USA TODAY Top 25 college football coaches' ballots

[Kak7304]

How coaches voted in USA TODAY poll – USATODAY.com

Here's how the individual coaches voted in the last poll. Check out James Franklin's ballot. He's as irrational about the SEC as the fans are.

 

[ChiRish]

How coaches voted in USA TODAY poll – USATODAY.com

Here's how the individual coaches voted in the last poll. Check out James Franklin's ballot. He's as irrational about the SEC as the fans are.

Haha wow. Franklin's ballot is just a joke. How is it that this many people are deluded with the SEC? Thanks to the mass media for pounding it into our heads how superior that conference is to any other.

 

[Kak7304]

Of note in Franklin's ballot:

ND #4

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Florida
5. LSU
7. Texas A&M
8. South Carolina
16. Vanderbilt
21. Mississippi State

 

[ShawneeIrish]

Yeah Franklin's ballot is a joke. What I wish people would also mention more in regards to the SEC is that the bottom of the conference is among the wors of any major conference in the country. UK, Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee are all absolutely horrible.

 

[gkautz10]

ND was voted #1 by everyone but SEC coaches. What a bunch of delusional *** clowns. Maybe they should secede and form their own country. They are obviously whack jobs.

 

[brandonnash]

On my phone and can't see the ballots. Can someone post rick stockstill's (mtsu)? Read in another thread that he also didn't vote nd #1. Pisses me off some. Both are local teams for me that I actually like. I say now we put vandy back on the schedule. Its been a good 16 years since we played them.

 

[Rhode Irish]

In all seriousness, Coach Franklin should lose his voting privileges. If you aren't going to take your vote seriously, you shouldn't be able to damage the integrity of the system that actually has an impact on the postseason (as stupid as that is).

I'm not even up in arms about how these coaches vote, though. What do you expect when you put this kind of power into the hands of people that have skin in the game? The coaches' poll should be abolished. I don't see what purpose it serves.

 

[ShawneeIrish]

On my phone and can't see the ballots. Can someone post rick stockstill's (mtsu)? Read in another thread that he also didn't vote nd #1. Pisses me off some. Both are local teams for me that I actually like. I say now we put vandy back on the schedule. Its been a good 16 years since we played them.

Stockstill went :

1.) Bama
2.) ND
3.) UGA
4.) Oregon
5.) Florida
6.) LSU
7.) K State
8.) A&M
9.) S Carolina
10.) Stanford

 

[ChiRish]

In all seriousness, Coach Franklin should lose his voting privileges. If you aren't going to take your vote seriously, you shouldn't be able to damage the integrity of the system that actually has an impact on the postseason (as stupid as that is).

I'm not even up in arms about how these coaches vote, though. What do you expect when you put this kind of power into the hands of people that have skin in the game? The coaches' poll should be abolished. I don't see what purpose it serves.

I agree with all of that. 100%.

It makes absolutely no sense to let the coaches of teams who have a stake in the outcome take part in deciding what teams go where. It's completely ridiculous.

 

[gkautz10]

On my phone and can't see the ballots. Can someone post rick stockstill's (mtsu)? Read in another thread that he also didn't vote nd #1. Pisses me off some. Both are local teams for me that I actually like. I say now we put vandy back on the schedule. Its been a good 16 years since we played them.

Bama
ND
Georgia
Oregon
Florida
LSU
top 6, doesnt really matter after that
beat me to it

 

[Rhode Irish]

Of note in Franklin's ballot:

ND #4

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Florida
7. LSU
8. Texas A&M
9. South Carolina
16. Vanderbilt
21. Mississippi State

Actually had LSU 5th, so as bad as this looks, its even worse.

 

[Kak7304]

Actually had LSU 5th, so as bad as this looks, its even worse.

A&M is actually 7th on his ballot and SC is 8th. I guess I made my mistake by copying this list from a Michigan fan instead of looking it up myself.

 

[Rhode Irish]

A&M is actually 7th on his ballot and SC is 8th. I guess I made my mistake by copying this list from a Michigan fan instead of looking it up myself.

