Bad move: Coaches vote to make ballots secret
Destin–At a time when Congress is hauling the BCS into hearings in an attempt to get more transparency into the process, the American Football Coaches Association, a group I really respect, has made bad, bad step.
That group’s board of directors voted to make the final ballots in the coach’s poll—the one which helps determine who will play in the BCS championship game—secret once more starting after the 2010 regular season.
For the past three years coaches have made their final ballots public. That was done in order to have some kind of accountability in the system. The voters in the Harris Interactive poll, the other poll used in the BCS formula, are subject to have their ballots released at any time. With so much at stake in terms of money and prestige, and with BCS championship berths being decided by mere percentage points (ask Texas), every vote in both polls is critical.
“If every ballot was public then I would be out of it,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt, who votes in the coaches poll. “But there should be some accountability. I don’t mind having my last vote be public.”
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said that the last vote should be made public in order “to keep folks honest.”
It is true that for a couple of days after the final vote coaches were having their votes scrutinized by the media. That scrutiny could be a little uncomfortable. So what? If you’re going to be powerful enough to determine who plays for the national championship, you need to be strong enough to take 48 hours of scrutiny. If you don’t want the scrutiny, then you shouldn’t vote in the poll. It comes with the territory.
And if the AFCA doesn’t want the scrutiny, that’s fine. Keep doing the poll. Keep awarding their national championship. It is a prestigious one. But get out of the BCS.
This sends exactly the wrong message as the bozos in Congress are trying to strong-arm college football. It just gives the Joe Bartons of the world some ammunition that they don’t deserve.
Here is some other stuff from the SEC Spring meetings:
NCAA updates on Alabama, Memphis: I’ve been getting questions for weeks about the upcoming resolution of Alabama’s NCAA case concerning the textbook scandal of 2007. Remember that Alabama self-reported that case in the fall of that year and suspended several football players because of it. Other sports were also involved. Based on some conversations I had yesterday it looks like a decision in that case could come as early as next week. No one has any idea what additional penalties (loss or scholarships, etc.) or if any additional penalties will be forthcoming.
Memphis received word yesterday that the NCAA is looking in allegations that a former basketball player had help making the required grade on the SAT and played for the Tigers during the 2007-08 season. Subsequent media reports claim that that Derrick Rose, who played one season and then went to the NBA, is the player involved. Former coach John Calipari, now at Kentucky, is not named in the NCAA charge but has been asked to speak to investigators.
Kentucky president Lee Todd issued a statement Thursday afternoon that the school was made aware of this during the interview process with Calipari. Kentucky is convinced that Calipari is not involved and will have no further comment.
SEC discusses eight-team playoff: The league has already discussed the Mountain West Conference’s proposal to create an eight-team playoff to decide college football’s national championship. No one is expecting a whole of support for the idea. BCS officials, who testified before a Congressional committee earlier this year, promised that the major conferences would at least discuss the eight-team playoff during their annual spring meets. But the current BCS contract has five more years to run (1 on Fox, 4 on ESPN). The SEC has won three straight BCS national championships so the current system has worked pretty well for this league.
But Alabama coach Nick Saban said that the system needs to be tweaked because too much of the post-season emphasis in college football is focused on just two teams. He learned that the hard way when his No. 1 Crimson Tide lost in the SEC championship game to Florida and just basically fell off the map with its trip to the Sugar Bowl—where they lost to Utah.
“You just need to have more teams involved,” said Saban, who said he could support a four-team set up where 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3 in the semifinals and the two winners play a week later for the championship.
Will over signing be eliminated? Ole Miss raised some eyebrows in February when Houston Nutt signed 37 players. Arkansas signed 32. The NCAA limit on new players who may be on scholarship come the fall semester is 25. Sometimes that math can be a little tricky.
Nutt said Tuesday that “We knew seven or eight guys would 100 percent not qualify so you’re able to help some junior colleges,” of which there are many in the state of Mississippi.
Auburn has sponsored legislation that will limit signings in the SEC to 28 per year. The measure will be voted on Friday by the SEC’s presidents. If it passes, the SEC will send it on to the NCAA to see if that body would adopt the practice nationwide.
