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.”
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138 comments Add your comment
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
6:12 pm
Gator Growl,
You picked up on that too. I think they’re brothers or cousins or maybe the same person. They seem related some how and if this were Massachusetts I would have said maybe they’re married.
Me
May 28th, 2009
6:13 pm
No Growl, He’s just another Volusional Tenn fan! Thinks that Kiffey the Klown and full Monte Fossil Man is gonna come into the Swamp and whip the Gators. He’s got a better chance of meeting Layla behind Neyland Stadium tonight…or maybe not.
Gator Growl
May 28th, 2009
6:22 pm
Tide rising…Or maybe just brothers from a different mother. Was listening to Finebaum yesterday when some dude from Knoxville called in asking PF what he thought about Kiffin. Well, ole Paul didn’t mince words when he said “loser” and all that dude could do was murmur a few vile words and just hang up…Sounds a little like the replay of Spurrier vs Kitten… And if I’m not mistaken, Finebaum is a UT grad!!!
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
6:24 pm
PaulC—-The difference between the discipline problems of Miami in the 1980s, FSU in the 1990s, and Florida in the 2000s is that Urban Meyer actually disciplines his players when they get in trouble. Yes, some get second chances, but on Meyer’s terms. If you want thuggish behavior, undisciplined by the coaching staff, I suggest you revisit the problems of UM and FSU over the past 25 years. Every big-time program has its problems. How the administration and coaches deal with those problems when they occur is how the program should be judged. And, no, not all arrests are the same. Some are indicative of serious crimes; and some involve young and immature men doing things that young and immature men do.
I don’t apologize for the stupid arrests of Gator players. More often than not, their behavior was appropriately addressed by Spurrier or Meyer, up to and including the perps losing their scholarships and being bounced from the team.
Finally, please note that these are the actions of individuals, not the team, and are not indicative of team-condoned offenses. The Gators have run a clean program since their last probation in 1989-1990, which is a credit to Steve Spurrier, Jeremy Foley and Urban Meyer. If I am not mistaken, Florida and Vanderbilt are the only two SEC schools that have not been on NCAA probation in the past 20 years.
Sorry, but you need to take your anti-Gator blinders off. Nineteen eighty-four was a very long time ago. Charley Pell is dead, the Gators have the second or third highest graduation rate in the SEC, and the Gators have won 3 national championships that were untainted by recruiting violations in the last 20 years. But you keep that hate burning bright if it makes you feel better about your own life.
Me
May 28th, 2009
6:38 pm
Atlanta Gator…don’t even waste your time with that PaulC guy, he is a total idiot. If you don’t believe me, just go to his posts on this same Blog yesterday. Besides, he’s a Tenn Fan…you know, the home of the secondary violation and the place where they recruit convicted rapists…as they say, if the “Hood” fits, wear it.
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
6:39 pm
Gator Grow,
Finebaum is indeed a UT grad which does make it that much funnier. But he dogs everybody and while he talks about Bama the most we probably get dogged the most by him to. Drives the Bama fans nuts but they just keep listening to him. Its that ole thing where some people just hate people like a Rush Limbaugh but they just can’t stop listening to his program. Same with Bama fans and Finebaum.
PaulC,
Give it a rest. Every major program out there has its share of thugs and kids who go bad. It is what it is and if you don’t have kids getting into trouble then you’re name must be Vandy, Duke, or one of the service academies.
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
6:47 pm
Tide rising—-Even the service academies have had honor code scandals in the last 30 years. It happens. Young people screw up. Questions are, was the screw-up sponsored by the institution, and what did the institution do to correct the screw-up?
Gator Growl
May 28th, 2009
6:48 pm
Tide rising…yeah Finebaum pretty much rags on Meyer too, calling him a premadonna and an out of control “control” freak. It’s funny, he was trying to explain that Alabama textbook thing or whatever and it didn’t sound like anybody on that show even understood it! I’m not very familiar with it at all, but based on the way they were trying to explain it, it sounded like a lot to do about nothing to me…
GT Falcon
May 28th, 2009
6:49 pm
The whole college football system is messed up. I love college football and I attend every GT home game plus some UGA games (I have a lot of friends that are dawg fans), but until they change the stupid system to playoffs I will be more of an NFL guy. Texas not playing in the championship last year over a team they beat in OU was the last straw for me. I hate the BCS!!!!!!!!
Atlanta Gator
May 28th, 2009
6:53 pm
Me—-It’s not for PaulC’s benefit. The Nazis had the idea that if you repeat a lie often enough, it will become the truth. And the best lies are the ones with an element of truth that allows you to swallow the rest . . . .
