Preseason NCAA football rankings need improvement

[Comment Below]

By Chase Trichell

The Associated Press began ranking college football teams in 1936, the USA Today/Coaches poll began in 1950 and the BCS poll began in 1998. There have always been issues surrounding the ranking of college football teams. Some major problems include how to crown the National Champion at the end of the season, who deserves the right to vote and where teams should be ranked before the season begins.  

Last season, in the preseason rankings, the Coaches poll failed to rank 14 teams which ended up being ranked in the top 25 at the end of the season. Therefore, it was only correct about 11 of the 25 teams it ranked. 56% of the teams ranked in the final top 25 were not ranked in the preseason poll.  

If a team is ranked too low in the preseason rankings, or not ranked at all, their chances of making it to No. 1 diminish, which means they could have a great season and still not get a shot at a National Championship. In 1998, Tulane began the season unranked. The Green Wave went a perfect 12-0; however, because they were not ranked in the preseason polls, their final ranking was No. 7.  

The next season, 1999, Marshall began the season unranked. Marshall also had an undefeated record of 13-0 but still finished the season ranked No. 10. Obviously Conference USA is not a powerhouse conference, but if the voters actually did their homework they would know a potential undefeated team should at least be ranked in the preseason top 25.   

Utah has gone through the exact same situation... twice! The Utes began the 2004 season ranked No. 20, pretty far back, but still ranked. They went 12-0 that season but only managed to finish No. 4. Last season Utah was unranked in the preseason polls but finished the year 13-0 after mauling SEC West champ Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Final ranking? Again, only No. 4.   

This decade, Boise State has won more games than any team in the country. However, they began their 2006 campaign unranked. The Broncos went 13-0 after defeating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl but received no higher than a No. 5 ranking. A message to the coaches voting: since 1998, four teams have begun the season unranked and have still gone undefeated.   

Big conferences are not even immune to getting snubbed after going undefeated. The 2004 Auburn Tigers began the season ranked No. 17 and managed to go 13-0 in the best conference in America, the SEC. Settling for a No. 2 ranking after a perfect season seemed more than unfair. Most people believe USC would have destroyed Auburn that year, but that game never happened so it is impossible to know.   

Ranking teams before they have even played is outrageously difficult, and the system is flawed. If the NCAA made two alterations to the process of crowning a National Champion there would never be another undefeated team that did not get a chance to win the National Title. 1) Do not rank the teams until they have played five games, therefore, the first week of rankings would come out after every team has had a chance to prove itself. 2) Implement a playoff system - no longer could a team go undefeated, be ranked No. 5, and not get a chance to play the No. 1 team.

Rankings are good because they are an essential barometer of a team's success. But if we can make them better, why not do it?       

Originally Published: Issue 812 - August 18, 2009

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