Neo
12-04-2004, 11:39 PM
http://files.aximsite.com/sec/bcs.gif
http://www.sectalk.com/teams/Auburn.gifSorting through all the scenarios.
By Brad Edwards
Special to ESPN.com
If you enjoyed The Matrix, then the BCS should be right up your alley. Though not nearly as entertaining, it continues the theme that machines can hold power over humans, even when the people are fighting to regain control.
About this time last year, the college football world was up in arms because the University of Southern California, ranked No. 1 in both polls, had been left out of the BCS Championship Game. The Trojans' fatal flaw was that their schedule strength didn't pass muster within the system's formula for determining the nation's best two teams. The computer element of that formula ranked USC third, and the separate strength of schedule component sealed the Trojans' fate.
Following SC's dominance of Michigan in the Rose Bowl, the BCS administrators decided that such an injustice shouldn't take place again. By mid-summer, they had developed a plan to overhaul their championship formula, putting the majority of power back into the hands of the human voters.
On the teleconference that announced this change, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel joked, "Does this mean we don't have to use the word 'component' in a college football story again?"
Not so fast, my friend!
It seems the computer component is anything but irrelevant in this new formula, and when the final BCS Standings are made official Sunday afternoon, it's possible that the popular opinion of the people could be overruled by computer sentiment in determining which teams gain the most important unsettled spots.
It's a foregone conclusion that No. 1 USC will not be left out of this season's BCS Championship Game, provided it wins its season finale against UCLA, but there is still a slight bit of drama over who will finish No. 2. Oklahoma currently holds a solid lead over Auburn for the other spot in the title game, predominantly because of the Sooners' lofty position within the computer ratings. Auburn barely trails OU in both human polls, but the computer deficit will be extremely difficult to overcome.
Assuming both teams win their respective conference titles, the Sooners should have a perfect score (at least five No. 1 rankings) from the computers on Sunday. And because of inferior schedule strength numbers (despite four victories over teams with nine wins), it seems Auburn's best case is to finish at 93 percent, but more than likely, the Tigers will have a final computer score of .920 (at least five No. 3 rankings). It doesn't seem like a lot, but trailing by .08 in the computers is huge.
How huge?
Well, to overcome that margin, Auburn would need to gain the equivalent of 44 points in each poll. Each spot a team is raised on the ballot of one voter is worth one point, so that means 44 voters in each poll would need to move the Tigers one spot higher than they are currently being ranked (or maybe 36 voters move them up one spot, and four voters move them up two spots, or something to that effect).
When you consider that seven of the 61 voters in the coaches' poll already have Auburn ranked No. 1, that means only 54 even have the ability to place them higher. (Six of 65 AP voters have the Tigers ranked on top.) Also considering how many have Auburn ranked No. 2 behind USC -- and how many of those probably won't drop the Trojans without a loss -- Auburn's position begins to look much more helpless.
This week, nine of 31 AP voters surveyed by the Mobile (Ala.) Register said they would not consider changing their order of the top three teams unless one loses on Saturday. If you take that to assume roughly 30 percent of all voters in both polls will not be swayed by any victory margins this weekend, then Auburn's odds of reaching the No. 2 spot in the BCS Standings are about the same as the team bus being struck by lightning on the way to the Georgia Dome ... and the forecast says there's only a 10 percent chance of rain.
For the Tigers to gain sole possession of the No. 2 position in the AP poll, however, only six voters would need to flop their order of Oklahoma and Auburn. In the coaches' poll, only four voters would need to switch the teams in Auburn's favor to get them into the second spot. That means an impressive win by the Tigers over Tennessee in the SEC Championship could be enough to get them to No. 2 in both polls. And even though that likely wouldn't change their BCS ranking, it sure would add to the controversy on Sunday afternoon.
http://www.sectalk.com/teams/Auburn.gifSorting through all the scenarios.
By Brad Edwards
Special to ESPN.com
If you enjoyed The Matrix, then the BCS should be right up your alley. Though not nearly as entertaining, it continues the theme that machines can hold power over humans, even when the people are fighting to regain control.
About this time last year, the college football world was up in arms because the University of Southern California, ranked No. 1 in both polls, had been left out of the BCS Championship Game. The Trojans' fatal flaw was that their schedule strength didn't pass muster within the system's formula for determining the nation's best two teams. The computer element of that formula ranked USC third, and the separate strength of schedule component sealed the Trojans' fate.
Following SC's dominance of Michigan in the Rose Bowl, the BCS administrators decided that such an injustice shouldn't take place again. By mid-summer, they had developed a plan to overhaul their championship formula, putting the majority of power back into the hands of the human voters.
On the teleconference that announced this change, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel joked, "Does this mean we don't have to use the word 'component' in a college football story again?"
Not so fast, my friend!
It seems the computer component is anything but irrelevant in this new formula, and when the final BCS Standings are made official Sunday afternoon, it's possible that the popular opinion of the people could be overruled by computer sentiment in determining which teams gain the most important unsettled spots.
It's a foregone conclusion that No. 1 USC will not be left out of this season's BCS Championship Game, provided it wins its season finale against UCLA, but there is still a slight bit of drama over who will finish No. 2. Oklahoma currently holds a solid lead over Auburn for the other spot in the title game, predominantly because of the Sooners' lofty position within the computer ratings. Auburn barely trails OU in both human polls, but the computer deficit will be extremely difficult to overcome.
Assuming both teams win their respective conference titles, the Sooners should have a perfect score (at least five No. 1 rankings) from the computers on Sunday. And because of inferior schedule strength numbers (despite four victories over teams with nine wins), it seems Auburn's best case is to finish at 93 percent, but more than likely, the Tigers will have a final computer score of .920 (at least five No. 3 rankings). It doesn't seem like a lot, but trailing by .08 in the computers is huge.
How huge?
Well, to overcome that margin, Auburn would need to gain the equivalent of 44 points in each poll. Each spot a team is raised on the ballot of one voter is worth one point, so that means 44 voters in each poll would need to move the Tigers one spot higher than they are currently being ranked (or maybe 36 voters move them up one spot, and four voters move them up two spots, or something to that effect).
When you consider that seven of the 61 voters in the coaches' poll already have Auburn ranked No. 1, that means only 54 even have the ability to place them higher. (Six of 65 AP voters have the Tigers ranked on top.) Also considering how many have Auburn ranked No. 2 behind USC -- and how many of those probably won't drop the Trojans without a loss -- Auburn's position begins to look much more helpless.
This week, nine of 31 AP voters surveyed by the Mobile (Ala.) Register said they would not consider changing their order of the top three teams unless one loses on Saturday. If you take that to assume roughly 30 percent of all voters in both polls will not be swayed by any victory margins this weekend, then Auburn's odds of reaching the No. 2 spot in the BCS Standings are about the same as the team bus being struck by lightning on the way to the Georgia Dome ... and the forecast says there's only a 10 percent chance of rain.
For the Tigers to gain sole possession of the No. 2 position in the AP poll, however, only six voters would need to flop their order of Oklahoma and Auburn. In the coaches' poll, only four voters would need to switch the teams in Auburn's favor to get them into the second spot. That means an impressive win by the Tigers over Tennessee in the SEC Championship could be enough to get them to No. 2 in both polls. And even though that likely wouldn't change their BCS ranking, it sure would add to the controversy on Sunday afternoon.