Commissioner Mike Slive told reporters that he was “concerned” when he saw the numbers of signees by some schools creeping over 30. This one has a very good chance of passing.
Basketball schedules are going to get tougher. Slive had a pretty forceful message for his men’s basketball coaches: Start upgrading your non-conference schedules.
The SEC placed only three teams in the NCAA Tournament last season and that number would have been two if Mississippi State had not won the conference tournament. Slive had a ringside seat for the SEC’s basketball woes because he was the chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball selection committee.
“You better understand why teams in get into the tournament and why they don’t,” Slive said. “To me it was clear what we should do.”
Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal did some good reporting on this. Higgins found that, according to Jerry Palm’s RPI rankings, 55.3 percent of the SEC’s non-conference wins last season (68 of 123) came against teams ranked 201 or higher.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/27/slive-wants-sec-to-get-tough/
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, however, says a team can get burned by a tough schedule. He played the No. 3 rated schedule last season and ended up with a No. 9 seed in the tournament.
“There needs to be more of a risk/reward,” Pearl said. “We took the risk of playing that schedule but we didn’t get rewarded when we got a nine seed.”
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
138 comments Add your comment
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
12:12 pm
Oops,
I meant to direct the above post to:
Frozen_Gator.
Sorry, SN.
Call 'em like I see 'em.
May 28th, 2009
12:23 pm
Funny how no one has made a single comment about oversigning. It is in the best interests of the students NOT to oversign, but if the rule passes, you will see the SEC fall back to the pack in the long run in terms of dominance. I’d be surprised to see the coaches in favor of it.
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
12:35 pm
Frozen_Gator,
The extra S es on the Rolls Tides are in tribute to Corrine Brown (D) from Florida. Someone with really bad grammar, spelling, and plural and singular agreement was posting as Ms. Brown although for all we know it was actually her. Anyway, she would write stuff like Coarch Meyers and would write Go Gator instead of Go Gators. So it became a fad amongst gator fans on here to sign off Go Gator instead of Go Gators and for some to refer to Urban as Coarch Meyers instead of Coach Meyer.
Well, not to be outdone us Bama fans now like to sign off with Rolls Tides or Rolls Tide in similar fashion. Its just one big running joke in reference to someone’s really bad English.
Huh?
May 28th, 2009
12:40 pm
Uh, I could be wrong Mr. Call em like I WANT to see them, but I think the SEC has the same scholarship limitations as any other conference. You are a totally clueless goob and need to stop talking about college football like you know something about it. Thanks.
Thinking out loud 5.28.9 : ctrentrosecrans.com
May 28th, 2009
12:46 pm
[...] The coaches’ poll will no longer reveal the individual coaches’ votes. But I guess we’ll all know who put his ballot as 1. Texas, 2. Texas, 3. Texas, 4. Texas, 5. [...]
Cuz
May 28th, 2009
12:57 pm
G8Grad, my point exactly. The SEC has enough characters and ego for three conferences. Let em go at it. It is what gets us through these doldrums before the games start. What ammount of points ahead on 9/19/09 before CUM pulls T-bow and lets your QB in waiting play? I am thinking 42.
I think the only way T-bow does not win the Heisman is if he gets an injury running that fullback run five yards out for the TD. I sure am hoping that the Gators overlook us before the JAX bloodbath. Either that or spot us a couple of touchdowns.
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
12:59 pm
Huh?
I guess Mr. Call em like I see em doesn’t understand the difference between signing commitments and the actual number of commits that can actually report to be on campus when the fall comes. Everyone can only take 25 new recruits on scholarship when the fall comes.
Currently, you can sign as many as you want but when it gets down to it only 25 can physically report in the fall and be on scholarship for that year’s signing class. Just like only 85 players max can be on scholarship at any one point in time. In this regard of course the SEC has no advantage over any other conference.
The reason teams over sign is because they know there will be academic casualties, some of their commits may choose another sport like pro baseball, injuries during the summer or the last year of high school which could delay a commit from entering until the next year, etc. There are all kinds of reasons a kid can sign on the dotted line but not be eligible to show up on campus in the fall.