Truth is the Gator football program was out of control in the early to mid-1980s. The administration turned a blind eye to the nefarious activities of Charley Pell, his staff and certain alumni. Steve Spurrier and Jeremy Foley vowed “never again.” And that’s why there have been problems from time to time, but no probation for the Gators since 1990. That’s what “institutional control” is all about. The NCAA does not expect 17-23 year-olds to be angels, but it does expect the schools to maintain control and mete out appropriate punishments when problems happen, and it certainly does not permit the schools to sponsor or facilitate the problems.
Okay, I’m done being preachy now.
Me
May 28th, 2009
7:07 pm
Good points Atlanta Gator. I guess you could say that Florida learned from their near death (penalty) experience back in the 80’s. Foley is simply the best and since then not a hint of impropriety. Meyer has acted decisively in the majority of the cases and has given a few second chances, mostly when merited. The only time I disagreed with him was the Tony Joiner situation, I think he should have sat out that LSU game. And guess what?? I told Meyer that at a Tampa Gator Club meeting the following year. His response was that it WAS a tough call and that it was handled internally and that Tony DID pay the price. Anyway…
George G.
May 28th, 2009
7:15 pm
Can’t wait to see what the resolution in the Alabama case is. Perhaps it has taken so long because the NCAA discovered some additional shenanigans. Say, perhaps, in Gadsden???
Tony in Johns Creek
May 28th, 2009
8:23 pm
This Dawg fan agrees with Atlanta Gator (blasphemy I know) regarding the coaches poll. It is an abomination as a gauge to bring us a true national champion. These coaches don’t sit around and watch football all day… they have too much to do. How can they possibly judge the football teams in other parts of the country? So, the AP needs to come back in place of the coaches poll, because the AP is actually paid to cover these teams and give their analysis.
Hairofthedawg
May 28th, 2009
8:23 pm
Hey, why don’t we also let congress have a secret ballot. Why should they be held accountable? They don’t make any where close to what an Sec Coach makes!
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
8:47 pm
George G.,
Keep hoping buddy. If that’s all you can do is hope for big time penalties then I’m afraid that you’re going to be let down quite a bit. We will get either nothing at all or 2 scholarships lost for 2 years for a total scholly loss of 4. And then we’ll get those right back in year 3 so the worst penalty looks to be pretty negligible. As for the Gadsden rumors they are just that. Rumors that started on Auburn and Tenn. message boards that Bama recruits were getting Dodge chargers from a local dealership in exchange for going to Bama. The Bama recruits from Gadsden have in fact been mocking the rumors in their statements because its just ludicrous. Bama’s 5 star cornerback recruit Dre Kirkpatrick addressed the rumor last week by telling rivals.com that his favorite car is a Dodge charger and then he laughed about it. He was just mocking the rumors because they are obviously bogus. Sorry to disappoint you again.
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
9:00 pm
Gator Growl,
The textbook “scandal” if people want to call it that is indeed a lot of ado about pretty much nothing. What’s funny is that about half the textbook violations were unintentional. Students were getting course materials for a course that the professors recommended in their syllabuses but were not required. According to NCAA rules you can only get course materials that are “required”. But you cannot get additional materials that the professor recommends such as a copy of Moby Dick that an English prof may recommend for his Enlish Lit class but he doesn’t require it.
The other half of the violations is where several athletes across several sports figured out that their was a loophole in the textbook distribution program and were getting some textbooks for classes they weren’t taking to give to a friend or girlfriends that were having trouble paying for their books. Clearly this is gaming the system but no competitive advantage was gained. In all cases the athletes weren’t making money, they weren’t taking the books back and getting things like sweatshirts or clothing etc. at the bookstore. They were just getting books to help out classmates. Still wrong of course though.
Anyway, the school caught it, immediately self reported, suspended the 5 football players involved for 4 or 5 games until the NCAA said they could play again, took action against the other athletes, and took action against the bookstore managers for not catching this loophole and for not knowing that athletes could only get required course materials only and not recommended course materials.
Obviously there wasn’t any intentional cheating and no competitive advantage was gained, no money exchanged hands, etc. But the school should have been more on top of little things like this. I think we’ve just spent a lot more time focusing on rogue boosters and the like and didn’t “mind the store” so to speak on seemingly smaller matters like this.
George G.
May 28th, 2009
9:04 pm
Tide_Rising:
I don’t take your statements for anything, whether it be for or against my statements. So, no need to apologize there buddy.
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
9:18 pm
George C,
George, I thought I would also let you know that I’ve had a standing reward of $1,000 to anybody who mentions Gadsden shenanigans and can prove allegations of cheating. Prove the allegations of these rumors and I’ll wire you $1,000. All ya got to do is prove it. I’ve noticed that when presented with the idea of backing up their smack talk about Gadsden and other rumors that most people just STFU as I imagine you will do also.
Nachos
May 28th, 2009
9:23 pm
Hey AUtiger…. when is the barn going to hire a REAL football coach? Chizzzz is the shizzzzz !
