No, not again! The AP (stands for Almost Predictable) Top 25 and the Pre-season Coaches Poll were released this week. They were immediately followed by outcries from fans of the Big East, the Big 12 and the ACC calling for a college football playoff—and the season is still 23 days away!
Yes, folks, it looks like it’s going to be another loooong season.
Realistically, you would have a better chance of drawing water from a stone than convincing the commissioners of the BCS conferences to initiate a college football playoff. If you think that negotiating a permanent peace in the Middle East is tough, try changing the present Bowl Championship Series to anything that ends in the word "playoff."
That brings to mind Jim Mora’s immortal words that have become a daily mantra for the BCS commissioners: "Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs? You kidding me?"
So, if you can’t fight ‘em, join ‘em.
Those may be strange words coming from someone who has been begging to see a college football playoff. On the other hand, however, I must admit that the present system, which makes every regular season game count, is rather exciting,
But then how do we really arrive at pitting the two best teams in college football against each other in the title match up.
The first thing the BCS must do is eliminate the Coaches Poll, which is completely Un-American. It harkens back to pre-Revolutionary days when the colonists revolted against taxation without representation and unfair levies on imports.
The facts are quite clear. Many coaches do not look at the competition outside of their conferences fairly. The good old boy stocking of the Top 20 and the Top 10 with schools from their conference does not give fair representation to out-of-conference rivals.
In a recent New York Times blog, The Quad points out this very fact with a link to a critical article from SportsByBrooks.com about a number of coaches whose bias and subjectivity preclude any sort of objective Coaches Poll.
The Quad also cites another article on InTheBleachers.net that criticizes pre-season polls in general.
6 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Justin Goar 11 months ago
great read. very entertaining.
an extremely unique look at two highly anticipated events: college football season and the olympics. well, one highly anticipated, the other we feel obligated to be excited about.
but a great idea, hopefully the east german judge won't be watching the LSU games.
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P A 11 months ago
There's no way people would like this any better than the current system. You're essentially giving style points rather than who's winning games. Football is about first downs and end zones and tangible goals, not some point system (that has to be weighted a certain way, favoring certain play when we figure it out after a couple years). It's too much like a two minute drill in Madden
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Paul Peszko 11 months ago
See my comment below to Give 'em Hell.
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Give 'em Hell Devils 11 months ago
interestign idea. But how do you determine the top 30 teams in the begining of the year? and how do you handle subjectivity on what makes a great game? Is it a formula involving turnovers vs yards gained? over all score?
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Paul Peszko 11 months ago
How does a computer do it? How does a grad assistant, who merely looks at the scores of all 20 or 30 teams and places the votes for his head coach, do it. And yet the Coaches-grad assistants-equipment managers poll and a computer are what is used to determine who plays in the BCS title game.
I'm talking about qualiified judges who understand football not East German gymnastics. They will certainly take into account fumbles, penalties, yards gained and lossed and, of course, getting the ball across the line. A win still counts whether it's a sloppy win or a great one. It's just that a sloppy win over a weak opponent shouldn't count as much as a great win over a tough opponent. Do you agree?
What if USC had beaten Stanford wiht a last second field goal 23-21? They would have had just one loss and would have played for the NC last year. But should they have gotten full credit for a win over a 40-point underdog that was without its starting qb? I don't think so. Should that kind of win counted any more than LSU's tripple overtime loss to a tough Arkansas team with Darren McFadden? I certainly hope not.
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Give 'em Hell Devils 11 months ago
oh I compeltly agree that coaches are terrible at picking pre-season, I was just poitning out that having them do the initial top 30 woudl essentially put us in the same boat. And for sure a panel examinig each game coudl just as easliy rate the these games as coaches now, I am not arguing the current system at all just posing questions to yours
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