Coaches Considering Covering Their Tracks

Who could forget Texas' Mack Brown leaving Missouri off his final regular season USA Today coaches ballot last season? Or how about Texas Tech's Mike Leach voting the Longhorns fifth and the Red Raiders No. 2?

Then there is this quote from Grant Teaff on Wednesday about that very poll: "The perception is that there's a huge bias, and we've never really found that."

Oh really?

Then again, what do you expect when there's a gathering of the old boy's club?

The American Football Coaches Association, meeting this week in Phoenix, is considering several changes to the poll, including making not only the voting a secret, but the identity of the 61 voting coaches as well.

It's problematic on several fronts. Coaches often have a financial stake in the outcome because their conferences benefit from drawing lucrative BCS berths. There are also questions of favoritism toward friends and bias against rivals (see examples above).

Many already consider the BCS a rigged game. With the coaches poll counting for one-third of the BCS standings — the Harris poll and six computer rankings count for the rest — throwing a cloak of secrecy over the process will only make matters worse.

The other news out of Phoenix was really no news. Big 12 coaches voted to recommend retaining the league's tiebreaking rules that potentially cost Texas a shot at the national championship last season. You guessed it. The result of the vote was not announced.

Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech finished in a three-way tie for the Big 12 South last season, and as Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News writes, there's a strong possibility of a love triangle this season.

"Look at the projections with OU, Texas and Oklahoma State all considered possible Top 10 teams next season. Then check the schedule. Texas and OU at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Oct. 17. Texas at Oklahoma State on Oct. 31. Oklahoma State closing the season at Norman in the Bedlam Game Nov. 28. Anybody else see the season unfolding like it did last year, with Oklahoma State subbing for Tech?"

Thanks to Image of Sport.

Comments

[Matt]

Actually, good for the Big XII--they shouldn't kowtow to Texas whenever they throw a tantrum or hissyfit when things don't go their way. If Texas wanted to go to the Big XII Title Game and the BCS, they should have *GASP* won ALL of their games instead of letting the informant Red Raiders pass over them.

And Chuck Carlton can DIAF with the Dallas Morning News sports organization--their 'coverage' of the Big XII is six teams too few, and that's going to bite them in the arse this year when Kansas and Nebraska are up there with Oklahoma this year.

[wheaton4prez]

It's unbelievably dumb that a coaches poll is factored in at all in the BCS.

It's like having current gymnast coaches as olympic judges or Roy Jones Jr's trainer scoring punches for a Roy Jones Jr. fight.

Who thought this was going to work?