Noah.Dreams
10-27-2005, 08:12 AM
There may be a light at the end of this tunnel after all
What is the Masters Coaches Survey, and should we care?
At the outset of the Master Coaches Survey, the highfalutin name for the old coaches' poll that began this year, I thought, "Whoop-de-do. Another poll." But the more I think about it, and the more I see it, the more I'm buying into it.
The MCS has 16 retired coaches who meet via conference call every Wednesday morning to discuss the best teams in the country. Here's the list: John Cooper, Vince Dooley, Pat Dye, LaVell Edwards, Hayden Fry, Don James, Frank Kush, Dick MacPherson, Bill Mallory, Don Nehlen, John Ralston, John Robinson, Bo Schembechler, R.C. Slocum, Gene Stallings and George Welsh.
Last week, before the BCS, before the majority of the computers, the old guys moved Texas ahead of USC.
The coaches' poll, sponsored by USA Today -- and, for many years, ESPN -- always has left itself open to skepticism. Coaches don't have the time or the inclination to study all the top teams.
But the retired coaches in this survey have the time to study the teams, and they have the inclination. In fact, they love it. At the beginning of each week, the coaches get a DVD with video of the top teams. They divvy the teams up among themselves to study. In that Wednesday conference call, they give their reports, and discuss, argue, laugh and enjoy the fellowship they were too busy and too competitive to enjoy when they coached.
"There is no other group that knows college football like the guys we have," says former Syracuse coach MacPherson, who reported on Florida State this week. "We're not going to go on the call Wednesday morning and not know what we're talking about."
Last week, according to an MCS news release, former Auburn coach Dye predicted Texas would beat Texas Tech because the Longhorns' dominating defensive line would exploit the wide splits in the Red Raiders' offensive line. Texas sacked Cody Hodges six times and cruised to a 52-17 victory.
This week, MacPherson said in a phone interview Monday that Virginia Tech would defeat Boston College. The Eagles have done well in the ACC, coach Mac believes, because the league isn't familiar with their zone blitzes. Virginia Tech's veteran coaching staff has seen Boston College a lot, though, and will know what to do.
MacPherson might be right. He might be wrong. The point is, this is graduate-level discourse on the college football season.
The retired coaches are also smart enough to figure out that their credibility is their biggest selling point. The biggest reason the USA Today coaches' poll suffers from a lack of credibility is the secretive nature of the poll's proceedings. The retired coaches have let the sunshine in, and it's worth listening to them. They'll be on ESPN Classic every Wednesday night. Check them out.
What is the Masters Coaches Survey, and should we care?
At the outset of the Master Coaches Survey, the highfalutin name for the old coaches' poll that began this year, I thought, "Whoop-de-do. Another poll." But the more I think about it, and the more I see it, the more I'm buying into it.
The MCS has 16 retired coaches who meet via conference call every Wednesday morning to discuss the best teams in the country. Here's the list: John Cooper, Vince Dooley, Pat Dye, LaVell Edwards, Hayden Fry, Don James, Frank Kush, Dick MacPherson, Bill Mallory, Don Nehlen, John Ralston, John Robinson, Bo Schembechler, R.C. Slocum, Gene Stallings and George Welsh.
Last week, before the BCS, before the majority of the computers, the old guys moved Texas ahead of USC.
The coaches' poll, sponsored by USA Today -- and, for many years, ESPN -- always has left itself open to skepticism. Coaches don't have the time or the inclination to study all the top teams.
But the retired coaches in this survey have the time to study the teams, and they have the inclination. In fact, they love it. At the beginning of each week, the coaches get a DVD with video of the top teams. They divvy the teams up among themselves to study. In that Wednesday conference call, they give their reports, and discuss, argue, laugh and enjoy the fellowship they were too busy and too competitive to enjoy when they coached.
"There is no other group that knows college football like the guys we have," says former Syracuse coach MacPherson, who reported on Florida State this week. "We're not going to go on the call Wednesday morning and not know what we're talking about."
Last week, according to an MCS news release, former Auburn coach Dye predicted Texas would beat Texas Tech because the Longhorns' dominating defensive line would exploit the wide splits in the Red Raiders' offensive line. Texas sacked Cody Hodges six times and cruised to a 52-17 victory.
This week, MacPherson said in a phone interview Monday that Virginia Tech would defeat Boston College. The Eagles have done well in the ACC, coach Mac believes, because the league isn't familiar with their zone blitzes. Virginia Tech's veteran coaching staff has seen Boston College a lot, though, and will know what to do.
MacPherson might be right. He might be wrong. The point is, this is graduate-level discourse on the college football season.
The retired coaches are also smart enough to figure out that their credibility is their biggest selling point. The biggest reason the USA Today coaches' poll suffers from a lack of credibility is the secretive nature of the poll's proceedings. The retired coaches have let the sunshine in, and it's worth listening to them. They'll be on ESPN Classic every Wednesday night. Check them out.