Rick's Sports Blog: 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014

This is a 16-part series. I will compare what the BCS actually gave us over the past 16 years with what we could've seen if my BCS Playoff System was used instead. This will also give an outlook as to why this system would be best for college football's future. Note - the Big East counts as an automatic qualifier here, and has a main tie of the Orange Bowl. Also, the rankings used are from the BCS standings of the time, not my preferred formula.

What we saw in the 1999-2000 season:

Rose Bowl - Saturday, January 1
7 Wisconsin (9-2, Big Ten Champion) vs Stanford (8-3, Pac-10 Champion)

Orange Bowl - Saturday, January 1
4 Alabama (10-2, SEC Champion) vs 8 Michigan (9-2, At-Large)

Fiesta Bowl - Sunday, January 2
3 Nebraska (11-1, Big 12 Champion) vs 5 Tennessee (9-2, At-Large)

Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) - Tuesday, January 4
1 Florida St. (11-0, ACC Champion) vs 2 Virginia Tech (11-0, Big East Champion)

Passed over: #6 Kansas St (10-1)

Using my BCS Playoff System:

Selection Order:
Tier 1: Sugar, Orange, Rose
Tier 2: Fiesta, Peach, Cotton

Semifinal #1 - Friday, December 31
3 Nebraska (11-1, Big 12 Champion) @ 2 Virginia Tech (11-0, Big East Champion)

Semifinal #2 - Friday, December 31
4 Alabama (10-2, SEC Champion) @ 1 Florida St. (11-0, ACC Champion)

Rose Bowl - Saturday, January 1
7 Wisconsin (10-1, Big Ten Champion) vs 11 Penn St. (11-1, AQ)

Sugar Bowl - Saturday, January 1
5 Tennessee (9-2, AQ) vs 6 Kansas St. (11-1, AQ)

Orange Bowl - Monday, January 3
9 Michigan St (9-2, AQ) vs 10 Florida (9-3, AQ)

Fiesta Bowl - Tuesday, January 4
15 Texas (9-4, At-Large) vs Stanford (8-3, Pac-10 Champion)

Peach Bowl - Wednesday, January 5
8 Michigan (9-2, At-Large) vs 12 Marshall (12-0, MAC Champion)

Cotton Bowl - Thursday, January 6
13 Minnesota (8-3, At-Large) vs 14 Texas A&M (8-3, At-Large)

National Championship Game - Monday, January 10
Semifinal #1 Winner vs Semifinal #2 Winner

Analysis:

In Year 2 of my playoff plan, the top 4 teams are all conference champions, and thus they all make the playoff. The plan is off to a great start.

For the Tier 1 bowls, the Sugar gets the first pick. The Big 12 vs SEC tie gets to stay put, as it also provides a 5 vs 6 match-up in Tennessee vs Kansas St. The Orange gets the next pick. Since both the ACC and Big East champs are in the playoff, and Georgia Tech is the only team from either conference that is likely in the BCS Top 20 (still only a BCS Top 15 is released), the Orange avoids GT for a second straight year. The Orange grabs 9 Michigan St. and 10 Florida to ensure a sellout and even match-up (8 Michigan was skipped over to allow its massive fan base to help another bowl). The Pac-12 Champion, Stanford is not ranked. Because of this, 7 Wisconsin of the Big Ten gets the spot. The only teams within 5 spots are the 5 Tennessee, 6 Kansas St, 8 Michigan, 9 Michigan St, 10 Florida, 11 Penn St, and 12 Marshall. The 5 vs 6 match-up must happen, and there can be no rematches, so only Florida, Penn St, and Marshall are left. Marshall gets scratched off due to the travel distance and fan base size. By moving Florida to the Orange, a long chain of events takes place due to how close the Big Ten teams are ranked, making it difficult to keep the teams within 5 spots of each other. Meanwhile, even though Penn St. and Wisconsin are from the same conference, they didn't play each other this season. This game would sell very well, and would ease the process for the other bowls, so it gets the okay here.

