Man vs. Machine: Who had it right, the FHSAA power rankings or USA Today football poll?

What's better: emotionless facts or the subjective eyeball test? Maybe it's some combination of the two.

With the high school football state semifinals set, it seemed like a good time to look back and see who got it right.

Is it the FHSAA power rankings, a computer formula that takes factors such as record and strength of schedule into account?

Or is it the USA Today Florida Network poll, a man-made ranking that tries to find a balance between a team's record and strength of schedule and how that team looks while performing on the field?

The answer is somewhere in the middle. Both had hits and misses.

Here's a look at some of the ones the human poll and computer power rankings got right — and the main reason why the other got it wrong.

Florida high school football playoffs: State semifinal pairings

Berkeley Prep (Region 2-2M champion)

Final rankings: No. 4 FHSAA, No. 7 USA Today

Advantage: Computer rankings

The FHSAA power rankings gave Berkeley Prep a rating of 13.774 — less than half a point behind Central and almost two full points ahead of rival Calvary Christian. The power rankings gave more credence to the Buccaneers' record, while the USA Today poll put more stock in Calvary Christian's head-to-head win on Sept. 29. Berkeley avenged that loss in the regional final.

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Blountstown (Region 2-1R champion)

Final rankings: No. 9 FHSAA 9, unranked USA Today

Advantage: Computer

The FHSAA had Blountstown as the top seed in Region 2-1R, and the Tigers confirmed that by winning the regional championship for the second consecutive season. Blountstown was listed in the USA Today poll at the start of the year, but lopsided losses against Walton and Marianna in the first three weeks probably weighed heavier in voter's minds than they should have.

Florida high school football: Class 1R state semifinal preview

Bolles (Region 1-2M champion)

Final rankings: No. 15 FHSAA, No. 9 USA Today

Advantage: Human poll

While the factors in the FHSAA rankings aren't public, it's unlikely that the computer is considering program history, coaching or close losses. Bolles never really recovered in the power rankings from its three one-score losses to start the season, but the pollsters felt the Bulldogs would rebound and remain a state semifinal contender. Bolles did just that, beating two higher-seeded teams in the regional playoffs.

Cardinal Mooney (Region 3-1S champion)

Final rankings: No. 5 FHSAA, No, 2 USA Today

Advantage: Human poll

The FHSAA didn't put too much stock in the Cougars' strength of schedule (-2.04), which is why Cardinal Mooney was the No. 3 seed in its region. The poll liked the Cougars from the start of the season, factored an injury into an early loss against Class 4S' Riverview Sarasota and kept them ranked at No. 1 or 2 for most of the season. Cardinal Mooney won its two regional games by a combined score of 96-14.

Florida high school football: Class 1S state semifinal preview

DeLand (Region 3-4S champion)

Final rankings: No. 6 FHSAA, No. 5 USA Today

Advantage: Human poll

Similar to Berkeley Prep, the computer rankings didn't put much (or at least enough) stock in the fact that the Bulldogs beat University head-to-head for the district championship. And they also don't factor in that it was Rick Darlington's second year at the helm, and a breakthrough was certainly possible if not likely. Despite being the No. 3 seed in its region and having to travel to University in the second round, DeLand is in the state semifinal for the first time since 2009.

Florida high school football: Class 4S state semifinal preview

Hawthorne (Region 4-1R champion)

Final rankings: No. 2 FHSAA, No. 1 USA Today

Advantage: Human poll

What's the big difference between being No. 1 and 2? Well, if it's between Hawthrone and Williston, it's home-field advantage in the regional championship game. The poll had Hawthorne, the defending Class 1R state champion, as the No. 1 team in the class the entire season. The computer favored Williston all year, in part because of an extra win and a higher strength of schedule. Hawthorne settled it on the field with a thorough 34-16 win on the road last week.

Trinity Catholic (Region 1-2S champion)

Final rankings: No. 11 FHSAA, No. 3 USA Today

Advantage: Human poll

One of the complaints about the computer rankings is that they appear to put a lot more stock into wins/losses (even against inferior competition) rather than considering who a team plays. Trinity Catholic is a prime example. The Celtics went 3-7 in the regular season, which the computer punished them for by giving them the No 3 seed in their region. The human poll considered that the 2022 state runner-up played one of the toughest schedules in the state and would be a contender when the playoffs started. The Celtics have outscored the three Class 1S teams they've played this year by a combined score of 142-20.

Vanguard (Region 2-3S champion)

Final rankings: No. 4 FHSAA, No. 9 USA Today

Advantage: Computer

This is one of those times that the computer not considering outside factors (i.e. overthinking a situation) was the right call. Vanguard won eight games and played the fifth-toughest schedule in Class 3S according to the FHSAA ranking. The human poll also factored in the fact that the Knights were in the same region as defending state champion Lake Wales, which hadn't lost since 2021. That was until Vanguard dominated the Highlanders in the regional final.

Florida high school football football: Class 3S state semifinal preview

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida high school football: FHSAA rankings vs. USA Today poll