Reply #8: Define "Raw Talent"

[RoyGBiv]

I dare you. :-)

This is all subjective. It always has been. Without a playoff process, and in some respects even with one, it always will be. "Raw talent" has no inherent meaning. It's just another phrase observers use to subjectively determine who their favorites are. Does Adrian Peterson have raw talent? Apparently, but listen to the sports pundits talk him down as showing his immaturity because he didn't get 100 yards after being injured and not practicing all week.

USC has been ranked #1 since the pre-season. With that ranking going into the season, it would be impossible for them to lose it without a major screw-up, so in that case, yes, being undefeated is the same as not royally screwing up. Similar things can be said about OU, and the debate between OU and Auburn in fact now centers on that subject.

OU (and USC) got its ranking early because of past performance and expectations based on it. As long as they don't lose, they'll likely keep that ranking, although certain pollsters can't see beyond the end-of-the-year meltdown OU had in '03 and fail to consider the injured White of last year as opposed to the healthy one this year. (You're aware, I assume, than many voters never even watch the games in which the teams they vote on play?) Again, the team is being judged on what it did last year more than what it is doing right now. Winning in a difficult game is a *positive* thing. Any coach will tell you that. Sports writers have different motivations.

Is USC good? No doubt about it. Auburn is better. OU might be better. If I had a vote, I'd personally rank Auburn #1 based on what they have done, put OU as #2 for the same reason and leave USC #3 because they have yet to prove themselves.

Forgot to mention ...

Yes, if the Pats string together a series of victories against obviously inferior teams, I'm going to give them less credit for it. A 300 pound man mashing a 98 pound weakling into the sand is no big achievment. This is the one thing that leaves me not more ardently arguing in Auburn's behalf. They've won when it counted against good teams, but they've played a large number of teams that don't fall into the same league as they do. Those victories aren't all that impressive.