SB Nation User Blog: TXStampede

Harris Poll Unraveled

TXStampede — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:46:05 -0000

The Harris Interactive College Football Poll (sm) final results by voter were posted last week. While our very own Mr. Brain and Mr. Zane provide us with outstanding statistical review of the BCS week-in/week-out, I thought it an interesting exercise to dive into the details of the fringe Harris Poll results.

I'm not sure what was more disappointing. Learning who voted for whom or actually viewing 114 consecutive individual rankings. The emotional roller coaster of seeing each poll was often exciting but left me limping to the finish. But all that was trumped at the end of viewing the voter's results because it mirrored exactly the events of waiting for the final BCS standings. The last 3 voters listed alphabetically voted Texas 1...1..."5". While the alphabetical listing is random, this symbolically represented all my letdown last weekend when learning of just how close we came to representing in the MNC.

We missed #2 in the final ballot by 84 stinking points.

"What a Joke" Bullets:

A full two-thirds of the panel voted OU ahead of Texas.
Of those voting OU ahead of Texas, roughly two-thirds voted OU 2nd and a full 1/3 voted OU #1 (bastards).

Following is the distribution of votes by 1-6 ranking in final poll for the top 3 teams:

	UT		UF		OU
Rank	Votes	Points	Votes	Points	Votes	Points
1	9	225	77	1925	26	650
2	33	792	27	648	51	1224
3	47	1081	7	161	33	759
4	16	352	0	0	3	66
5	6	126	2	42	0	0
6	2	40	0	0	0	0
		2616		2776		2699

Note that UT received 20% of their points from 24 voters who ranked UT below 3rd. UF and OU received only 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, of their points below 3rd.

Following is the list of Harris pollsters who voted UT below #3. Without the transparency of final regular season rankings by voters it is not possible to determine who changed their vote but surely this list is a good place to start and since we are not provided that detail, I submit these voters are the real vitriol of what is wrong with the system, at least this year.

Loser	Rank	Conference Affiliation*
Bill Arnsparger	6	SEC
Scott Johnson	6	PAC 10
Earle Bruce	5	BIG 10
Bobby Leach	5	SMU Pig
Lance McIlhenny	5	Big XII
Corky Simpson	5	PAC 10
Hugh Yoshida	5	WAC
Pat Richter	5	BIG 10
Bobby Aillet	4	SEC
Brentson Buckner	4	ACC
Chris Carlin	4	NA
Mike Grace	4	NA
Al Del Greco	4	SEC
Robert Jones	4	ACC
Roy Kramer	4	SEC
Jesse Kurtz	4	BIG XII
John Mallory	4	BIG EAST
Loren Matthews	4	NA
Mike McGee	4	ACC
Craig Morton	4	PAC 10
Denny O'Brien	4	ACC
Allen Pinkett	4	IND
Gene Ponti	4	SEC
Max Urick	4	Big XII
*Not Confirmed

.....and their bio's from yahoo.rivals.com:

Name	Resume
Bill Arnsparger	Florida athletic director 1986-92, LSU coach 1984-86
Scott Johnson	Fresno State athletic director 2001-05
Earle Bruce	Iowa State coach 1973-78, Ohio State coach 1979-78, Colorado State coach 1989-92
Bobby Leach	Former SMU player
Lance McIlhenny	Fomer SMU player
Corky Simpson	Former columnist, The Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen
Hugh Yoshida	Hawaii athletic director 1992-2002
Pat Richter	Wisconsin athletic director 1989-2004
Bobby Aillet	Former Louisiana Tech player
Brenston Buckner	Former Clemson player
Chris Carlin	Radio host, WFAN New York
Mike Grace	Founder of College Football Radio network
Al Del Greco	Radio broadcaster, WJOX Birmingham, Ala., Former Auburn player
Robert Jones	Former East Carolina player
Roy Kramer	SEC Commissioner, 1990-2002
Jesse Kurtz	Reporter, KKTV Colorado Springs
John Mallory	Former West Virginia player
Loren Matthews	Former ABCSports Senior Vice President
Mike McGee	Duke coach 1971-78, Cincinnati athletic director 1979-84, USC athletic director 1984-93
Craig Morton	Former Cal player
Denny O'Brien	Reporter on East Carolina for Bonesville.net
Allen Pinkett	Radio analyst, Notre Dame, Former Notre Dame player
Gene Ponti	Radio host, KMLB in Monroe, La.
Max Urick	Iowa State athletic director 1983-93, Kansas State athletic director 1993-2001

My motivation for evaluating the results was to answer the question of who caused us to miss the MNC in this poll. Sure, this may be an exercise in futility, but for me, it is pure therapy. I wanted to know who exactly to target my disappointment. I want to put a bullseye right over his heart.

