 and #12 are not going to cross paths unless something drastic happens. And a poll voter isn't going to look at a boxscore and see 3-2 Yale with an ENG as a "sound beating."

And that's exactly why I don't think any polls in a sport should start until at least 1/3 of the season has gone by. We started out ahead and will stay there, almost regardless of what Yale does. If the first poll was after 1/1 then there would be enough of the season to start to make some sense of it.

You do the poll because it is fun to do the poll. If a poll isn't taken, do you think that people won't argue or make their own top 20 lists? The BCS doesn't release official standings until, what, halfway through the season? Doesn't matter. People have more or less cracked the code and release unofficial BCS standings starting in week one. A Bracketology column this early is ridiculous but USCHO knows that it is ridiculous and run it anyway as a lark.

ugarte

Jim Hyla

Jordan 04
We're ahead of them because, in a weekly poll, #3 and #12 are not going to cross paths unless something drastic happens. And a poll voter isn't going to look at a boxscore and see 3-2 Yale with an ENG as a "sound beating."

And that's exactly why I don't think any polls in a sport should start until at least 1/3 of the season has gone by. We started out ahead and will stay there, almost regardless of what Yale does. If the first poll was after 1/1 then there would be enough of the season to start to make some sense of it.

You do the poll because it is fun to do the poll. If a poll isn't taken, do you think that people won't argue or make their own top 20 lists? The BCS doesn't release official standings until, what, halfway through the season? Doesn't matter. People have more or less cracked the code and release unofficial BCS standings starting in week one. A Bracketology column this early is ridiculous but USCHO knows that it is ridiculous and run it anyway as a lark.

Please reread the print in bold. My point was not that polls aren't fun, and wouldn't be done anyway; but rather that once you get an established hierarchy from preseason, it's hard for the lower teams to break into the upper ranks. As Jordan said, even with a win the lower team is not likely to break through. We used to be in that situation and complained that we weren't getting the respect we were due, now we're up there and should feel for those programs that are trying to break through the barrier.I just don't like that the hierarchy is established before any games are played.

Now in hockey they are all for fun, but in football they really mean something and how much more accurate they would be if they were started halfway through the season. Then a lesser team that was doing well would have a better chance. If no coaches or media polls were done it would be hard to do the BCS early, wouldn't it? Everyone could do their unofficial poll, but the actual voters would not give their ranking to anyone till mid season.

Who would have thought that going into this weekend, Quinnipiac would be ranked higher than Princeton?

Should be two tough games, plus a third on Tuesday. A great chance to gain some momentum heading into MSG.