http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=12057196
Throw out the Scores? The BCS Does
By throwing out the scores, BCS puts Boise State, TCU in a bind
The Associated Press
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By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer
November 4, 2010 (AP)
According to the BCS computer ratings, 21-20 is no different from 45-0. A game decided by a last-second field goal is exactly the same as a blowout that's over at halftime.
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2010, file photo, Boise State players celebrate their 48-0 win over San Jose...
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2010, file photo, Boise State players celebrate their 48-0 win over San Jose State after an NCAA college football game in San Jose, Calif. According to the BCS computers ratings, 21-20 is no different from 45-0. it's another part of the postseason system that is stacked against Boise State, TCU or Utah playing in the BCS national championship game this year. BCS officials say they don't want to encourage coaches to pile up points when games are already decided to boost their team's ratings.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
(AP)
Putting the perception of sportsmanship ahead of the harsh reality of statistics, the conference commissioners behind the Bowl Championship Series demand that programmers whose computer rankings are used to determine which teams play in the BCS title game remove margin of victory from the equation.
The problem, as this season is showing, is that margin of victory has become another part of a postseason system stacked against Boise State, TCU or Utah playing for the championship.
"You're throwing away information," said Jeff Sagarin, the mathematician and MIT graduate whose computer rankings for college football have been used by the BCS since its inception in 1998.
BCS officials don't dispute Sagarin's claim.
But they don't want to encourage coaches to pile up points just to boost their team's ratings. Said BCS executive director Bill Hancock in a recent interview: "The commissioners decided that the price was too high in terms of sportsmanship."
The formula for the BCS standings has changed several times over the years, mostly to put more emphasis on the human element. Currently, the Harris poll and the coaches' poll account for two-third of a team's BCS average. A compilation of six computer ratings make up the other third. Beginning in 2002, margin of victory was removed from the computer rankings.
At least the ones used by the BCS.
The true Sagarin ratings include margin of victory. That final rating is reached by combining two elements, he said. One rating does not include scores — that's the one the BCS uses — and another does. Strength of schedule is a component in both.
Sagarin said the two ratings work together and balance out, so a team stacking up blowouts (presumably against weaker competition) isn't overrated and a team that is constantly squeaking by (presumably against tougher competition) isn't underrated.
Throw out the Scores? The BCS Does
By throwing out the scores, BCS puts Boise State, TCU in a bind
The Associated Press
Post a Comment
By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer
November 4, 2010 (AP)
According to the BCS computer ratings, 21-20 is no different from 45-0. A game decided by a last-second field goal is exactly the same as a blowout that's over at halftime.
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2010, file photo, Boise State players celebrate their 48-0 win over San Jose State after an NCAA college football game in San Jose, Calif. According to the BCS computers ratings, 21-20 is no different from 45-0. it's another part of the postseason system that is stacked against Boise State, TCU or Utah playing in the BCS national championship game this year. BCS officials say they don't want to encourage coaches to pile up points when games are already decided to boost their team's ratings.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
(AP)
Putting the perception of sportsmanship ahead of the harsh reality of statistics, the conference commissioners behind the Bowl Championship Series demand that programmers whose computer rankings are used to determine which teams play in the BCS title game remove margin of victory from the equation.
The problem, as this season is showing, is that margin of victory has become another part of a postseason system stacked against Boise State, TCU or Utah playing for the championship.
"You're throwing away information," said Jeff Sagarin, the mathematician and MIT graduate whose computer rankings for college football have been used by the BCS since its inception in 1998.
BCS officials don't dispute Sagarin's claim.
But they don't want to encourage coaches to pile up points just to boost their team's ratings. Said BCS executive director Bill Hancock in a recent interview: "The commissioners decided that the price was too high in terms of sportsmanship."
The formula for the BCS standings has changed several times over the years, mostly to put more emphasis on the human element. Currently, the Harris poll and the coaches' poll account for two-third of a team's BCS average. A compilation of six computer ratings make up the other third. Beginning in 2002, margin of victory was removed from the computer rankings.
At least the ones used by the BCS.
The true Sagarin ratings include margin of victory. That final rating is reached by combining two elements, he said. One rating does not include scores — that's the one the BCS uses — and another does. Strength of schedule is a component in both.
Sagarin said the two ratings work together and balance out, so a team stacking up blowouts (presumably against weaker competition) isn't overrated and a team that is constantly squeaking by (presumably against tougher competition) isn't underrated.