The Final Coaches Poll: Wheel Of Politics!

Ah, yes. The final coaches poll has been made public, and as usual, there are some truly noteworthy voting practices amongst our fair and balanced coaches. Some take this seriously, some cast their votes with reckless abandon, and some prove they just need a lobotomy.

It's time to play "Who's the biggest Homer?"

Here is the actual final poll, so you can see how the teams ended up, and then compare how some esteemed and knowledgeable coaches voted versus their brethren.

1. Oklahoma

2. Florida

3. Texas

4. Alabama/USC (tie)

6. Penn State

7. Utah

8. Texas tech

9. Boise State

10. Ohio State

11. TCU

12. Cincy

13. Oregon

14. Oklahoma State

15. Georgia Tech

16. BYU

17. Georgia

18. Michigan State

19. Va Tech

20. Northwestern

21. Pitt

22. Ball State

23. Mizzou

24. Ole Miss

25. Oregon State

First up is Urban Meyer, coach of the Florida Gators. Just how unbiased was he?

He voted Florida No. 1, Alabama No. 3, Utah (his former team) No. 4, USC No. 6, BYU No. 20, Georgia No. 21, and the biggie, Ole Miss No. 12.

Let's see now, Ole Miss beat Florida. Bada bing. They must be great, right? BYU is his former team's nemesis while Georgia is his current nemesis, so there's no bias whatsoever in giving them the shaft, now is there? 

Our second coach needs no introduction when it comes to hating other conferences. Howard Schnellenberger, coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls, hates the Pac-10. Don't believe me? Check out his votes: USC No. 8, Oregon No. 19, and he didn't place Oregon State in the top 25. Yes, Howard, you deserve the booby price for the second straight year (Last year his venom was directed at the Florida Gators).

Our third coach is Bobby Bowden, who truly has shown how sharp his brain is this year. Dadgummit Bobby, either retire or shape up. Oklahoma State got a No. 18 from him, and Michigan State got a No. 13. Did he actually confuse these two teams? It looks like it.

Todd Dodge, coach at North Texas, voted Ball State, the loser to Buffalo in the MAC Championship, No. 15. Let that one sink in.

Dan Hawkins, Colorado's coach, voted Mizzou at No. 16, Oklahoma No. 1  and Texas No. 2. He just loves the Big 12, doesn't he?

Mike Leach voted Texas Tech at No. 2. Surprised, anyone?

Pat Hill, Fresno State's coach, must not have had his coffee when he casted his votes: Boise State No. 6, Ball State No. 17, and Va. Tech No. 12.

Then there's our lovable Les Miles, who has preached about the tough path of the SEC and its opponents. How did he vote? Like a good 'ol Southern boy. Florida No. 1, Alabama No. 4, Oregon No. 17 (hate the Pac-10, Les?), Georgia Tech (ACC) No. 12, Georgia No. 13, and Ole Miss No. 14. Surprised Vandy and South Carolina aren't in there? They may be- there is one team he voted for that didn't make the top 25. Could it be LSU?

Mark Richt, Georgia's coach, has also expressed his fondness for the SEC, just like Coach Miles. He ranked Florida No. 1, Alabama No. 2, and Ole Miss No. 20. How does a second place SEC team get ranked ahead of a Big 12 conference champ?

Funny, there are some teams he voted for that didn't make the top 25- can we guess who they are? (I'll put ten bucks on South Carolina, LSU and Auburn) If you want to know how five SEC teams were ranked in the top ten at one point, now you know.

Then there are coaches like UCF's George O'Leary, whose hatred towards one particular conference is pretty evident. O' Leary's wrath this year is aimed at the Big Ten- he voted Michigan State No. 25, Northwestern No. 24, and Penn State No. 9.

But he's not the only one who hates the Big Ten. Chris Petersen (Boise State) voted Penn State at No. 10, Boise State No. 7, and Michigan State No. 23. Ouch.

Gary Pinkel of Missouri placed Oklahoma No. 1, Texas No. 2, Texas Tech No. 6,  Oklahoma State No. 11, and Mizzou No. 18.

Tyrone Willingham voted Mizzou No. 11. How does a four-loss team that got smoked by Texas and Oklahoma get a No. 11 ranking? The other questionable vote by a Pac-10 coach was Rick Neuheisel's ranking of Oregon State at No. 17, and Texas No. 1.

So which coaches were the most biased? Who gets the Homer Awards this year?

You have to give it to Gary Pinkel (Missouri) for his blatant bias towards the Big 12, Les Miles, Urban Meyer and Mark Richt for their SEC bias, and George O' Leary for his hate on the Big Ten. Their motto should be, "Individually, we are strong. Together we are stronger."

The polls are pretty disheartening, and sometimes we don't understand why they are so skewed. By making the polls public, a fan can now see that polls don't work. Some coaches were very fair in ranking the teams, while others used it as a platform to give their conference a boost. Disgusted yet?

Ready to scream for playoffs? Can we ditch the coaches poll?

coaches poll: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2008-12-08-final-coaches-ballots_N.htm