If you are not up to speed on the Blog Poll it was started by Brian Cook at mgoblog as an blogger version of the AP football poll. You can read the full details here. It eventually became a part of the rankings at CBSSports.com. This season they are doing a college basketball version of the poll. One requirement of being a voter is full disclosure of your ballot each week and with explanations. Also, unlike the folks in the media poll, I will be taking your opinions under advisement. Or maybe I should do what the coaches do and let someone else fill out the ballot...my six year old daughter would do a great job I am sure. Anyway without further ado, here is my ballot for the first week:

Rank	Team
1	Connecticut
2	Oklahoma
3	North Carolina
4	Pittsburgh
5	Memphis
6	Marquette
7	Louisville
8	Villanova
9	Clemson
10	Wake Forest
11	Duke
12	Butler
13	Michigan St.
14	UCLA
15	Xavier
16	Illinois
17	Kansas
18	Arizona St.
19	Missouri
20	California
21	Purdue
22	Minnesota
23	Washington
24	Florida St.
25	Gonzaga

Errors, Omissions and Explanations of My Whacked Out Logic

• It was suggested I give an explanation of voting philisophy and I am not sure I have one past #4 other than throwing pasta against the wall and seeing which mascot the noodles most closesly represent. Seriously, the top four feel pretty solid after that who knows since most of them seem to have lost one game this week except for Memphis which explains how they probably ended up at #5. Speaking of Memphis...
• Teams I probably have ranked too high: Memphis at #5 for sure but ask yourself this: Having watched Memphis handle Gonzaga in Spokane over the weekend if the NCAA Tournament started tomorrow, would you put the Tigers at a #2 seed? I would.
• Teams I had no idea what to do with: Everyone below #15. I think you could throw a blanket on these guys and they all would be pretty much the same.
• If I could have put Clemson, Wake Forest and Duke in a three way tie I would have. Of course all Clemson had to do was beat FSU and I would have put them around 6th. Of course if you wanted to swap them with Marquette, Villanova and Louisville wholesale that would work too.
• Yes I put FSU in the poll but did not rank Virginia Tech despite them having the exact same ACC mark. Why? Because three of the Seminoles five losses came at home to Duke, UNC and Pitt by an average of six points. In the process those three teams looked really bad on the offensive end which might say something about the Seminole defense or the water in Tallahasse. The other two losses were to Northwestern(who beat Michigan St.) and Miami. In other words none of the losses make you want to run away from them. The Noles might be for real and at this point should be ranked.