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Posted 09/30/2009 at 05:44 AM
I have never given much credence to any of the college football polls. The poll conducted by the writers has never been any good, as the vast majority of the voters know next to nothing about most of the teams, aside from the ones in the leagues they’re actually covering themselves. But it’s just a survey, basically, so there’s no real reason to make a fuss over it.
On the other hand, the USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll actually carries some weight in terms of deciding which teams snare those monster BCS bowl paychecks. While the six BCS conference champs are automatic qualifiers, there are two other at-large spots available, and that’s where this poll gets involved.
Of all the ridiculous concepts that comprise the BCS, including the Coaches’ Poll as a component is the one that takes the cake. This poll is an exercise in absurdity. The coaches either don’t care about their votes, or they’re simply clueless. If you want proof, take a look at the current Top 25 poll. Prepare to (a) laugh your ass off and/or (b) shake your head in bewilderment as to how any group of supposedly knowledgeable individuals can be this outrageously uninformed.
Let’s start with the non-BCS intruders, Boise State, TCU and Houston. Among these three schools, Houston has by far the strongest case to this point, with a road win at Oklahoma State and the thrilling victory last Saturday against Texas Tech. So naturally, the Cougars are rated #15, well behind both the Broncos and Horned Frogs. I’m not taking anything away from either of those teams. Boise State has two solid wins, defeating Oregon and easily cruising past a decent Fresno State entry on the road. TCU just picked up a really nice road win at Clemson that shouldn’t be diminished. But neither should be ahead of Houston based on the accomplishments to date. And this is a big issue, because only one non-BCS school can get into that big dance. Thus, if Boise State wins out, they are almost certain to shut out TCU and Houston. In view of the overall strength of schedule, that’s just plain wrong, but barring an unexpected result somewhere down the line, the Broncos will be cashing in, while the Frogs and Cougars will be relegated to lesser bowls.
But wait, there’s more, much more. Iowa is unbeaten and just scored a huge road win at Penn State. This was no fluke, either as the Hawkeyes were absolutely the better team on the field. Yet, in this week’s coaches’ poll, Iowa is rated #17. Penn State is #13. How is that possible?
The coaches apparently did not have access to Saturday’s results, as they are clearly unaware that Oregon not only beat California, they annihilated the Golden Bears, 42-3. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for Cal sitting at #19, while the Ducks are #25. Seriously, what the $%^! is that all about? The two teams are in the same conference, they each have one loss, and one of them just beat the other by 39 points. Yet the team that just got obliterated is ahead of the team that did the obliterating.
I’m not quite finished. Virginia Tech is now up to #6 after shellacking Miami. The Hokies were definitely impressive in that win, but didn’t the coaches see them get manhandled by Alabama while also getting just plain lucky against Nebraska? As for the Cornhuskers, they’re just that one-point loss away from being perfect, but they’re ranked 24th.
Of course, residing in the SEC and being unbeaten automatically insures a very high ranking. The fact LSU could easily have two losses already doesn’t mean a thing. The Tigers struggled at Washington and were substantially outplayed at Mississippi State last Saturday. Meanwhile, Mississippi is still sitting at #18, and that’s ahead of unrated South Carolina, which just knocked off the Rebels.
This may well be an exercise in futility as nothing is going to change as far as the college football landscape is concerned. But that fact does not mean that people who really enjoy the game should just sit back and take what’s handed to them. I’ve never believed in simply bowing to authority and accepting their word as gospel. Because that’s clearly not the case, as this latest sham of a poll proves beyond any doubt.
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