Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Voting in the USA Today Coaches' Poll is supposed to be done impartially and holistically, which, of course, explains why Steve Spurrier voted for Duke all those years. At a press conference on Monday, LSU head coach Les Miles let slip one of the worst-kept secrets in college sports: That's not how it's done.
"I can't tell you who the best teams in the country are, because frankly I don't get to see them every week," he said. "I don't know who's hot and who's not. I could no more rank ..."At that point, Miles realized he was about to say he was not qualified in any way to rank the top 25 teams in the nation, even though he supposedly does that every week. Quickly, he tried to reverse his field.
"I vote. I know that. I know I vote. I know I vote. And I'm excited to vote. I do a great job," he said with his voice rising and his audience laughing.
"But I have to be very honest, I vote based on record and things that are not significant," he said. "I vote on what appears to be the best and most logical choice. That's all. But when you get to the back end of the season, you will be more pointed, and your rankings will certainly make a difference. And so I have no idea what the seventh ranked team in the country's supposed to play like."
As the article goes on to point out, it's only very rarely that coaches themselves fill out their ballots. Usually, the task falls to a sports information director, or other member of the football support staff.
But how is anyone involved in plotting meticulously for one opponent a week, head coach or assistant, supposed to find the time to keep up on the rest of the college football scene?
It's hard enough for media members to do that, and some of them know how to work this magical thing called the Internet. (Miles does have a presence on Twitter, to his credit.) Almost universally, votes cast by or for coaches will be on "record and things that are not significant," because they simply don't have the time to go deeper.
This is no big deal, because the Coaches' Poll is only one third of the formula that determines whether teams (or, more accurately, their conferences) will rake in the riches of the BCS bowls or schlep it to a bowl named after a pizza company. Why not leave decisions that could shift the distribution of millions of dollars up to an uneducated base of voters for whom objective, fully-informed reasoning seems like a pipe dream?
After all, it's about as unfair as ranking teams in a preseason poll on last year's results and this year's question marks, then using that as the basis for the next four months of rankings. And if the current FBS system does anything well, it's iniquity.
(HT to FanIQ.)
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Comments
Of course coaches should not vote, they watch very few games except for teams they are playing and they have jealous and petty reasons for knocking down teams and coaches they don’t like. But everything in college football ignores common sense, so I am sure we will still have a BCS and stupid coaches voting.
by zen_marley on Sep 23, 2009 6:59 PM EDT reply actions
What he meant to say is that he just doesn’t have a clue – about anything. I am a BIG LSU fan, really, but I think LM is a poseur and will not be in Baton Rouge for the 2011 season opener.
Geaux (away) Miles!
by onebamaman on Sep 23, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions
I know why not have a playoff??
by SailorGabe on Sep 24, 2009 12:12 AM EDT reply actions
Your name is oneBAMAman. You claim to be and LSU fan and then trash Miles as having no clue. Nice try redneck.
by austinbound on Sep 24, 2009 10:34 AM EDT reply actions
oneBAMAman:
You also have Alabama listed in your logo screen and your least favorite team is Auburn. Could you be more transparent? Quit being a poser.
by austinbound on Sep 24, 2009 10:37 AM EDT reply actions
Recently, a blogger on this site labelled the Coaches’ poll as the ‘real poll’. I think that sentiment and the poll itself is a joke (even before the coaches decided to give Tom Osbourne a gold watch for retirement, and split my team’s championship in ‘97.) You either have a coach who has just over 2500 other items to concern himself with that are more important, or an AD making the vote. Has there been an AD in modern existence that doesn’t have a political axe to grind? Playing college politics is exactly how they got their freaking job! Let’s not forget the AD has probably 2500 other items to concern themself with that are more important.
I am not one to bow before the bastion of journalistic integrity and purity. They have their own biases and axes to grind too, but at least their job description fits in with them being informed on who is the best and worst in the nation (some may not live up to their job description, but that is another discussion.) Not saying the AP is perfect, but they are light years ahead of the coaches’ poll.
by umich4life on Sep 24, 2009 10:38 AM EDT reply actions
Nice sluething work ab, can’t get anything past you can I? Wow, you’re really smart. I suppose a fool like you can’t raise his stupid gaze from his own team to be a fan of another huh, tunnelvision? You are a single/simple minded fool – don’t overtax the small head by trying to contribute here.
BTW, I also like FL and most any team that consistently brings out the best in my ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE.
by onebamaman on Sep 24, 2009 11:20 AM EDT reply actions
hey austinbound
Get a dictionary before you try name calling. Look up poseur and then look in the mirror.
by onebamaman on Sep 24, 2009 11:27 AM EDT reply actions
Don’t be mad that you were just called out guy. And congratulations. You spelled poseur correctly. Exactly how does my misspelling of the word (correct version is poseur, urban slang is poser) have anything to do with being one? It doesn’t. What the word does describe is someone who claims to be an LSU fan when it is quite clear you are not.
Why don’t you just cover all your bases by saying you’re a fan of every college team? Don’t let any of this tax your single/simple minded small head.
by austinbound on Sep 24, 2009 11:40 AM EDT reply actions
I guess that crystal football Les and his "**** fine football team" won doesnt’ mean anything to onebamaman.
by stadium&main on Sep 24, 2009 12:24 PM EDT reply actions
Do you mean the crystal ball from the game that his ****fine team" should never have played in cause they backed into it with 2 loses
by gatorfan4ever on Oct 13, 2009 9:14 PM EDT reply actions
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