Week 8 Associated Press Class 8A thru Class 1A Top 10 polls

[EdgyTim]

Class 8A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Loyola (11) (7-0) 119 1
2. Lincoln-Way East (1) (7-0) 109 2
3. Barrington (7-0) 94 4
4. Maine South (6-1) 81 5
5. Naperville Central (6-1) 55 6
6. York (6-1) 54 3
7. Huntley (6-1) 46 8
8. Palatine (5-2) 35 7
9. Glenbard West (5-2) 22 NR
10. Gurnee Warren (5-2) 19 9

Others receiving votes: South Elgin 15, Minooka 4, Joliet West 4, Stevenson 3.<

Class 7A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Chicago Mt. Carmel (12) (7-0) 120 1
2. Hersey (7-0) 100 2
3. Batavia (6-1) 89 3
4. Normal Community (7-0) 87 4
5. Edwardsville (7-0) 68 5
6. Quincy (7-0) 60 6
7. Hononegah (7-0) 46 9
8. Lincoln Way West (6-1) 21 NR
9. Maine West (7-0) 18 NR
10. Lincoln-Way Central (6-1) 17 NR

Others receiving votes: St. Charles North 12, Chicago (St. Rita) 11, Prospect 5, Downers North 5, Bradley-Bourbonnais 1.<

Class 6A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. East St. Louis (10) (5-2) 118 1
2. Kankakee (2) (7-0) 106 2
3. Washington (6-1) 94 3
4. Lake Zurich (6-1) 86 5
5. Normal West (6-1) 62 8
6. Cary-Grove (5-2) 52 6
7. Geneva (5-2) 50 4
8. Dunlap (6-1) 24 7
9. Belvidere North (5-2) 13 9
10. Crete-Monee (5-2) 10 NR


Others receiving votes: Providence 8, Wauconda 8, Thornton Fractional North 7, Oak Park (Fenwick) 6, Champaign Centennial 4, Chatham Glenwood 4, Riverside-Brookfield 3, Lemont 2, Libertyville 2, Oak Lawn Richards 1.<

Class 5A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge (11) (7-0) 119 1
2. Sycamore (1) (7-0) 108 2
3. Carmel (6-1) 82 3
4. Chicago (Morgan Park) (6-1) 66 4
5. Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield) (6-1) 61 5
6. Glenbard South (7-0) 45 6
7. St. Francis Wheaton (5-2) 37 10
(tie) Morton (7-0) 37 9
9. Antioch (7-0) 34 7
10. Peoria (5-2) 26 8

Others receiving votes: Joliet Catholic 22, Mahomet-Seymour 10, Highland 7, Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) 3, LaGrange Park (Nazareth) 3.<

Class 4A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Rochester (10) (7-0) 118 1
2. Morris (2) (7-0) 109 2
3. Murphysboro (7-0) 82 4
4. IC Catholic (5-2) 64 3
5. Richmond-Burton (6-1) 59 7
5. St. Laurence (6-1) 59 6
7. Rockford Boylan (6-1) 58 5
8. Dixon (7-0) 36 9
9. Wheaton Academy (6-1) 32 8
10. Mt. Zion (6-1) 18 T10

Others receiving votes: Carterville 7, Rock Falls 6, Geneseo 5, Harrisburg 3, Breese Central 3, Rochelle 1.<

Class 3A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Byron (12) (7-0) 120 1
2. Princeton (6-1) 94 2
3. Wilmington (6-1) 88 3
4. Roxana (7-0) 77 5
5. DuQuoin (7-0) 62 7
6. Montini (5-2) 52 4
7. St. Joseph-Ogden (6-1) 38 8
8. Greenville (7-0) 37 9
9. Williamsville (5-2) 31 6
10. Durand-Pecatonica (6-1) 19 NR
(tie) Mt. Carmel (6-1) 19 NR

Others receiving votes: Stanford Olympia 16, Tolono Unity 4, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 1, Sullivan 1, Chicago (Phillips) 1.<

Class 2A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Maroa-Forsyth (12) (7-0) 120 1
2. Downs Tri-Valley (7-0) 100 2
3. Bloomington Central Catholic (7-0) 86 3
4. Seneca (7-0) 85 4
5. Knoxville (7-0) 66 5
6. Shelbyville (7-0) 58 6
7. Rockridge (6-1) 44 9
8. Johnston City (7-0) 37 7
9. Athens (6-1) 30 8
10. Bismarck-Henning (7-0) 8 NR

