True on Kansas. I've wondered if I've rated them too highly given their regular season performance. But you don't tend to hear a lot about women's teams getting hot and making a run -- usually because the gap between teams is so large that it doesnt matter. Maybe they were underperforming though and the Davis injury woke them up?
I disagree on DE. If they're not judged on that game, what are they to be judged on? The 20 wins they had against truly crappy teams? They played few quality programs, so the game against KS carries more weight.
i tend to agree. after all, pre season polls are just that - preseason polls. Tennessee was ranked #2 preseason last year IIRC, and for a good reason. they were a senior heavy team filled with HS AA's on the roster. many expected Baugh, Johnson, Stricklen, and Manning to lead them to the NC game. all they were missing was an elite PG, which they apparently landed in Massengale.
Flash forward to the end of the regular season - 8 losses, and time spent ranked outside the top 10. by the end of the year, they proved they were indeed a top 8 team, but no better than that. so based on Kansas' run thru the NCAA's, and who they bring back next year, why not preseason rank them about 10? they certainly gelled by the end of the year. they gave Tennessee a good game leading at half and falling by 11. and they lose no seniors to graduation while adding some depth to the roster.
my point is that preseason polls don't try to predict where teams will end up in April. only where they are before the season even starts. all we can do is look at who comes back for teams, who they lose, and where they ended the season the previous year.
