Yes, a voter operating under the name of Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban did vote the Oklahoma St. Cowboys No. 4 on his or her final Coaches Poll ballot, with the Stanford Cardinal coming in at No. 3. So did Big 12-turned-SEC coach Gary Pinkel, along with Stanford's David Shaw. Every other SEC ballot, including Les Miles', ranked Alabama ahead of OSU.
Of course, the ultimate SEC conspirator is whoever handled Air Force coach Troy Calhoun's ballot and slotted the Arkansas Razorbacks ahead of No. 5 OSU.
That SEC (and Air Force!) voters acted in their own self-interest isn't the problem. It's that they had the opportunity to do so. Coaches of competing football teams get to choose which teams make which postseason games. We shouldn't be surprised when they choose themselves.
If the rankings were based on Big 12 ballots, the Cowboys would've come in second. Even the ballot of Tommy Tuberville, a longtime SEC man who's now Texas Tech's coach, has Alabama No. 3.
Don't get mad at Alabama for being voted into the national championship game. Don't get mad at the SEC. Your favorite team and your favorite conference would've leapt at the chance to do the same thing. It's the system, friends, and it can be changed.
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