Reason, not emotion make Auburn Tigers number one
January 5, 2004 -- If you watched the USC Trojans dismantle the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday night, you'd have to put the lads from Southern Cal at the top of any poll ranking the top college football teams in America, right? Sixty-two of 65 Associated Press sportswriters apparently thought so.
That's the problem with polls. Blinded by the glare of an old-fashioned smackdown, the voters in the poll marked their ballots based on emotion rather than reason. They got caught up in the hype over a single game result and ignored the season-long performance of the teams at the top. They chose to view the USC destruction of Overrated University as evidence of the Trojan's mastery instead of what it truly was -- the exposure of a team and a conference that for two years has received far more credit than either was due. No matter what the computers or the writers who remember the glory days of Switzer and Osborne say, the Big 12 is simply an inferior conference filled with mediocre teams. How this Oklahoma team keeps making it to the BCS championship game over teams who deserve the opportunity far more is a mystery. How many times do we have to watch the Big 12 representative lay stinking rotten eggs against top-flight out-of-conference competition before we just admit that the league is the WAC with better history?
PCH College Football Poll |
| 1. | Auburn | 13-0 |
| 2 | USC | 13-0 |
| 3 | Utah | 12-0 |
| 4 | Louisville | 11-1 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 10-3 |
| 6 | Virginia Tech | 10-3 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 12-1 |
| 8 | Iowa | 10-2 |
| 9 | Georgia | 10-2 |
| 10 | Texas | 11-1 |
| 11 | California | 10-2 |
| 12 | Miami | 9-3 |
| 13 | Florida State | 9-3 |
| 14 | LSU | 9-3 |
| 15 | Boise State | 11-1 |
| 16 | Michigan | 9-3 |
| 17 | Boston College | 9-3 |
| 18 | Fresno State | 9-3 |
| 19 | Navy | 10-2 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 9-3 |
| 21 | Ohio State | 8-4 |
| 22 | Arizona State | 9-3 |
| 23 | Florida | 7-4 |
| 24 | Texas Tech | 8-4 |
| 25 | Virginia | 8-4 |
In the aftermath of Auburn's Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech, Tiger head coach Tommy Tuberville said his team deserved and would receive championship rings. “Somebody is going to pick us even if I have to have my own poll,” Tuberville told the media Tuesday morning. In the wake of the Orange Bowl, even as the USC party swirled around him, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit agreed saying Auburn should "get ringed up and have national championship put on there", regardless of the polls, because the Tigers deserved it just as much as USC since the two teams didn't meet.
Maybe the Pickens County Herald isn't the New York Times. Or even the Sacremento Bee. But we are published. People do read this paper -- at least we hope they do. In that, we've got just as much credibility and validity as any other news organization. So Coach Tuberville, you won't have to make up your own poll. Because here's one that has the Auburn Tigers ranked at the top -- right where they belong.
Wait. What's that indignant roar coming from the West? Yes, we have televisions in Pickens County. We saw USC beat Oklahoma like a cross-eyed mule. But this poll is based on an entire season's worth of work, not the performance in a single game. You can make a good case for USC. But you can make a better overall case for Auburn. And that's why the First Annual Pickens County Herald College Football Poll looks like this:
1. AUBURN TIGERS (13-0) -- Again, yes, we do have televisions in Pickens County. We even have cable and satellite. We were all witness to USC's annihilation of Oklahoma. But it was just one game. It was one game against an opponent that was vastly overrated for the past two seasons. That one game carries no more weight than any other if you look at an entire season objectively. Beating Oklahoma has no more significance than beating Georgia or Tennessee. In fact, both Georgia and Tennessee are better teams than OU, so those Tiger wins may be more significant. Why is Auburn number one? The answers are myriad. Auburn played more teams with winning records than USC. They played more teams in the top 10 at the time they played them than USC. They beat more 10-win teams than any other undefeated team in college football history. USC played one team all year with 10 wins, California. Bear stock dropped significantly when Texas Tech shredded them in the Holiday. Auburn played four 10-win teams and one nine-win squad. The Tiger's bowl opponent was superior to USC's. Sorry, OU fans, but Virginia Tech had much better speed. Auburn played statistically better defense than USC. They played statistically better offense than USC. No team in college football was more dominant week in and week out than Auburn. The Tigers trailed in a game just twice. They surrendered no more than 20 points in any game. The Tigers gave up rushing touchdowns to a mere two teams. Only one team had a fourth quarter lead on the Tigers. And Auburn did this while playing a schedule that is easily superior to USCs. Here's the litmus test: How would each do in the other's place? If you swapped schedules and USC played Tennessee (twice) Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, MSU, Kentucky, Louisiana Monroe, Louisiana Tech and Citadel, you're not looking at an undefeated Trojan team right now. On the other hand, if you fed this Auburn team Colorado State, BYU, Stanford, Cal, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Arizona, Notre Dame and UCLA, their final record would remain unspoiled. That alone is enough to rank Auburn at the top.
