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2006 BCS, polls, Bowl Predictions and computer ratings

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Coaches say they're careful about voting

By MERCEDES MAYER

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Iowa State coach Dan McCarney doesn't leave any room for error. He decides which teams he wants to vote for in the USA Today coaches' poll, and he calls in the votes himself.
"I've done my own voting and made my own phone calls since the day I was asked to vote," McCarney said Monday.
He's not taking any chances his ballot could be called in by someone incorrectly, as happened with Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's ballot last week.
Neither is Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione, who said he does his own voting.
Five other Big 12 coaches -- Mack Brown at Texas, Dan Hawkins at Colorado, Mike Leach at Texas Tech, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and Bill Callahan at Nebraska -- have votes in the poll.
It has often been brought into question whether coaches have the time to see enough games and make an objective opinion to vote
But Hawkins, who has a couple of people on his staff assist him with voting, said there's no one more qualified than coaches.
"That's why you have a whole bunch of different people voting from different areas," Hawkins said. "They have familiarity within their geographic region and their conference, and they're able to represent those areas."
 
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ABC/ESPN analyst and card-carrying AP voter Craig James reveals his ballot:

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/columns/story?columnist=james_craig&id=2584278

Ballot beliefs

I'm going to try something for a while and reveal how I've voted with my AP ballot each Sunday:

1. Ohio State: I've had 'em No. 1 on all three ballots this year
2. West Virginia: Go ask Georgia how fast and talented they are
3. Auburn: War Eagle is happy and talented and loaded
4. USC: They've climbed my chart from 6 to 5 and now 4
5. Notre Dame: Hard to go against Quinn and Weis and they're tested
6. LSU: Love the talent there and second season under Miles
7. Florida State: I gave them a mulligan vs. Troy after selling out against Miami
8. Miami: Yep, that defense and Kyle Wright may not lose again
9. Florida: Second year with Urban Meyer ? Chris Leak/Tim Tebow and loads of talent
10. Tennessee: Love the start. My first ballot had 'em at No. 20; Erik Ainge is rockin'
11. Georgia: Matthew Stafford is going to win lots of games with his coach, teammates, defense
12. Texas: Disappointed with defensive effort vs. OSU
13. Louisville: How 'bout Brian Brohm ? and they still have depth at running back
14. Oregon: Speed, power and coaching are nice; big win over Fresno State
15. Michigan: When Henne gets passing game going ?
16. Iowa: Boy did they miss Doug Flutie's Heisman guy: Drew Tate
17. Oklahoma: Will they play the rest of the year like they did second half vs. Washington?
18. Texas Tech: Tough road win; down the road will be glad it faced UTEP's passing game
19. Virginia Tech: Two-thirds of the deal there; waiting on offense to come around
20. Nebraska: We're about to find out about the Blackshirts
21. Penn State: Really disappointed in contest with ND
22. Rutgers: Don't laugh and wouldn't recommend scheduling 'em, either
23. Boston College: Matt Ryan tough leader at QB
24. Boise State: I like what I see with the new staff carrying on the tradition
25. Cal: big bounce back last week vs. Minnesota

Others considered: TCU, Alabama, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Clemson, Georgia Tech.
Click to expand...
 
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No. 1 with a bullet

Buckeyes enjoy consensus top ranking, but ND looms

Posted: Monday September 11, 2006 10:02PM; Updated: Tuesday September 12, 2006 2:41PM

