A Grip on Sports: There were many reasons for loving college football polls but probably more for wondering just what folks are thinking
A GRIP ON SPORTS • What’s not to like about polls? Oh, no, not those polls. Gallup and the like. Political polls seem to be an outdated way to judge public interest in these days of cell phones and instant gratification. But football polls? They are still spot on. Every year. Every month. Every week. And, yes, that was an attempt to muster every bit of sarcasm I could.
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• God bless the sportswriters who participate in the Associated Press’ college football poll. And, to an even greater degree, those sports information folks who put together their coach’s submission in USA Today’s coaches’ poll. They all have too-tough-for-me jobs.
No, really.
When I was covering Washington State football (and basketball) for Spokane’s finest journalistic endeavor, I was asked more than once to vote in the A.P. poll. And turned it down every time.
It was not the extra work involved. Nor was it the vitriolic criticism that was sure to be sent my way because I slotted the University of Somewhere South of the Mason-Dixon Line one spot lower than a school that happens to be located west of the Rocky Mountains.
I mean, any idiot with two eyes could see the USSMDL defensive lines is so much superior to WRM’s, there is no way the Fightin’ Chicken Fingers should be overlooked like that.
That wasn’t it. It was actually hubris. Or my appalling lack of it in this regard.
I honestly had no idea if Stanford was better than Duke. Or if USC was better than Ole Miss. And all the numbers in the world couldn’t convince me I did.
Maybe if I had the time to watch hours and hours of film. Or even every highlight on SportsCenter, maybe I could make a reasonable judgment. But not really.
If my name was going to be attached to a list of the top 25 teams in the nation, I wanted to be able to say I believed in those choices. I was never sure I could. So I didn’t. Attach my name, I mean, and vote.
(As an aside, I actually feel after I retired I would have been a reasonably informed voter. I could have used the time I used to dedicate to a feature about the second-string right tackle to fill in my information gaps. But I was never asked.)
It’s not that I think football polls are put together in a haphazard fashion, even though I watched an SID once write down a top 20 – it was a long time ago – on a napkin at a Denny’s, show it to his basketball coach, get his approval in less time than it took to order another Grand Slam and call it in.
All in the space of a couple minutes.
• All that being said, with enough writers filling out enough ballots, there is bound to be some Shakespearian elements to the football polls, right?
Here are this season’s preseason highlights, in no particular order:
– Steve Sarkisian, who couldn’t figure out how to win on the shores of Lake Washington, has ascended to the top spot in both polls while coaching on the banks of the Colorado River. No, not that Colorado River. The one in Texas. If you had lost track, Sark is a Longhorn now. And Texas is No. 1 in both polls.
– Kalen DeBoer, who came this close to winning a national title while at Washington, starts his make-or-be-fired season at Alabama in AP’s eighth spot.
– Oklahoma, a school that has won seven national titles, produced the same number of Heisman winners and has been coached by such luminaries as Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer, is ranked 18th. Mainly because it bought a West Coast offense, bringing in former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, Cougar quarterback John Mateer and California running back Jaydn Ott. Gee, I thought the Pac-12 had such little talent it deserved to die?
– Penn State, ranked second, couldn’t keep up with Ohio State last season as the Buckeyes won another national title. So the Nittany Lions hired away their defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles. OSU replaced him with former NFL DC Matt Patricia. Must be the right move as Ohio State is ranked third. And Penn State’s former defensive coordinator, Tom Allen? He’s at Clemson. Making a boatload of money. The Tigers are No. 4 after the coordinators’ game of musical chairs.
Where will they all be ranked when the music finally stops for the last time Jan. 5 in Nashville?
Your guess is as good as mine. As is, more than likely, your Top 25.