2. USC TROJANS (13-0) -- Would USC beat Auburn in a head-to-head matchup? We'll never know, will we? Since that is the great unknown, let's go with what we DO know. We know that USC needed some penalty help to get by Virginia Tech in the season opener. And we know that the Hokies are much improved since that time. In fact, many in the media believed VT may have been the hottest team in college football heading into the bowl season. We also know the Trojans were seriously outplayed by California. We know they struggled against Oregon State. We know they had problems with a UCLA team that was dumped by Wyoming. We know Stanford kept it close. If you watched the Trojans all season long, you saw instances of vulnerability. You saw teams with chances to beat them. You saw teams that probably could or should have beaten them. And in the end, when two teams go through their seasons without a loss, what else do you have to go on? Auburn was seriously threatened just once all season. Auburn played a more strenuous schedule. Auburn played in a league championship game, USC didn't. It's a fine line, but the Auburn resume is simply stronger than USC's when you look at the entire season. And isn't that what a national champion is supposed to represent?
3. UTAH UTES (12-0) -- Utah did all it could to prove that it belonged in the same backyard as the major conference teams. Unfortunately the Utes didn't get the chance to test their mettle against a quality team in the bowls. It would have been interesting to see how Utah fared against an Auburn or a USC. It's safe to assume Oklahoma wouldn't want any of this team. Utah's win over Texas A&M was just as impressive as the Sooners'. With Urban Meyer heading to the coaching Swamp at Florida and quarterback Alex Smith jumping to the NFL, Utah's 15 minutes of fame may now be up.
4. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (11-1) -- Bobby "Will leave for food or any reasonable consideration" Pettrino molded the Louisville Cardinals into one of the nation's top offensive teams. If they had a defense, they would be unbeaten and have a case of their own to make. Only a loss to Miami kept them from the ranks of the undefeated. It's difficult to consider teams like Utah and Louisville ahead of traditional powers like Texas and Michigan, but the Cards were so dominant over teams, it's hard to ignore their accomplishments. Would Louisville beat Texas, Michigan or Tennessee? Probably not. Chances are they'd put on a show against Utah. And since you'll never know whether Louisville could have beaten a Texas or an Oklahoma, you can't make those kind of assumptions. That's parity for you. Any team can put it together for a week or a year and be competitive.
5. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (10-3) -- Only three losses -- two to the national champion Auburn Tigers and one the week after their starting quarterback went out for the season -- marred the Volunteer ledger. With freshman quarterbacks, Tennessee knocked off Florida and decked Georgia. Struggles against Vanderbilt and Kentucky left questions, but the objective is to win and Tennessee did that. The Vols will likely be the favorite to win the East again next season and rightly so.
6. Virginia Tech (10-3) -- Hard fought losses to number two USC and national champion Auburn. A surprisingly strong finish. This team may be better than sixth.