Yup, cannot trust Michigan fans as far as you can throw them. And considering their diets of Burger King and fried squirrel, you can't throw them far.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

In all seriousness, Coach Franklin should lose his voting privileges. If you aren't going to take your vote seriously, you shouldn't be able to damage the integrity of the system that actually has an impact on the postseason (as stupid as that is)

Agree with this.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

I officially hate Vandy now. I will be rooting against them until they fire Franklin.

 

[stlnd01]

In all seriousness, Coach Franklin should lose his voting privileges. If you aren't going to take your vote seriously, you shouldn't be able to damage the integrity of the system that actually has an impact on the postseason (as stupid as that is).

I'm not even up in arms about how these coaches vote, though. What do you expect when you put this kind of power into the hands of people that have skin in the game? The coaches' poll should be abolished. I don't see what purpose it serves.

To be fair, there weren't a lot of complaints around here when Kelly was the only coach to vote us #1 a few weeks back, prior to KSU and Oregon losing.

But yes, it's a dumb system. A lot of people game it. I noticed several examples of coaches (incl. Hoke, Stoops, Jimbo Fisher, Rutgers' Kyle Flood) voting their team five or six slots higher than the consensus. And, really, who can blame them? Why wouldn't you? Some of these guys have big bonuses riding on getting to BCS bowls and a week from now, no one will remember how they voted.

 

[Opus]

I officially hate Vandy now. I will be rooting against them until they fire Franklin.

Vandy has a news conference set for tonight to announce an extension for Franklin.

 

[Rhode Irish]

To be fair, there weren't a lot of complaints around here when Kelly was the only coach to vote us #1 a few weeks back, prior to KSU and Oregon losing.

But yes, it's a dumb system. A lot of people game it. I noticed several examples of coaches (incl. Hoke, Stoops, Jimbo Fisher, Rutgers' Kyle Flood) voting their team five or six slots higher than the consensus. And, really, who can blame them? Why wouldn't you? Some of these guys have big bonuses riding on getting to BCS bowls and a week from now, no one will remember how they voted.

Kinda my point, though. The way the system is set up, BK had to vote us #1 - he would have been an idiot not to. Everyone else is voting in their own self interest, so if you don't you're losing.

But at least there was a viable case for ND as #1. We were one of only a few undefeated teams. Franklin's ballot is unconscionable and a complete joke.

 

[Kak7304]

To be fair, there weren't a lot of complaints around here when Kelly was the only coach to vote us #1 a few weeks back, prior to KSU and Oregon losing.

But yes, it's a dumb system. A lot of people game it. I noticed several examples of coaches (incl. Hoke, Stoops, Jimbo Fisher, Rutgers' Kyle Flood) voting their team five or six slots higher than the consensus. And, really, who can blame them? Why wouldn't you? Some of these guys have big bonuses riding on getting to BCS bowls and a week from now, no one will remember how they voted.

It's one thing to vote your team much higher, I would actually expect most coaches to do so, but to do so for every team in your conference is going overboard.

 

[ARALOU]

Vandy beat a 6-6 team. The rest had losing records. What a douche

 

[Old Man Mike]

On the "to be fair" comment... Kelly was right. That counts for something.

 

[RDU Irish]

Wish Kiffen was on there. Nice link.

 

[BGIF]

To be fair, there weren't a lot of complaints around here when Kelly was the only coach to vote us #1 a few weeks back, prior to KSU and Oregon losing.

...

Hate to burst your specious point but Franklin did not vote HIS team #1. When Kelly voted ND #1, ND was undefeated, the same as Oregon and KSU, AND, ND had played a tougher schedule.

 

[ickythump1225]

Hate to burst your specious point but Franklin did not vote HIS team #1. When Kelly voted ND #1, ND was undefeated, the same as Oregon and KSU, AND, ND had played a tougher schedule.

And Kelly was right. As the season wore on he was proven correct and now we are playing the NC. Having us at #4 behind 3 SEC teams at this point is a bad joke.

 

[zbikowski88]

A pretty good article from my side of town here in Jacksonville. Sorry if the article is a little long for the page, I didnt want to take anything out.

