The only reason this "larceny" was even necessary was because of the tweaking done after last season to put more weight on the polls (the absolute worst method in history for determining an athletic champion) rather than the computer rankings. Any objective measure (as opposed to the popularity contest method of the polls) of analyzing the two teams ranks Texas ahead of Cal. Comparing the Cal's difficult victory over Southern Miss to Texas comeback against Kansas is silly, because you have to look at the overall season. Texas played a tougher schedule than Cal (based on the overall winning percentages of the teams that each played). Cal and Texas both lost to teams that have a legitimate claim to being the number 1 team in the nation. The computer averages rank OU as 1 and USC as 2, while the popularity contests rank USC 1 and OU 2. You disdain the computer averages, while I think the polls are tremendously flawed by the fact that polls start before the season ever starts which builds a bias into the teams that are ranked at the top in the preseason polls.
As for the mighty USC, if not for an over-anxious whistle that blew a play dead when the receiver was not anywhere near being down, UCLA would have had a fumble return for a touchdown that well might have changed the outcome of that game. Your contempt for the Big XII is somewhat similar to what I feel toward the PAC-10 and the left-coast bias in the polls that tends to overinflate the poll rankings for teams from that conference year after year.
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The only reason this "larceny" was even necessary...
A little liberal "end justifies the means" here?
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...because of the tweaking done after last season to put more weight on the polls (the absolute worst method in history for determining an athletic champion) rather than the computer rankings. Any objective measure (as opposed to the popularity contest method of the polls) of analyzing the two teams ranks Texas ahead of Cal.
The computers are not objective and have certian biases programmed into their formulae. There is no true objective measure which is why this whole BCS scam is an exercise in futility. You can pretend all you want that the computers provide an objective result. They can't. There are just some things that cannot be accurately quantified or turned into a mathematical certainty.
The writer's poll reflects the collective opinion of participating sportswriters. The coach's poll reflects the collective opinion of participating sportswriters. So long as the particpants provide their honest opinion (even an inflated one - of teams like Nebraska's or Miami's or Florida State's or your perception of a Left Coast bias), the system works. By making the coach's ballots public, perhaps a more honest result will occur.
In the absence of a playoff, I would prefer to rely on those opinion polls to determine a "mythical" national champion than to let a bunch of pencil necked computer uber-geeks who never played the game help in perpetrating a fraudulent BCS title.
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Comparing the Cal's difficult victory over Southern Miss to Texas comeback against Kansas is silly, because you have to look at the overall season. Texas played a tougher schedule than Cal (based on the overall winning percentages of the teams that each played).
No, comparing Cal's outcome-ever-in-doubt final road game at Southern Miss to Texas' Big 12-referee's-gift final road game at Kansas is not silly. The BCS is all about silly comparisons. Texas' alleged schedule superiority didn't matter all season long in either the polls or computers. It was the gamesmanship of 6 voters in the final AP poll that tipped things in Texas' favor.
You can cry all want about alleged Big 12 superiority, the degree of difficulty of any of the major conferences (excluding the Big Least) is roughly equivalent.
Bottom line, the whole BCS system sucks and the Cal-Texas dispute is yet another blatant example of its failure. But to settle our tangent, I will simply say...
Cal was one play away from an undefeated season.
Texas was one bogus pass interference call away from a 2 loss season.
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The only reason this "larceny" was even necessary...
A little liberal "end justifies the means" here?
***
...because of the tweaking done after last season to put more weight on the polls (the absolute worst method in history for determining an athletic champion) rather than the computer rankings. Any objective measure (as opposed to the popularity contest method of the polls) of analyzing the two teams ranks Texas ahead of Cal.
The computers are not objective and have certian biases programmed into their formulae. There is no true objective measure which is why this whole BCS scam is an exercise in futility. You can pretend all you want that the computers provide an objective result. They can't. There are just some things that cannot be accurately quantified or turned into a mathematical certainty.
The writer's poll reflects the collective opinion of participating sportswriters. The coach's poll reflects the collective opinion of participating sportswriters. So long as the particpants provide their honest opinion (even an inflated one - of teams like Nebraska's or Miami's or Florida State's or your perception of a Left Coast bias), the system works. By making the coach's ballots public, perhaps a more honest result will occur.
In the absence of a playoff, I would prefer to rely on those opinion polls to determine a "mythical" national champion than to let a bunch of pencil necked computer uber-geeks who never played the game help in perpetrating a fraudulent BCS title.
***
Comparing the Cal's difficult victory over Southern Miss to Texas comeback against Kansas is silly, because you have to look at the overall season. Texas played a tougher schedule than Cal (based on the overall winning percentages of the teams that each played).
No, comparing Cal's outcome-ever-in-doubt final road game at Southern Miss to Texas' Big 12-referee's-gift final road game at Kansas is not silly. The BCS is all about silly comparisons. Texas' alleged schedule superiority didn't matter all season long in either the polls or computers. It was the gamesmanship of 6 voters in the final AP poll that tipped things in Texas' favor.
You can cry all want about alleged Big 12 superiority, the degree of difficulty of any of the major conferences (excluding the Big Least) is roughly equivalent.
Bottom line, the whole BCS system sucks and the Cal-Texas dispute is yet another blatant example of its failure. But to settle our tangent, I will simply say...
Cal was one play away from an undefeated season.
Texas was one bogus pass interference call away from a 2 loss season.