28 seems a little low to me though. The number should be more like 30. Saban signed 32 commits 2 years ago and actually came in 1 or 2 schollies under the limit in the fall because several players didn’t make the required grades, 2 went to pro baseball, 1 suffered a severe shoulder injury that delayed his entry till the next January. Stuff happens.
whitx2
May 28th, 2009
1:04 pm
cuz
No matter which highway, that was still a good one
whitx2
May 28th, 2009
1:08 pm
And who knows, m’s greyhound may have been on highway 99 or parked outback of an IHOP.
Tide Rose......& then fell.
May 28th, 2009
1:20 pm
Keep the Bowl system. Of course Saban supports a final 4 ‘playoff’. Who wouldn’t want a chance to redeem himself after starting the season off as hot as he$$ only to horrifically crash & burn in such a public & humiliating fashion (Florida & Utah). If you can’t win your conference, you have absolutely NO right to play for the National title. That fact should be a qualifier.
But if they did move to a playoff system, the whiners would still be out there, because the SEC would win for the next decade.
Big Blue Forever
May 28th, 2009
1:22 pm
Tommy P stop writing and do your own research. The beat writers asked under the Freedom of Information Act for the letter from the NCAA and have not recieved it. Anyone can say the received a letter, now I want it produced. I am part of the Blue Nation and I demand to see the letter. I do believe that Cal received the letter and that he was unknowing to the S.A.T. scandal. I also believed Billy Clyde never signed an “Official” contract. Than I’m blind-sided yesterday by the Nov. 2007 letter stating the university had all they needed to term Billy’s contract official. What was the lead counsel thinking when issuing that letter. What was UK doing saying Billy didn’t have a contract if Billy claims to have 12 pieces of correspondence where UK officials use the term “contract” and/or binding contract”. Billy, like Cal, produce them for me. Hiring an awarded “Super Lawyer 2004,2005,2006,2007,2008″ was smart Billy Clyde. Filing in Texas, brillant, in Texas law states U.K. Athletic Association can be charged with fraud. Next up for bankruptcy protection U.K. Athletic Association. Next up for cross examantion Calipari. Next firing Mitch Barnhardt.
stinger
May 28th, 2009
1:23 pm
Who wants a tickle pile?
jumbeauxtiger
May 28th, 2009
1:42 pm
I think they should do away with the coaches poll. The coaches don’t really spend the time needed to really evaluate all teams. I have always felt the AP writers even though at times some show favortism, are better at voting.
And I agree as well about m. Calling Tony names is uncalled for and unacceptable.
I have often wondered about the Gailey/Greyhound reference too DawgGirl32. I’m glad you brought it up.
I am all for a 16 team playoff but that probably won’t happen in our lifetime. A 4 tema playoff would be better than what we have.
It seems the doubleheader that CBS has locked in for Oct 10 very well may be UT-Uga in the afternoon and LSU-Fl at night.
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
1:51 pm
Cuz—-We Gators have too much respect for you Dawgs to spot your team any points. Personally, my Gator pride doesn’t require a blowout. I’ll take any Florida win over Georgia, whether it’s by a last-second field goal, or half-a-hundred at half-time.
If you want to bet against the line, call your bookie. = )
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
2:00 pm
The Coaches Poll is a creature a of a different time and different circumstances, one whose time and usefulness has come and gone. Most of the participating coaches will tell you straight up that they rarely have time to watch any significant portion of games outside their own conferences and opponents, and usually only then in snippets and highlights (when not watching game film for their next scheduled opponent). Most of the coaches are working 90-hour weeks during the season, and are voting based on what little they have seen and on what their assistants have shared with them. That’s hardly right, and hardly fair, and that’s even before the regional and conference biases come into play.
Unfortunately, the harder question is “With what do you replace it?” The best alternative poll, the AP Sportswriters Poll, has already been removed from the BCS formula at the AP’s request.
Otto
May 28th, 2009
2:05 pm
In Tony’s poast blog the 4 team playoff was shot down remeber Utah would not make it last year and UGA would not make it in ‘07.