Well, I found my guy. Fellow Texan Lance McIlhenny. I am just dumbfounded. Even if you give the guy the benefit of the doubt because USC won their conference, how do you vote Alabama #4 over Texas? I'm not sure of his thought process but clearly he represents the very worst in the BCS process. Bias, bias, bias. I am incredulous that this Highland Park, SMU alum, Pony Express Preppy would leave himself exposed in this fashion especially given his profession.

Following are highlights of his voting as pulled from pollspeak.com. This is a great site for evaluating the final rankings by voters. Included is a comparison of poll methodology. They also offer a petition opportunity to promote poll transparency.

Freakish Behavior:

25% of his top-25 selection at least near extreme ranking position.
He ranked Utah at its lowest ranking (10th) among all 114 Harris Interactive voters
Ahem. He ranked Texas a distant 5th.

I remember those years watching Lance manage a vaunted offensive attack with Dickerson and James as supporting characters. It was a great time to be a college football fan in Dallas. Little did we know that behind the scenes there was a money-grab unseen in the history of CFB. I often felt sorry for the SMU players until I read a comment today in a J. Brady McCollough piece.

"It happened twice," McIlhenny says. "I succumbed to the pressure as well. If you're a sophomore in college, and you come in and you put your foot in your topsiders and there's two $100 bills in there, what do you do? You don't say, 'Somebody lost 200 bucks. Whose is this?' You just kind of go on down the road."

Right. See ya down the road, Lance.

So, maybe I'm not surprised he would leave himself exposed. I know one thing though. I'm glad SMU got the death penalty. I'm glad that Lance is the poster boy for the mighty SMU dynastic fall. And I could not be more pleased that Lance represents for all of Horn nation a poster boy for UT missing a shot at the pinnacle the players earned on the field.

Posers: Leach, Dickerson, McIlhenney, and James

While Lance has achieved much in his community and career, I can't help but nominate him as this year's inaugural Most Improbable Voter (MIP) award which should be handed out each year to the one BCS voter we feel is most deserving of our highest grievance and abject personal distaste. It was a tough call that Lance receives my nomination over his college playmate Bobby Leach (who also voted Texas 5th), Bill Arnsparger, Scott Johnson, and Mike Leach but he gets the push over-the-top in my book (and Mike Leach gets an "insanity" pass).

It is a shame that he still represents the very best of Highland Park and North Dallas, and yet, the very worst. Be sure to drop him an email with your feedback @ Lance.McIlhenny@staubach.com. Or, you can send him a postcard, candy gram, or land shark at:

The Staubach Company

Lance McIlhenny

Vice President

15601 Dallas Parkway, ste 400

Addison, TX 7500

And if you wish to text or call him on the phone, please reach him here:

972-361-5217 (office)

214-763-4000 (mobile)

I am quite certain he will appreciate your comments. Tsk tsk tsk...such a travesty.

Colt McCoy / O'Brien Award

TXStampede — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:23:25 -0000

Colt is off to a commanding lead in fan balloting for the prestigious Davey O'Brien Award honoring the nation's best quarterback. We, the fans, have a 5% stake in this outcome so don't delay - VOTE!

Player	School	Votes	Percentage
1. Colt McCoy	Texas	496	63%
2. Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	165	21%
3. Graham Harrell	Texas Tech	121	15%

You too can cast your ballot here:

Registration takes 24 hours so hook up, sign up, and vote each and every day!

Hook.em.

Coaches/Harris Poll Roster

TXStampede — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:31:29 -0000

Fellow BON'ers,

Following is USA Today Coaches Poll roster. If ANY of you have email contact info for the coaches (or their assistants who vote for on their behalf), now is the time for a coordinated email blast from the nation. I wanted desperately to have email id's ready to go but very limited info on the web without a butt-load of work. Best I can give you is the roster. Pick at least 2-3 pollsters and drop a note. I'm sure Zane would not mind you using his letter (be sure to use correct internet reference protocol) or feel free to use mine below. We have 2 more shots at influencing the voters so let's go.

As for the Harris Poll, here is a link to the roster. Unlike the Coaches poll, IMO, I think the Harris crew will reward the Horns for the mere fact we beat a #1 OU on a neutral field. It is the coaches that need to be convinced the rankings should only consider an entire season's body of work.

