For how many people pay attention to them, rankings are garbage.

Perfect example came this past weekend: No. 1 Alabama, a team returning 11 starters on both sides of the ball for the defending BCS champs, drops their first game of the season to No. 19 South Carolina. Truth be told, the Crimson Tide lost 35-21, with their only lead coming in the first quarter.

Alabama, coming into this season with defending Heisman Trophy Mark Ingram, simply was dominated on both sides of the ball against the Steve Spurrier-led Gamecocks. Nick Saban, who came into the game touted by most ESPN pundits as the coach of the best in the nation, got worked. Which leads me to one logical conclusion: Rankings mean absolutely nothing.

Kansas fans are well aware of such facts. While they weren’t ranked, the heavy favorite Jayhawks lost to a FCS school, only to beat a nationally-ranked Georgia Tech squad the next week. And basketball fans respect the fact that other teams gun for KU and their perennial rankings in major college basketball polls.

What other people fail to realize is the human factor in such polls. The players alone are enough reason to discourage trust; each and every game is affected by the inches of the plays missed and made by teenagers and young men alike. Not only that, but the sportswriters, experts and others decide the list produced every Monday that decides who is number one. Isn’t that enough human involvement to persuade people not to place trust in rankings?

Same goes for the professionals. One bad game for a player, coach or referee could spell the difference between covering a spread and being out $100 on a bet. And placing all your eggs in a fantasy football expert’s basket could leave you begging for answers at the end of the week.

What am I saying, exactly? Put trust in the gut. If you think that 2-4 team will bounce back against a nationally-ranked SEC opponent, make that bet. If you think your fantasy team would be better served with your backup QB with a favorable matchup in the lineup, do it. Don’t put so much stock in the experts; they do get paid, but I really don’t know why.

— Edited by Anna Nordling