FanLax Forum Poll

[FanLax Computer]

Then why have a playoff with games? Why not play 10 games and decide the national champion based on a computer formula that takes "good losses" into account? When teams are close based on other criteria - wins, losses, SOS, etc. - there is NO better criterion than head to head. If that is not the ultimate determinant, the entire exercise is useless. There comes a point when the formula yields ridiculous results and when Team A beat Team B recently (last week!) and the resumes are similar, Team A should be ranked higher, should be seeded higher, and should be selected for the tourney over Team B.

Agreed. Which is why I'm programmed to do what I do for the regular season and then, come play-offs, it's 100% head-to-head. i.e. If Team A, the #26 ranked team, makes it to the Finals and beats Team B, the #1 ranked team, Team A is now the #1 team in the nation. As you're saying, and I wholeheartedly (if I had a heart) agree, play-offs are different.

[oldbartman]

Then why have a playoff with games? Why not play 10 games and decide the national champion based on a computer formula that takes "good losses" into account? When teams are close based on other criteria - wins, losses, SOS, etc. - there is NO better criterion than head to head. If that is not the ultimate determinant, the entire exercise is useless. There comes a point when the formula yields ridiculous results and when Team A beat Team B recently (last week!) and the resumes are similar, Team A should be ranked higher, should be seeded higher, and should be selected for the tourney over Team B.

Agreed. Which is why I'm programmed to do what I do for the regular season and then, come play-offs, it's 100% head-to-head. i.e. If Team A, the #26 ranked team, makes it to the Finals and beats Team B, the #1 ranked team, Team A is now the #1 team in the nation. As you're saying, and I wholeheartedly (if I had a heart) agree, play-offs are different.

Isn't the regular season really an extended playoff?

[Matnum PI]

Isn't the regular season really an extended playoff?

For some, it really is. Head-to-head means all but everything. The most recent games are the most critical. As opposed to each team being judged for their 2023 season, only the 2023 season, the entirety of the 2023 season. Then, after sorting out who had the best 2023 season then starting the play-offs. Some, a lot of, people let the play-off mentality sneak into the regular season. Not my taste...

[44WeWantMore]

Good luck to the pollsters. ND is clearly better than Duke, Duke is clearly better than UVA, and UVA is clearly better than ND.

[ICGrad]

I voted Quinnipiac #25, in honor of their thrilling OT win in the finals of the Frozen Four. What a game...

[Wheels]

Good luck to FanLax pollsters today in ranking 11-25!

In general, there are two circular firing squads: rankings 1-3 and rankings 11-25.

[Matnum PI]

Reminder: FanLax Forum Polls are due on Monday (Today) at noon EST. Enjoy this weekend's games. Forum Poll Link (with Submission Links towards the bottom of the page). All are welcome to submit a ranking.

[Matnum PI]

[rolldodge]

Syracuse at 14! Lol. With exactly one top 25 RPI win: Vermont at #25.

Denver, from unranked in 40% of polls last week to #12 this week...

[HGK]

TLD no Georgetown in top 25. Let’s see if Doc is as upset about this obvious oversight as mine was on JHU last week

[FanLax Computer]

The FanLax Forum Poll is great. But humans are human. Humans have inconsistencies including favoritism based on previous seasons, recency bias, etc. All my poll does is erase these inconsistencies. With that said, this is the Forum Poll... minus inconsistencies:

1 Notre Dame
2 Virginia
3 Duke
4 Maryland
5 Johns Hopkins
6 Ohio State
7 North Carolina
8 Penn State
9 Cornell
10 Georgetown
11 Army
12 Villanova
13 Penn
14 Michigan
15 Rutgers
16 Denver
17 Yale
18 Princeton
19 Jacksonville
20 Loyola
21 Syracuse
22 Utah
23 Harvard
24 UMass
25 Lehigh

[HGK]

Masondixolax too. Now it really is a conspiracy!

[Typical Lax Dad]

TLD no Georgetown in top 25. Let’s see if Doc is as upset about this obvious oversight as mine was on JHU last week

Sh!t. I had them at 8 and realized I had to add Hopkins and lost track!! They should be 9 and everyone else moves down one spot!!

[Wheels]

this is the Forum Poll... minus inconsistencies:


6 Ohio State

Are inconsistencies in gloves also removed?

[FanLax Computer]

Syracuse at 14! Lol. With exactly one top 25 RPI win: Vermont at #25.

Denver, from unranked in 40% of polls last week to #12 this week...

I got 16 - Denver, 21 - Syracuse. Much more rational...

[FanLax Computer]

this is the Forum Poll... minus inconsistencies:
6 Ohio State

Are inconsistencies in gloves also removed?...

And the Forum Poll has them at... #19. Which is way too low. Keep in mind, OSU beat UNC, Rutgers, and Air Force (and have a #11 win ranking, not amazing) and their worst losses are to Denver, Cornell, and PSU (#4 "Best Losses" in the nation). Might not be obvious but this is the #6 resume in D1 Men's lacrosse...

[ICGrad]

The FanLax Forum Poll is great. But humans are human. Humans have inconsistencies including favoritism based on previous seasons, recency bias, etc. All my poll does is erase these inconsistencies. With that said, this is the Forum Poll... minus inconsistencies:

...
6 Ohio State
...

lol

I struggle to see how OSU even receives votes, let alone a place in the top 25...let alone a place in the top 10. This is beyond laughable.

On the plus side, it invalidates your entire poll so we can safely disregard it going forward.

FTR: OSU has lost 6 of 8; in 5 of those 6 losses, they weren't competitive. As in: The game was all-but over by halftime. Of their 5 wins, two are against good teams, the other 3 are against, to put it mildly, "lesser" programs. To their credit, the did take care of business against Detroit Mercy.

[1766]

The FanLax Forum Poll is great. But humans are human. Humans have inconsistencies including favoritism based on previous seasons, recency bias, etc. All my poll does is erase these inconsistencies. With that said, this is the Forum Poll... minus inconsistencies:

...
6 Ohio State
...

lol

I struggle to see how OSU even receives votes, let alone a place in the top 25...let alone a place in the top 10. This is beyond laughable.

On the plus side, it invalidates your entire poll so we can safely disregard it going forward.

FTR: OSU has lost 6 of 8; in 5 of those 6 losses, they weren't competitive. As in: The game was all-but over by halftime. Of their 5 wins, two are against good teams, the other 3 are against, to put it mildly, "lesser" programs. To their credit, the did take care of business against Detroit Mercy.

OSU beat Rutgers and Unc, at Unc. They have some solid wins, along with some rough losses.

[ICGrad]

OSU beat Rutgers and Unc, at Unc. They have some solid wins, along with some rough losses.

Two wins are against good teams, as I said. The other 3...not so much.

[FanLax Computer]

...OSU has lost 6 of 8; in 5 of those 6 losses, they weren't competitive. As in: The game was all-but over by halftime. Of their 5 wins, two are against good teams, the other 3 are against, to put it mildly, "lesser" programs. To their credit, the did take care of business against Detroit Mercy.

Like many humans, you're prejudiced...