The Sports Network poll is by far the most ridiculous, as the Crimson (5-0) finds itself a spot behind Penn (4-1). The Quakers’ only loss came to Villanova, a team that Northeastern beat by four two weekends ago. And we all know what Harvard just did to Northeastern.
Here are a few more ridiculous tidbits that I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention. In each poll, there are at least four teams with two losses ahead of the Crimson. In The Sports Network rankings, Harvard finds itself behind one 3-3 team (Maine) and directly in front of two 4-3 teams (Villanova and Appalachian State). Strength of schedule is important, but it can rarely explain away the gap between a program which is undefeated and one which has three losses.
I’ve got some time, so let me point out a structural flaw which points to the meaningless nature of these polls.
The ESPN/USA Today poll is voted on by the coaches. Why has no one ever questioned this system? Coaches only play eleven opponents a year. On Saturdays they spend their time coaching, not watching three different games at the same time on three different televisions positioned strategically around a common room.
People knock the computers for merely taking in scores and spitting out a numerical ranking.
But what do you think the coaches do? Can you see a coach heading into his office after a tough loss merely to watch film of Southern Illinois and Georgia Southern in order to decide who should get his number one vote? Of course not. They’re looking at the same scores as the computers and trying to rationalize who should be ranked where from that information. Actually, that’s even a lie. They’re handing off their ballot to sports information directors who take the time to fill it out for them and send it in. Since the computers have a defined system for processing statistics, I’ll put my money on them, thank you very much.
If you need any more proof that it’s time to deemphasize the human polls, just look at the body that’s ramping up its support of them—the BCS. When you see that mess headed your direction, you know it’s probably best to abandon ship.
—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu. His column appears every Tuesday.