If it was up to me, there would be no Power Rankings this week (I'm pretty sure I'd get docked pay for that). That's because the rankings are likely to look almost completely different by this time next week.
Amazingly, there are eight games on Saturday in which 16 of my current Top 25 teams will face off against one of the others. Even more amazingly, there are five -- No. 6 LSU at No. 4 Auburn, No. 8 Florida at No. 12 Tennessee, No. 9 Michigan at No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 10 Oregon and No. 15 Nebraska at No. 3 USC -- in which two top-15 squads face one another. The other three matchups are No. 22 Clemson at No. 17 Florida State, No. 23 Miami at No. 16 Louisville and No. 24 Texas Tech at No. 18 TCU.
The beauty of all this is that, by the end of the day Saturday, the BCS pecking order will come into focus earlier than I can ever remember. Ohio State laid its claim to No. 1 last weekend. But will Notre Dame solidify itself as a worthy adversary with another Big Ten beatdown? Which of the SEC powers (there are currently five SEC teams in my top 12) will emerge as the early divisional front-runners? Will USC make another statement about its reloading status? Or will Nebraska pull off the upset and insert itself into the national-title discussion?
Is that enough storylines for you?
NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW
Team 1 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0)
The new stars of the Buckeyes' rebuilt defense began to take shape last Saturday night in Austin -- LB James Laurinaitis and CB Malcolm Jenkins. Laurinaitis had 13 tackles and two key turnovers, while Jenkins locked down Texas WR Limas Sweed, breaking up a potential TD catch.
Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati.

2 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)
If you're a tight end, you've got to love playing in Charlie Weis' offense. He helped turn Anthony Fasano into a star last year, and against Penn State, 6-6, 256-pound John Carlson had six catches for 98 yards. "He's a big muchacho running down that field," said Weis.
Next game: Saturday vs. Michigan.

3 4 USC Trojans (1-0)
Pete Carroll loves playing his highly-touted freshmen early. With safety Taylor Mays, he has no choice. Mays, a Seattle product, is the likely replacement for standout Josh Pinkard, who was lost for the season against Arkansas. Defending Nebraska QB Zac Taylor is no easy first assignment.
Next game: Saturday vs. Nebraska.

4 5 Auburn Tigers (2-0)
Kenny Irons is unquestionably the Tigers' workhorse, but Brad Lester is turning into a pretty darn productive complement. Lester, who had five carries for 40 yards, a 12-yard reception and two touchdowns against Mississippi State, has now scored TDs on 11 of his 72 career touches.
Next game: Saturday vs. LSU.

5 6 West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0)
Steve Slaton has a bone to pick with Maryland, which pulled a scholarship offer from him after he'd committed. "Hopefully, every carry is a touchdown against them," Slaton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He came close against Eastern Washington: Eight carries, 105 yards, two TDs.
Next game: Thursday vs. Maryland.

6 10 LSU Tigers (2-0)
Arizona might not be the class of the Pac-10, but the extent of the Tigers' domination in a 45-3 win last Saturday night was still astounding. LSU's blitzing defense held the Wildcats to 45 total yards through the first three quarters, sacking QB Willie Tuitama three times and intercepting him twice.
Next game: Saturday at Auburn.

7 3 Texas Longhorns (1-1)
Contrary to the sky-is-falling perception I heard in Austin, the 'Horns did not play that badly against the Buckeyes. By the time of the Oklahoma game, however, QB Colt McCoy is going to have to become comfortable enough to have some semblance of a vertical passing attack.
Next game: Saturday vs. Rice.

8 7 Florida Gators (2-0)
The one-spot drop was in no way a reflection of last Saturday night's UCF game, in which the Gators' offense exploded for an Urban Meyer-high 637 yards. I just didn't feel comfortable dropping Texas, which lost to the No. 1 team, below Florida, which hasn't played a BCS-conference foe.
Next game: Saturday at Tennessee.

9 9 Michigan Wolverines (2-0)
The Wolverines rolled over Vanderbilt and Central Michigan, but Big Blue Nation is freaking out over the lack of production from QB Chad Henne, who threw for just 111 yards against the Chippewas. I'd say that the bigger problem is that Steve Breaston is not a No. 1 receiver.
Next game: Saturday at Notre Dame.

10 12 Oregon Ducks (2-0)
Outside of USC, the Ducks have been the Pac-10's most impressive team, pulling out a 31-24 win at Fresno State (where visiting teams rarely fare well) with some bold chicanery. Instead of kicking a chip-shot 21-yard field goal to take the lead late in the game, they ran a fake for the TD.
Next game: Saturday vs. Oklahoma.
Read on for teams 11-20 ...
 
