college football ratings part II

not that i'm an expert like those at ESPN, but i have some things to say about college football. well, i have one thing to say: GIVE US A PLAYOFF!

this season once again proves one thing - crowning a champion in college football is guesswork and extremely biased. it also proves that the rankings are extremely nebulous so long as teams refuse to play a schedule filled with legitimate games.

let's look at the current standings:

how is Iowa ranked behind Penn State? didn't they beat Penn State? doesn't that imply they are better?

and doesn't USC's loss to Stanford confirm their "overrated-ness"? i'm still trying to figure out how they were ranked higher than Oregon last week after getting demolished by Oregon and lowing to powerhouse Washington!

not to toot the Big-12 horn, but if Oklahoma State were USC, they'd probably be ranked 4 this week. the Cowboys only losses are to Texas and Houston. somehow USC stayed at number 8 last week with losses to Washington and Oregon.

finally, a plea for my Huskers. how are they not ranked higher than Miami? they have two common opponents: Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. they both beat Oklahoma and both lost at Virginia Tech. Nebraska should have beat Virginia Tech while Miami got destroyed. how is Miami ranked higher? how is Miami ranked higher than North Carolina who has the same record and just beat them? confusing...

i demand a PLAYOFF!

conducting an orchestra as a model for leadership

stumbled across this video from TED [ideas worth spreading]...watch the video...

"when you love something, you give it away."

what does it look like to lead as a conductor leads an orchestra? here's what I think...

*the conductor has the overall piece in mind, but also understands and appreciates each part.

*the conductor is almost like a coach. he/she participates and leads during the performance, but the real success is based on preparation and cohesiveness of the group as a whole.

*the conductor, when confident in preparation, can "give it away."

*the conductor, by his/her body language, can give praise or criticism to individuals to help them help the group be successful.

*the conductor is the leader. if the performance goes awry, he/she will be held responsible.

what do you think? what principles would you deduce?

i'd be very interested to hear from any who have participated in orchestra, choir, ensembles, band, etc...

how do/did you view the leadership of your conductor?