Temple Owls back in Top 25 in both polls; Bulls receive AP vote

[NewEnglandBull]

Yeah I went from yeah I think we can get to a bowl last year, to we should get to one this year with improved defense, to holy crap we can win a conference championship if we get in.

It  has been an incredible season. The fact that this team is getting votes is like a dream. AND we still have a bowl game to enjoy! 

[Bulls1181]

So if we are tied for 30 now is there any chance the team can move up 5 spots in the final poll after the bowls? 

I think the only chance is if we play a P5 team in our bowl game and beat them up pretty good

[CaliforniaBull]

So about that respect thing... You guys don't think USF gets it? I would go as far to say we get more respect than anybody in the country as far as AP poll is concerned. We now officially have more votes than any other 4 loss team IN THE COUNTRY. Above Washington St, above Tennessee, above UCLA, above Mississippi St, and get this, the ACC's 4 loss Miami and Pittsburgh don't even have votes. Take that for not being able to do it in the AAC.

Edited November 29, 2015 by CaliforniaBull

[Bulls1181]

So about that respect thing... You guys don't think USF gets it? I would go as far to say we get more respect than anybody in the country as far as AP poll is concerned. We now officially have more votes than any other 4 loss team IN THE COUNTRY. Above Washington St, above Tennessee, above UCLA, above Mississippi St, and get this, the ACC's 4 loss Miami and Pittsburgh don't even have votes. Take that for not being able to do it in the AAC.

Great point! I guess the voters are putting more weight on the current streak and how we are beating teams.

[Flowers4Heisman]

Getting AP votes, that's really something! Where did we start out in the preseason rankings, 60s or 70s, right?

Well, they know Temple has good coaching and is a good team. They also know Cincy is a good program. And the ucf game was a rivalry match for us. We ripped all three up. Furthermore, we led Navy most of the game with two of our star players hurt.

And it didn't hurt that FSU's coach made a statement about us, along with some ESPN TV heads.

The reality is that this team is now pretty dangerous. Who would want to go up against our guys?

[BullsFanInTX]

So about that respect thing... You guys don't think USF gets it? I would go as far to say we get more respect than anybody in the country as far as AP poll is concerned. We now officially have more votes than any other 4 loss team IN THE COUNTRY. Above Washington St, above Tennessee, above UCLA, above Mississippi St, and get this, the ACC's 4 loss Miami and Pittsburgh don't even have votes. Take that for not being able to do it in the AAC.

A 4 loss USC has more votes and is ranked #24. 

Edited November 30, 2015 by BullsFanInTX

[Raetus]

This guy believed in us starting Week 13. 

http://collegepolltracker.com/football/pollster/josh-kendall/2015/week-14

You're a saint, Josh Kendall.

[USFBulls12]

So if we are tied for 30 now is there any chance the team can move up 5 spots in the final poll after the bowls? 

Had we appeared in and won the CCG, as well as our bowl game, then yes we would be ranked in the last poll. Unfortunately, a bowl win vs someone like Marshall or LA Tech aren't going to move us to #25. We'll likely be around #35 in the preseason rankings at the start of next season..it's up to us in the first few games to decide which direction we'll move in the rankings.

[NCBull]

Had we appeared in and won the CCG, as well as our bowl game, then yes we would be ranked in the last poll. Unfortunately, a bowl win vs someone like Marshall or LA Tech aren't going to move us to #25. We'll likely be around #35 in the preseason rankings at the start of next season..it's up to us in the first few games to decide which direction we'll move in the rankings.

I think you're right about this season, but for preseason next it wouldn't surprise me if we got some love and cracked the 25.  We return so many starters and will have some good hype around our skills players.  AP voters may be impressed enough to take note.  Plus, the many coaching changes will work to our favor, as well as the AAC's relative strength this season.  I'm thinking low 20s is entirely possible to start next season.

[Sellular1]

2 people voted us 22nd and 1 (Joey Knight) voted us 25th

http://collegepolltracker.com/football/team/usf2/2015

From Joey Knight....

 

I faced a hard choice on this week's ballot, setting me up for criticism -- varying in degree from scathing to subtle -- regardless of how I decided.

Which makes it no different than any other week. This time around, I'd invariably be branded a homer or hypocrite (or perhaps worse in the unfiltered galaxy of cyberspace), depending on the direction I took. All well and good. Let the vitriol fly; you won't hit a jaded conscience.

I put USF on my ballot.

Only a week ago, I indicated the Bulls' mid-September loss at Maryland was simply too ugly for them to warrant a ballot spot. Then I scrutinized the rest of my rankings. If I'm going to absolve other prominent teams (i.e. Oklahoma, FSU, North Carolina, Washington State, etc.) of unsightly defeats, I must do the same for the Bulls.

Moreover, I consider them among the 25 best teams in the country today (Apparently, so do a few others). Such is the inexact science of balancing a body of work against recent performance.

Elsewhere, I'm likely to catch flak for keeping Clemson at No. 1 despite the Tigers' struggle at 3-9 South Carolina. As an opponent of the style-points philosopy, I can't bring myself to penalize a team for entering its most hostile environment of the season -- with the rivalry dynamic at work -- and winning.

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Michigan State
5. Ohio State
6. Iowa
7. Stanford
8. FSU
9. Notre Dame
10. North Carolina
11. TCU
12. Baylor
13. Oklahoma State
14. Houston
15. Oregon
16. Florida
17. Ole Miss
18. Utah
19. Michigan
20. Northwestern
21. Navy
22. Temple
23. USC
24. LSU
25. USF