The Great Pollmaster can be contacted at actop25@hotmail.com
* I have effected new rules changes in poll result publication, and have made them retroactive to this year.
* Teams finishing below the top 25 must garner 5 votes to receive mention. This change is made for two reasons. First, it lowers the incentive for voters to list teams they do not feel are deserving of true top 25 status simply so they are mentioned, or their own school if it is unlikely to receive votes from other ballots. Second, it prevents people from interpreting the results of the mentioned schools below the five-vote threshold, results I do not claim to have any confidence in.
* Teams finishing below the top 25 will be ranking in order of number of ballot listing rather than overall points. First, I have found that, particularly at the low end of the scale, number of ballots is a better ranking tool than points. Second, this change reduces the importance granted to an outlying vote (whether the result of someone overrating their own team or a protest/joke ballot) at the below top 25 level where its effects would otherwise be amplified.