Shredding the coaches' poll | jacksonville.com

The biggest farce arguably in all of sports is how college football allows its coaches to play a role in the rankings. The USA Today Coaches Poll is an annual abomination. The poll is the epitome of the term conflict of interest. It counts as one-third of the Bowl Championship Series formula. What could go wrong?

The poll is now public. Get ready to laugh at some of the ballots. I'm in full rip mode. Hey, I'm entitled. My Associated Press Top 25 ballot is available for all to see, so anyone can rip me right back.

The strangest ballot goes to Vanderbilt's James Franklin. He ranked Notre Dame fourth, behind Alabama, Georgia and Florida. He also voted his 8-4 team 16th. Franklin should receive a lifetime ban from voting in this poll. Imagine the backlash if an AP voter from the South turned a ballot like this in.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops knew how to look out for his team. He ranked Northern Illinois 24th. The Huskies finished 16th in the poll and received an automatic BCS bowl bid. Had Northern Illinois not finished in the top 16 of the BCS standings, Oklahoma would be playing in the Sugar Bowl. Stoops ranked three teams with four losses over the 12-1 Huskies.

Stoops had company. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen toed the Big 12 company line and also voted NIU 24th. He also had two-loss LSU third and one-loss Oregon eighth.

The self serving doesn't stop there.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher ranked his Seminoles seventh ahead of Stanford and LSU. He also ranked Georgia ahead of Florida. Makes you wonder how bad he thinks the Bulldogs would beat his team. We know by at least 12.

Clemson's Dabo Swinney took the FSU love even above Fisher, ranking the Seminoles sixth, ahead of one-loss Kansas State.

Love for conference is nothing new, especially in the SEC.

While Franklin was the biggest offender, the SEC coaches who vote in the poll were ridiculous in their league homerism.

South Carolina's Steve Spurrier ranked eight SEC teams, throwing Vanderbilt and Mississippi State in.

Alabama's Nick Saban voted six SEC teams among the top nine, as did Georgia's Mark Richt and LSU's Les Miles.

Not to be outdone, fired Kentucky coach Joker Phillips ranked six SEC teams among his top eight.

SEC! SEC! SEC! I can hear Phillips chanting it as he filled out his ballot, assuming it was him and not a UK staffer.

The coaches' poll is also a great way to enact personal revenge. Richt didn't include Boise State in his ballot. The Broncos (10-2) were 15th in the poll, despite the snub. Boise State thumped Georgia to open the 2011 season and, obviously, Richt is still a tad upset about that.

I'm not sure what Washington coach Steve Sarkisian has against Georgia. He ranked the Bulldogs 11th, three spots below FSU. Georgia beat UF, who beat FSU. The Bulldogs also lost to Alabama, while the Seminoles lost to North Carolina State. The resumes really do suggest FSU should be three spots higher.

Arkansas State's Gus Malzahn maintained the credibility of the poll by ranking his 9-3 team 17th. Arkansas State received the 33rd-most votes in the nation.

Note: Some prominent coaches do not have a vote. Among them are: Oregon's Chip Kelly, Florida's Will Muschamp, Kansas State's Bill Snyder, Stanford's David Shaw, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin and Louisville's Charlie Strong.

 

[phgreek]

It's one thing to vote your team much higher, I would actually expect most coaches to do so, but to do so for every team in your conference is going overboard.

how much is "much"...kelly voted us #1 when we were in the top 4 amongst all undefeated teams...and where at least SOS and computers agreed with him.

EDIT: Ooops didn't see BGIF earlier resposne...about the same...not trying to pile on

What Objective sh!t is Franklin using to remotely justify what he's doing.

Homer, No credibility, doesn't care to have credibility...detriment to his profession. Someday when coaches are kicked out of, or seriously restricted in the ranking process...you can bet it will be known as the "Franklin" rule in my house.

 

[__________]

I'm clueless on who gets to vote. Can someone fill me on because it doesn't make much sense how Franklin has a vote but Chip Kelly, Muschamp and Shaw don't have one?