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Hump Day Hoopla



by Chris Ramirez
published on Wednesday, September 13, 2006


Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has long been credited for turning around a program that was headed in the wrong direction under former coach John Cooper.

Tressel led OSU to a 7-5 record during his first season in 2001 and, more importantly to Buckeye fans, beat archrival Michigan, 26-20.

He managed to top himself the following year by going undefeated and winning the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and the 2002 National Championship in a spectacular game that was played at Sun Devil Stadium.

It was the first time a team achieved a 14-0 record in college football history.

But as No. 1 ranked OSU finds itself on top of the college football world again in 2006, it suffers from another embarrassment in a long line of events that include Woody Hayes and Maurice Clarett.

Last week at his weekly press conference before Saturday's match up with then No. 2 Texas, Tressel told reporters he voted Texas No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Yet, upon hearing Tressel's claim, USA Today revealed that Tressel in fact did not vote the Longhorns No. 1 that week, but instead put his very own Buckeyes on top.

USA Today, the nation's most widely circulated newspaper, usually does not disclose coaches' ballots except for the final one of the season, but felt it was necessary to do so in this case to protect the integrity of the poll.

The poll is made up of 63 Division I-A coaches, who are members of the American Football Coaches Association, and has come under fire in recent years because of questionable rankings of teams.

For example, the University of California missed a chance in a major bowl in December 2004 after six coaches ranked the Golden Bears at No. 7 or lower in the final poll despite California winning its last regular season game. California in previous weeks had not been ranked lower than No. 6.

OSU quickly backpedaled after USA Today's disclosure, saying it was a mistake made by director of player development, Stan Jefferson, who phoned in Tressel's ballot.

Jefferson, in an interview with The (Mansfield, Ohio) News Journal, said he did not get a chance to talk to Tressel before the press conference and ranked OSU at No. 1 because the team was first in the preseason poll that was released weeks prior.

It is within the rules for someone else to call in a coaches' ballot as long as the coach ranked the teams himself.

But herein lies a major problem - at exactly what point in time do 63 football coaches, who have their own teams to worry about, have the chance to watch and rank the top 25 of 117 Division I-A football teams once a week?

ASU football coach Dirk Koetter, who does not vote in the poll, admittedly said this preseason he "goes in a cave" once the season starts because he is so busy.

An experienced football coach might be able to make his assessment of each team by reading the Sunday morning paper, but is that really good enough to cast a vote in a national poll that has serious implications?

The USA Today Coaches' Poll is one component of many used in determining the Bowl Championship Series rankings, which decide who plays for the national title.

That is one reason ESPN requested in 2005 for its name to be removed from the coaches' poll after being involved with it since 1997. The sports network said it wanted the coaches' votes made public every week instead of just the final week and cited the California incident as a primary example.

Prior to ESPN, the Associated Press told the BCS to stop using its college football poll in deciding the BCS rankings.

Instead of making the coaches' ballots public or removing the BCS implications from their poll, the best and easiest way to solve all the ranking hoopla would be to set up a college football playoff system.

Therefore it really wouldn't matter who was ranked No. 1 in the first week or the seventh week because the true No. 1 would emerge after battling through the playoffs.

This could be set up simply by having the champion from each of the six major conferences - the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC - participate in the playoffs at the end of every season with the top seed going to the team with the best record.

All of this would easily take the power out of the hands of those who abuse it in deciding national championship contenders. It would also allow football fans to watch quality games instead of enduring major headaches.



Reach the reporter at [email protected]
Click to expand...
 
