Top 2 loss team: Oregon #7 - computer ranking: #7
Top 4 loss team: Stanford #24 - computer ranking: #22
Third, 5th and 6th 3 loss teams: #16 Oregon State - computer ranking: #15
#18 USC - computer ranking: #12
#19 California - computer ranking #17
Why would the human rankings be so much lower? Well, the computer rankings can only take in to account wins and losses, not margin of victory or any other factors. So, logic would seem to say that these teams have eaked out sloppy victories, while getting blown out in the losses. However, it appears the opposite is true.
We can look at Stanford. With Stanford, the only game that was not 'winable' within the final minutes was the Oregon State game - and that was only a 10 point loss. The closest win was the 7 point win over Notre Dame. All the other wins were well out of the opponents reach in the final minutes. (The Notre Dame game, however, is actually a good sign, in that it shows Stanford has finally been able to win the close game.) Against teams that were ranked at the time they played Stanford, the Cardinal is 3-0, with an average margin of victory of 21 points.
Sat, Sep 5 at Washington State W 39-13 -- +26
Sat, Sep 12 at Wake Forest L 17-24 -- -7
Sat, Sep 19 San Jose State W 42-17 -- +25
Sat, Sep 26 (24) Washington W 34-14 -- +20
Sat, Oct 3 UCLA W 24-16 -- +8
Sat, Oct 10 at Oregon State L 28-38 -- -10
Sat, Oct 17 at Arizona L 38-43 -- -5
Sat, Oct 24 Arizona State W 33-14 -- +19
Sat, Nov 7 (7) Oregon W 51-42 -- +9
Sat, Nov 14 at (11) USC W 55-21 -- +34
Sat, Nov 21 California L 28-34 -- -6
Sat, Nov 28 Notre Dame W 45-38 +7
For the rest of the Pac-10 teams, they have also played significant numbers of teams that were ranked at the time they played. USC has played five teams, Oregon 4, and the others 3.
Oregon State vs rated: 1-2: -10,-6, +17; avg: 0
USC vs rated: 3-2: +3,+27,+7,-27,-34; avg: -5
Oregon vs rated: 2-2: -11,+7,+39,+27; avg: +15
Cal vs. rated: 2-1: -27,+8,+6; avg: -4
It's interesting to compare that to the 4 undefeated teams. Three of the four have only played one other ranked team. The two Texas schools have played two ranked teams. Alabama is the only school that has played a ranked team total similar to a 'average' ranked pac-10 team.
Florida: 1-0, +10
Alabama: 4-0: +10,+19,+14,+9; avg: +13
Texas: 2-0: +3,+27; avg: +15
TCU: 2-0: +31, +27; avg: +29
Cincinnati: 1-0: +17
Boise State: 1-0: +11
Interestingly, for the 3-loss teams ranked higher than pac-10 teams, the number of ranked teams looks similar to pac-10 schedules.
Virginia Tech vs rated 2-2 : -10, +1, +24, -5, avg: +2.5
LSU vs. rated: 1-2: +7,-10,-9, avg: -4
It seems to say that the key to go undefeated is to play a cupcake schedule like Florida.
The pac-10 also has an extra "punishment" in that they play an extra conference game. Thus there are guaranteed to be an extra five loses floating around the conference. The teams are also required to play these teams with the extra loses. This would seem to hurt the computer rankings. Other conferences can pad their schedule, thus improving their records. Florida has the likes of FIU, Troy and Charleston Southern (all home games) to help. The only possible challenges are there conference games and their Florida State rivalry game. Stanford flew a few thousand miles away to play Wake Forest. They also had a home game against Notre Dame. The only 'easy' game was a regular crosstown game against San Jose State. SJSU was also USC's lone 'easy game'. The other nonconference games were the Notre Dame rivalry game and Ohio State.
Oregon's 'easy' game was against Purdue - a Big-10 team that beat Ohio State. The other nonconference games were against Boise State and Utah, two teams that went undefeated during the previous regular season. So much for a cupcake.
Cal and Oregon State are the only teams with bona-fide IAA cupcakes in Eastern Washington and Portland State. Cal's other games were against Minnesota and Maryland, while Oregon State had UNLV and Cincy. (Cincinnati is obviously a power team this season. Minnesota is bowl bound, UNLV and Maryland are weaker, but UNLV did get 5 wins and Maryland did manage to beat an ACC division champ.)
So if anything, the human voters should give extra consideration for cross-country flights, 'style-point wins' and a more brutal scheduling. But, instead they seem to penalize Pac-10 teams for being on the west coast. The same could go down to conferences. Only 1 of 3 western conferences are 'BCS', while 5 of 8 eastern conferences are in the 'BCS club.'
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