DESTIN, Fla. — SEC football coaches didn’t all embrace their newfound anonymity in the USA Today Top 25 poll.
Effective 2010, coaches won’t have to reveal their final ballot in the poll, which helps determine college football’s national champion.
The American Football Coaches Association, which administers the poll, announced the change Wednesday. The change was in response to an evaluation of the voting process by the Gallup World Poll.
Coaches have been required to make their final ballot public since the end of the 2005 season. Before then, all of their ballots were secret.
Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson, who is on the AFCA board of trustees, was in favor of the change. Florida coach Urban Meyer and Georgia coach Mark Richt were non-committal. Kentucky coach Rich Brooks and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier were against the decision.
Spurrier’s reaction wasn’t surprising.
After the 1995 season, Spurrier’s unbeaten Florida team played Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. Following a lopsided loss, Florida dropped to third in the final coaches poll. One coach voted the Gators 13th on his final ballot.
“I don’t know who that was,” Spurrier said with a smile at the SEC spring meetings. “Tennessee snuck in there ahead of us, didn’t they?”
UT, which Florida routed during the regular season, finished with one loss and edged past the Gators into second place in the coaches poll. Former UT coach Phillip Fulmer had a vote in the poll.
Richt said there had to be some accountability in the poll.
“Making your final vote public gives you accountability,” he said. “But you still can have accountability the other way.”
Richt said Grant Teaff, the executive director of the AFCA, could check the ballots for irregularities.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com
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Comments » 15
volpreacher writes:
Spurrier, still crying. You will be crying when you get beat soundly by the Orange Swarm. Go Vols
fredricks writes:
Go Vols!
CoverOrange writes:
Is he saying we cheated????? Mike Slive!!! Where are you!!!
give_him_6 writes:
Go ahead..blame Fulmer I guess. Slive...please investigate Spurrier for crying, I mean a coach or a journalist might slip and fall in all those tears!!!!
vol4gzus writes:
No. All's fair in love and voting........you were just sayin'
hotrodvol writes:
Spurrier's last SEC meeting, he's going to say what he wants. Who is going to coach the gamecocks and retire next? Charlie Weis, Mike Dubois?
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
Well Spurrier won't have to worry about Tennessee slipping past him in the standings anymore. We should be posted there regularly from here on out.
dvhill100 writes:
The title is wrong. It should be the Assistant Administrator to the Assistant Coach's Poll because the head coach doesn't have time to watch the other teams and their vote is completely bogus.
golfballs03 writes:
When the poll has implications on the BCS, then they it should be made public. I think the coaches poll is BS anyway.
golfballs03 writes:
I like Steve Spurrier
murrayvol writes:
Did Mike DuBose change his name when he went into the Witness Protection Program?
Voluvr writes:
Spurrier owes an apology to the univ. of Tennessee, Fulmer, vicky, and each of his daughters and son. How dare him question Fulmer's integrity.
volzcrushm writes:
I AGREE! IT'S THE 'B'ull 'C'rap 'S'eries !! LET EM HAVE A PLAYOFF! Some teams get much better as the season progresses and, some conferences are much tougher than others. Plus, some teams get no recognition and deserve a shot, while other teams play patsies. Remove the BS and have a playoff!!
TommyJack writes:
Maybe he undid his bama combover.
rocky_topper writes:
The secretaries often do it anyways...this is commonly known! No wonder they would want it kept private!
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