How the coaches voted, Saban had OSU fourth.

[Zin]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/story/2011-final-coaches-ballots/51647436/1

Kind of interesting.

[badger]

Meh, SEC votes for their own.

[goingoneight]

Not a surprise when it's a system as messed up as it is. Why would he leave them even close if he wants in?

He also has been on record before as saying he "doesn't prefer" spread offenses (translate: he hates them). If I was a coach with a great defense, I'd be defensive about what my guys can do versus what all those video game number spread teams claim to be able to do, too.

[OrlandoSooner]

LOL


Gary Pinkel is trying to get in good with his new overlords. He put OSU #4 also.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Gundy didn't even vote?

[sooner_born_1960]

He doesn't have a vote.

[Okie35]

Meh, SEC votes for their own.

He put Stanford 3rd.

[BoulderSooner79]

I understand Saban voting for his own team, but something seems broken that allows him to lower his competition. A political candidate has a vote that s/he casts for themselves, but they can't lower their opponents count which is effectively what Saban did by putting OSU 4th. At least he didn't go overboard and put Bama at #1 and OSU NR - that would have raised a few eyebrow.

Note I use Saban as this years example - I'm sure such conficts exist every season.

[Jammin']

Here is Stanford's body of work (so you can "see" why these coaches put them ahead of OSU)

DATE OPPONENT RESULT/TIME RECORD/TICKETS
Sat, Sept 3 vsSan Jose State W57-3 1-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 10 @Duke W44-14 2-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 17 @Arizona W37-10 3-0 (1-0)
Sat, Oct 1 vsUCLA W45-19 4-0 (2-0)
Sat, Oct 8 vsColorado W48-7 5-0 (3-0)
Sat, Oct 15 @Washington State W44-14 6-0 (4-0)
Sat, Oct 22 vs#25 Washington W65-21 7-0 (5-0)
Sat, Oct 29 @USC W56-48 3OT 8-0 (6-0)
Sat, Nov 5 @Oregon State W38-13 9-0 (7-0)
Sat, Nov 12 vs#7 Oregon L53-30 9-1 (7-1)
Sat, Nov 19 vsCalifornia W31-28 10-1 (8-1)
Sat, Nov 26 vs#22 Notre Dame W28-14 11-1 (8-1)

[FaninAma]

Saban thinks scruples is money in Russia.

[sooner_born_1960]

I understand Saban voting for his own team, but something seems broken that allows him to lower his competition. A political candidate has a vote that s/he casts for themselves, but they can't lower their opponents count which is effectively what Saban did by putting OSU 4th. At least he didn't go overboard and put Bama at #1 and OSU NR - that would have raised a few eyebrow.

Note I use Saban as this years example - I'm sure such conficts exist every season.
You would have to know how he ranked OSU all season long, or at least last week, to know if he "lowered" them.

[The Maestro]

Heh. Texas got one lousy 25th place vote from the Rice coach.

[rainiersooner]

The notion that coaches get to vote on who plays for the championship is so bizarre. Try explaining it to someone who's never heard of college football before (like a tourist wandering around NY or LA) - their eyes will explode with incredulity.

[cantwait48]

You would have to know how he ranked OSU all season long, or at least last week, to know if he "lowered" them.

yeah, I would assume he lowered them after they lost to iowa state like everyone else did to 5th, and instead of magically jumping them back up to 3rd or 2nd like everyone else did he jumped them to 4th since bama and stanford did not lose, makes sense to me.

[BoulderSooner79]

You would have to know how he ranked OSU all season long, or at least last week, to know if he "lowered" them.

True, but I'm not sure that would reveal much. OSU was not a conference champion before and now they are. I doubt it made much difference if Saban swapped his Stanford/OSU rankings, but it was curious.

[Jammin']

Looking at what OSU did this year compared to what Stanford did this year, it's curious why anyone would ranked the Tree higher than osu.

[3rdgensooner]

it's curious why anyone would ranked the Tree higher than osu.Do the SEC schools share in bowl revenue, like they do in the Big XII<II>?

[Jammin']

Do the SEC schools share in bowl revenue, like they do in the Big XII<II>?

I assume they do...ah, yes.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

He doesn't have a vote.Why doesn't he get to vote. That could have sent them over the edge. ;)

[TUSooner]

This is why I have decided that the BCS is WORSE than the pre-BCS. Back then, you knew it was subject to biases and whims, which made it an unabashedly mythical championship. Now we have the same subjectice biases, ignoirnace, and group-think but because 2 team get picked instaed of 1, we pretend it's a true championship. It's still a myth. Sometimes the consensus is reasonable and essentially "correct", but it's never a guaranteed thing, so nobody should act like it is. Playoff, baby, or don't talk about "real" champions. That said, I'll "accept" a mythical champion as long as it's OU. :wink:

[sooner_born_1960]

Why doesn't he get to vote. That could have sent them over the edge. ;)
I have no idea how the voters in the coach's pole are selected.