USA Today Coaches Poll Roster:

Coach	School	Conf
Dabo Swinney	Clemson	ACC
Bobby Bowden	Florida State	ACC
Butch Davis	North Carolina	ACC
Tom O'Brien	North Carolina State	ACC
Frank Beamer	Virginia Tech	ACC
Jim Grobe	Wake Forest	ACC
Ron Zook	Illinois.	BIG 10
Bill Lynch	Indiana	BIG 10
Rich Rodriguez	Michigan	BIG 10
Mark Dantonio	Michigan State	BIG 10
Jim Tressel	Ohio State	BIG 10
Joe Tiller	Purdue	BIG 10
Art Briles	Baylor	BIG 12
Dan Hawkins	Colorado	BIG 12
Gene Chizik	Iowa State	BIG 12
Gary Pinkel	Missouri	BIG 12
Bo Pelini	Nebraska	BIG 12
Mack Brown	Texas	BIG 12
Mike Leach	Texas Tech	BIG 12
Randy Edsall	Connecticut	BIG EAST
Steve Kragthorpe	Louisville	BIG EAST
Greg Schiano	Rutgers	BIG EAST
Jim Leavitt	South Florida	BIG EAST
Bret Bielema	Wisconsin	BIG TEN
George O'Leary	Central Florida	C-USA
Mark Snyder	Marshall	C-USA
Mike Price	Texas-El Paso	C-USA
Bob Toledo	Tulane	C-USA
Todd Graham	Tulsa	C-USA
Charlie Weis	Notre Dame	INDY
Turner Gill	Buffalo	MAC
Butch Jones	Central Michigan	MAC
Jeff Genyk	Eastern Michigan	MAC
Doug Martin	Kent State	MAC
Shane Montgomery	Miami (Ohio)	MAC
Frank Solich	Ohio	MAC
Rocky Long	New Mexico	Mnt West
Todd Dodge	North Texas	Mnt West
Gary Patterson	TCU	Mnt West
Kyle Whittingham	Utah	Mnt West
Joe Glenn	Wyoming	Mnt West
Jeff Tedford	California	PAC-10
Mike Bellotti	Oregon	PAC-10
Mike Riley	Oregon State	PAC-10
Rick Neuheisel	UCLA	PAC-10
Tyrone Willingham	Washington	PAC-10
Tommy Tuberville	Auburn	SEC
Urban Meyer	Florida	SEC
Mark Richt	Georgia	SEC
Les Miles	LSU	SEC
Sylvester Croom	Mississippi State	SEC
Steve Spurrier	South Carolina	SEC
Phillip Fulmer	Tennessee	SED
Neil Callaway	Alabama-Birmingham	SUN BELT
Howard Schnellenberger	Florida Atlantic	SUN BELT
Mario Cristobal	Florida International	SUN BELT
Rick Stockstill	Middle Tennessee	SUN BELT
Chris Petersen	Boise State	WAC
Pat Hill	Fresno State	WAC
Hal Mumme	New Mexico State	WAC
Dick Tomey	San Jose State	WAC

Coaches Email:

For all top-25 voters

Dear Coach: <Name>,

Congratulations on your campaign this season. Your top-25 ranking is a testament to your perseverance and dedication to your program, kids, and university. And, without a doubt, is exemplary by any measure.

I am writing today to congratulate you on your performance this season in voting in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Your nomination and appointment as a voting member of the poll is a great honor but, more importantly, as a recognition among your peers, a career highlight for sure. Way to go!

In regard to your weekly ballot, I recognize the importance you place on this very important activity. The review of all games, analyzing box scores, and looking at game highlights, is an additional burden on top of preparing your game plan for next week’s game beginning late Saturday evening.

With that said, please review with a sincere, soul-searching, and heart felt measure the University of Texas Longhorns resume season to date. The one resume highlight that is worthy of your consideration:

No other team has faced as many top 10 teams, let alone in successive weeks with a record of 3-1.

I wish you good luck for the remainder of the season and appreciate your honest evaluation of the entire University of Texas Longhorn football team 2008 body of work.

God Speed,

<Name>

For all non top-25 voters

Dear Coach <Name>,

Congratulations on your campaign this season. While I recognize your team has struggled some this year, your perseverance and dedication to your kids and program is exemplary.

No other team has faced as many top 10 teams, let alone in successive weeks with a record of 3-1.

I wish you good luck for the remainder of the season and appreciate your honest evaluation of the entire University of Texas Longhorn football team 2008 body of work.

God Speed,

<Name>

Hook 'em.

Good Ridance?

TXStampede — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:18:04 -0000

ESPN scrolling Brent Venables interviewing for the Clemson HC post. I hope he does not get the job and continues on at OU because I am falling in love with his new look spread D with all the holes. There is a lot of chatter in sooner or later land about tossing him. I hope we are lucky enough that he stays so we don't face another Stoops disciple to vote against us week-in, week-out.