Others receiving votes: Breese Mater Dei 7, Momence 7, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 5, Farmington 4, Carmi White County 2, Woodstock Marian 1.<

Class 1A

School W-L Pts Prv

1. Lena-Winslow (12) (7-0) 120 1
2. Camp Point Central (7-0) 94 3
3. Forreston (7-0) 93 2
4. Althoff Catholic (6-1) 77 6
5. Greenfield-Northwestern (7-0) 69 5
6. Stark County (7-0) 42 8
7. Sterling (Newman Central Catholic) (6-1) 37 7
8. Morrison (6-1) 31 4
9. Hope Academy (6-1) 25 T10
10. Kewanee -Annawan-Wethersfield (6-1) 24 9
(tie) Aurora Christian (6-1) 24 NR

Others receiving votes: LeRoy 11, Sesser (S.-Valier) 11, Fulton 2.<

 

[eagles2k3]

So the voters honestly think Maine West is better than St Charles North, St, Rita, Prospect and Downers North? Cmon. That is ridiculous.

 

[Sterling Warrior]

How is Rock Falls mentioned or received votes in 4A? I think they won 1 game in the last 3 years?
They are 1-6 this year? Has to. E a mistake? This isint basketball

 

[EdgyTim]

How is Rock Falls mentioned or received votes in 4A? I think they won 1 game in the last 3 years?
They are 1-6 this year? Has to. E a mistake? This isint basketball

It only takes one mope to vote for them so.....

 

[EdgyTim]

So the voters honestly think Maine West is better than St Charles North, St, Rita, Prospect and Downers North? Cmon. That is ridiculous.

Again I'm FAR from ideal.....but I know this for sure.

 

[USD24]

I still find it humorous that JCA is not ranked in 5A.

 

[cornerrat]

All.... I do one every week. (5A) Here is mine. (893.00-1290.5) Ratsy

1. Prairie Ridge

2. Sycamore

3. JCA

4. Peoria

5. Carmel

6. Morgan Park

7. St. Francis

8. SHG

9. Morton

10. T

Antioch
Glenbard South

Close By-

Mahomet Seymour
Highland

 

[USD24]

All.... I do one every week. (5A) Here is mine. (893.00-1290.5) Ratsy

1. Prairie Ridge

2. Sycamore

3. JCA

4. Peoria

5. Carmel

6. Morgan Park

7. St. Francis

8. SHG

9. Morton

10. T

Antioch
Glenbard South

Close By-

Mahomet Seymour
Highland

St Francis should be higher than JCA. They beat them head to head and have additional quality wins vs St Rita and ICCP.

 

[bronco man]

I could pick 10 random commentators from the Edgy Free Board and they could collaborate and come up with vastly more accurate rankings than the AP.

 

[Quags57]

So the voters honestly think Maine West is better than St Charles North, St, Rita, Prospect and Downers North? Cmon. That is ridiculous.

I voted for an undefeated Maine West and not for a 3-loss St. Rita team. I also voted for Prospect and St. Charles North.

 

[cornerrat]

St Francis should be higher than JCA. They beat them head to head and have additional quality wins vs St Rita and ICCP.

ALL.... 3 through 7 for me are tricky. SOS is a factor. St. Francis continues to move up every week but that loss to Fenwick. I don't know.

If you know how to play Peoria and not get shook up with constant onside kicks top ten teams can handle them. Might have them too high.

Carmel and Morgan Park are having one of "those" years. Maybe move them back.

The Hilltoppers and Spartans could be in that 3 and 4 spot or vice versa. Those teams (3-7) tightly grouped make it subjective in a top ten poll. Ratsy

 

[Alexander32]

I voted for an undefeated Maine West and not for a 3-loss St. Rita team. I also voted for Prospect and St. Charles North.

This raises the age-old question, is a person voting for the team he thinks is better, or the team he thinks deserves it more based on the type of season the team is having? I suppose most voters try to combine the two factors, in a somewhat balanced manner, into their votes. Still, voting for Maine West ahead of the four teams mentioned by "eagles2k3" is a bit of a stretch. Here are some facts.