The current BCS system is working great. The SEC is signing big TV contracts, big OOC matchups are on the rise. The TV networks and school are making a fortune off of the regular season becuase it is a playoff. In ‘07 how many were watching Mizzou fall in the Big 12 championship game or Pitt upset WVU for LSU to make the title game. If there was a playoff how much would ratings drop for those games? Further how many would watch ESPN’s CFB live or be posting on blogs like this? You could not ask for a more perfect product from a marketing stand point.
bull-gator
May 28th, 2009
2:18 pm
to Cuz: where the hell is highway 99?
DawginLex
May 28th, 2009
2:20 pm
No Cat in this fight but since i live here I’ll chip in my $.02. Calapari was not named in the report. UK’s compliance officer, Sandy Bell is top shelf and she would have never allowed Calapari to be hired if there was any mention or possibility of him having a problem.
When the Memphis people cry foul, ask them why they worked like crazy over the last 48 hours of his Memphis tenure to BEAT UK’s offer of $$$$. The notice from the NCAA came in September of 2008 and the further correspondence came in January 2009. Cal was hired by Uk in April 2009.
He will emerge from this and UK will go back to dominating SEC basketball again like the mid 90’s.
M, you are still an idiot.
Mikey
May 28th, 2009
2:27 pm
Regarding M:
Even a fish would be in no trouble if he kept his big mouth shut!
azcat225
May 28th, 2009
2:29 pm
bull-gator, cuz was corrected and acknowledged same. The Allman Brothers have always been true to their roots.
And cuz, I agree with other posters, that was damn funny…
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2009
2:45 pm
There is an actually Highway99 and any Rambling man, headed SouthBound, from the Statesboro Blues, would know where it is. I Ain’t Wastin No More time educating you folks from Hot’Lanta.
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
3:02 pm
Cuz:
Your game in Jax is the only other one I have circled after the showdown in Death Valley against the Bayou Bengals. That game always has a high possiblity of an upset. Both squads come into that stadium high as a kite and if history has taught me anything, it’s never bet aginst the underdog (no pun intended) at the WLOCP.
Too Easy
May 28th, 2009
3:04 pm
..but as info, GA 99 is on the GA coast, and US 99 is in California (part of it is now I-5).
Huh?
May 28th, 2009
3:07 pm
“Unfortunately, the harder question is “With what do you replace it?”
A fan poll. I am not at all kidding. If we’re going to have mindless opinion polls deciding things why not give the fans a say? Could we be any more ill-informed and biased than the coaches working 90 hour weeks? I don’t think so. In fact, fans probably watch a lot more football on Saturdays than the coaches do. I personally watch everything from the Big 10/ACC snoozers at noon to the Pac 10 games late at night. Could we be any more woefully clueless than the media geeks that make up the AP poll? Doubt it. They don’t know any more about what’s going to happen on any given Saturday than the guy selling Cokes at the concession stand. They just pretend they do to keep their jobs and sell papers. ESPN already has a weekly interactive fan poll during the season and it barely deviates from any other poll floating around out there, including the AP and Coaches. So I say why the hell not? It sure would be a lot of fun for the fans to have a say in this mindbogglingly stupid process.
Gravy Train
May 28th, 2009
3:09 pm
A couple of points:
1. m is a Tech fan who need not worry about a playoff nor voting because Tech is not a factor in either discussion. Nor is the ACC for that matter.
2. Having your father purchase two ivy league degrees for you is not the same as having earned them yourself. Anyone who still thinks there was ever any wisdom associated with W should be banned from voting.
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
3:14 pm
AltamahaDawg:
I always thought it referred to the Highway 41 that runs north-south the length of Georgia. It is Cobb Parkway north of town, Northside Drive through town and Metropolitan Parkway on the southside where it turns into 19/41.
Greg Allman
May 28th, 2009
3:18 pm
Yeah, that’s the one.
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2009
3:29 pm
I rather be tied to the Whipping Post, than be on the Cobb Parkway.
Greg Allman
May 28th, 2009
3:30 pm
Wasn’t it THE highway from Chattanooga to Valdosta (and on to Tampa) before I-75 was built?
AUtiger
May 28th, 2009
3:34 pm
Yawn.. I just want to know wehn the Rolls Tides go on probation again.
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
3:38 pm
And north all the way to the upper peninsula of Michigan.
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2009
3:39 pm
“if history has taught me anything, it’s never bet aginst the underdog (no pun intended) at the WLOCP.”
