Rank | Team | Agg Rank | POFF Prob | Change |
1 | Clemson | 2 | 97.21% | 0.6% |
2 | Alabama | 1 | 86.63% | 6.5% |
3 | Notre Dame | 8 | 67.59% | 7.7% |
4 | Michigan | 3 | 50.34% | 17.4% |
5 | Georgia | 4 | 34.73% | -0.7% |
6 | Oklahoma | 5 | 34.04% | 4.2% |
7 | Ohio State | 6 | 6.57% | -3.7% |
8 | West Virginia | 11 | 6.01% | 1.3% |
9 | LSU | 13 | 5.62% | -13.2% |
10 | Washington State | 21 | 4.55% | -0.5% |
11 | Kentucky | 31 | 3.35% | -2.9% |
12 | North Carolina State | 33 | 1.56% | -0.6% |
13 | Central Florida | 23 | 1.16% | 0.2% |
14 | Syracuse | 44 | 0.38% | 0.0% |
15 | Boston College | 32 | 0.26% | 0.1% |
1. In the days leading up to the election my brain keeps coming back to this article from earlier in the year. While it's mostly a simple story of how a community reacted to the deportation of one of its own, the collective shoulder shrug of the townsfolk feels like a parable about the failure of American moral imagination. Obvious atrocities happen right in front of us, but we've been told this is the best country on Earth, so the cognitive dissonance kicks in and tells us that everything must be OK. It's hard not to read that and feel the parallels with how I and my countrymen have been reluctant to condemn the failures and wrongdoings of our country.
2. For as long as I've been alive, the implicit goal of the right wing has been to entrench the revanchist ideal of white supremacy as the very definition of American-ness. From welfare queens to Willie Horton to the War on Drugs to false worried of Sharia Law, Republicans have taken every opportunity to paint The Other as unworthy of being truly American. The orientation of the Trump administration towards these goals may seem novel, but any good faith reading of history will assure you that it is not.
3. This is not to attack those of you that have voted for Republicans in the past.* I have no ill will towards you. Those in power have worked hard to cover their ultimate goals with a patina of legitimacy that paints a seemingly virtuous picture - Cuts to social programs are necessary tough decisions. War and The Military will protect us against evil nations. Fidelity to America is akin to fidelity to God. These bromides all sound great and make us feel good, but none of it is true. Those in power have been lying and misdirecting for decades, and it is with them I place my anger.
*I voted for Hagel once. Sorry.
Conference | Exp Playoff Teams |
SEC | 1.303 |
ACC | 0.994 |
IND | 0.676 |
B10 | 0.569 |
B12 | 0.401 |
P12 | 0.046 |
AMER | 0.012 |
4. What makes Trump different isn't his beliefs, but his willingness to largely forgo that traditional Republican sleight of hand. That makes Trump the line in the sand. He built political capital on birtherism, started his campaign by slandering Mexican immigrants, began his presidency with the Muslim ban, and seeks to redefine citizenship as it suits him. And while certain Republican politicians appear to oppose him in order to
Conference | Favorite | Perc | Runner-Up | Perc | |
ACCA | Clemson | 95.4% | Boston College | 4.5% | |
ACCC | Pitt | 46.1% | Virginia Tech | 18.6% | |
AMEE | Central Florida | 78.4% | Cincinnati | 18.0% | |
AMEW | Houston | 62.1% | Tulane | 20.3% | |
B10E | Michigan | 77.4% | Ohio State | 22.4% | |
B10W | Northwestern | 70.0% | Purdue | 16.5% | |
B12 | Oklahoma | 90.0% | West Virginia | 58.8% | |
CUSAE | Middle Tennessee | 50.0% | Florida International | 39.8% | |
CUSAW | UAB | 95.8% | Louisiana Tech | 3.1% | |
MACE | Buffalo | 63.7% | Ohio | 35.8% | |
MACW | Northern Illinois | 68.5% | Toledo | 19.8% | |
MWCW | Fresno State | 90.9% | San Diego State | 8.9% | |
MWCM | Utah State | 81.3% | Boise State | 18.7% | |
P12N | Washington | 57.3% | Washington State | 42.1% | |
P12S | Utah | 50.4% | USC | 22.9% | |
SECE | Georgia | 100.0% | |||
SECW | Alabama | 100.0% | |||
SUNE | Appalachian State | 51.5% | Georgia Southern | 30.2% | |
SUNW | Louisiana-Lafayette | 36.3% | Arkansas State | 33.7% |
Week 11 Preview
Home | Away | Home Win Prob | Playoff Teams Lost |
Boston College | Clemson | 10.4% | 0.036 |
Alabama | Mississippi State | 90.1% | 0.029 |
Georgia | Auburn | 83.8% | 0.028 |
Notre Dame | Florida State | 90.0% | 0.023 |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | 88.3% | 0.020 |
Michigan State | Ohio State | 37.4% | 0.012 |
Tennessee | Kentucky | 32.0% | 0.011 |
Arkansas | LSU | 13.6% | 0.008 |
Colorado | Washington State | 29.9% | 0.007 |
West Virginia | TCU | 78.0% | 0.007 |
Rutgers | Michigan | 1.2% | 0.003 |
In the end, I find it more compelling to encourage people to vote for good instead of voting against the bad. The problem with this is that in spite of some very good candidates, the Democratic Party as it exists now remains wholly uninspiring. All I'm left with is the urge to do the best we can given the circumstances by voting blue. The coming decades will bring unprecedented existential challenges for humanity. We will not survive without steadfast solidarity with our fellow man. If you remember nothing else from my stupid blog, please remember that.
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