3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
Small world ... Rudy, Coker, OSU ... (at the end in bold)
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2005/08/28/a1b_survey_0828.html
BCS ranks as coaches' top concern
By Jorge Milian
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 28, 2005
College football coaches don't agree on very much.
That's the main conclusion of a survey of Division I-A coaches conducted by The Palm Beach Post.
Thirty-seven of the nation's 119 major-college coaches responded to a series of questions about the college game. (Several coaches said they do not participate in surveys, others said they had no time — we'll forgive them, considering two-a-days — and we assume some were too busy trying to figure out why Terry Bradshaw is voting in the BCS' Harris Poll.)
Some coaches who did not complete the 10-question survey were asked their opinions in interviews.
The biggest problem in the game? The Bowl Championship Series, said most coaches, though complaints ranged from illicit recruiting to the influence of player agents.
Not surprisingly, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville isn't a fan of the BCS. The Tigers finished the 2004 regular season undefeated and won the SEC title game but were left out of the national championship game because they finished third in the BCS rankings behind Southern California and Oklahoma.
"Nothing has been done to solve the problem," Tuberville said. "We have used a Band-Aid. You can have all the voting polls you want. Popular vote is not the way you have a national champion. You need to play it on the field."
Would a playoff system solve that problem?
Twenty coaches said they were in favor of some sort of playoff, but nearly as many (17) want the system to remain in its present form.
"I still firmly believe that the playoff is the best way to do it," said South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who has long lobbied for a 16-team playoff. "But since it's not going to happen, there's no sense in worrying about it and talking about it."
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden's biggest gripe with the game pertains to NCAA rules that restrict the amount of time coaches get to spend with players during the off-season.
Bowden indicated that the Seminoles' turbulent off-season, which included the arrests of starting linebackers Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson, was connected to restrictions the NCAA places on coaches outside the season.
"We probably ought to be able to supervise more," Bowden said. "We're so limited by what the NCAA will allow us to do. They're so afraid we're going to get an advantage on somebody. So therefore, the kids are out there with very little guidance."
Nearly as many coaches (10) view the Heisman Trophy as overrated as the 12 coaches who believe the award is still the biggest honor in college football. A plurality of those polled (15) said the Heisman remains significant but is flawed because of voting bias and the hype associated with the selection process.
Despite statistics that were equal to or better than any player in college football last season, Utah quarterback Alex Smith was given little chance of winning the Heisman while competing against four finalists from major Division I-A schools. Smith finished fourth.
"The bigger schools that have bigger budgets can promote their players, like put a life-sized poster of a player in Times Square," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We certainly don't have the budget for that."
Two areas of agreement among those surveyed concern instant replay and whether coaches' top-25 ballots should be released on a weekly basis.
Just four of the 37 voters think instant replay, which will be widely used this season, is a bad idea.
A smaller majority of coaches is opposed to the idea of publicizing top-25 ballots on a regular basis. For the first time, the final coaches' ballot will be released this season.
"I think I need to be accountable," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "But doing it every week is not a good idea, because then you're talking about what's going on with the Heisman voting. There will be coaches out there calling, 'Coach, we beat so-and-so last week and we rushed for this,' or 'We lost, but we really played good.' It would almost be like a Washington lobbyist."
The best football movie ever?
Remember the Titans was the big winner ahead of Rudy.
Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said he voted for Rudy because it showed "what you might be able to achieve if you put your mind to it."
But even an inspirational movie couldn't bring total agreement among the coaches.
Coker complained that Rudy Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame walk-on whose underdog story was told in Rudy, had given a pre-game speech to Wisconsin players before their 1993 game against Ohio State. Coker was an assistant that season for the Buckeyes, who lost the game to Wisconsin, costing Ohio State a Rose Bowl berth.
"Anything but Rudy," Coker said.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2005/08/28/a1b_survey_0828.html
BCS ranks as coaches' top concern
By Jorge Milian
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 28, 2005
College football coaches don't agree on very much.
That's the main conclusion of a survey of Division I-A coaches conducted by The Palm Beach Post.
Thirty-seven of the nation's 119 major-college coaches responded to a series of questions about the college game. (Several coaches said they do not participate in surveys, others said they had no time — we'll forgive them, considering two-a-days — and we assume some were too busy trying to figure out why Terry Bradshaw is voting in the BCS' Harris Poll.)
Some coaches who did not complete the 10-question survey were asked their opinions in interviews.
The biggest problem in the game? The Bowl Championship Series, said most coaches, though complaints ranged from illicit recruiting to the influence of player agents.
Not surprisingly, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville isn't a fan of the BCS. The Tigers finished the 2004 regular season undefeated and won the SEC title game but were left out of the national championship game because they finished third in the BCS rankings behind Southern California and Oklahoma.
"Nothing has been done to solve the problem," Tuberville said. "We have used a Band-Aid. You can have all the voting polls you want. Popular vote is not the way you have a national champion. You need to play it on the field."
Would a playoff system solve that problem?
Twenty coaches said they were in favor of some sort of playoff, but nearly as many (17) want the system to remain in its present form.
"I still firmly believe that the playoff is the best way to do it," said South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who has long lobbied for a 16-team playoff. "But since it's not going to happen, there's no sense in worrying about it and talking about it."
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden's biggest gripe with the game pertains to NCAA rules that restrict the amount of time coaches get to spend with players during the off-season.
Bowden indicated that the Seminoles' turbulent off-season, which included the arrests of starting linebackers Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson, was connected to restrictions the NCAA places on coaches outside the season.
"We probably ought to be able to supervise more," Bowden said. "We're so limited by what the NCAA will allow us to do. They're so afraid we're going to get an advantage on somebody. So therefore, the kids are out there with very little guidance."
Nearly as many coaches (10) view the Heisman Trophy as overrated as the 12 coaches who believe the award is still the biggest honor in college football. A plurality of those polled (15) said the Heisman remains significant but is flawed because of voting bias and the hype associated with the selection process.
Despite statistics that were equal to or better than any player in college football last season, Utah quarterback Alex Smith was given little chance of winning the Heisman while competing against four finalists from major Division I-A schools. Smith finished fourth.
"The bigger schools that have bigger budgets can promote their players, like put a life-sized poster of a player in Times Square," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We certainly don't have the budget for that."
Two areas of agreement among those surveyed concern instant replay and whether coaches' top-25 ballots should be released on a weekly basis.
Just four of the 37 voters think instant replay, which will be widely used this season, is a bad idea.
A smaller majority of coaches is opposed to the idea of publicizing top-25 ballots on a regular basis. For the first time, the final coaches' ballot will be released this season.
"I think I need to be accountable," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "But doing it every week is not a good idea, because then you're talking about what's going on with the Heisman voting. There will be coaches out there calling, 'Coach, we beat so-and-so last week and we rushed for this,' or 'We lost, but we really played good.' It would almost be like a Washington lobbyist."
The best football movie ever?
Remember the Titans was the big winner ahead of Rudy.
Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said he voted for Rudy because it showed "what you might be able to achieve if you put your mind to it."
But even an inspirational movie couldn't bring total agreement among the coaches.
Coker complained that Rudy Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame walk-on whose underdog story was told in Rudy, had given a pre-game speech to Wisconsin players before their 1993 game against Ohio State. Coker was an assistant that season for the Buckeyes, who lost the game to Wisconsin, costing Ohio State a Rose Bowl berth.
"Anything but Rudy," Coker said.
I still can't believe that happened to that team. Fucking Cooper! 
