BCS Losing More Credibility

[bigbluepride35]

What's it going to take for them to scratch the whole thing and start new?

ESPN decides to pull out of coaches poll     

  June 7, 2005

CBS SportsLine.com wire reports     

 

  ESPN withdrew from the college football coaches poll Tuesday, the second major news organization to say it didn't want to be a part of the Bowl Championship Series' weekly rankings.

The cable sports network said it no longer wanted its name attached to the rankings unless all ballots were made public, not just the final ones. USA Today will continue running the poll, which helps determine who plays for the national championship.

In December, the Associated Press told the BCS to stop using its media poll in its weekly formula.

"Coaches have the perfect right to conduct their voting the way they see fit," said Vince Doria, ESPN's vice president and director of news. "We just feel, in our best interests here, we couldn't reconcile having our name on the poll and being able to cover any controversy that might arise."

Unlike the AP voters, the coaches' ballots have always been secret. ESPN asked this year that they be public, but the coaches agreed only for the final regular-season poll. Doria said the sports network wanted it for the entire year.

"We just felt that to be as ethical as we possibly could in this situation, that's what we needed to do," Doria said. "This wasn't a case of us questioning the ethics of the coaches or the validity of the voting. These things tend to create controversy. When there is some vetting to be done, it needs to be done thoroughly and we didn't feel it could be done."

Doria said ESPN notified USA Today and the coaches' association of its decision, but not the BCS.

"There will still be a coaches' poll, and it will be used by the BCS, but we don't have a comment on ESPN's decision," said Bob Burda, spokesman for BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg.

The AP poll and the coaches poll had been the major components of the BCS rankings.

However, the AP said such use was never sanctioned and had reached the point where it threatened to undermine the independence and integrity of its poll.

ESPN had sponsored the coaches' poll with USA Today since 1997.

Doria said the network became uncomfortable last season, when California lost a shot at a major bowl after dropping in the final coaches poll, causing a public outcry and debate among fans.

The Golden Bears finished fourth in the coaches poll, but six coaches dropped them below No. 6 on the final ballots -- four at No. 7 and two in the eighth slot. In the previous week's poll, nobody picked Cal lower than sixth.

The final vote came after Cal's 26-16 win at Southern Mississippi -- a close game, but a tough road contest that wasn't in doubt in the final minutes.

The drop cost Cal its first Rose Bowl bid in 45 years. The Golden Bears instead went to the less glamorous Holiday Bowl while Texas went to the Rose Bowl.

"In essence, that was really the determining factor," Doria said. "The poll was more than something that is there primarily for fans to discuss and debate. It was a determinant element in the BCS poll."

Monte Lorell, managing editor for sports at USA Today, said he was surprised at the sport network's decision.

"As recently as a week or so ago, my understanding was that if the coaches were to move to the level of transparency that ultimately they did, that that would satisfy ESPN," Lorell said.

AP NEWS

The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2004-2005, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

Source

[....]

Good. One more reason why the BCS blows goat nuts.

[Hupp]

if they would just get a playoff system instead of the stupid money generating 12th game

[Toxikk Veteran]

if they would just get a playoff system instead of the stupid money generating 12th game

586037547[/snapback]

WORD. playoffs in other major sport that people follow. hell, they even gonna put playoffs in LPGA golf next year. :s

get with it ncaa!

[L3thal Veteran]

We all know it doesn't work, they just don't want to accept it.

[beardly]

Can't wait for a playoffs. They do it in every other sport, but D1 football. D2, D3, or the others seem to do fine with a playoff.

[BroChaos Veteran]

yep, they can take a game or 2 off the schedule, and then you can fit in a 16 team playoff without any problems at all.

i would much rather explain to a 17th ranked team that is 8-3 why they aren't going to the playoffs than a #3 ranked team who is 11-0 why they don't have a shot.

the bcs is one of the worst things to happen in the history of all sports. we already had 2 polls that couldn't decide jack, why did they ever make a 3rd one?

[BMac]

I'm a Canadian who has little interest in college football but even I see how stupid the system is. I understand that they make a crap load of money off of the bowl games but for the sake of the game please have a playoff. Any team that has an undefeated season deserves atleast a chance to be the national champs.