The 2012 college football season kicks off in 10 days, and as they have been doing since the days of the leatherheads, the Associated Press has named its No. 1. This year’s choice was USC. Despite the chest thumping that erupts each year after the poll is released, the data says the Trojans fans might need to couch their enthusiasm. Since the AP started naming a preseason No. 1 in 1950, only 10 of those teams have gone on to win the national championship. Statistically speaking, that is below baseball’s famous .200 Mendoza line.
TiqIQ Top 25: Nebraska Opens Season As No. 1
Nebraska is the top team in TiqIQ’s Top 25 college football poll, based on the Cornhuskers having the highest ticket prices on the secondary market.
Getty Images
At TiqIQ, as you know, our world revolves around the ticket market, and given the AP’s lack of predictive success over the years, last year we decided to launch the TiqIQ Top 25 to see if we could come up with a better system at predicting post-season glory. Rather than look at anything that happens on the field, our rankings let the fans do the voting, namely with their wallets. Our top 25 rankings are based on the average secondary-market price of teams’ home games, so the more fans buy, the higher their team ranks. Like the AP, ours will be updated weekly, so be sure to check back regularly.
For the second straight season, Nebraska takes the preseason top spot in our poll; if last year is any indication, then our poll likely won’t do any better than the AP this time around.
If you’re looking for another way to help your team, we’d recommend that you go buy some 2012 college football tickets and drive up demand. Maybe this year, Nebraska will beat the odds and end up holding the Coaches Trophy high. Then again, maybe it won’t. If that’s the case, at the very least it’s one more things for fans to argue about before their teams ever take the field and that’s always fun.
See More:
