Monday roundup -- and AP vote explanation

In today's JI, there is a column on Donald Brown. After every game he takes an ice bath with water about 50 degrees. Umm, sounds like fun.

Also, we have a notebook recapping Saturday's affair and some Sunday news.

Enough with Temple. Now onto more pressing matters.

I have had some emails critical of my choice as Ohio State as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. I appreciate the thoughts

Let me explain my logic:

Silver's Top 5

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. Oklahoma

I picked Ohio State as the preseason No. 1 team and they rode me and some others to the No. 3 ranked spot in the polls.

Ohio State, of course, struggled mightily with Ohio U on Saturday leaving everyone but me to abandon them as the top team.

Why did I stay with Ohio State?

First off, the team I would have jumped over them to No. 1 would be USC, was idle last week. So, for me to bump up USC to No. 1, I would demote Ohio State because they didn't win impressively enough. If USC won impressively, I may have very well bumped USC up.

I struggled hard with that choice, I really did, but I thought Ohio State was the preseason No. 1 and if they were good enough then, why aren't they good enough now? I am conservative in my polling.

With the looming USC-OSU game this week, the point is moot. The winner is going to be my top team regardless. My take is that OSU, from what I was reading which was several stories, clearly wasn't inspired and was looking ahead to USC.

So, we want to punish OSU for not playing like that national championship was on the line? The name of the game is winning, and off one less than inspiring effort, I feel it is too early to tank Ohio State.

It was one game, and I think it is an anomaly.

Second, the thought that my vote is somehow proof the AP voting doesn't work is misreading the poll. On the contrary, I think the poll worked beautifully.

I was one of 65. Even though I kept OSU high up, they indeed were punished for their performance dropping from No. 3 to No. 5. If I voted them fifth, they would still have been fifth. I made no difference in the polling.

So, the AP poll worked. There isn't a huge material difference from No. 1 to No. 3. Clearly, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma benefited from the poor play.

This all gets settled Saturday. If OSU pulls off the upset on the road, should we see a move back from No. 5 to No. 1?

The best team in college football so far this year is East Carolina. I didn't see them get a first place vote.

The poll also isn't used as part of the BCS formula anyway. The AP took its vote out of the calculations.

I think the AP poll worked great this week.

UConn -12?

Saw the early line on the UConn-UVA game. UConn -12? That seems like an extraordinary line by Vegas. I would expect a lot of action on Virginia. I would have given the Huskies -8 points.

Considering the Huskies choppy 2-0 record and just escaping against Temple in OT, it shows how little the rest of the country regards UVA.

I loathe to talk betting on this site -- I don't bet sports under any circumstances --it just struck me as odd seeing a UConn team with major question marks about it's offense getting 12 points against a school like Virginia.

Of course. Oddsmakers have probably have this pinned perfectly.

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