MamaMia
12/5/2006, 01:01 PM
This system is not working fairly. :(
From the Arizona Republic last season:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/1207fbcinscol1207.html#
Bias, Paybacks Color Coaches' Vote
Andrew Bagnato
On football
Dec. 7, 2005 12:00 AM
For years, the college football coaches' Top 25 has been shrouded in secrecy.
It has long been a disgrace to the sport, an accountability-free method of manipulating the national title race.
Every so often, a coach would announce his No. 1 vote. Most of the time, you'd have a better chance of getting a coach to give up his game plan against Old Rival U. than revealing his ballot - or, in some cases, the ballot filled out by his underling.
But this year the coaches finally made their final ballots public. They did this not in the spirit of full disclosure but because the Bowl Championship Series threatened to dump the poll from its formula unless the coaches agreed to come clean.
Given the choice between secrecy or irrelevance, the coaches decided to 'fess up.
USA Today, which has gone along with the charade since 1982, published the 62 coaches' final regular-season Top 25 ballots on Monday.
It was, unfortunately, a year too late. Last December, when three BCS-affiliated unbeaten teams demanded a spot in the national title game, it would have been interesting to know where Southeastern Conference coaches ranked Southern California, where Pac-10 coaches ranked Auburn, etc.
This year, the BCS title game pairing of USC and Texas has generated no controversy. But there still were plenty of eyebrow-raising votes in the eye-blurring lines of type.
This is where old scores get settled, friends get a hand and messages get sent. And if you don't think every ballot was broken down in football offices across the country, you don't know college football coaches.
A few highlights, or lowlights, depending upon one's sense of outrage:
When in doubt, vote yourself fourth.
No. 4 is a critical spot because the BCS assures an at-large bid to non-champions ranked in the top 4 of its final standings. The more top-four votes a team receives, the better its BCS chances.
Here's how the coaches of the four contenders for two at-large spots voted:
Jim Tressel, Ohio State: 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. OHIO STATE!
Charlie Weis, Notre Dame: 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. NOTRE DAME!
Mike Bellotti, Oregon. 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. OREGON!
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn. 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. AUBURN!
?The Texas two-step
The Texas Longhorns received seven first-place votes. Of those, five came from coaches with Texas connections. Three were from Big 12 coaches - Colorado's Gary Barnett, Iowa State's Dan McCarney and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. Another came from Gary Patterson, coach of Texas Christian. Another came from San Jose State coach Dick Tomey, who was on the Longhorns' staff last year.
Interestingly, Texas coach Mack Brown did not vote Texas No. 1. Neither did Mack's brother, Watson, the coach at UAB.
?Offsetting ballots.
Anyone remember the score of the Clemson-South Carolina game?
It was Clemson 13, South Carolina 9 at Columbia, S.C. Both teams finished 7-4.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was there, but he may have forgotten the outcome. He ranked his Gamecocks 21st . . . and the rival Tigers 24th.
That's OK. Clemson coach Tommy Bowden ranked his Tigers 20th . . . and left the Gamecocks off his ballot.
Tennessee's Phil Fulmer agreed with Bowden. Fulmer, whose dislike of Spurrier goes back years, also omitted South Carolina, which beat the Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn.
In the final poll, Clemson wound up 23rd and South Carolina was unranked.
?Old loyalties die hard. Sometimes.
Stanford coach Walt Harris, a former Ohio State assistant coach, voted the Buckeyes fourth. He had fellow Pac-10 member Oregon sixth. Former Oregon coach Rich Brooks also ranked Oregon sixth. Ducks fans, here's your conspiracy.
Rutgers' only vote came from - surprise! - Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who had his team 25th.
The Big Ten's seven voters did their part to bring in more BCS revenue for themselves. Each voted Penn State third and Ohio State fourth. Ohio State's Tressel damaged Oregon's BCS chances by ranking the once-beaten Ducks ninth, behind five two-loss teams.
But Ohio University coach Frank Solich did his in-state neighbors no favors. He ranked the Buckeyes eighth.
Luckily for Solich, the Bobcats don't play Ohio State next season.
