College Football Polls vs Course Ratings

[Craig Sweet]

The pre season polls are out and as always they are dominated by the usual suspects...all big time football schools. It seems that good solid "mid-major" schools such as West Virgina, Rutgers, Boise,Louisville, etc get short changed all season long, yet they provide some of the most entertaining football during the season and in the Bowl series...

I notice that golf course ratings tend to favor the same old courses, and it takes a truly exceptional "new" course to make the list...is there a built in bias toward courses currently on the list?

[mike_beene]

Well,bad analogy,because with the football example ,you settle it on the field....well,maybe not.

[Craig Sweet]

Do raters automatically pencil in previously high rated courses and wait to see how others will "play out" before figuring where they rate?  

[Kyle Harris]

The Big East teams you listed are hardly considered mid-major programs... it's a BCS conference.

[Craig Sweet]

Kyle, don't you think the poll voters consider them to be "mid-majors" in the sense that even if they go undefeated they probably won't play for the national championship...

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle, don't you think the poll voters consider them to be "mid-majors" in the sense that even if they go undefeated they probably won't play for the national championship...

WVU and Louisville have been in the Top 10 numerous times for the past decade and have both been considered for the National Championship in various preseason polls.

On the topic of the thread...

I don't see the comparison really... how would one make up a "National Championship" of golf course ratings?

[Sean Leary]

Are the major golf magazine ratings taken over just the year or two year time period since the last rating or are new ratings  just added on to the old ones and averaged?

[Joel_Stewart]

I don't think they are the same.   You have courses that drop off the top 100 lists, Yale, Pasatiempo as examples and then they come back.  You have football programs that flounder, USC as example then come back.  

There is a correlation that football teams and golf courses change every year but golf courses are as extreme as football teams unless they undergo some type of heavy renovation.

New courses do appear on the top 100 lists, the ones that stick and move up like Sand Hills, Pacific Dunes are going to have better staying power that Rutgers or Boise State in football.

[Dale_McCallon]

I think Craig maybe on to something.  If anything though, the college ratings might be more "fair".  At least by mid November, even the "mid-majors" will hopefully had their chance to move up the ratings.

I think all golf ratings have a built in bias.  If you didn't know beforehand that Oakmont (just an example) was a top 10 course and had held numerous US Opens/Amateurs how would it get ranked?  But since people have in their mind that this is supposed to be a great course, they somehow see the "greatness".

Kyle,

As far as having a Golf Course National Championship.  I'm pretty sure ESPN could pull it off.  I mean the world wide leader in sports has been able to determine whos the "most now", a stat that I didn't even know existed, so I would think rating golf courses would be easy.

[BuckeyeinBuffalo]

Kyle,

I am not sure everyone who reads this know your bias towards Penn State!

And...your bend toward courses in PA. So, why are you picking on Oakmont?

Old Dale

PS Just having fun with you today!

[Kyle Harris]

Dale,

Unless people have been living under a rock with fingers in their ears for the past 3 years... they know I bleed Blue and White.

Sorry I haven't responded to your email you sent a month ago, been busy getting established here in Tampa. Hope all is well in Happy Valley.