(EDITED BY AUTHOR: 12/7/2004 - 1:56 p.m.)Names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent, namely moi. I also copied Grant Teaff.
Dear President Richardson:
My parents are Auburn alumni (Class of 1961). Accordingly, I have been a member of the Auburn family since 1962, the year of my birth. The reason for this email is to urge you, as the leader of this family, to exert whatever influence you have to cause the AFCA to make public the votes in its final Coach’s Poll in football. Your office should contact them directly with such a request, or, at the very least, insist that the SEC Commissioner take a stand akin to that of his Pacific Ten counterpart.
Auburn and the other universities and colleges that participate in Division I football have bought into a system, the Bowl Championship Series, that appears quite vulnerable to abuse. It is indeed a coincidence that the last four controversial BCS decisions (the inclusions of Nebraska and Oklahoma in the championship games of 2001, 2003, and 2004 and the inclusion of Texas as at large participant in 2004) have all benefited a single conference, the Big 12. Then again, perhaps it is not a coincidence. I am no conspiracy theorist, but this kind of pattern is not easily dismissed. When Auburn defeats its traditional, bowl eligible rival on the road and then defeats a top 15 squad on a neutral field and goes backwards relative to a Big 12 team that defeats two lesser opponents over the same timeframe, one does not have to be cynical to raise questions or eyebrows.
These questions could be answered, or at least addressed more meaningfully, if the public knew how these coaches voted. The AP poll makes its votes public, and there is no principled reason why the coaches should not do the same. The public disclosure of this information tends to promote confidence in the integrity of the system and to deter favoritism and cronyism. To the extent disclosure confirms favoritism and cronyism, then reform becomes possible.
I openly confess my bias. I am disappointed that Auburn is not playing in the Orange Bowl. Southern Cal and Oklahoma are fine universities with fine football teams. I have nothing against them. I simply want to know how the votes were cast to reach the result that was reached and by whom they were cast. I know that I am not alone and am confident that I am in the majority of those who care about Auburn and college football.
If complete confidentiality is an absolute prerequisite to maintaining a coach’s poll (an argument that I have encountered in the press), then the coach’s poll should be discontinued. When a system relies on subjectivity as much as the polling system does, personal integrity and accountability are essential. These goals can be achieved, at least in part, through public disclosure of the votes.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this note. I do hope you do the right thing.
Sincerely,
Iggy
Atlanta, Georgia