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CPD

Stand and deliver

The Ohio State faithful are already talking about national championship possibilities. But the Buckeyes are wary of their 10 remaining opponents, a loss to any one of which could spoil the season.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus - Just 117 days until the BCS national title game on Jan. 8. Round-trip flights out of Cleveland to Phoenix, getting you there Saturday so you can party before the Monday night game, are available for $233.
In case you're wondering.
If you're already making plans for Ohio State to make it to Glendale, Ariz., following the No. 1 Buckeyes' win over Texas, you aren't alone. Friends and family have been taking that next step for the players for three days.
"I say, 'Relax,' " OSU punter A.J. Trapasso said to the talk.
"You get a lot of people saying that," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "This [Texas] game was set as the national title in September. But we know we have 10 more weeks left, and one mental lapse can cause an upset."
It wasn't only what happened in Austin on Saturday that got college football fans thinking about Ohio State heading back to Arizona for the fourth time in five years, after playing in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2002, 2003 and 2005 seasons.
It's what didn't happen in the rest of the Big Ten.
Penn State couldn't hang with Notre Dame in a 41-17 loss, while Iowa barely got past Syracuse in double overtime. Quarterback Drew Tate, who sat out with an abdominal strain, is expected to play against Iowa State this week, though.
The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes are the first two Big Ten tests for Ohio State, on Sept. 23 and Sept. 30. There's also a game at Michigan State, and the Spartans have rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense each game against weaker competition. And obviously, Michigan ends the season in Ohio Stadium on Nov. 18.
The Big Ten, at the moment, isn't as scary as it is some years.

Already ranked first in the preseason, with their convincing 24-7 win over No. 2, the Buckeyes seem to have separated themselves. They own 115 of the combined 128 first-place votes available in the AP and USA Today coaches polls.
"That they played well down in Austin was not a surprise to me," said Minnesota coach Glen Mason, who brings his team to Columbus on Oct. 28. "Everyone thought they were the team to beat in the Big Ten."
OSU coaches, seeking to ground the Buckeyes, have already been offering reminders about Saturday's opponent, Cincinnati. During the Buckeyes' 2002 run to the national title, Cincinnati pushed them to the end, throwing four potential game-winning passes into the end zone in the final minute before Ohio State hung on, 23-19.
"I'm very aware of that," OSU running back Antonio Pittman said. "The coaches brought up that storyline earlier today and showed us the score from that game."
Ohio State survived that day, and did better than survive in Texas. Contrasted to their feelings this time last year, after their loss to the Longhorns, they're new men.
"Last year, we lost the second game of the season, and we kind of already knew we were out of it. It's almost like you're out of the national championship run and your goals are taken away," cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said. "This year, we won the game, so you're one step closer to your goal."
"A lot of players were down last year," Pittman said. "This year, after going in there and winning, we're feeling great. We're ready to play some more ball and keep it rolling."
 
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Dispatch

Now that the Buckeyes have soundly beaten Texas, just about everybody in these parts assumes they will remain No. 1 as long as they keep winning.
But a few paragraphs from Brian Davis of The Dallas Morning News shows that is by no means a unanimous sentiment:
"The Buckeyes are national championship contenders, but who?s sold on them being a clear-cut No. 1? If Notre Dame punishes No. 11 Michigan, the Fighting Irish should be considered for the top spot next week," Davis wrote.
 
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While it isn't outside the realm of possibility for ND to jump us next week if they stomp all over scUM, I'd like to think it wouldn't happen. We have a large majority of voters putting us at #1 already. Without a doubt more votes will go to ND next week if they win, but I don't think it would be enough for them to jump us.
 
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osugrad21;607427; said:
Dispatch

Now that the Buckeyes have soundly beaten Texas, just about everybody in these parts assumes they will remain No. 1 as long as they keep winning.
But a few paragraphs from Brian Davis of The Dallas Morning News shows that is by no means a unanimous sentiment:
"The Buckeyes are national championship contenders, but who?s sold on them being a clear-cut No. 1? If Notre Dame punishes No. 11 Michigan, the Fighting Irish should be considered for the top spot next week," Davis wrote.
Click to expand...

Um...Mr. Davis how would Notre Dame punishing the No. 11 team at home; be any more impressive than Ohio State punishing the No. 2 team on the road? Oh...I forgot, it's Notre Dame.
 
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New AP Poll

pollspw9.jpg
 
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