Should have been.
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
3:42 pm
AltamahaDawg:
You’re preaching to the saved.
My offices are in Vinings.
bull-gator
May 28th, 2009
3:46 pm
I think when Dickey Betts wrote “Ramblin’ Man” he was probably alluding to the west coast of Florida as he was raised in Bradenton which U.S. Hwy 41 runs directly through and terminates in Miami. I used to see Betts at a beach bar (can’t remember the name, but was a pretty rough place) in Bradenton Beach every now and then back in the late 70’s. The man can really play the guitar.
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
3:48 pm
Greg:
“Wasn’t it THE highway from Chattanooga to Valdosta (and on to Tampa) before I-75 was built?”
Actally: (and on to Miami)
Oh, and what were you thinking when you married Cher?
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2009
3:49 pm
Only One Way Out of Vinings, Dreams of the Blue Sky.
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
3:51 pm
It’s a living.
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2009
3:52 pm
Should have married Melissa, or Jessica, or Little Martha. Vows to Cher were just Wasted Words.
AltamahaDawg
May 28th, 2009
3:54 pm
Enter your comments here
G8R GRAD
May 28th, 2009
4:03 pm
bull-gator:
Good stuff.
Bradenton’s a nice part of the world.
Gen Neyland
May 28th, 2009
4:16 pm
Look closely at the photo on the cover of Live at the Fillmore. You’ll see D.Allman and the gang laughing it up. See D.Allman’s hands cupped together..? Know what he’s holding..? Believe it or not, there is a story to this shot…
PaulC
May 28th, 2009
4:39 pm
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-hyde-uf-arrests-s052809sbmay28,0,1709945.column
Urban Meyer runs a completely corrupt program in Gainesville. 24 arrests in four years, what a disgrace! UF is now THUG U and sooner or later big media will pick up on this story and Meyer will be exposed as the fraud he most certainly is.
ABB fan
May 28th, 2009
4:42 pm
Wwhat’s Duane hiding?
A pipe? A doobie?
shane#1
May 28th, 2009
4:58 pm
Gen, I give up, is Duane holding M’s bus ticket, and Cuz, are you saying M is Dickey Betts? Oh the horrow!
Gen Neyland
May 28th, 2009
5:16 pm
Photo shoot outside the Fillmore was going badly.
Some guy rounds the building and sees the band. He scurries over to them and hands Duane a bag of snowcaine. They all bust out laughing and FLASH, the photographer’s work is done.
Frozen_Gator
May 28th, 2009
5:45 pm
I think Ms Brown was in my highschool class. She didn’t maks it to UF but she sure figured out how to get alot of votes. Goes Gator and ROLLS TIDES!!!!!!!!!!
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
6:01 pm
Actually, gentlemen, US Highway 41 runs all the way from Miami to the upper peninsula of Michigan. Through metro Atlanta, US 41 tracks Northside Parkway, which changes names at the Chattahoochee and Fulton-Cobb county line and becomes Cobb Parkway. From Naples to Tennessee, US 41 closely parallels I-75.
I know US 41 well. It’s one of the common threads in my life. I was born two blocks from it in Florida, and it runs in front of my current Atlanta office.
And, no, I was not born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus. Thank God and Greyhound, eh? LOL
Gator Growl
May 28th, 2009
6:05 pm
I think PaulC is really “m” or at least closely related.
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
6:08 pm
Huh?
I am all for democracy, but I cannot imagine how a fan poll would more fair than the coaches poll. Large schools (i.e. Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas), and schools from big states (Florida, Southern Cal, Texas) would have a disproportionate advantage in any fan poll. Where would that leave Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee?
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
6:09 pm
I’,m having to retype this post so lets hope it doesn’t get eaten this time.
Frozen_Gator,
There you goes. You catchin on. Goes Gator is even better than Go Gator. I don’t think anyone can top Coarch Meyers though.
Ms. Brown didn’t make it to UF I don’t think but she did graduate from a 4 year school of lower learning. I believe English was her major. Well, I might be jesting.
Atlanta Gator posted her bio shortly after she started torturing the English language on this blog so he would know what her esteemed educational and legislative accomplishments were.
Rolls Tides!