7. Oklahoma (12-1) -- Are you kidding? The Sooners this low? Now, now. Let's look at the season as a whole. That's what rankings should be based on. In fact, let's go back a year to get a real feel for it. Oklahoma rolled through a weak Big 12 and then folded in the Big 12 championship like a wet paper tent last season. The Bogus Championship System still saw fit to reward them with a berth in their pretend championship game. OU looked slow and outclassed in a loss to LSU. So what happens this season? OU starts out number two in the rankings. These rankings are apparently done by blind rhesus monkeys coming down off a week-long caffeine binge. Oklahoma looks abysmal against a weak Texas A&M team. They look horrible against a mediocre Oklahoma State team. They didn't play anyone out of the overrated Big 12 of any significance. Texas is their biggest win. Regardless, the blind rhesus monkeys give them another pass to the Bogus Championship Series game. Two years in a row the Sooners get bids that should have gone to much better and more deserving teams. Two years in a row, OU humiliates itself. Their lack of speed is exposed. Their quarterback's overhyped reputation is again painfully obvious. Their defensive shortcomings are exploited. This is an average team. It's an average team playing in a below-average conference. In the SEC it would struggle with Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia and LSU. In the SEC, this is a three or four loss team. A number seven ranking is generous. Memo to those in the media who vote in polls. Oklahoma fooled you once, shame on them. They fooled you twice. Shame on you. If they fool you again? You're the fool.
8. Iowa (10-2) -- This is an underrated team. Should probably rank ahead of the Sooners. Two Big 10 titles, three straight top ten finishes and nobody's ever heard of them. Well, except LSU.
9. Georgia (10-2) -- For a team that many picked to contend for the national title, a ninth place finish is a disappointment. UGA lost just two games, one to Tennessee, which denied them the East title and one to Auburn, the eventual national champ.
10. Texas (11-1) -- Despite the mid-season loss to the Sooners, they're probably the best of a bad Big 12 lot. Even at 10, they're overrated. Texas simply didn't play anybody.
11. California (10-2) -- It's hard to rank the Bears even this high, considering that they played one of the softest schedules in the nation. Their ten-win record does have some merit, however. Wonder if they'll be upset Texas ranks above them?
12. Miami (9-3) -- The Hurricanes weren't the Hurricanes of old this season. They might be better next season now that Brock Berlin is finally gone.
13. Florida State (9-3) -- Bobby Bowden's Seminoles end on a high note as he adds wins to his already padded resume.
14. LSU (9-3) -- The Tigers were a blown coverage away from a ten-win season. Losses to Auburn, Georgia and Iowa are nothing to be ashamed of.
15. Boise State (11-1) -- Lots of offense. Strong showings against some better than average teams. A close call against Louisville helps. Close calls against Tulsa, BYU and San Jose State hurt.
16. Michigan (9-3) -- An average Michigan team. The loss to Notre Dame took the starch out of the Wolverine season.
17. Boston College (9-3) -- An up and down season for the Eagles.
18. Fresno State (9-3) -- Played about as good a schedule as Oklahoma.
19. Navy (10-2) -- The Midshipmen knocked off New Mexico in the bowl to ring up their tenth win of the season.
20. Wisconsin (9-3) -- The Badgers were 9-0 with wins at Ohio State and at then #5 Purdue (whicl promptly fell off the table) before folding down the stretch with three straight losses.
21. Ohio State (8-4) -- Late season wins over Michigan and then one of the Big 12's bowl cannon fodder added to OSU's sparkle.
22. Arizona State (9-3) -- The Sun Devils were one of the Pac 10's few saving bowl graces. A win over slumping Purdue doesn't win much, though. The two other teams from the conference that earned bids were bumped.
23. Florida (7-4) -- Do the Gators belong here? Solid wins over Florida State and South Carolina are balanced by close calls against LSU and Tennessee. Then there's that inexplicable loss to Mississippi State.
24. Texas Tech (8-4) -- Other than Texas, the only Big 12 team to win a bowl, the Raiders shined a little light on the Pac 10 with a win over Cal.
25. Virginia (8-4) -- Wins over Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Slim pickings at the bottom of the rankings.
And finally, here's a word to all voters in the AP poll. Many of you "justified" keeping Oklahoma ahead of Auburn in your voting week after week because you claimed you could not "move down" a team if it won. Curious that you had no qualms about moving Auburn down in your final poll despite the fact that the Tigers won. Do your rules apply only when they suit you?