Penn St Upset!

TXStampede — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:42:22 -0000

Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablevvv Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablevv Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievablev Unbelievable Unbelievable Unbelievable! Just what the doctor ordered this morning! Go HORNS! Gotta love the BSC chaos. Go POKES. Beat the Pirates!

Difference between MB and Caroll, et al

TXStampede — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:03:50 -0000

Style points are absolutely critical this time of year for a team ranked as high as the horns. But I'll tell you this, I think Mack Brown has about as much class as there is available. Do you think for 1 stinkin' minute that Caroll, Stoops, Meyer, Miles, Gundy, Leach, or Saban would line up for a field goal up 42-14 on the opposing team's 3-yd line? I say no way. Those guys are all about the glory. I believe that Mack is all about respect. You might disagree but that call was all class. I'm glad my team has Mack Brown.

Black Shoe Diaries Blog Poll

TXStampede — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:54:44 -0000

Hey now. Lookie what we've got here. Blog poll at Black Shoe Diaries asks SBNation bloggers which 1-loss team deserves to be in MNC game. Interesting results. Of course we do not have profile of respondents so hard to discern any bias. Regardless, informed fans certainly support our #4 BSC rank if nothing else. And, ahem, what is it that we know the polling coaches and harris roster do not? Apparently a lot.

Funny that the poll is included in a rant against the 4-letter. This is somewhat suprising when, IMO, the 4-letter is keeping the Lion's PR effort alive and kicking. They should be throwing carnations at ESPN for their enduring support and love letting. All I can say with certainty is, "Go Hawks"!

Big XII Weekend (S)Crew

TXStampede — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:34:31 -0000

Well, well, well, as posted by dimecoverage today, the same officiating crew we had for the RRS earlier this month will be calling the game tomorrow evening.

Now calm down. I have it under close advisement that the line judge and umpire will "absolutely" not make, er miss, one illegal man downfield violation on Saturday.

Dr. Saturday has a great analysis of the Tech underneath passing strategy and brings to mind what we saw in the OU game. While his discussion focuses on the Tech passing attack, it raises a question that I have been chewing on for 3 weeks.

How is it that the officiating crew in the OU game missed the illegal downfield man calls?

It appears that this also may have occurred in the Tech-Kansas game, too.

Scroll about ¾ through the video. Tech led 42-14 with 5:12 remaining in the 3rd quarter, 3rd and goal from the Kansas 16 yard line. As Leach is in "pile on the hapless Hawk’s homecoming" mode, Crabtree catches a middle screen TD pass right at the LOS while 5 lineman are 5 yards downfield in kick-off return block mode.

The line judge, who is located at bottom of the screen and adjacent to the down marker, is responsible for forward pass interpretation and, as such, assists the umpire with determining if any men are illegally downfield (ie. non-receivers). The umpire (behind the defensive LOS about 8 yards) is ultimately responsible for making the call on illegal men downfield. How can the umpire determine this when the ball is caught +/- ½ yard LOS if the line judge is not on his A game not to mention that the umpire is caught somewhat unawares when Crabtree pinballs off him. Note that on this play, the line judge "floats" ½ to 1 yard behind the LOS. In effect, his perspective of the LOS moves and, as such, becomes ineffective in assisting the umpire on the play.

Now watch the OU middle screen to Manuel Johnson that ended in one of his three TD’s.

Notice that Johnson is beyond the LOS by at least a yard. What do you think the line judge, who is stradling the LOS at bottom of screen, is looking at to determine the LOS? Is he using the original 1st down yard marker? If so, then what part of the marker is he using as an end line? The bullseye maybe? If that is the case his perspective of the LOS changes as the the marker is not being held perpendicular to the LOS (notice the angle of the yard marker). Did this impact the line judge’s "perception" of the actual LOS and therefore create an artificial LOS? Also, the umpire pulls back and out of the video as he is moving downfield with the blockers. Is he then out of position to make an illegal man downfield call?

I think this raises a question or three:

Did UT file a complaint with the Big XII office regarding the blatantly obvious illegal man downfield violations during the OU game (of which one of the three I counted went for a TD)?
Has the Big XII office reviewed these plays independently with officiating crews to discuss the proper officiating procedures to employ?
What are these OC’s thinking when drawing up these plays? Aren’t these near LOS pass plays risky given the implication of drawing a penalty? Or, are they very clever because they inherently recognize the limitations of the officiating?

If there are any officials out there who can explain this phenomina, inquiring minds want to know.