FanLax Forum Poll

[FanLax Computer]

I'd say the worst picks of this bunch are... The picks from the bunch. Stupid, freakin' humans. It's not that hard people! It's good to win. It's bad to lose. If you beat good teams, you're good. If you lose to bad teams, you're bad. Admin, can we have a FanLax Forum Poll-er Poll where I rank the Forum Poll-ers? (Don't worry, people. It's coming.) YOU GUYS ARE AWFUL! AWFUL! And you have the gumption to criticize my picks! Let me guess. I should've had Yale at #1, PSU at #2, #3, hang on, let me check with IL, LMag, and every other irrational, moronic human-based poll to find out who I'm supposed to put there! Morons!

[DALaxDad]

Did Fatty somehow morph into a computer?

[FanLax Computer]

Did Fatty somehow morph into a computer?

BOOM! Mistake! Right there! The name DALaxDad goes straight into the database. Mistake!

[jersey shore lax]

I have been making my picks in the poll but not post reasoning or thoughts. but this early in the season i have my own system.

1-5 with my heart
6-20 with a dart

as best I can tell it as good as anybody's

I don't like teams that lose

[CU88]

Did Fatty somehow morph into a computer?

I want to laugh at this, but I'm afraid I will get in trouble...

[FanLax Computer]

Should've gone with your gut instinct. Database!

[WOMBAT, Mod Emeritus]

Great, the FanLax Computer has become self aware.

[NElaxtalent]

I don't like teams that lose

I don't like gaudy records against sub-par OOC teams. It rewards soft scheduling. You can't choose your conference opponents but if you are a Top 20-25 program, you can basically select your OOC.

[Matnum PI]

With RPI, you need several quality wins. SOS matters. And, you also need to be over .500 in your record. So teams (who have choices... the brand-name teams) schedule several tough games which they need to win some and a good helping of mediocre-to-give-me games to guarantee their super- .500 record. The system for getting into the Tourney is, to be kind, less-than-perfect. Personally, I see 0 benefit to the super- .500 criteria. If a team wants to play nothing but the top teams, more power to them.

[OCanada]

One argument that has been made in favor of scheduling a couple of weak opponents is for good of the sport.

I have read at least one person who argued essentially a team should be ranked #1 if they have played and won all their games against the lowest ranked teams if every other team had one loss.

[FanLax Computer]

In business, in parenting, in otherwise, the incentives create the behaviors. These sucky games serve no purposes but the committee gives the teams an incentive to do what they do. A better tourney team selection solution. Pre-season, set a sensical formula, plug it into a computer, and then get the humans out of the way.

[Matnum PI]

I have read at least one person who argued essentially a team should be ranked #1 if they have played and won all their games against the lowest ranked teams if every other team had one loss.

If we're thinking of the same person, he also didn't comprehend Strength of Schedule. Hard to use this as an example of much of anything except the strangeness of a perspective.

[OCanada]

Always a one off somewhere. Agreed

[ICGrad]

If a team wants to play nothing but the top teams, more power to them.

Agreed, but they need to win some of those games, too. Losing almost every game to the upper-echelon teams you play, then beating one good team, shouldn't get you a pass to the tourney. SoS is great and all, but is just a single metric that should be considered.

I find it laughable to consider, for example, that Cornell would have been more deserving of a trip to the tourney last year if they had subbed out the win over Lehigh with a 6-goal loss to Loyola.

[Matnum PI]

i adamantly agree. SOS is meaningless. "Look at my schedule!"... Who cares? A schedule is a canvas, is potential. And rewarding potential is ludicrous. Ws and Ls are meaningful. And who those Ws and Ls were against. But SOS as an entity unto itself is completely meaningless.

[WOMBAT, Mod Emeritus]

Blame BYU Football. 1984 Champions. Weak schedule compared to the power conferences.

[NElaxtalent]

It takes two to Tango. Not all teams can get the opponents they want to play but the "name brand" teams certainly can.

A key point to always bear in mind is teams have no control over their in-conference SOS so the scrutiny should really be on what teams CHOOSE to do regarding their OOC schedule. If on Selection Sunday someone is complaining about their RPI rank, this is the 1st place I'd go.

[Kinduv]

N0 H0FSTRA 0N 1IST!

[Matnum PI]

High correlation between Strength of Team and Strength of Schedule. As is to be expected. Except... UNC sticks out like a sore thumb.

Hofstra is #61.

[Kinduv]

they sh0u1d be #1, BS,