To give sportswriters and coaches something to do? :) Actually, I'd say it's tradition, but I'm not even sure that's true. However, the polls do provide a way for a coach to inspire a team to get up for a big game against a highly-ranked opponent. The RPI could be used instead - since it is what really matters, not the polls - but the NCAA does not release the official RPI. The best reproductions are made by CollegeRPI.com and a few other sites (which occassionally don't agree), but they're not official. A team can be ranked in the top 10 in the RPI, and not in either poll. Interesting enough, Bama is 27th in the latest RPI released by CollegeRPI.com. But the RPI at this point in the season is very suspect. For example, Bama's opponent tomorrow night - Utah - is 110 in the RPI. Bama's opponent on Dec. 8 - UCLA - is 160. Bama'a Dec. 14 opponent - Jacksonville State - sits at #12 in the RPI. Is there anybody who thinks JSU could beat UCLA? Okay, maybe there is.... :)
> This brings up an interesting thought. Since there IS a playoff in > basketball, why even bother with a weekly poll? At the end of the year, does > it really matter? In D1 football, since there is no playoff, the polls serve > a purpose, but in all other sports, polls mean absolutely nothing in my > opinion. To unsubscribe from this list just send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a BLANK subject line and the single word "UNSUBSCRIBE" (without the quotes) in the body or visit http://www.RollTideFan.net
