In a backward move that only hurts the BCS, a report is stating that the final ballots will once again not be published starting with the 2010 season. I guess Spurrier is free to vote Duke and we’ll never truly know it was him (though we’d have a good idea). Transparency and open balloting, as is the standard here at the BCS Fan Poll, has proven to be an effective way to eliminate systematic bias and not allow bad votes. Now, coaches will be able to vote without having the time or knowledge of who the better teams are, and there is no scrutiny. Geogia’s Mark Richt has it right when he says “I didn’t mind opening up my vote. I vote myself. I don’t give it to a GA (graduate assistant coach). I literally will sit up. I don’t usually sleep after a game anyway, and I might call my vote in at 1 or 2 in the morning and I try to make it make sense. I want to be able to defend my vote every week whether it’s public or not.” (Source) We’ll remember that Mark. Expect to see us ask for your poll weekly. We agree that you should be able to defend (have a reason) for your ballot.
Florida’s Urban Meyer is on the other side and puts his belief in administrator oversight. “Obviously Grant Teaff and the people who oversee it will look at it, and if someone’s voting and it doesn’t make much sense, I think they’ll pull their ballot.” What is Teaff misses something? Shouldn’t we have more views looking at it? He obviously didn’t pull the ballot from Spurrier voting for Duke, so if he won’t do that, what would it take?
At least they are delaying this implementation for a season which gives them more time to think about it. “Something that appears to all the world as so dramatically important, people need to think about it and do their research if they want to, which nobody has done but us,” Teaff said. Really? We’ve done some research right here for the past 3 seasons. Our system works and is the exact opposite of yours. Weird how a company you hired told you the results you wanted.
Way to step backwards BCS.
Two other changes, recommended by the Gallup World Poll organization, were declined by the AFCA. Proposals to make voting anonymous (which then negates the purpose of keeping the ballots secret, right?) and the elimination of the pre-season poll.
Sadly, there is no mention of the problems of coaches deciding their own fate and the problems that causes.
