Football coaches will not reveal final ballots starting in 2010
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The American Football Coaches Assn. announced Wednesday it will, starting in 2010, no longer require coaches participating in the USA Today college poll to reveal their final ballots.
The coaches’ poll accounts for one-third of the Bowl Championship Series standings formula, along with the Harris Interactive poll and a computer component.
The coaches had voted anonymously until 2005, when, relenting to calls for transparency, they decided to reveal their final ballots.
The AFCA reversed its decision upon the recommendation of the Gallup World Poll, which was commissioned to study and evaluate the USA Today index.
‘The Board was confident in the basic integrity of the poll, and the monitoring system in place by USA TODAY,’ AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said in a statement. ‘However, the trustees wanted to make it even better by reviewing all of the elements and methodology involved.’
The AFCA delayed implementation of the confidential ballot until 2010 to coincide with the current BCS bowl cycle.
UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel was one of 61 USA Today poll voters last year; USC Coach Pete Carroll was not.
-- Chris Dufresne