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WSU: The Cougar offense had a better practice Monday. Even though the defense ignored the rules of engagement. Just kidding. Sort of. Greg Woods has coverage of the 10th day of workouts and begins it with a fun anecdote. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we shared our reaction to the preseason A.P. poll above. Jon Wilner has his in the S-R. Wilner also has his All-American ballot on the Mercury News site. … John Canzano, as he does most every Monday, answers questions in a mailbag. … Three teams from west of the Rockies were ranked. The top one? No. 7 Oregon. The Ducks have to answer a lot of questions still. … Arizona State checked in at 11th, pretty high for a Sun Devil team that surprised everyone last season. … The third? No. 25 Boise State, the lone non-Power 4 school not named Notre Dame included. … The depth chart for Oregon State is starting to take shape. … A couple of Colorado players are angling for more playing time. … Utah State’s athletic administration has changed since first-year coach Bronco Mendenhall was hired. He has to wonder who has his back. … How did Utah’s first scrimmage go? Only Kyle Whittingham knows. … What are the warning signs if USC is headed for a disastrous season? … Arizona is through 10 practices. … Fresno State will start Kurt Warner’s son at quarterback. … San Diego State’s opener against (checks notes) Stony Brook (mutters “really?” under breath) has a day and a TV partner. … An Achilles injury only slowed down a Colorado State player. … In basketball news, Utah’s men have solidified their nonconference opponents. … The Oregon State and Oregon women have agreed to keep their rivalry series going.
Gonzaga: Around the WCC, the conference doesn’t sponsor football, but the women’s soccer season is getting underway. We can pass along stories about Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s.
EWU and Idaho: Around the (current and future) Big Sky, how good will Montana’s offensive line be this season? … How about Montana State’s wide receivers? … Worried Cal Poly will move up out FCS football? Recent athletic department financial moves suggest that is never happening. … In basketball news, Northern Colorado’s women have a tough Big Sky opening weekend. … The Northern Arizona women’s soccer team has played two exhibition matches already.
Indians: The Northwest League takes off Mondays, as does all minor leagues. That gives Dave Nichols a chance to write a notebook. This week he starts with Stu Flesland’s incredible run since joining the starting rotation. … A recent Indian starter, Chase Dollander, came back to the Rockies last night after a stint at Triple-A. He pitched great. The Rockies found a way to lose. Seems to be a franchise-wide issue.
Kraken: Defenseman Ryker Evans signed a new two-year contract with the team.
Mariners: The 9-1 homestand is over. Now comes a nine-game stint in the sweltering mugginess and heat of the East Coast. The M’s are at Baltimore tonight. … We linked the Times’ story on Ichiro’s clubhouse speech. The story is on the S-R site today. We link it again. … The M’s are ranked seventh in the latest Athletic power ranking. … With Shohei Ohtani’s success, why hasn’t there been more two-way players emerge?
Seahawks: Bob Condotta’s story on Shaquill Griffin’s return to Seattle? We link it again today in the S-R. … Rookie receiver Tory Horton has been one of the bright spots in camp. … So has an undrafted running back. … The Hawks are playing it safe with an injured defensive lineman. … How is Sam Darnold doing?
Motorsports: Doug Pace throws a light on the growth of go-kart racing in the Spokane region.
Hoopfest: Did you know there is now a college basketball tournament called the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge. No, it has nothing to do with Spokane’s 3-on-3 tournament, though when I read this story today from Portland, I immediately thought I must have missed some local news. This tournament is out of Dallas. Interesting. Wonder if there are trademark issues that might come to a court near you soon?
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• On a lighter note, Kim and I will have lived in our South Hill home for 40 years come November. And in that time, we’ve had all manner of wild creatures spend time in our yard. This summer, a new one has taken up residence at the end of our cul-de-sac. No, not squirrels. They’ve made townhomes in our Maples for years. Nor raccoons or deer or moose or turkeys, all of which have been part of the neighborhood off and on. We have a rabbit. Or two. Or whatever. Our flowers have become something of a buffet. Every morning, when I let the dog out, he chases a flash of fur from the yard. What should I do? I’ve read Watership Down. I know fences don’t work. And I’m not about to sprinkle coyote urine of some such among the vegetation. All I can think of is to send Elmer Fudd memes to folks and laugh about it. Until later …