number nine...

BCS week five is out. good things come to those who wait. notre dame is ranked ninth. could it be that we may actually end up in a legitimate bowl game this year?

the nerdy mathlete in me loves the BCS rankings. i miss the strength-of-schedule factor, though (i think i may have a prior post somewhere about this), but that shows my notre dame bias because we generally have a tough schedule.

here's how the BCS describes (in somewhat abbreviated form) what it does best:

EXPLANATION:
To derive a team'’s poll percentages in the Harris Interactive and USA Today polls, each team’s point total is divided by a maximum 2825 possible points in the Harris Interactive Poll and 1550 possible points in the USA Today Poll.

Teams are assigned an inverse point total (25 for #1, 24 for #2, etc.) for each of their respective computer poll rankings to determine the overall computer component. The highest and lowest ranking for each team is dropped, and the sum total of the remaining four rankings is divided by 100 (the maximum possible points). This figure produces a Computer Rankings Percentage. The six computer ranking providers are Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe. Each computer ranking accounts for schedule strength within its formula.

The BCS Average is calculated by averaging the percent totals of the Harris Interactive and USA Today Polls, and Computer rankings. The highest BCS Average receives the #1 ranking, the second highest receives #2, and so forth.

see? the NFL ain't got nothin' on the NCAA!