In the above photograph you see the smiling face of a beloved college football analyst that we all have come to know so well through the years, Kirk Herbstreit.
At the end of a summer-long drought that all sports fans dread when the only sports events on television are baseball, motocross and women's golf, faces such as Herbie's are the ones that greet us with the moment we have been craving for nearly eight months. That amazing moment when college football once again becomes relevant to the sports world.
It is the moment when we once again find purpose to living and these men are to thank for our awakening...or are they?
In this article we will travel behind the smile and view the extreme amounts of control that these men hold and how it is used to control our emotions and the results of our teams throughout these last five months of the year.
Each morning you wake up and grab your usual cup of joe. You turn on the TV, slowly the screen brightens, and there it is.
The same sports show you watched every morning hosted by the voices of the men who talk about what you wanna hear. College Football. These are faces you trust. Regular guys who love sports just like you and I—wrong.
The moods and biases of these "regular guys" control the college football world and teams that we love so dearly.
For instance, two years ago the Ohio State Buckeyes were the undisputed number one team in the country. The Gators had just finished winning the SEC Championship in Atlanta. Weeks before, the Buckeyes had dismantled the Michigan Wolverines in their annual rivalry game.
About an hour after the game an online poll was shown concerning the who should face the Buckeyes: the Gators or the Wolverines. The poll was nearly split but favored the Wolverines by a small margin.
As the hours went by until the new BCS rankings were released, the results of this poll started shifting. Now the Gators were on top by a convincing margin. Why the change of mind?
Constant televised discussions about how maybe the Gators do deserve a shot over the already Buckeye-conquered Wolverines. Slowly, we, the people, began to change our minds on who should go to the big game as well. Looking back we see the right choice was made.
You say that this has nothing to do with actual BCS rankings though. Wrong. The media does affect the rankings. But only one-third, right? Wrong again.
The coaches don't know who the best teams are outside of the ones that they actually play. Bob Stoops is too busy coaching or watching game film, etc. to watch Michigan or Florida play their regular season games.
So who are he and other coaches going to look to? Ding Ding Ding! You guessed it. The Media.
In the five minutes of Sportscenter they watched while drinking their usual cup of Joe before heading to the morning team meeting they see Kirk Herbstreit's top five. There you have the deciding factor in the "Coaches" Poll.
More recently you saw Georgia drop out of the number one spot in the AP and "Coaches" poll.
Why? Georgia handily defeated their in-state FCS opponent and looked good while doing it. The Bulldogs were the preseason favorite and were getting constant praise from college football analysts across the nation. Knowshon Moreno was a top-three Heisman candidate on everyone's list.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Georgia Bulldogs Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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