The six BCS computer polls get a lot of negative attention. They all take a slightly different approach to measuring the best teams in the Country, which means that depending on your view point, five of them are doing it the wrong way. That's just science. But looking at the various computer polls is a good way to see how a non-biased evaluation ranks your favorite team. So let's take a look at them one by one. Take a deep breath.
First, the poll compiled by Jeff Sagarin at USA Today. Maryland ranks 46th in this poll, which is a lot higher than they were even before they lost to Miami. They benefited form playing a better schedule over their last few weeks and a convincing win over a Virginia team which is a team that has also played some good football at times this year.
The Massey Ratings have Maryland as the 39th best team in the Nation, one spot better than a .500 Notre Dame team. Hooray for small victories!
The Colley Matrix has Maryland ranked 32nd. Which sounds like a lot, but it is nice to be ranked within two spots of Florida, who was at one point a top ten team this season. Boy how things can change over the course of a year.
Maryland is the 43rd best team according to the Billingsley Report, rising eight spots since their win over Virginia.
The Anderson and Hester Poll has the Terps at 40th, one spot behind the Navy team that the Terps saw on opening day and has the same record. I will not stand for this injustice.
Finally, the Powerpoint looking rankings of Dr. Peter Wolfe. Maryland comes in at 39th. I know the Terps are 7-3, but I was a little surprised to see that they have outscored their opponents by 107 points. That Wake Forest win really helps the cause in that category.
So there you have it. Maryland has actually risen up these polls since we last looked at the two weeks ago. And if you rememebr, at that time they were receiving more votes in the human polls than they are now. Funny how this thing works, isn't it?