Dirk Chatelain Considers the AP Poll an "Objective" Measurement

On Monday, Dirk Chatelain continued his ongoing series of analyzing Nebraska football under Bo Pelini. Based on his tweet, I thought this one would be different.

Mad Chatter: Is Nebraska headed in the right direction? Let's look at that question as objectively as possible. http://t.co/0FBckS8Uwu
— Dirk Chatelain (@dirkchatelain) December 2, 2013

As objectively as possible?  Well, I'm intrigued, despite the source, so I click the link.

Since that moment, this is where the Huskers have started in the AP poll and finished in the AP poll.
2010: Started 8th, finished 20th
2011: Started 10th, finished 23rd
2012: Started 17th, finished 25th
2013: Started 18th, currently tied for 36th (only 35 teams received a vote)
So each of the past three years, the preseason expectation has been lower than the year before. And each of the past four years, NU has finished at least eight spots lower than where it started.
Those are facts.

Yep... That's right. Chatelain's "as objectively as possible" is the AP poll.  That's right:  an opinion poll.

What's the definition of "objective"?

not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.

In other words, Chatelain's best shot at "as objectively as possible" is not objective by any definition.  The "facts" that Chatelain use are completely opinion based.

If you like Pelini (like I do), you consider Chatelain to be leading a group of media members who have been laying the case for Pelini to be fired.  Those media members take issue to that:

@huskerfire I have never heard or read anyone calling for Bo's head. Another case of fiction.
— Mike'l Severe (@MikelSevere) December 1, 2013

They are technically correct.  Chatelain, Severe, and John Bishop have not specifically called for Pelini to be fired. But that doesn't mean that the complaint isn't valid either. I played that same game in the early years of this blog. When it was Bill Callahan who was the Nebraska coach, I stated my case why Callahan was failing.  I never actually called for Callahan to be fired, though.  I knew that wasn't going to happen as long as Steve Pederson was athletic director.  And once Pederson was fired, the case for dismissing Callahan was so blatantly obvious that I still didn't need to make that call.

All I did was keep adding more and more reasons why Callahan wasn't working out at Nebraska.

Same thing Chatelain is doing now.  The only difference is that I wouldn't  deny that I wanted Callahan out of Lincoln.

The critics who try to make the "objective" case that Pelini is failing won't be that honest with you.