[stoopified]

Saban thinks scruples is money in Russia.:D

[OU_Sooners75]

Coaches that voted OSU #4:

David Cutcliffe - Duke
Dan Marrone - Syracuse
Gary Pinkel - Missouri (Irony with them moving to the SEC)
Nick Saban - Alabama (Irony)
David Shaw - Stanford (Irony)

Coaches that voted OSU #5:
Gene Chizik - Auburn (Irony)

All coaches that voted OSU lower than #3 are either East of the Mississippi River or Had a dog in the National Championship picture.

The only coach with a team in the top 4 without a vote, Mike Gundy.

Top 5 BCS teams and how the coaches voted OSU:

1. LSU - Miles voted OSU #2
2. Bama - Saban voted OSU #4
3. OSU - Gundy has no vote in coaches poll
4. Stanford - Shaw voted OSU #4
5. Oregon - Kelly has no vote.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Coaches poll is fraudulent..so is the writers...Remove em both and go strictly computers..

[sooner13dm]

IF you are an OU fan, please list the reasons that would benefit OU if the aggies are in the final game. Please consider recruiting and having to live among the orange fans before listing reasons.

[LRoss]

Actually looks like it was Calhoun at AFA voting OSU 5th. Next to Chizik on the graph, easy to mistake.

[MamaMia]

ALL of the coaches votes should be public from the first vote to the last. Why hide how they voted? They should be mature enough to say why they voted that way and the other coaches should be mature enough to respect that, and simply agree to disagree. Theres is just no accountability anymore in this day and age.

Its a shame that college football is so political.

[soonercastor]

You even have Harris Poll voters who had them at 6th...

[MamaMia]

You even have Harris Poll voters who had them at 6th...Thats just nuts.
Why not let all the division coaches have a vote?

[soonercoop1]

Had respect for Saban... not anymore...what an SEC scumbag...

[SoonerKnight]

Meh, SEC votes for their own.

Badger I did not know you were that partial to orange.

[8timechamps]

Kinda funny, Rick Stockstill (Middle Tennessee State) has us ranked #10, while Skip Holtz (South Florida) has us at #24.

Anywho, it's pretty clear that the entire SEC voted Bama #2, while the Big XII (minus a scorned Gary Pinkel) voted OSU #2.

Some of the ones I found interesting:

Stoops voted OU #17 (which I think seems about right)
Pete Lembo (Ball State) voted the Sooners #12
Todd Berry (La. Monroe) voted Boise #12 (the lowest they were voted)..seems like the small teams would take care of their own, not so much with Berry.
Odd they didn't include Mike Gundy's ballot. EDIT: From what I am reading, not all the coaches get a vote....that makes even LESS sense.

[Soonerfan88]

Actually looks like it was Calhoun at AFA voting OSU 5th. Next to Chizik on the graph, easy to mistake.

And he moved them up. Calhoun has made his vote public the entire year and OSU was down at 8 or 9 a couple of weeks ago.

[cantwait48]

Actually looks like it was Calhoun at AFA voting OSU 5th. Next to Chizik on the graph, easy to mistake.

I was fixing to say he better not let his Auburn fans know he was helping out Bama. I am sort of surprised miles voted osu 2nd, anyone else?

[Jacie]

As was pointed out in another thread, one thing that made pre-BCS New Year's Day bowls interesting was that sometimes, there were several teams that had a shot at finishing #1 based on the results of games from earlier in the day. An upset in the Rose Bowl could dramatically alter the importance of the Orange or Sugar Bowl games. Oklahoma was in this position more than once, losing one to Washington, winning a MNC after Miami went down in the Sugar Bowl, losing one to Miami after that . . . three years of bowl games with a chance to finish #1 each time (which is why some old timeys on here can forgive Bob for losing a few).

[SoonerMom2]

IF you are an OU fan, please list the reasons that would benefit OU if the aggies are in the final game. Please consider recruiting and having to live among the orange fans before listing reasons.

I have been wondering the same thing. Stoops said he voted OSU #2 but you want to bet if Gundy had a vote and the situation was reversed that Boone wouldn't let him vote OU #2. There was no benefit for OU and all of us fans by having OSU in the NC. After Pickens said he would launch an investigation if they didn't get in the National Championship, I wish I was voting as I would have lowed them for having Pickens as their spokesman and their Coach saying the trophy was for Pickens. What about the team? There is a five letter word missing in Stillwater -- class!