From the Arizona Republic last season:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/1207fbcinscol1207.html#
Bias, Paybacks Color Coaches' Vote
Andrew Bagnato
On football
Dec. 7, 2005 12:00 AM
For years, the college football coaches' Top 25 has been shrouded in secrecy.
It has long been a disgrace to the sport, an accountability-free method of manipulating the national title race.
Every so often, a coach would announce his No. 1 vote. Most of the time, you'd have a better chance of getting a coach to give up his game plan against Old Rival U. than revealing his ballot - or, in some cases, the ballot filled out by his underling.
But this year the coaches finally made their final ballots public. They did this not in the spirit of full disclosure but because the Bowl Championship Series threatened to dump the poll from its formula unless the coaches agreed to come clean.
Given the choice between secrecy or irrelevance, the coaches decided to 'fess up.
USA Today, which has gone along with the charade since 1982, published the 62 coaches' final regular-season Top 25 ballots on Monday.
It was, unfortunately, a year too late. Last December, when three BCS-affiliated unbeaten teams demanded a spot in the national title game, it would have been interesting to know where Southeastern Conference coaches ranked Southern California, where Pac-10 coaches ranked Auburn, etc.
This year, the BCS title game pairing of USC and Texas has generated no controversy. But there still were plenty of eyebrow-raising votes in the eye-blurring lines of type.
This is where old scores get settled, friends get a hand and messages get sent. And if you don't think every ballot was broken down in football offices across the country, you don't know college football coaches.
A few highlights, or lowlights, depending upon one's sense of outrage:
When in doubt, vote yourself fourth.
No. 4 is a critical spot because the BCS assures an at-large bid to non-champions ranked in the top 4 of its final standings. The more top-four votes a team receives, the better its BCS chances.
Here's how the coaches of the four contenders for two at-large spots voted:
Jim Tressel, Ohio State: 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. OHIO STATE!
Charlie Weis, Notre Dame: 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. NOTRE DAME!
Mike Bellotti, Oregon. 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. OREGON!
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn. 1. USC, 2. Texas, 3. Penn State, 4. AUBURN!
?The Texas two-step
The Texas Longhorns received seven first-place votes. Of those, five came from coaches with Texas connections. Three were from Big 12 coaches - Colorado's Gary Barnett, Iowa State's Dan McCarney and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. Another came from Gary Patterson, coach of Texas Christian. Another came from San Jose State coach Dick Tomey, who was on the Longhorns' staff last year.
Interestingly, Texas coach Mack Brown did not vote Texas No. 1. Neither did Mack's brother, Watson, the coach at UAB.
?Offsetting ballots.
Anyone remember the score of the Clemson-South Carolina game?
It was Clemson 13, South Carolina 9 at Columbia, S.C. Both teams finished 7-4.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was there, but he may have forgotten the outcome. He ranked his Gamecocks 21st . . . and the rival Tigers 24th.
That's OK. Clemson coach Tommy Bowden ranked his Tigers 20th . . . and left the Gamecocks off his ballot.
Tennessee's Phil Fulmer agreed with Bowden. Fulmer, whose dislike of Spurrier goes back years, also omitted South Carolina, which beat the Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn.
In the final poll, Clemson wound up 23rd and South Carolina was unranked.
?Old loyalties die hard. Sometimes.
Stanford coach Walt Harris, a former Ohio State assistant coach, voted the Buckeyes fourth. He had fellow Pac-10 member Oregon sixth. Former Oregon coach Rich Brooks also ranked Oregon sixth. Ducks fans, here's your conspiracy.
Rutgers' only vote came from - surprise! - Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who had his team 25th.
The Big Ten's seven voters did their part to bring in more BCS revenue for themselves. Each voted Penn State third and Ohio State fourth. Ohio State's Tressel damaged Oregon's BCS chances by ranking the once-beaten Ducks ninth, behind five two-loss teams.
But Ohio University coach Frank Solich did his in-state neighbors no favors. He ranked the Buckeyes eighth.
Luckily for Solich, the Bobcats don't play Ohio State next season.