Using the matchup tool provided by Massey's computer ratings provides the following results:
St. Charles North by 33 points over Maine West
St. Rita by 35 points over Maine West
Prospect by 28 points over Maine West
Downers Grove North by 28 points over Maine West

Using the matchup tool provided by the CalPreps computer ratings provides the following results:
St. Charles North by 15 points over Maine West
St. Rita by 24 points over Maine West
Prospect by 14 points over Maine West
Downers Grove North by 20 points over Maine West

The projected point spreads provided by CalPreps are considerably more conservative than those provided by Massey. Even using CalPreps though, no point spread is less than 14 points. Furthermore, it has been my experience that Massey's ratings are somewhat more accurate than those of CalPreps. However, can it really be true that St. Rita is 35 points better than Maine West? A particular case may provide some insight.

The two best teams on Maine West's schedule to date, according to CalPreps, are Marmion (2-5) and Highland Park (4-3). Maine West beat both teams by one point, having beaten Marmion 14-13 and Highland Park 20-19. It just so happens that Marmion also played St. Rita this year. St. Rita won that game 42-0. So, yes, it is reasonable to think St. Rita could be 35 points better than Maine West.

In this particular case, Quags57, it seems your vote for Maine West is questionable. Had Maine West played St. Rita's schedule, their record would be far worse than 4-3.

 

[greatgig13]

Huntley at 7 in 8A wouldn’t compete with 8,9,10 and others receiving votes. But 6-1 gets you votes I suppose.

 

[Quags57]

This raises the age-old question, is a person voting for the team he thinks is better, or the team he thinks deserves it more based on the type of season the team is having? I suppose most voters try to combine the two factors, in a somewhat balanced manner, into their votes. Still, voting for Maine West ahead of the four teams mentioned by "eagles2k3" is a bit of a stretch. Here are some facts.

Using the matchup tool provided by Massey's computer ratings provides the following results:
St. Charles North by 33 points over Maine West
St. Rita by 35 points over Maine West
Prospect by 28 points over Maine West
Downers Grove North by 28 points over Maine West

Using the matchup tool provided by the CalPreps computer ratings provides the following results:
St. Charles North by 15 points over Maine West
St. Rita by 24 points over Maine West
Prospect by 14 points over Maine West
Downers Grove North by 20 points over Maine West

The projected point spreads provided by CalPreps are considerably more conservative than those provided by Massey. Even using CalPreps though, no point spread is less than 14 points. Furthermore, it has been my experience that Massey's ratings are somewhat more accurate than those of CalPreps. However, can it really be true that St. Rita is 35 points better than Maine West? A particular case may provide some insight.

The two best teams on Maine West's schedule to date, according to CalPreps, are Marmion (2-5) and Highland Park (4-3). Maine West beat both teams by one point, having beaten Marmion 14-13 and Highland Park 20-19. It just so happens that Marmion also played St. Rita this year. St. Rita won that game 42-0. So, yes, it is reasonable to think St. Rita could be 35 points better than Maine West.

In this particular case, Quags57, it seems your vote for Maine West is questionable. Had Maine West played St. Rita's schedule, their record would be far worse than 4-3.

And I didn't vote Maine West ahead of four teams. I voted them ahead of two teams, Rita being one of them.

I can't vote for a 3-loss team. If that makes you uncomfortable, or you disagree, or you are a Rita fan, I can respect that.

One thing I have found in 47 seasons of covering high school football is that there are no sure things in outcomes.

I think Massey is questionable as is Cal Preps. Plopping scores in a computer and predicting a final score doesn't make it correct. If it did, we would all make a ton of money gambling on games.

I voted for Kankakee to be number one in 6A over East St. Louis this week.

I also didn't vote East St. Louis number one a couple years back. That year, I voted Cary-Grove number one over an East St. Louis team with two losses. Cary beat ESL in the state title game.

Am I a genius? Far from it. Do I have my own method for voting. Yes I do.

Am I correct? Not sure yet. But bottom line is that my vote counts each week.

 

[RockSoup]

And I didn't vote Maine West ahead of four teams. I voted them ahead of two teams, Rita being one of them.

I can't vote for a 3-loss team. If that makes you uncomfortable, or you disagree, or you are a Rita fan, I can respect that.

One thing I have found in 47 seasons of covering high school football is that there are no sure things in outcomes.

I think Massey is questionable as is Cal Preps. Plopping scores in a computer and predicting a final score doesn't make it correct. If it did, we would all make a ton of money gambling on games.

