The BCS: Breaking Down the Facts

(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

This is similar to the write up with Harve Perlman, but this time it is with Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Tony Barnhart.  Now before we get into Barnhart's credentials—which will be exposed—let's get into my credentials and show where I am coming from.

First off, this is a blog about the Mountain West, so the articles are biased toward the league. But I try to be balanced.  I did graduate from the University of Utah; plus, I am a member of the Mormon Church, so I grew up following BYU.

However, I grew up in Houston, and up until high school, I followed the Texas Longhorns. In addition, I spent two-plus years in college just outside of New York.

So, while I am pro-MWC, I have been around the country, and I did follow one of the biggest football programs for about 10 years.

Now on to Barnhart's roots. He has lived in the Atlanta area his whole life with the exception of being in Greensboro, North Carolina, for seven years.  He also went to school at the University of Georgia.  So, for his whole journalistic career, he has been in the South, and he has been around BCS leagues.

Now on to the fun part where we rip into his facts about the BCS, and here is his article in full.

Barnhart's  First Fact

"Utah was not denied a chance to play for the BCS National Championship. Utah had as much a chance to play for the BCS title as any other school.

But 175 people voted in the Harris Interactive and coaches polls, two of the three components in the BCS formula. The 114 people in the Harris poll voted Utah seventh. The 61 coaches in the USA Today poll also voted Utah seventh and no coach—none—voted Utah higher than No. 5. Of the 114 people who voted in the Harris Poll, only five voted Utah No. 5 or better."

My Response

In my opinion, Utah did not deserve to be in the BCS Championship Game, but after their BCS game, there is an argument that Utah could have beaten any team. 

Barnhart's fact is half-true, but the part that is completely false is that he says, "Utah had as much a chance to play for the BCS title as any other school."

What he forgot to mention is the rest of the sentence, which should read "any other school that is in a BCS league."  The fact is that Utah and every other school not part of the six BCS leagues does not have an equal chance to make it to the BCS title.

Due to conference perception, many non-BCS Conference teams do not get a fair shake in the polls.

More specifically, the preseason polls carry so much weight, and if a team is not perceived to be good in the preseason, they will not be ranked, which hurts their ability to climb to No. 1.

Just look at the Big East when, in 2007, West Virgina was one game away from the title game before they lost to a bad Pitt team

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