Let it be known I am e-mailing you
today on behalf of a nation of college basketball fans. I have listened to
their pleas and, as best as I can tell, their message is clear: Your rankings
suck. Now, don’t get us wrong – there is a time and a place for your service,
and it is much appreciated. For
example, how else would we know when it is suitable to rush the court without
rankings – how would we know if an upset had just taken place, or if we were in
fact expected to win? Who would we turn to besides Joe Lunardi when it came
time in early March to fill out those brackets? How would #### Vitale know who
to dedicate his monologue to every week were it not for your trustworthy
guidance? But
herein lies our complaint, no one needs rankings before Christmas. Furthermore,
predicting the relative strength of each team at this early point in the season is
nothing more than a crapshoot. Want proof? Look at the drubbing Hawaii handed your then-4th ranked Spartans
of Michigan State. Look at the continued slide your Kentucky Wildcats, a pre-season
top 10 team, have been on, losing 3 of their last 7 before today. Oh,
and speaking of today, what do you have to say for yourself? After two straight
embarrassments, will a team you had at #2 in the nation (Texas) be reduced to "Receiving Votes" status after just 2 weeks? And what about Louisville? We’ve already been over Kentucky, but the Cardinals made Tubby Smith
and his squad look like they actually deserve a top 10 ranking. My
request – our request – is this: hold off on putting out your rankings. Wait until January 1st to release your top teams. Because, honestly, all you are doing
right now is embarrassing yourself.