I voted for Morris to be number one in 6A over East St. Louis this week.

I also didn't vote East St. Louis number one a couple years back. That year, I voted Cary-Grove number one over an East St. Louis team with two losses. Cary beat ESL in the state title game.

Am I a genius? Far from it. Do I have my own method for voting. Yes I do.

Am I correct? Not sure yet. But bottom line is that my vote counts each week.

Gosh, I hope no one else voted for Morris over ESL in 6A.

 

[4Afan]

Gosh, I hope no one else voted for Morris over ESL in 6A.

Did I miss where we're going back to "football enrollment" to determine classes? That was the only way Morris was ever 6A

 

[RockSoup]

Did I miss where we're going back to "football enrollment" to determine classes? That was the only way Morris was ever 6A

Hey man, bottom line is his vote counts every week. Eye roll emoji.😂

 

[Quags57]

Gosh, I hope no one else voted for Morris over ESL in 6A.

My bad..Kankakee

Maybe I am not that smart

 

[McEvergreen]

Normal Community should be #1 or #2 in 7A. #3 at the worst.

 

[USD24]

Normal Community should be #1 or #2 in 7A. #3 at the worst.

I would agree with #3. I dont think you can put them above MC or Batavia at this point. MC has the best win in 7A vs ESL and Bativia is a 2 pt conversion away from beating the #2 team in 8A.

 

[Alexander32]

And I didn't vote Maine West ahead of four teams. I voted them ahead of two teams, Rita being one of them.

I can't vote for a 3-loss team. If that makes you uncomfortable, or you disagree, or you are a Rita fan, I can respect that.

One thing I have found in 47 seasons of covering high school football is that there are no sure things in outcomes.

I think Massey is questionable as is Cal Preps. Plopping scores in a computer and predicting a final score doesn't make it correct. If it did, we would all make a ton of money gambling on games.

I voted for Kankakee to be number one in 6A over East St. Louis this week.

I also didn't vote East St. Louis number one a couple years back. That year, I voted Cary-Grove number one over an East St. Louis team with two losses. Cary beat ESL in the state title game.

Am I a genius? Far from it. Do I have my own method for voting. Yes I do.

Am I correct? Not sure yet. But bottom line is that my vote counts each week.

Thank you for the explanation. As you said, you have a vote. It is apparent you take the task seriously and I respect that.

I generally do not propose to tell another person what to think. I do, from time to time, provide information when I think it might be helpful in discovering the truth of a matter. That is what I did in this case. If others find the information persuasive, that is good. If they do not find the information persuasive, I am comfortable with that as well.

 

[lurker74]

I do think that at some point, wins matter when trying to break things down. It does lead to issues with how unbalanced schedules can be, especially in high school. Naz is a great example. They could go 4-5, and miss the playoffs completely, but would probably be favored in 1 game against most of the 5A qualifiers.


Reminds me of this quote from Saban last year. I don't know if the "they" in his quote were real people, or made up coach-speak, but it's the same idea as what we are talking about here. Thankfully, the high school playoffs aren't just the best 4 teams.

"All we do is take the teams that win the most games at the end of the year, put them into the playoffs," Saban said. "But do you really get the best teams? When they told me that we would be favored against three out of the four teams that got in the playoff, I'm like, 'Why aren't we in the playoffs?'"

 

[corey90]

I do think that at some point, wins matter when trying to break things down. It does lead to issues with how unbalanced schedules can be, especially in high school. Naz is a great example. They could go 4-5, and miss the playoffs completely, but would probably be favored in 1 game against most of the 5A qualifiers.


Reminds me of this quote from Saban last year. I don't know if the "they" in his quote were real people, or made up coach-speak, but it's the same idea as what we are talking about here. Thankfully, the high school playoffs aren't just the best 4 teams.

"All we do is take the teams that win the most games at the end of the year, put them into the playoffs," Saban said. "But do you really get the best teams? When they told me that we would be favored against three out of the four teams that got in the playoff, I'm like, 'Why aren't we in the playoffs?'"

Totally agree with you and Saban. The schedule does mean something, unfortunately college playoffs are only based on the 4 top ranked teams. To me not enough to get the 2 top teams in the National Championship game. That said it’s better than it was before they had a playoff. High School is different. Regardless of the schedule I don’t want to see 4-5 teams in the playoffs.