Maybe we should vote for sanity
The executive sports editor of The Charlotte Observer wrote in a column (registration required) that the newspaper will stop voting in the AP college football poll. The poll is part of the BCS, which as the column says, is a mess. In essence, a lot of money is at stake in the rankings. "The credibility of this newspaper is more important than the prestige of voting in the AP poll," Mike Persinger wrote.
Persinger, who attended Northwest Guilford, raises a great issue. On our staff, Rob Daniels votes in the poll. He, too, questions our participation. We'll discuss this one further. Do you have any thoughts?
Comments (5)
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I think it's great that you're discussing it. On my ride home this evening, I heard a Tennessean AP voter on the radio basically dismiss the issue out of hand. He said because he puts his votes online, that made it okay, and who really needed to open up was the coaches and their secret ballot.
Sadly, I don't think it bothered him that there was money involved.
Posted on December 10, 2004 7:24 PM
That answers the question of what happened to Mike Persinger after high school.
Members of the press only have two ways to affect the BCS. One is to continue to write about its inadequacy, and the other is the stand Mike and the Observer have taken. It makes sense to me, and I hope the N&R will consider taking the same action.
Posted on December 11, 2004 1:01 PM
But was it any less of a farce when the AP poll actually determined half of the national championship without even making the effort to set up the top two teams in a bowl? No, in fact, that was much worse. Check the history of the 1990 Colorado disgrace for details.
Rob's just upset because Duke knocked Virginia out of both NCAA soccer tournaments.
Posted on December 12, 2004 7:45 PM
I don't know that this is an either/or question. It's a question of whether a reporter's subjective opinion in a survey should have such a monumental monetary impact on a university. Makes me pretty uncomfortable.
Posted on December 13, 2004 1:28 PM
I, too, think it's great your newspaper is considering dropping out of the AP voting. The BCS is a mess and the only way things are going to change is if enough people get so disgusted with it that it loses all credibility. The AP poll is much less prone to undue influence than the coaches poll as the votes are made public but it does not change the fact that the poll is part of a corrupt and broken system.
Posted on December 13, 2004 11:07 PM