I think one of two things need to happen to college football polling.
1. They need to eliminate all pre-season polls.
Or
2. They should eliminate pre-season polls from any BCS calculations.
In the current system, teams in the pre-season top 10 have an unfair advantage over every other team in Division 1-A football. The only reason they have this advantage is because various sports writers and coaches decided that they would be the best teams in the nation before a game was even played. For example, in the 2004 season three BCS schools went undefeated in the regular season (I’m eliminating non-BCS schools from my argument in this case); USC, Oklahoma and Auburn. Now by the end of the year it was generally agreed that Auburn was a better team than Oklahoma. However, because Oklahoma was ranked higher than Auburn in the pre-season (number 2 and 17 respectively) they were slotted to play USC in the National Title game that year. Because they had gone undefeated and had been ranked number 2 at the beginning of the year pollsters were somewhat forced to keep them ranked where they were (there is an unwritten rule that if you keep winning all of your games then you don’t drop in the polls).
Now I know that pre-season polls will never be done away with (they get people talking and allow ESPN and others to “debate” football months before the games start), but I think they can be taken out of the BCS equation. The BCS should go to a system that eliminates all polls that rank teams before week 8 (or whatever week it is that the first BCS rankings are released) from their calculations.
By doing so, teams would no longer have an unfair advantage due to pre-season polls. Also, surprise teams (like Auburn in 2004) would have an equal chance to play for national title as any team ranked higher than them in any pre-season polls. Pre-season polls are never right anyway so why should we allow them to cloud an already flawed system. National champions should be decided on the field and not in the minds of people like Lou Holtz (may he rest in peace).
I write this not as an SEC fan (I’m an ACC guy) but as a fan of college football.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I totally agree. But there will continue to be a problem as long as we have sportswriters deciding who plays in the national championship game. Their combination of stupidity and fascination with their own perceived intellect is a danger to society.
I will never understand refusing to drop a team that hasn't lost. It made me think of other rules sportswriters made up to control their voting:
(1) The Heisman cannot go to an underclassman;
(2) Some MLB Hall of Fame players are first-ballot "Hall of Famers", while others who may be hall-worthy must wait until the second ballot;
(3) A pitcher cannot be an MVP;
(4) An MVP must play for a contender.
I'm sure there are many more.
Brian consistently has amazing insights. I am embarassed to record my stupid thoughts on a blog when his genius remains without a home on this world-wide web.
Post a Comment