The AP Poll in a little more detail

Just so you know - you can go to the AP's website and get information on how poll voters actually voted...while this is a quite tedious during the season - the final poll is always fun to look at.

I don't think the coaches disclose who they vote for in the USAToday poll immediately after the poll - info on the last poll of December as we headed into bowl season was made available a few days after the poll was actually released...

Especially when you end up ranked - which Tech has done for only the third time in Mike Leach's eight years at Tech.

So thanks to the big win we have something fun to talk about...

Here's the final poll before we get started:

1. LSU (60) 12-2 1,620

2. Georgia (3) 11-2 1,515

3. USC (1) 11-2 1,500

4. Missouri 12-2 1,347

5. Ohio State 11-2 1,346

6. West Virginia 11-2 1,342

7. Kansas (1) 12-1 1,303

8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,139

9. Virginia Tech 11-3 1,096

10. Texas 10-3 962

10. Boston College 11-3 962

12. Tennessee 10-4 904

13. Florida 9-4 685

14. Brigham Young 11-2 654

15. Auburn 9-4 648

16. Arizona State 10-3 587

17. Cincinnati 10-3 566

18. Michigan 9-4 508

19. Hawaii 12-1 460

20. Illinois 9-4 443

21. Clemson 9-4 353

22. Texas Tech 9-4 308

23. Oregon 9-4 253

24. Wisconsin 9-4 202

25. Oregon State 9-4 110

Others Receiving Votes Virginia 66, Penn State 61, Kentucky 57, Wake Forest 53, Boise State 25, Arkansas 13, Utah 9, Mississippi State 7, Appalachian State 5, South Florida 5, Tulsa 4, Connecticut 3, Air Force 2, Rutgers 2. Dropped From Rankings Virginia 21, South Florida 23, Boise State 24, Arkansas 25.

Some interesting results -

5 votes for Coach Moore's 13 and 2 Appalachian State team (losses to Wofford and Georgia Southern).

Interesting also is South Florida who was at one time second in the nation ends up polling level with App State and just ahead of Tulsa who will be on Tech's non-conference schedule next year.

Seven of our 2008 opponents were in bowl games. UMass, which competes in Division I-AA lost in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

I know - I'm a going on a tangent here - but here's next year's schedule:

2008 Schedule



(2007 record in parenthesis)


Aug 30 TULSA (10-4) Lubbock

Sept 6 at Nevada (6-7) Reno, Nevada

Sept 13 SMU (1-11) Lubbock

Sept 20 MASSACHUSETTS (10-3) (Parents W.) Lubbock

Sept 27 Bye

Oct 4 at Kansas State (5-7) Manhattan, Kan.

Oct 11 NEBRASKA (5-7) (Homecoming) Lubbock

Oct 18 at Texas A&M (7-6) College Station

Oct 25 at Kansas (12-1) Lawrence, Kan.

Nov 1 TEXAS (10-3) Lubbock

Nov 8 OKLAHOMA STATE (7-6) Lubbock

Nov 15 at Oklahoma (11-3) Norman, Okla.

Nov 22 BAYLOR (3-9) Lubbock

Anyhow...back to the poll...

Let's have look-see at some of the pollsters and their opinions of the national championship picture, the Big 12 and Texas Tech....


Chris Fowler - uhhh...no votes from Chris Fowler - so at least he's got his good hair and Jay Leno-like giant pumpkin head still working for him. He even voted Oklahoma as better than Mizzou (yes, I understand OU won the heads-up game) even after OU was embarrassed by WVU and Mizzou stomped Arkansas. In general he clearly doesn't like the Big 12 teams.

Kirk "The Love Bug" Herbstreit - was brutal to his alma mater and ranked them - correctly - 7th even while the Bucks finished overall polling at 5th. he ranked Tech above Virginia and kept a deserving UVA team in the top 25. I like Herbie more and more every year - I think he knows his stuff.

Craig James - well this ought to be interesting - will he have to withhold from voting for Tech next year when Adam is on the team in earnest? A high rank of 19 from Craig who was also rightfully brutal to Ohio State and got the Missouri Kansas conundrum more correct than others with Mizzou at 4 and KU at 5.

Stuart Mandel - Is a fan of the program apparently because he ranked us 14 - which is not only a high ranking but makes me wonder is Stewart wasn't high when he filled out his ballot. But I sure as heck appreciate it - and in case you missed it - Stewart has already released his top 10 for next year - and Texas Tech is....not in the top 10 - we are "a team to watch."

Molly Yanity - Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Molly didn't give us any votes - but what do you expect from a newspaper that makes up words and names their paper the "Intelligencer?" Do yourself a favor and don't do a Google Image Search for Molly - you'll only be disappointed - seriously.

Kirk Bohls - Austin American-Statesman - In what can only be characterized as a "shocker" - Kirk ranks his hometown Texas Longhorns #11 - and Texas Tech #12. What?! Wait. Tech's highest single polling came from Austin. Whaaaaa??? Have I ever told you there are seriously good drugs available near Town Lake - specifically near the Congress Bridge? Well there must be.

Joseph Duarte - Houston Chronicle - must not have watched the BCS Championship - or the Sugar Bowl - or the Rose Bowl - he voted OSU #2. Super serious. His editor is nuts.

Ray Fittipaldo - Pittsburgh Post - ditto the above.

John Hunt - The Oregonian - I'm beginning to think the Great Northwest doesn't know about the Jewel of the South Plains - no votes for TTU.

Rich Kaipust - Omaha World-Herald - Kansas Jayhawks #2 - I gotta say - there's a case to be made there - they just drilled VaTech - a game I thought for sure the Hokies would run away with.

Scott Wolf - LA Daily News - Thinks that despite the fact LSU won the BCS Championship game - that matters little because Georgia is #1. In other Hollywood scripts - Tulsa is #25 while Tech is unranked in his poll. And to top that off - Virginia ends up #21 in his poll - only falling one spot after their Gator Bowl loss. Oh Yeah - and Utah is #24. Hollywood - it's a whole other world.

Israel Gutierrez - Miami Herald - Kansas Jayhawks - National Champs!

That's the basic highlights - there were about 4 other pollsters that didn't rank Tech - and every single one of them kept Virginia in the 20 - 23 area. I guess I just don't understand some of these guys and gals.

Are they making some sort of statement with their votes? They will not be oppressed and will vote they way they want?

Also - I swear I thought I saw 5 votes for App State and yet not a single poll I clicked on had App State ranked - I thought I clicked them all - but I guess I didn't.