For the Tier 2 bowls, the Fiesta starts things off by selecting Pac-10 Champion Stanford. It is difficult to see exactly where Stanford would've ranked in a BCS Top 25 (even with a #22 rank in the AP Poll), so the Within 5 Spots rule gets potentially broken by selecting 15 Texas as the opponent. Stanford has a small fan base, so a large fan base that travels well is needed here, and Texas is the only program within a potential BCS Top 20 that fits the bill. The Peach quickly grabs 8 Michigan, with 12 Marshall as the only option left. Finally, the Cotton Bowl adds a local team in 14 Texas A&M to go along with 13 Minnesota. Other notable teams within the AP's Top 25 that are left out consist of Mississippi St, Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, East Carolina, Georgia, and Miami.

While there would have likely been controversy over the Rose Bowl game, this list is comprised of money match-ups through and through. Instead of being passed over for a second straight year, Kansas St. gets included again. Another lesser (undefeated) conference champion would be included in Marshall.

Past BCS Redo Seasons:

1998

Thursday, August 14, 2014

BCS Redo: 1998

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

CFB: A Better Playoff System

This season, college football moves into a brand new world. The Bowl Championship Series is now the College Football Playoff. The poll-selected championship is gone and a 4-team playoff is in. The 5 big-money bowl games (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, and National Championship Game) now have 2 more brothers (Cotton and Peach). The polls and computer rankings are now meaningless, as a 15-member selection committee will now be in charge of ranking teams. The complex system of selecting 10 teams for 5 games is history, with the selection committee now choosing the 12 teams it wants.

And yet I am not very excited about these changes.

Did the BCS always get things right? No, and that is okay. Were there controversies? Plenty, but they usually amounted in changes to the system that helped perfect it.

My biggest question is this: why couldn't a 4-team playoff have been ADDED to the BCS instead of creating an entirely new system that contains much less structure?

What I will now present in detail is the playoff plan I have been sitting on for a couple years. I truly believe this would be a better system than what we will see this season and what we've seen in the past.

The BCS Standings

The BCS Standings shall be comprised of 4 equal parts:

25% - AP Poll

25% - Coaches Poll - Every FBS coach votes and every ballot is revealed each week

25% - Computer Average (No margin of victory) - The average of 4 formulas (6 total formulas, minus the highest and lowest rank, then averaged). Every formula is transparent. Margin of victory is not included (just like in the 16 years of the BCS) to ensure teams aren't running up the score as bad as they could.

25% - Computer Average (With margin of victory) - The average of 4 formulas (6 total formulas, minus the highest and lowest rank, then averaged). Every formula is transparent. Margin of victory is included here to give a better balance to the computers rankings.

The BCS Selection Committee

The BCS selection committee shall consist of the 10 FBS conference commissioners, 1 Independent representative, and the BCS President. The selection committee is setup to create the 6 BCS Bowl match-ups based on the criteria listed below. The selection committee has absolutely nothing to do with the BCS Playoff.

The BCS Playoff

The following rules will determine the playoff:

1. Top 4 conference champions ranked in top 6 automatically qualify for the playoff.

2. Independents ranked in top 4 automatically qualify for the playoff.

3. Any holes are filled by the highest ranked At-Large team in the Top 4.

4. The 4 teams are seeded 1-4 based on their final ranking and play at the home sites of the higher seed.

5. Alternately, if the bowl locations did host the playoff games, they would rotate as following: Year 1- Fiesta & Peach, Year 2- Cotton & Orange, Year 3- Rose & Sugar, and then repeat. Preference would go to the highest seeded teams. Also, these are bowl locations, not the actual bowl games.

The BCS Bowls

The 6 BCS bowls consist of the Rose, Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Peach, and Orange. The rules of selection follow:

1. Champions of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC, and highest-ranked of the Group of Five automatically qualify

2. Teams ranked in top 12 automatically qualify, if there are enough spots.
3. Teams ranked in top 20 are eligible for At-Large selection.
4. The bowls follow a 2-tier prioritization plan

-Year 1: Rose, Sugar, Orange for Tier 1; Peach, Cotton, Fiesta for Tier 2.
-Year 2: Sugar, Orange, Rose for Tier 1; Fiesta, Peach, Cotton for Tier 2.
-Year 3: Orange, Rose, Sugar for Tier 1; Cotton, Fiesta, Peach for Tier 2.

5. Unless a listed rule prevents it, the Rose must prioritize a Big Ten-Pac-12 match-up, the Sugar a Big 12-SEC match-up, and the Orange an ACC-At-Large match-up.

6. Each bowl must have teams ranked no more than 5 spots apart.

7. If BCS #5 and BCS #6 are included in the playoff, #3 vs #4 must be featured in a Tier 1 Bowl.
8. Proximity and fan-base travel history must be strongly considered for how each match-up is affected.

