Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

So, we meet again, my friends. In this, the last season of the 4 team College Football Invitational, we find ourselves plagued by decisions made to "improve safety." The same awful targeting rules that everyone hates and is apparently only applied when the SEC isn't on the verge of losing (the hit on Harrison Jr was targeting, period) is still in place, but that running clock sure will help! Why, I don't know how we ever survived without those extra minutes no longer dedicated to football and oh so conveniently filled in with commercials.

Safety, my ass.

As per usual, I waited until we had at least a little data before making an ass of myself. The AP just can’t help themselves, though. I know I talked about this last season, but I want to show you a picture that describes exactly why human voters simply cannot be trusted, period. This is what the AP top 25 looked like for all of last season up to the playo...er, invitational.

Now, you tell me what this looks like from about #5 on down. Chaos, that’s what it looks like. Why? AP voters are ridiculous, arrogant, and ignorant, that’s why.

We have 2 things happening in this graph: First, self-fulfilling prophecy. Does anyone really think Bama finishes at 5 if they’re not Bama? Or that TCU or UM were really better than OSU? Second, the utter lack of anything even resembling a coherent thought, as evidenced by the chaotic crayon markings of a toddler that display the rankings of teams not in the SEC or B1G.

I hate them all.

Anyway, now that we have at least a few games under our belts I can confidently say that my system is working at peak ridiculousness! Not enough data, as usual, but I don’t mind putting it out there now just for fun. We can talk seriously around week 8, ok? Here’s Ray’s Top 25. We’ll talk again soon.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let pry through the portage of the head

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean."