WEBVTT - How are college football rankings determined? 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.920 Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:07.480 It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you Should Know? 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:16.360 From House Stuff Works dot com. Hey, and welcome to 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:19.840 the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:24.239 that makes the Stuff you Should Know the College Football edition. Yes, 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:29.160 our first sportscast. Ever, I think we've never done it, dude, 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:31.520 really yeah, because I've always kind of wanted to, but 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:35.440 then I thought we'd be, you know, excluding anyone who's 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:37.400 not a sports fan. But we get a lot of 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:40.560 sports fans who say you should do this. Uh, well, 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:42.159 we'll throw them a bone here. It seems like we 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:50.919 need some sort of heraldry like do do do do you? 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:53.199 I could keep going. I wanted to sing final Count. 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:55.600 I was literally like stopping myself. Well, now we have 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.480 to pay a royalty since you name that tune. Buddy. Oh, 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:04.679 before we get started, let's plug fest our college tour. Yeah, 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:07.160 we're gonna do uh it's not exactly college tour, but 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:09.880 it is just oh yeah, that's a trivia tour. It was. 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:12.759 It's a national tour. But there's colleges in these places 0:01:12.760 --> 0:01:15.880 where we're going. Yeah, we're going to do um anywhere 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:20.800 between five and seven cities, winding up in Austin as 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.360 far as I know. Yeah. Um, And we're kicking it 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:27.200 off October, which is the Wednesday in Atlanta, g A, 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:29.560 which is just down the street. We're actually in it 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:31.240 right now. Some would argue we kicked it off in 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.760 New York. Yeah, you could definitely make that case. So 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:38.120 New York brought the goods. Yeah, I wonder if Atlanta 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:41.560 will bring goods similar to New York. And and I'm 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:46.959 talking to you toub Birmingham and uh, Chattanooga, Well definitely. 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:49.720 And what else is close? Um, Charlotte's not too far 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:53.240 off Asheville's three hours. Ashville's got no excuse, and we're 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:55.480 not coming to Ashville. So this is your chance. Well 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:57.680 that's the beauty about the Southeast. Just go to Atlanta 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:00.280 and everybody drives. You just know you have to drive 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:02.920 if you're in the Nobody from Florida is welcome though, 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:06.560 you'll be turned away at the door. Um. So yeah, 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:10.160 that's going to be October, which is a Wednesday. I'm 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:13.919 almost positive it's going to be at Five Seasons Brewery 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:19.120 Brewing Company. Yeah. On the west Side. Um so up 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:21.880 on the roof. Yeah awesome. We'll be throwing more details 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:25.400 up on Twitter and our Facebook fan page stuff you 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:27.919 should know. And our Twitter feed is s Y s 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:30.519 K podcast in case you want to follow us, Um 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:32.640 and Chuck. I guess it's time we should get to 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:37.400 football rankings, right, yeah, this one. Uh, we should just 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:39.520 go ahead and say that the article for this one 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:41.920 on our website is a little out of date. And 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:46.400 college football and the BCS is ever changing, so I 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:49.239 kind of expected that it wouldn't be, you know, really 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:50.959 up to date. It's changed a lot over the past 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:55.359 six years. It's changed a lot over the past six minutes. Actually, 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.880 you know, Um, yeah, it's might you know, we're gonna 0:02:57.880 --> 0:02:59.880 do our best here. Uh. Not only that, if you 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:04.519 thought the Quantum Suicide podcast was hard to follow, Buddy, 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:06.760 get a pen and piece of paper out right now, 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:10.000 because there's gonna be some detailed equations and afterward there 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:14.160 will be a quiz. Chuck. I tend normally to lean 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:18.000 more towards UM A p the Associated Press over USA 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:21.400 today for accuracy and reporting, right, but I looked at 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:25.840 the n c a A Football rankings today preseason, uh, 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:29.160 and I saw that USA Today has Georgia ranked twenty one, 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.000 whereas A P has Georgia ranked twenty three. So I'm 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:35.160 leaning towards USA Today's reporting. Today they both have tech 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:39.160 ring hired to Yeah, it doesn't matter. Let Tech get 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:41.960 the number one spot and then come Thanksgiving will knock 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:44.440 them out of it. It's one of the great joys 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.280 in my life when we have a terrible season, but 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:49.040 we may have a good season. It remains to be seen. 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:50.880 I can't say anything. I don't even know who are 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:53.920 starting quarterback is going to be? Is that Aaron Murray? 0:03:53.960 --> 0:04:00.720 It's Aaron Murray and Murray Murray. It's like try to now, 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.440 I wonder where she'd been. I think she's been in 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:09.960 the same place for several years. No, she did, I think, 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:13.160 so we should probably look that up there too, Anne Murray, 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:16.400 if you're not dead, we apologize. We've greatly exaggerated your 0:04:17.680 --> 0:04:21.039 so chuck before the BCS, right, there was a streat 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:23.359 line in a John Travolta movie, and I can't believe 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:26.400 these words are coming out of my mouth. But why 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:31.040 you sweet? That's that's my impression. No, the um that 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:33.479 movie was Michael. I think it was where he played 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:35.840 like a kind of down to earth angel who like 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:39.520 drugs and boozing and womenizing. You saw it, okay, so 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:41.880 it was like kind of a cute movie. But there 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.000 was one thing that he said that I've always thought 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:47.160 was very clever was that he told somebody in that 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:50.520 movie that he invented lines. And before then people were 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:53.000 just standing around, like bumping into each other and didn't 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:56.080 know what to do. So I kind of have the 0:04:56.120 --> 0:05:02.880 same impression of college football season and their end pre BCS. 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.599 Everybody's kind of bumping into everybody else. There was a 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:09.160 distinct possibility that you had a number of teams claiming 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.480 the number one spot in no way to resolve that. 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:14.599 And you know, we humans are very much into saying 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:17.880 you are clearly number one. And the BCS, while it 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:20.599 had a rockie start at first, has kind of fulfilled 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.440 that spot. Right It's got a pretty good UM record 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:26.400 the last six or ten years, right well, according to 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:30.040 the BCS and ESPN, Yeah, well we might as well 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:33.080 go ahead and say, um. The BCS claims that in 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:35.560 the twelve years since it's been around, there twelve or 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:40.600 twelve according to their formulas, and there nine for twelve 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.160 according to like coaches polls as far as matching up 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:46.799 the two best teams to play for the national title. 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:52.200 And previous to that, like you said, for decades, teams 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:54.640 played each other in bowl games and then sports writers 0:05:54.720 --> 0:05:57.440 voted on a national champion, which is kind of made up. 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:00.240 It's beyond ridiculous. If you think the BCS predict, let's 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.440 that's even more ridiculous. Yeah, and um, well, let's talk 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:05.880 about how the BCS is calculated. Right, Well, what are 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:08.800 what are the BCS. There's five games before there were 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:13.279 twenty five bowl games? Is that correct? Uh, they're twenty 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:19.280 nine games aside from the BCS games before. Now now 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:24.400 there's twenty nine excluding the BCS games. Okay, but before 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.000 I understand that they were like twenty five bowl games 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:30.120 and they were all important because there was no BCS. 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:33.200 Well important to varying degrees, right, But it's almost like 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:36.160 playing musical chairs with eight kids, but with nine chairs, 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:40.000 you know. So, Um, the BCS comes in and says, hey, 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:43.400 we're going to make sure the clear winners established, and 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:45.840 we're going to do so by establishing that we're gonna 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:48.960 say these Bowl games are actually the important ones, right, 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:52.640 and they are what they are, the Sugar Bowl, the 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.600 Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl, and 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.960 they all have different sponsors that kind of change, and 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:00.640 we're not paid by any of them, so we're not 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:02.599 going to mention. Huh. Well, three of the four of 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:05.000 these in this article are wrong. That's how much they've changed. 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:08.440 You know. I think Tostitos is the only one that's 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:13.040 still actively sponsoring the Fiesta Bowl and the There's big 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:15.920 money involved in these things, right, There's payouts that go 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:21.480 directly to the schools involved and then also to their conferences. Right, Yeah, 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:24.400 should we break that down? Let's do it? How that works? Uh? 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:27.280 Last year, the payout for the National title game was 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:32.360 seventeen million dollars per team, so thirty what is that for? 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.520 Thirty four million bucks? But the team doesn't get all 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:40.000 of that, It is split. You get a participation fee, 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:43.880 and then after the participation participation fee is taken out, 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.120 the rest of the money is split among all the 0:07:46.200 --> 0:07:50.160 teams in the conference. So the SEC is loaded with talent. 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:55.000 They send let's say eight teams to bowls. So that's 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:58.160 a lot of money coming to schools like Vanderbilt in 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:00.960 Kentucky that may not go to of all, so they 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.440 love it. I think I probably already know the answer 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:05.600 to this, right, But are you one of those people 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:09.040 who when George is not in a game, you still 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:14.520 root for the SEC. I root for all SEC teams 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:19.560 except for Florida, thank you, and uh boy, Tennessee is 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.000 tough for me to get behind. Trouble rooting for Tennessee 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.520 as well. But if it was like Tennessee versus USC, 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:27.640 I would certainly root for Tennessee. But I can never 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.760 root for Florida no matter what happens. Now, I can't either, Chuck, 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:32.200 and I'm glad to hear you say that. I also 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:36.360 have trouble rooting for Tech. Some people are like, well, 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:38.600 it's a Georgia team, so if George is not playing, 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:40.640 then I root for Tech, And I'm like, you're a 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:44.199 communist at don't root for Tech. They're sort of neutral. 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:46.080 Like I root for their basketball team because I liked 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:48.560 them back in the day, but not not for football. 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:50.800 And my brother works there, so I gotta keep it 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:53.080 on the you know, up and up. That's very nice 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:57.280 of you keep it in the family. So, Chuck, what 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:02.839 should we talk about next? Well, the BCS is um 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:06.600 is not a body. It's an event which consists of 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:10.120 these football games, and it's managed by the UM Bowl, 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:14.480 the BCS, subdivision conferences and these are the big boys, right, 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:16.320 But don't you get the And I was surprised to 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:18.960 hear this. There's an ESPN article that you sent me 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.160 giving it background background of the BCS, and it said, 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:28.360 like two nine pole showed se of n c a 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.960 a coach's favor keeping the BCS in place over a playoff. Right. 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:34.880 That kind of flies in the face of information that 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.719 I've had, like anecdotally, you know, I mean, I know, 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:40.280 I've never asked Mark Rick, you know, on the spot, 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:42.800 but I get the impression that there's a lot more 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:47.080 people that want playoffs than don't, definitely, and that the 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:51.120 BCS is something of an entity and it's not just 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.679 you know, this this panel that's you know, created by 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:57.520 this democracy, that it's more like an iron fist and 0:09:57.559 --> 0:10:00.320 if you don't like it, they'll you'll be c Is 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:02.640 that not the case? How well? They say they're not entity, 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:04.680 but I bet they have an office. I bet they 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:06.840 kind bet people work there, and I bet there's just 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:11.160 iron desks for their iron fists. I should know, though, 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:14.360 I did say that the BCS conferences were who make 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:18.320 up this this body. We also have to include Notre 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:22.200 Dame in there because you actually get to vote, although 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:25.080 you don't include Notre Dame as much as you used to. No, 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:26.679 I mean they're still in there though. They get their 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:30.640 participation included UM as an independent, as does Army and Navy, 0:10:30.720 --> 0:10:34.040 which is interesting too. Yeah, a Notre Dame gets three 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:36.480 votes in Army and Navy get one each. Right, Well, 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:40.600 that's votes for UM. Those are nominations for the Harris 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:45.839 Interactive Football Poll. This is going to be all over 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:48.319 the place. It is, but it's okay, we're making sense 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:50.840 so far. I mean, the BCS came around in ninety eight. 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.800 It established that there's five bowls. We sent the bowls, right, Well, yeah, 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:58.960 but four plus the national title game? Right, And it's 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:01.640 not just like, okay, here's the rankings and then the 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:04.600 season's over, so one versus to you go play two 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.320 versus three, ugo play three versus or four versus five. 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:10.679 It doesn't happen like that. But that's kind of counterintuitive 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:14.240 until you realize that the BCS algorithm is the most 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:19.160 complex algorithm ever created by man and it's actually composed 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:22.079 of a number of different algorithms spitting out numbers and 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:24.880 then those numbers are factored in. So I think, Chuck, 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.080 we put it off long enough and we can't any longer. 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:32.560 Let's talk mathematics and statistics. Okay, yes, Uh, you're gonna 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:34.880 have to explain some of this, but um, because math 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:37.480 is not my strong talk about the subjective pulse. How 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:39.080 about that I was told there would be no math. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:41.680 I'll try to handle the math as best as possible, 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.000 but it's gonna be like that one kind of breathalyzer 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:47.960 that I thought I understood. Well, Uh, things have changed, Josh. 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:52.560 Since it was originally the BCS was set up a 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:55.600 certain way, and then in two thousand and two and 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:58.280 two thousand four a lot of changes took place. It 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:00.840 used to be UM four fact jurors that weighed into 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:04.160 the BCS ranking, and now there are only three factors. 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:09.559 The A P I'm sorry, the USA today A Coaches poll. Right. 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:13.120 The AP pole was replaced um before the two thousand 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:16.960 four season, I think by the Harris Interactive Pole. And 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:23.000 then the last third is a very complex computer ranking system. Uh. 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:27.360 An average of six computer rankings are averaged and that 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:29.880 is the last thirty three and the third percent. Right. 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:34.760 And these UM computer rankings are basically independent groups or 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.680 people who say, yeah, we're following football and we have 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:41.720 a pretty good algorithm, and here's our contribution. UM. There 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:47.120 used to be I think eight, and now there's six. UM. 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:49.840 So you've got guys like Richard Billingsley, who's just a 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:53.840 businessman I love it and apparently likes to to come 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:56.760 up with college rankings in his spare time. Their statisticians 0:12:56.760 --> 0:13:00.640 and mathematicians, right, and businessmen and businessmen. Yeah, so weird. 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:04.440 It is weird. Maybe his business is accounting, but UM, 0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:07.120 so they'll they'll take into account. For example, the Billingsley 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:11.640 report uses the strength of the opponent final score UM, 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:15.320 and the win lose records of the teams before and 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:18.560 after the game. Right. Combine all these together and you 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:22.880 create a numerical value. Right. Some other people or some 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:27.440 other UM computer rankings systems like UM. Who else is 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:30.240 There's Seattle Times, which is run by a guy named 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:34.760 Jeff Anderson who's a political science graduate student. Was and 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:38.600 I guess he's just a political scientist. Um. And Chris Hester, 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.199 who's a sportswriter and um, these two get together and 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:45.520 they take quality of opponent and strength of schedule. The 0:13:45.559 --> 0:13:48.760 problem is, Chuck, is you can't just go, yeah, Boise 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:51.440 States doing pretty good, So we're gonna give them a 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:54.520 five for strength of schedule or strength of opponent or 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:58.000 quality of opponent, that kind of thing. Um, what they 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:02.080 have to take into account are wide factors like let's 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.800 say you win. Yeah, it's not just good enough that 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.800 you're going to win. Who exactly did you beat? And 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:11.360 how do you quantify who you beat? Well, you say 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.800 where you play, right, So we have to look at yours, 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:20.280 not only your opponent's schedule, but your opponent's opponent's schedule, 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:25.240 and then you you put numerical values onto those, right, 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:28.520 the win loss, and then you calculate that, and you 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:31.600 come up with another numerical value that's called strength of schedule. 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.560 And to get down to the nitty gritty, the strength 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:38.800 of schedules calculated like this, You've got your opponent's schedule, Chuck, 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:42.560 you play Boise State. Boise State has been doing pretty good. 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:45.200 I'm not playing there, dude, so you won't catch me 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:47.440 on a blue football field. You Well, well, there they 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:52.000 came and visited you, but you beat them between the hedges. 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:55.520 So you've got UM two times s O, and s 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:58.520 O is your opponent's schedule. Boise States schedule, you've got 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:03.040 two times that. Plut. They're Boise States opponents schedules, all 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:07.680 of them calculated to wins and losses. So it's two 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:13.200 times your opponents schedule plus Boise States opponents schedules equals 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:17.240 strength of schedule. Okay, that's just one component in some 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:20.840 computer rankings, and strength of schedule I think used to 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:23.400 be a standalone component, but now it's just factored in 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:26.560 with the rest. And they also threw out the margin 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:28.480 of victory. That used to be a factor as well, 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:30.880 but they could you remember that was a big deal 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:33.720 when coaches were running up the score. Florida would try 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:36.000 and put like sixty points on a team, you know, 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.960 against like Louisiana Lafayette, and uh, they were like, you 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.360 know what, that's not really too cool. That really shouldn't 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.720 factor in. So that was thrown out right the scripts 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:48.480 Howard UM poll, which I don't think is used any longer. 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:52.400 UM used to have a penalty actually for running up 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.120 the score before it was thrown out. Yeah, part of 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.440 their computer ranking was if you ran up the score, 0:15:57.440 --> 0:16:00.880 you were penalized, which is good because guys like Steve 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.320 Spurrier used to need to be held in check. Now 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:07.920 he's holding himself in check. Look at you. That's good. 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.240 So is that all for the computer ranking? Third or 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:12.480 you still got something on that? No? I think I'm 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:15.880 I'm good okay. Uh, then you have, like I said, 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:21.960 one third is the USA today, Uh, coach's poll and 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:26.120 that is literally coaches voting. Um, not all of them 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:30.040 always vote. I think there's a hundred and fourteen potential votes, 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.680 but there may be a hundred and six people vote 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:38.440 one week. Remember Steve Spurrier got some criticism at one 0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:40.160 point because like he failed to vote in like some 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:42.080 really important week a couple of years back or something 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:44.560 like that, and he explained that he did and his 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:46.400 assistant lost a vote or something like that. I can't 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:49.120 remember what it was. But that is factored in as well. 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:50.920 They still don't divide by the same number, you know, 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:53.480 they'll they'll factor it down by the number of votes 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:56.040 that the number of possible votes. Yes, okay, to make 0:16:56.080 --> 0:17:01.160 them more accurate. I've also heard accusations that in coaches polls, UH, specifically, 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.359 they have their kids vote sometimes, like they just can't 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:06.920 be bothered to vote, so they'll just be like fill 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:08.879 this out for me, will you, because they know their 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:11.920 kids watch some games or whatever. And that that's why 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.479 human polls are so fallible. That a lot of coaches 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:18.040 don't vote, and the coaches that appear to a vote 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:21.200 haven't necessarily voted themselves, and even if they have, they're 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:25.879 not completely informed. Because TCU horned frogs, I like frogs, 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:28.920 that's how it ends up. Yes, well that's how TCU 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.000 ended up in the top. Ever, I guess so because 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:35.520 of Ralph Wigham UM. And then you have the Harris 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:38.320 Interactive Poll, and that um, like I said, replaced the 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:42.880 eight people and they ranked them each week from late 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:46.879 September to the end of the season. And I'm sorry 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:49.080 that has a d and fourteen participants. That was the 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:52.320 one fourteen I was thinking of, And UM, sorry I 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:54.720 didn't correct you, right, And they're not just coaches, they're 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:59.679 former coaches, student athletes, administrators, some media. And that is 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:01.639 where Notre Dame get to say, because you get to 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:05.240 nominate who was on this committee to vote for the 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:09.440 Interactive poll, and each conference see these where Notre Dame 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.680 gets away with something. In my opinion, each conference gets 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:15.959 ten nominations and Notre Dame gets three, Army gets one, 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:18.520 and Navy gets one. Yeah, so like the Big twelve 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:21.280 twelve teams get ten nominations, Notre Dame gets three all 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.120 by themselves. Right, Notre Dame has always gotten some sort 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:27.440 of weird free ride for some reason. Why we're gonna 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:29.840 hear about it. Yeah, but it's still I mean, it's true. 