9. The best 6 possible match-ups are prioritized, rather than focusing on each bowl individually.

The BCS Schedule

While a college football purist would like to see both semifinals take place on Day 1, the Tier 2 BCS Bowls on Day 2, and Tier 1 BCS Bowls on Day 3 over the 5-day span of 12/29 - 1/2, it is just not feasible for the TV networks. Instead, here is the schedule that would provide the highest ratings:

BCS Semifinals - The last Saturday of December. In years where Christmas is the final Saturday in December, these games will take place on the final Friday of the month. Time: 3pm for the #2 vs #3 matchup. 7pm for the #1 vs #4 matchup.

Rose - 3pm on 1/1. In years where 1/1 is a Sunday, the game will take place on 1/2.

Sugar - 7pm on 1/1. In years where 1/1 is a Sunday, the game will take place on 1/2.

Orange - 7pm on 1/2. In years where 1/2 is a Sunday, the game will take place on 1/3.

Fiesta - 7pm. In Year 1, this bowl is the day after the Orange. In Years 2 and 3, this bowl is the day after the Peach. Sunday will be skipped

Cotton - 7pm. In Years 1 and 3, this bowl is the day after the Fiesta. In Year 2, this bowl is the day after the Orange. Sunday will be skipped.

Peach - 7pm. In Years 1 and 2, this bowl is the day after the Cotton. In Year 3, this bowl is the day after the Orange. Sunday will be skipped.

BCS Championship - 7pm on the 2nd Monday of January.

Conclusion - Why is this better than what we have now?

Transparency - A selection committee choosing teams for a playoff is too limited. While many of the members on the committee are respected individuals, everyone has biases that will need to be overcome. Plus, it's hard to believe these folks are going to be able to watch every meaningful game. There is absolutely no transparency in this system, as we don't know what will impress the committee. My system, however, is 100% transparent. Each week, every vote is revealed and we would know exactly what each BCS computer formula consisted of. This makes things run much more smoothly. Also, unlike in the current form of the Coaches Poll, every coach gets a vote (rather than half of them), and the ballots are revealed to keep them honest. If there are repeated incidents of highly questionable rankings, that coach may be suspended from the poll, or lose his vote altogether.

Better Games - The high priority placed on winning a conference championship rather than overall record will open up the regular season for better out-of-conference (OOC) games. No fun comes of watching your team dominate, struggle with, or even lose to an FCS "cupcake." In the past system, overall record was a priority, which discouraged more than 1 tough OOC per season, and if that for some schools. Better match-ups all season long is an awesome start, but this would also give everyone a clearer understanding of which conferences are better than others throughout the season. Right now, conference championships are not required for inclusion to the playoff, while the committee is quiet on its selection criteria and what it emphasizes. Better OOCs are on the way, but my system would yield even more, which is a win for the fans.

More BCS Bowls - The past BCS system had 5 big-money bowl games. The current system has 7. My system would actually have 9 high-quality games. Currently, the 2 semifinal match-ups will take place in actual bowl games (Rose & Sugar in 2015, Cotton & Orange in 2016, Fiesta & Peach in 2017, then restart). Since asking fans to travel to 2 bowl games (possibly in addition to a Conference Championship Games, depending on the team and conference) in a 2-week span is a little ridiculous, I believe this will eventually get changed to home sites somewhere down the road. But the playoff is just starting, so why not do it now? They use excuses of "not enough hotel rooms" or "trying to protect the top bowls." Well, guess what? I'm pretty sure there are enough hotel rooms near each CFB stadium, and the bowls can be protected with the right amount of effort.

Better BCS Access - In the past system, the 6 conferences automatically qualified for selection in one of the 10 spots. Notre Dame had a special clause to gain automatic status. The top-ranked champion of a lesser conference would automatically qualify by being ranked in a certain spot. Also, BCS #1 and #2 were guaranteed spots if they were non-champions. The finals slots were filled At-Large selections, that were rarely selected for on-field performance, as opposed to TV ratings and fan base size Presently, there are 5 conferences that have a guaranteed spot. Notre Dame has a special clause. Also, the highest ranked champion of the lower conferences are now guaranteed a spot. After that, no rules or structure. My system is structured. There are 16 spots. The top 10 teams automatically qualify. The 5 champions and the highest of the lesser conferences are guaranteed spots. Then #11 and #12 automatically qualify if there is enough room. Teams have to be ranked in the top 20 to be eligible for any remaining spots. There is no more #3 Kansas State being skipped over like in 1998.