Tide rising
May 28th, 2009
9:25 pm
George,
Come on man? I’ve got your money right here. I’m still waiting on your proof! Still waiting…….
Gator Growl
May 28th, 2009
10:43 pm
Tide rising…looks like reward money talks and speculation walks!! lol
Dave
May 29th, 2009
7:08 am
Tony as a sports writer who votes in the AP pol I am surprised you got this one wrong. The coaches poll should not even be a part of the BCS. Very few coaches even watch much football during the season they are way too busy worrying about their own team to have the time. When they go home they hardly have enough time to spend with their families. Some coaches basically delegate their vote to some assistant who picks the teams. The big mistake the BCS made was losing the AP poll as part of the formula. This is the sports writers who do actually watch games because they need to be able to write sports stories. The problem was the BCS was just using AP poll for free and the AP pulled the plug on it’s being used. I think the BCS needs to work out a deal with the AP and scrap the coaches poll which in my mind is a sham to start with. I bet the average fan watches a whole lot more football than any coach. They are making it secret now because some coaches were embarrassing them by showing the rest of us how poor it actually is
George G.
May 29th, 2009
7:20 am
Tide Rising:
So, all I have to do is prove that there’s cheating in Gadsden and I win $1,000? Sounds like a deal to me. No timeframe or any other stipulations needed!!!!! You’ll hear from me if and when it happens.
Just like a Bama fan to make a bet that carries no burden on the person he’s betting against. Good job man!!!! Genius!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 29th, 2009
7:23 am
Hey tony did u see Layla in her bikini down in Destin? Get any pictures?
Not Disappointed
May 29th, 2009
7:30 am
<—————– Loyal GT Fan and Alum here. I too am upset with the BCS and agree “The Old Ball Coach and Coach Mark Richt, the last vote should be publish. That being sad. How many games do we entertain in a Playoff? 4, 8, ????? Until I remain “Ramblin Wreck!”
BamaBear
May 29th, 2009
8:21 am
To all you haters calling Saban a “whiner”, he is in year 3 of re-building a program. Last year was just a step in the process, and yes he lost to the eventual National Champions, but was 1 quater and 1 Tebow awy from a massive upset. You “Jaw-Ga” boys are just still sore from that “Black Out” butt whooping you got last year! Alabam is headed back to a national championship. Which way is Georgia headed?
godawg
May 29th, 2009
8:35 am
Was the vote to make the vote secret secret? In other words, do we know who voted to make it secret? Or was that secret?
BAMAPERRY
May 29th, 2009
8:59 am
The Gadsden rumors are a pack of lies made up by the Barners.
Hollywould
May 29th, 2009
9:04 am
Duane is holding a bag of “white gold” . Being an old hippie and a Maconite I remember those days well.(sorta)
Sanford Drive
May 29th, 2009
9:18 am
Hold your horses, BamaBear. Bama isn’t quite at National Title level yet. It’s going to take a miracle and a prayer for anyone to beat UF.
Bamafan
May 29th, 2009
9:36 am
Tide rising and Atlanta gator are the best writers on this blog and keep up the good work! General Neyland my brother was a hugh Allmond Brothers fan and I heard a lot of the big hits growing up in
Nashville. This is a true story I met Greg Allmond when he had to come to the medical lab I worked
for back in the mid-90s for a drug screen test for a drug arrest and he was real nice and was signing
autographs for people and can you believe he passed the test!! ROLL TIDES!!
Tide rising
May 29th, 2009
9:45 am
George G,
There’s really no burden on me at all since we both know you are full of shiite. I’ll also bet you a $1,000 that the sun will rise again tomorrow, Sure, the burden is all on me but what are the odds that its not going to happen? You aint too bright are ya boy?
But since you want a stipulation I’ll give you one. Go ahead and send over a shred of hard evidence today. Postings from an Auburn message board don’t count. Can you at least do that or do you just just post regurgitated crap from Auburn blogs?
The bottom line is that if you’re gonna make allegations be man enough to back em up. Money talks and boolsheet walks. In your case I believe I know which applies.
Oh, and I already noticed you’re little disclaimer about getting back to me IF and when this happens. So now we went from sure recruiting violations in Gadsden to IF it happened. Hmmmm! Something is sure starting to smell like all those fields in Lee county full of cow manure.
Seriously?
May 29th, 2009
9:57 am
Hey Tony, where are you today you turd?
Hollywould
May 29th, 2009
9:59 am
Bamafan, Maybe Greg Allmond passed your test but not the real GREGG ALLMAN.lol
Bamafan
May 29th, 2009
10:31 am
Hollywould you are right about my stupid spelling, but the real Greg A. passed one drug screen text
in his life!!
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hombres follando animales
July 20th, 2009
12:53 pm
eh… amazing..