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:32.280 They they there's a lot of favoritism towards that team, 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:36.280 and I dare anybody to prove otherwise. Well, they haven't 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.080 been great recently, but they are. They still one of 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:42.320 the most favored, one of the most legendary teams. Yes, 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.400 just because Ronald Reagan played for you doesn't mean you're 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:48.320 a great team in two thousand and ten. You know, hey, 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:51.439 you're preaching the choir, my friend, so Chuck. When you 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.720 take these things together, the Harris Interactive Poll, the Coaches poll, 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:57.960 and the computer rankings numbers that you crunched together and 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:01.480 created one number. That's the third or third and third, right, Um, 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:07.639 the most you can get is one correct at one point? Oh, 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:10.880 actually at one point oh oh. The lowest score. You're 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:12.880 looking for a low score here, right, low score means 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.800 high ranking. This is where it gets a little hinky. 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:20.360 Sorry to steal your word, but in the article explicitly 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:25.840 says that you want the lowest score. Right, Yes, But 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:29.200 in this other material that we've gotten from the BCS site, 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:32.639 it looks like the the the higher the score, the 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:36.480 closer to a one point oh, the higher you're ranked. 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:40.440 Here's why I say that, chuck um in. In the 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:45.639 coach's poll, right, coaches vote from one to five and 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:50.000 assign each team ranking in reverse order. So if you're 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:52.119 number one, you get twenty five points. If you're in 0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:55.439 twenty five place, you get one point, Right, so you 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:59.400 would want more points. Correct, Yeah, But here's here's where 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.720 I think it gets worked out if I'm correct and 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:05.400 understanding this. What happens is, let's take the Harris poll. 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:09.119 For instance. You take the total score of all your votes, 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:13.320 and you divide that by two thousand, eight hundred and fifty, 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:16.720 which is the maximum number that anyone can receive if 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:21.240 all one D fourteen voting members rank that same team 0:20:21.320 --> 0:20:25.680 number one. So let's say everybody ranks Alabama number one, 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:29.280 a one fourteen that they get two thousand, eight hundred 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:31.959 and fifty total points, they divide that by two thousand, 0:20:31.960 --> 0:20:33.639 eight hundred and fifty, and so they end up getting 0:20:33.640 --> 0:20:40.640 a one. Okay, okay, So if you got um, if 0:20:40.640 --> 0:20:43.919 you divided I guess what one? If you had a 0:20:43.960 --> 0:20:46.560 one and you divided that by two thousand, eight hundred 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:48.840 and fifty, I see, it would be much lower, right, 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:50.640 And the coach the coaches poll is the same thing. 0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:53.159 They just divided by fourteen seventy five because that's the 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:56.359 maximum number. So at least I'm right in saying that 0:20:56.440 --> 0:21:00.359 the best you could possibly get from the b CS 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:04.199 formula is a one point zero, I believe. And it 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:06.199 kind of follows that same thing, like you have a 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:08.560 one in anything less would be like a point nine 0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:15.240 to oh or a point eight seven three? Right, yes, okay, yeah, 0:21:15.280 --> 0:21:19.240 that's exactly right. A plus B plus C divided by 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:24.199 three would be point right okay, okay, all right, And 0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:26.439 see this is really confusing. It's like giving birth to 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:30.040 a watermelon, except with your head a square Japanese watermelon, 0:21:30.920 --> 0:21:35.040 which would be even worse, especially if the edges were sharp. So, ladies, 0:21:35.080 --> 0:21:37.000 when you're like, you know, if you're not into this. 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:38.919 I'm not saying that not all ladies are into it, 0:21:38.960 --> 0:21:41.720 but whoever's not into college football, and you poo poo it, 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:44.840 think about how complex the system is that they've worked out. 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:47.879 It's not just a bunch of guys sitting around drinking 0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:51.480 beer smashing each other's heads in. It's very complex, right, 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:54.040 But I mean to the guys who are sitting around 0:21:54.040 --> 0:21:57.960 smashing each other's heads in with beer being drunk around them, 0:21:58.000 --> 0:22:03.119 it's still like I'm ranked twenty three. Yeah, true, you know, Okay, 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:05.399 so chuck, it sounds like we made it through the 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:11.680 math part. Yeah, what else is left? Uh? Well, that's 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:15.080 sort of it. I mean, at the end of the year, 0:22:15.200 --> 0:22:18.280 the math determines your ranking. And we should point out 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:21.919 that the BCS ranking, which determines who plays in these 0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:27.280 BCS Bowls and National title game, that doesn't start getting ranked. 0:22:27.320 --> 0:22:29.800 They don't do like preseason rankings or even early season 0:22:30.119 --> 0:22:32.919 that starts in mid October. Right, the preseason rankings are 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:35.720