Better BCS Bowls - So, in addition to 2 extra bowl games that are now freed up, we get better match-ups. My system tries its best to protect history, but at the end of the day, the match-ups are what sell. To start off, each Tier 1 bowl is guaranteed at least 1 of its conference ties, though not necessarily the champions of those conferences. The BCS Selection committee chooses the first team for the bowl with the first selection. Then it has to find an opponent ranked within 5 places of the first team selected. They follow this process through the remaining 2 Tier 1 bowls, trying to create the best match-ups possible and sticking with traditional tie-ins. After they have their 3 best games chosen, the follow the same procedures through the Tier 2 bowls.

A Better Playoff - The past system had no playoff. The current system will openly allow non-conference champions in its 4-team playoff. When there are 5 major conferences and only 4 spots, champions should be valued, especially in the subjective world of college football. Some people wanted the top 4 champions to automatically qualify for the playoff. The SEC schools and commissioner were firmly against it and wanted the top 4 teams. Other conferences wanted a selection committee. I created my idea in the early winter of 2012, with Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany also mentioning something similar later that year. I truly believe that this system is the best of all 3 worlds. You want to ensure that conference championships are put at a premium? Check. You want to ensure that the 4 teams will be of the very best in the nation? Check. You want a selection committee? Check, even though their job will be stripped a bit. My approach makes sure that no team ranked under #6 is included in the playoff. It gives access to non-champions if there are not enough quality champions. It allows not only Notre Dame, but any independent a spot in the playoff if ranked in the top 4. This system is balanced.

Monday, March 10, 2014

NBA: Fixing the Scheduling, Conference, and Seeding Issues

The NBA currently has 2 conferences, each with 3 divisions of 5 teams, for a total of 30 teams. For the schedule, each team plays its 4 divisional opponents 4 times each (16 total games), 6 intra-conference teams 4 times each (24 total games), the other 4 intra-conference teams 3 times each (12 total games), and the 15 inter-conference opponents 2 times each (30 total games). This yields an 82-game schedule, with 41 home and 41 away games. For the playoffs, the 3 division champions and 5 next-best teams in each conference qualify.

However, there is a large problem: the Western Conference has dominated the Eastern Conference so much in inter-conference play for the better part of the past decade that playing in the East is an unfair advantage; several Western Conference teams could've qualified for the playoffs in the other conference, but missed it in the West, while every season there are Eastern conference teams with sub-.500 records qualifying for the playoffs. How could this be fixed?

First of all, I suggest eliminating the 2 conferences altogether. That would yield a single 30-team conference.

Now for the schedule. Since an 82-game schedule isn't evenly divisible by 29 teams, the NBA would need to get creative with its scheduling formula. Playing every team home-and-home is of utmost importance, so we have 58 of the 82 games accounted for. One thing the NFL does to really help out its struggling franchises is give the worst teams the easiest schedules. Since the NBA has more teams that consistently struggle than the NFL, this would be a good addition for the Association. For this, we take the past season's results, then place the 30 teams into 3 even tiers. Teams in each tier then play the 9 other teams 2 additional times each (18 total games). That brings the total up to 76 games accounted for. Also important in nearly every sport is the regional rivalries. To preserve these, every team would then play their 3 biggest rivals 2 additional times each (6 total games) to reach the desired 82-game tally.

So for a single team, you will play your closest rivals at least 4 times each, everyone else at least 2 times each, then 2 additional times for the 9 teams in the respective tier. This increases high-profile match-ups and gives more even match-ups across the board, which will help ratings and ticket sales.

