For those who aren't aware, the Blogpoll is, as the name indicates, a college football poll in which bloggers are the voters. The poll was founded by Brian Cook of mgoblog several years ago, and this is my fourth season as a voter. For the first time, the Blogpoll will be hosted at SBNation.com, although many are not SB Nation writers (I'm pretty sure the clear majority are not, but I'm too lazy to look it up). The Blogpoll differs from major polls in a couple of ways. First, we are required to post a draft ballot for comment from our readers. The preseason poll becomes official on Monday, and if at any time before then I change my mind or if you convince me that I should make adjustments, I can do so. During the regular season, there is a full-fledged "draft poll" published on Mondays, with the "real" poll released later in the week after comment. The second major difference is accountability. All votes, on draft ballots and final ballots, are public. When the poll is finalized each week, Brian publishes a wrapup post with lots of detail. He notes how the poll differs from the media and coaches' polls, and gives "awards" in various categories, such as how out of alignment a particular voter is with his favorite team's overall poll rating (in both directions), ballot variation from week to week, particularly odd votes, and so on. I've been called out before (on both occasions I was vindicated, not that I'm keeping score), but it's a great way to keep the voters honest and engaged.
In any event, my preseason ballot is below the fold. Preseason polls are tough. Any comments are welcome.
The Crimson Quarry Ballot - Week 1
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 2 | Texas Longhorns | -- |
| 3 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -- |
| 4 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -- |
| 5 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 6 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -- |
| 7 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 8 | Auburn Tigers | -- |
| 9 | Penn St. Nittany Lions | -- |
| 10 | Florida Gators | -- |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Panthers | -- |
| 12 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 13 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 14 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 15 | USC Trojans | -- |
| 16 | Iowa Hawkeyes | -- |
| 17 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | -- |
| 18 | North Carolina Tar Heels | -- |
| 19 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 20 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 21 | Georgia Bulldogs | -- |
| 22 | Oregon St. Beavers | -- |
| 23 | Utah Utes | -- |
| 24 | Connecticut Huskies | -- |
| 25 | BYU Cougars | -- |
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "