lebomb
01-06-2009, 01:58 PM
Mack Brown: Great coach, lousy voter
Unlike those Texas cheerleaders, Mack Brown wasn't holding his hand over his heart last night when he took a vow to cast a maverick vote. But Texas' coach still made it clear his choice for No. 1 won't hinge on the Florida-Oklahoma outcome in the BCS title game.
Brown said he'll be voting for his Texas team in the USA TODAY coaches poll.
"I wasn't sure before, but Friday morning I'm going to vote Texas No. 1 because I think this is the best team in the country," Brown said after Texas squeaked past Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
We'll let others debate the big-picture value of a last-minute victory against the Buckeyes, but here's the thing: If Mack is willing to go against the grain and vote his Longhorns No. 1 now, why didn't he do it when it could have helped his team?
As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes, Brown voted Florida No. 1 in the final regular-season poll, and that helped the Gators get to No. 2 in the BCS standings. If Brown truly feels he has America's best team, he should have voted that way back when they still could have gone to the BCS championship game.
Brown's vote also would be contrary to the agreement the American Football Coaches Association has with voters in the poll. As AFCA executive director Grant Teaff reminded on Sunday: "This poll is not, since 1998, to select the national champion. The winner of the (BCS championship) game is the winner of the (BCS) trophy. Which means the coaches do not vote for No. 1, they vote for No. 2 down."
Also, Brown should know his vote is due Thursday night, right after the game, not Friday morning.
USAtoday.
Unlike those Texas cheerleaders, Mack Brown wasn't holding his hand over his heart last night when he took a vow to cast a maverick vote. But Texas' coach still made it clear his choice for No. 1 won't hinge on the Florida-Oklahoma outcome in the BCS title game.
Brown said he'll be voting for his Texas team in the USA TODAY coaches poll.
"I wasn't sure before, but Friday morning I'm going to vote Texas No. 1 because I think this is the best team in the country," Brown said after Texas squeaked past Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
We'll let others debate the big-picture value of a last-minute victory against the Buckeyes, but here's the thing: If Mack is willing to go against the grain and vote his Longhorns No. 1 now, why didn't he do it when it could have helped his team?
As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes, Brown voted Florida No. 1 in the final regular-season poll, and that helped the Gators get to No. 2 in the BCS standings. If Brown truly feels he has America's best team, he should have voted that way back when they still could have gone to the BCS championship game.
Brown's vote also would be contrary to the agreement the American Football Coaches Association has with voters in the poll. As AFCA executive director Grant Teaff reminded on Sunday: "This poll is not, since 1998, to select the national champion. The winner of the (BCS championship) game is the winner of the (BCS) trophy. Which means the coaches do not vote for No. 1, they vote for No. 2 down."
Also, Brown should know his vote is due Thursday night, right after the game, not Friday morning.
USAtoday.