The Regional Rivalries:
Atlanta: Charlotte, Miami, Orlando
Boston: New York, Philadelphia, Toronto
Brooklyn: Miami, New York, Washington
Charlotte: Atlanta, Orlando, Washington
Chicago: Milwaukee, Minnesota, Indiana
Cleveland: Detroit, Indiana, Toronto
Dallas: Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio
Denver: Portland, Phoenix, Utah
Detroit: Cleveland, Indiana, Toronto
Golden State: LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Sacramento
Houston: Dallas, New Orleans, San Antonio
Indiana: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit
LA Clippers: Golden State, LA Lakers, Sacramento
LA Lakers: Golden State, LA Clippers, Phoenix
Miami: Atlanta, Brooklyn, Orlando
Memphis: Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City
Milwaukee: Chicago, Memphis, Minnesota
Minnesota: Chicago, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City
New Orleans: Houston, Memphis, San Antonio
New York: Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
Oklahoma City: Dallas, Memphis, Minnesota
Orlando: Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami
Philadelphia: Boston, New York, Washington
Phoenix: Denver, LA Lakers, Utah
Portland: Denver, Sacramento, Utah
Sacramento: Golden State, LA Clippers, Portland
San Antonio: Dallas, Houston, New Orleans
Toronto: Boston, Cleveland, Detroit
Utah: Arizona, Denver, Portland
Washington: Brooklyn, Charlotte, Philadelphia

Playoff Seedings:
Take the top 16 seeds. That eliminates sub-.500 teams from entering the playoffs in most seasons, and ensures that the best make it.

For the All-Star Game:
Follow the NHL and have the fans vote for 2 captains that draft their teams.

An Example for the Dallas Mavericks Based off of the 2012-13 Standings:
Adjusted 2013 Playoff Seeding:
-17th overall -- No playoffs (#15 Utah would've gotten in over #18 Milwaukee)
2014 Schedule:
-Houston (6 games)
-Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, LA Lakers, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah (4 games each, 40 total)
-All other teams (2 games each, 36 total)

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

NFL Draft 2014 – What Should the Cowboys Do?

Let’s face it: the Dallas Cowboys are going nowhere. Offensively there is a lot of talent, but there isn’t much on defense. There is a ton of age on both sides of the ball, with high salaries to go with it. However, going 24-24 in the past three seasons is not a good sign. Most great franchises get better through the draft, which Dallas really hasn’t done since the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, leading to 3 Super Bowl titles. The Herschel Walker trade and a #1 overall pick are what really set up the Dallas Dynasty, and the current incarnation of the Cowboys is just average enough to never grab a game-changer by “earning” a top-5 pick. Tony Romo has his doubters, but he has largely carried the entire Cowboys’ team for the past few years, and, despite injury, is still better than a quarter of the league’s other QBs. With that in mind, here is my suggestion: target the Cleveland Browns. Trade Tony Romo to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for their two 2014 1^st-rounders (#4 and #26).

Why would the Cowboys be interested?

With the loss of Romo, Dallas would need to rely on former NFL starter and 31-year-old Kyle Orton for a year or two. Romo will lend an $11.7M cap hit in 2014 with his newly restructured contract, but Orton will be owed much less. Ridding the team of Romo’s cap hit will allow room to sign the draft picks and possibly have room to add to the front of some of the bigger contracts (DeMarcus Ware?). With the addition of 2 extra 1^st-round picks, Dallas would be able to get younger and better in at least 3 areas of need, while gaining the ever-important 5^th year option on the rookie contracts (which applies only to 1^st round picks).

Houston is likely to choose a QB, but DE JaDeveon Clowney or a trade could be in play. St. Louis is likely to draft an OT, but trading down is still an option. Jacksonville will most likely grab a QB, but could surprise by grabbing Clowney.

With the 4^th overall pick, Dallas would be in the running for a stud lineman. The ideal choice would be 4-3 DE Jadeveon Clowney to pair with DeMarcus Ware, at least for a season or two. Of course, if Clowney is gone, the most obvious choice to grab with this pick would then be either the best available of OT, DE, or LB. Why not grab a QB? Well, the candidates aren’t very intriguing and Dallas needs more help on defense and the OL (you can never be too good there) than anywhere else. Manziel surely won’t be on the board, but is a risk in his own right. Teddy Bridgewater is good, but will he be great? He’s not a sure thing. Blake Bortles has a ton of potential, but what if he doesn’t realize it? That’s why OLB/DE (Anthony Barr or Khalil Mack) or OT (Jake Matthews or Greg Robinson) would be much better, safer picks at this spot.

With pick #16/17 (due to a coin flip with the Ravens), Dallas could then select the best available prospect, namely a DB or DL. There are a ton of options here, but the best scenario would probably be a S (Calvin Pryor or Ha-Ha Clinton Dix) or CB (Justin Gilbert or Darqueze Denard), allowing a DT to be taken with pick #26. However, there seems to be a nice field of good DTs and DBs to choose from in the top 40 picks, so listening to the scouts would be key, taking the best available guy.