 

[Kak7304]

A pretty good article from my side of town here in Jacksonville. Sorry if the article is a little long for the page, I didnt want to take anything out.

Shredding the coaches' poll | jacksonville.com

The biggest farce arguably in all of sports is how college football allows its coaches to play a role in the rankings. The USA Today Coaches Poll is an annual abomination. The poll is the epitome of the term conflict of interest. It counts as one-third of the Bowl Championship Series formula. What could go wrong?

The poll is now public. Get ready to laugh at some of the ballots. I'm in full rip mode. Hey, I'm entitled. My Associated Press Top 25 ballot is available for all to see, so anyone can rip me right back.

The strangest ballot goes to Vanderbilt's James Franklin. He ranked Notre Dame fourth, behind Alabama, Georgia and Florida. He also voted his 8-4 team 16th. Franklin should receive a lifetime ban from voting in this poll. Imagine the backlash if an AP voter from the South turned a ballot like this in.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops knew how to look out for his team. He ranked Northern Illinois 24th. The Huskies finished 16th in the poll and received an automatic BCS bowl bid. Had Northern Illinois not finished in the top 16 of the BCS standings, Oklahoma would be playing in the Sugar Bowl. Stoops ranked three teams with four losses over the 12-1 Huskies.

Stoops had company. West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen toed the Big 12 company line and also voted NIU 24th. He also had two-loss LSU third and one-loss Oregon eighth.

The self serving doesn't stop there.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher ranked his Seminoles seventh ahead of Stanford and LSU. He also ranked Georgia ahead of Florida. Makes you wonder how bad he thinks the Bulldogs would beat his team. We know by at least 12.

Clemson's Dabo Swinney took the FSU love even above Fisher, ranking the Seminoles sixth, ahead of one-loss Kansas State.

Love for conference is nothing new, especially in the SEC.

While Franklin was the biggest offender, the SEC coaches who vote in the poll were ridiculous in their league homerism.

South Carolina's Steve Spurrier ranked eight SEC teams, throwing Vanderbilt and Mississippi State in.

Alabama's Nick Saban voted six SEC teams among the top nine, as did Georgia's Mark Richt and LSU's Les Miles.

Not to be outdone, fired Kentucky coach Joker Phillips ranked six SEC teams among his top eight.

SEC! SEC! SEC! I can hear Phillips chanting it as he filled out his ballot, assuming it was him and not a UK staffer.

The coaches' poll is also a great way to enact personal revenge. Richt didn't include Boise State in his ballot. The Broncos (10-2) were 15th in the poll, despite the snub. Boise State thumped Georgia to open the 2011 season and, obviously, Richt is still a tad upset about that.

I'm not sure what Washington coach Steve Sarkisian has against Georgia. He ranked the Bulldogs 11th, three spots below FSU. Georgia beat UF, who beat FSU. The Bulldogs also lost to Alabama, while the Seminoles lost to North Carolina State. The resumes really do suggest FSU should be three spots higher.

Arkansas State's Gus Malzahn maintained the credibility of the poll by ranking his 9-3 team 17th. Arkansas State received the 33rd-most votes in the nation.

Note: Some prominent coaches do not have a vote. Among them are: Oregon's Chip Kelly, Florida's Will Muschamp, Kansas State's Bill Snyder, Stanford's David Shaw, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin and Louisville's Charlie Strong.

This BS is what perpetuates SEC "dominance." They all vote themselves and each other extremely high which skews their strength of schedule and the public perception of the conference. No other conference does it to this degree. Every coach is pretty much expected to vote his own team higher but it's only one vote so it won't make much of a difference. When all of the coaches in a conference do the same thing for each other though, it does make an impact in the results of the poll.

 

[WakeUpEchoes]

James Franklin explains his coaches poll.

Vanderbilt's James Franklin explains controversial ballot

 

[Crimson_Velvet]

Bo Pelini voted Nebraska #17, and one spot below Wisconsin after the Badgers just hung 70 points and 539 rushing yards on 'em.

I need an explanation for that one.