The coaches’ poll and credibility

Hey, I’m not the one saying this:

“I would like to see coaches not have a vote,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “We would have a panel like the one that chooses the 65 teams in basketball.”

That’s what ails the BCS — credibility. Every coach participating in the American Football Coaches Association poll has a vested interest. The Harris poll has some credible voters but not enough. As Brown said, “For someone to say, ‘Mack, can you honestly vote without saying how it affects your team?’ That’s a hard thing to do.”

Mack, buddy, at Get The Picture, we’re here to help.

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UPDATE: Pac-10 commish Tom Hanson has some timely, albeit less than complementary things to say about the coaches’ poll.

… California lost only one game in 2004: a 23-17 nail-biter to USC. But Texas coach Mack Brown launched a public campaign to convince poll voters to promote his sixth-ranked Longhorns, whose only loss came to No. 2 Oklahoma, ahead of the No. 4 Bears. It worked. Cal, which hadn’t played in a Rose Bowl since 1959, ended up sucking lemons in the Holiday Bowl while the Rose Bowl was forced to select Texas, due to BCS rules.

“The one that was particularly bitter was Cal, because Cal was the apparent victim of what I would term to this day unethical voting in the coaches’ poll,” Hansen said.