Poll Position

I've been studying the NCAA basketball polls lately. This is why, I've decided, they call it March Madness. No, not because of the thrills or the excitement of tournament basketball; no not because Santa Clara or Valparaiso or George Mason just upset some major powerhouse; and no, not because of "OMG, did you see that buzzer beater?"
I've concluded March Madness is derived from trying to comprehend NCAA polls. Duke University, just as an example, lost a game earlier this year and improved six spots in the polls. A guy is lying on a sandy beach, drink in hand, island breeze, a friend notices: Frank, what gives? This? I lost everything!
I'll spell it out again: Duke L-O-S-T and went up in the polls. But the ridiculous logic doesn't end there. Sticking with the Devils for a moment, Duke is ranked, as of this moment, fourth in the nation. They are currently in fourth place in the ACC standings. They are ranked ahead of Virginia. Virginia is the ACC champion. The Cavaliers can start a team comprised of math professors in their next game if they want. There is nothing they can do to avoid being the ACC champions. They've lost two fewer games than Duke, four fewer conference games and the pollsters still have Duke ranked ahead of them.
Oh, but Duke beat Virginia, remember? Yes, but Virginia didn't lose to Notre Dame, Wake Forest or North Carolina, remember?
Brand recognition certainly seems to have a major role in polls. A big part of the reason the 25-3 Aztecs aren't ranked higher than #10 is because many of the pollsters have no idea where the State of San Diego is. I mean, it's not a real state. How can it be a real school?
And it's not just basketball. Football is just as bad. I mean, consider the logic of developing a system meant to remove the human element in polling that is created by averaging three different polls-two of which are created by human votes. And we've already established that human voters think that playing well and losing equals going up in the polls. Humans, much as with politics, shouldn't be allowed to vote on such things.
And it's not unprecedented, either. Dan Le Batard, a sports writer and ESPN contributor, recently had his Baseball Hall of Fame voting privileges revoked for allowing users on the website deadspin.com determine his most recent HOF ballot.
This Hall of Fame is something special for the fans...how did this dude get in here? Oh, he was voted on by the fans...how dare they! And why not? Baseball writers are doing a better job? Nnng...we're not voting for Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds because we don't like what they did...nnnng. Fantastic. Baseball's Hall of Fame is now being guarded by the cast of Mean Girls. "Stop trying to make Bonds a thing. He's not going to be a thing." (Mean Girls...check it out on Netflix.)
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to deciphering this basketball poll... hmm, #4 Duke plays #14 North Carolina this weekend. If Duke loses, they should probably slide from #4 to #3 and if they win...hey, looks like we've got a new national champion! Sorry Wichita State. It was never going to be you. There's just not enough brand recognition in a bundle of wheat.