TCPAWORLD AFTERDARK: the important stuff

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so couldnt be more annoyed with the AP top 25 rankings right now.

I mean sure it is incredibly predictable that Michigan and Ohio State would be overrated this time of year. They always are.

But the fact that 11 people in this nation think Michigan–which has beaten precisely nobody and scarecely convincingly–is the best team in the Nation is laughable. But it happens every year. These two tems get a ticket to the CFP only to be defeated in the first round. And so it shall be again.

Nobody noticed that Ohio State rose in the rankings despite a shaky performance against Maryland and its marquee win against Notre Dame (a barely-scraped-by-affair) was diminished by Louisville soundly defeating the Golden Domers.

And of course Louisville–which is 6-0 to to Oh State’s 5-0–is ranked a full 13 slots lower than the Buckeyes despite beating Notre Dame by more points just two weeks later. It doesn’t make sense– but it doesn’t have to. Its just the typical Big Ten bias on full display.

And, again, its fine. Anyone who follows college football knows this, sees this, and–if they’re smart–profits from it. But its just so insanely pronounced this year.

So anyway, USC will beat Notre Dame by 22 or so this week–not because USC is that great but because ND just plain isn’t.

Meanwhile Georgia remains the best team in the nation by a mile (no playoff needed) with Oregon and Washington being number 2 and 3 (of course they’re ranked all the way down at 8 and 7 respectively–which is also not surprising because #pac12 never gets its due.)

While the top 3 teams are easy to identify–anyone that watches the games would give you Georgia, Oregon and Washington in that order–the 4 hole is tough. Probably Florida State? Maybe but I am not sold. Oklahoma? Eh. Sure they got after Texas for the rivalry game but… they’re not world beaters. USC? Arguably but Ill have to see how bad they beat ND this week to say for sure. Truthfully I would probably slot Alabama in at number 4 in this shaky bunch.

But all of these teams would trounce–not just beat, trounce–either Michigan or Ohio State. Indeed, I suspect Penn State will win out and be crowned the class of the Big 10 (and therefore the de facto number 1 seed in the CFP).

Interesting that an attorney of my clout and prestige would know anything about any of this much less so much about all of this, I know. But the truth is I love college football precisely because the subjective rankings of the press are always so tremendously biased in a way that even a casual observer can detect. It was the original–and purest–form of “fake news.”

And since I have the same impulse to torture myself by being subjected to clearly erroneous information that animates folks to watch Fox News or MSNBC (pick your poison) I can’t help but tune in and shake my head every time the rankings are announced.

But more germanely I am obsessed with objective truth–especially where it is hidden from view due to subjective viewpoints. That’s why I became a lawyer in the first place.

Also the Czar is hiring for a personal assistant and apparently everyone wants the job.

127 applicants in 24 hours!!!

who will I choose?

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Published by Eric J. Troutman

The Czar of TCPAWorld Eric Troutman is one of the country’s prominent class action defense lawyers and is nationally recognized in Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation and compliance. He has served as lead defense counsel in more than 70 national TCPA class actions and has litigated nearly a thousand individual TCPA cases in his role as national strategic litigation counsel for major banks and finance companies. He also helps industry participants build TCPA-compliant processes, policies, and systems. Eric has built a national litigation practice based upon deep experience, rigorous analysis and extraordinary responsiveness. Eric and his team feel equally at home litigating multibillion dollar telecommunications class actions in federal court as they do developing and executing national litigation strategies for institutions facing an onslaught of individual TCPA matters. They thrive in each of these roles – delivering consistently excellent results – while never losing sight of the client experience. While many firms now tout TCPA expertise, Eric has been there from the beginning. He built one of the country’s first TCPA-only defense teams and began serving as national TCPA counsel for his clients nearly a decade ago. This perspective allows him to swiftly develop the right litigation strategies for dealing with recurring problems, without wasting time on tactics that are bound to fail. Eric’s rich historical perspective and encyclopedic knowledge of the TCPA landscape also make him an invaluable resource to institutional compliance teams struggling to comply with the shifting regulatory landscape. No task is too small – or too big. Indeed, Eric and his team have helped build TCPA-compliant systems and processes for some of the largest and most complex corporate entities in the country. He commonly works with in-house compliance counsel to build and implement enterprise and business-line specific TCPA solutions, performs TCPA audits and drafts and reviews proposed TCPA policies and procedures. He and his team also have the technical expertise necessary to assist call centers seeking to develop TCPA-resistant call path architecture or to modify existing telephony and software integration to better insulate from potential TCPA exposure. Eric has built a reputation for thought leadership. An avid blogger and speaker, he has been at the forefront of the industry’s effort to push for clarity and a return to sanity for the TCPA for years. He was selected to advocate for the financial services industry on important TCPA issues before the Federal Communications Commission and co-authored the nation’s only comprehensive practice guide on TCPA defense. In his spare time, Eric leads defense teams representing banks and other financial services companies in consumer finance litigation matters. He has experience representing clients in UCC, TILA, RESPA FCRA, CCRA, CLRA, FDCPA, RFDCPA and FCCPA claims, as well as in fraud and bank operations issues.

4 Comments

  1. To be fair, the AP Rankings don’t mean a single thing. When the CFP Rankings come out, they do consider SoS, the “eye” test, conference championships, and undefeated seasons (among other things). If your prediction about PSU is correct, it will play out in due time. No sense getting twisted up about it this early in the season!

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  2. Props for making bold and definite predictions, prognostications, and assessments.

    You’re wrong. But in a world of hedged half-statements, I’ll give credit where it’s due.

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  3. 100% east coast bias. Just wait until next year when the new Pac 12s give black eyes to the Big 10 teams in seasonal play. The Big 10 going forward is going to suffer from the same thing the Pac 12 has throughout its history…really good teams in a competitive league beating up on each other during the season, hurting their rankings to the benefit of the SEC teams who only play 1-2 big games a season. Go BEARS (your pal Michael at Sinch) 😉

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  4. So. To recap:

    ND hangs 28 on USC
    Ohio State beats Penn State (though I wonder if they win on the road)

    Washington – I agree. Ranked too low.

    Georgia – deserves to be number 1, but have had no real tests. Won’t be surprised if Bama upsets them in conference title game.

    FSU – the most overrated top 10 team. To paraphrase a Czar saying – “you heard it here first, folks”

    Reply

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