As for the QB woes, there are plenty of less-risky options out there. Personally, I am an adamant fan of AJ McCarron and believe he would be a great get in round 2. Derek Carr, David Fales, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray are a few other likeable QBs that could be drafted in the 2^nd to 5^th rounds. Whichever way the draft fell, Dallas could get its QB of the future and let him sit behind Orton for at least 1-2 years. If they missed on this QB, it still wouldn’t be as bad as missing in the early 1^st round.

The Cowboys would definitely get younger by this move, and allow themselves to get better players with more team-friendly contracts for the next 4 years. If Orton couldn’t get the job done at QB, then Dallas would have a chance to grab some more good young guys. If Orton did work out, then the sky is the limit for this team (especially if Dallas landed 3 1^st round guys on defense). More than likely, the Cowboys would at least float around the average mark where it has been since the late 1990’s.

Why would the Browns be interested?

The Browns have had a top ten defense for the past 3 seasons or so. The only problem has been a lack of offense. Colt McCoy didn’t have anything at all to work with in 2010 and 2011, then Brandon Weeden (a wasted 1^st rounder) and the other guys on the roster just weren’t very good in 2012 and 2013. Now, however, the Browns have a top 5 receiver in Josh Gordon, a nice OL, and limited talent elsewhere on offense. Even with two 1^st round picks, it is unlikely the Browns will be a contender next season. However, with the right QB things could be much different. Insert Tony Romo.

More than likely, Romo would be able to carry this offense to new heights. He would have a great #1 WR and an OL about the same as he had in Dallas. While the Browns’ RB situation isn’t as good as the Cowboys’, at least Chris Ogbonnaya can catch well out of the backfield and the Browns surely can’t run much less than the Cowboys have in recent years. The AFC North has been known for great defenses (with all 4 being in the top 10 overall just a couple seasons ago), but they mainstays in Baltimore and Pittsburgh are getting old all-around and hurting in the secondary. An offense similar to what the Cowboys have had, coupled with the Browns’ defense, would bolt Cleveland past Cincinnati as the AFC North favorite.

While Romo has had recent injury problems and is already 34-years-old, he is still better than any QB this incarnation of the Cleveland Browns has ever had. 6 years are left on his contract; while he may only be really good for 2 more years, he will likely still be a solid QB for the next 4. Now he won’t be cheap, with $80+M still being owed in the 6 years, but it would be completely worth it for this franchise if he can get them to the playoffs and leave the team in a better place than when he took over. Plus, they can always re-work the deal or cut him after the $40M of guaranteed money has been met.

In the end, though, Tony Romo would put the Cleveland Browns in a much better position than any QB on the Draft Board. While he would be an expensive grab, the deal would be completely worth it if the Browns could have any sort of success and get a little bit of traction for the future. Also, the fans deserve a winning team, and that is what he would give them.

Monday, January 6, 2014

CFB: 2013 Final Top 40

2013 Final Top 40:

1 Florida St (14-0)
2 Michigan St (13-1)
3 South Carolina (11-2)
4 UCF (11-1)
5 Oklahoma (10-2)
6 Auburn (12-2)
7 Missouri (12-2)
8 Baylor (11-2)
9 Louisville (12-1)
10 Alabama (11-2)
11 Stanford (11-3)
12 Oregon (11-2)
13 Clemson (11-2)
14 Ohio St (12-2)
15 Oklahoma St (10-3)
16 UCLA (10-3)
17 LSU (10-3)
18 Notre Dame (9-4)
19 Arizona St (10-4)
20 USC (10-4)
21 Wisconsin (9-4)
22 Texas A&M (9-4)
23 Washington (9-4)
24 Nebraska (9-4)
25 Duke (10-4)
26 Vanderbilt (9-4)
27 Miami (9-4)
28 BYU (8-5)
29 Mississippi (8-5)
30 Texas (8-5)
31 Kansas St (8-5)
32 Georgia (8-5)
33 Texas Tech (8-5)
34 Arizona (8-5)
35 Northern Illinois (12-2)
36 Iowa (8-5)
37 Minnesota (8-5)
38 Fresno St (11-2)
39 Virginia Tech (8-5)
40 Penn St (7-5)

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