AP vs BCS "National Champs"

[GatorGrad]

Just to piggyback on the other thread discussing AP vs Coaches Poll National Champs, I was wondering...which "National Championship" do you think is more legit or more valued? Keep in mind, I realize that they are both mythical and neither represent a true NCAA Championship. But I am wondering...we have two polls that crown a "National Champ" at the end of each season:

1) The AP Poll

2) The Coaches Poll (now basically the BCS)

Which poll do you value more or recognize more? Or do you view them as equal? To put it another way...although it would obviously be ideal to finish #1 in both polls (like Florida did last season,) if you knew ahead of time that your school would have to share the MNC, which poll would YOU prefer that your school finished #1 in and why?

[CJHawkeyes]

Just to piggyback on the other thread discussing AP vs Coaches Poll National Champs, I was wondering...which "National Championship" do you think is more legit or more valued? Keep in mind, I realize that they are both mythical and neither represent a true NCAA Championship. But I am wondering...we have two polls that crown a "National Champ" at the end of each season:

1) The AP Poll

2) The Coaches Poll (now basically the BCS)

Which poll do you value more or recognize more? Or do you view them as equal? To put it another way...although it would obviously be ideal to finish #1 in both polls (like Florida did last season,) if you knew ahead of time that your school would have to share the MNC, which poll would YOU prefer that your school finished #1 in and why?

I would give the edge to the BCS. Some objectivity is involved and there is a title game, but I really have no respect for either method of determining a champion.

[ktffan]

From reading NCAA and team literature, there's no question that the AP poll is easily the most valued.

[GatorGrad]

If I had to pick one, I would say that historically, the AP Poll has been the most prestigious. I think it's the lesser of two evils as the coaches poll has coaches that don't even watch games other than their own, has asst coaches / school officials filling out the voting card in place of the busy head coach, and definitely has more bias. However, despite its flaws, I would currently rather win the BCS (coaches poll) trophy instead of the AP Poll and trophy if I had to pick one or the other. The BCS gets all of the attention, actually has a championship game, and that crystal football trophy itself is a much "cooler" trophy than the AP's hardware. Of course, both are a sham and it's a shame that we rely on voting for this. But I was just curious about what you all thought.

[Blue Hen]

Ol' broken record me again..........

NCAA championships are better.....way better, than all that other stuff.

[buckeyejim]

If I was forced to choose one over the other, I'd say that the AP has done a better job of selecting National Champions over the years than the Coaches when the polls have disagreed. I've listed the the times they have disagreed in the Final Polls.

1954: AP-Ohio State, Coaches-UCLA
1957: AP-Auburn, Coaches-Ohio State
1965: AP-Alabama, Coaches-Michigan State
1970: AP-Nebraska, Coaches-Texas
1973: AP-Notre Dame, Coaches-Alabama
1974: AP-Oklahoma, Coaches-USC
1978: AP-Alabama, Coaches-USC
1990: AP-Colorado, Coaches-Georgia Tech
1991: AP-Miami (FL), Coaches-Washington
1997: AP-Michigan, Coaches-Nebraska
1954: AP-USC, Coaches-LSU

Obviously this is just an opinion.

[Blue Hen]

Question about this so called 'Coaches' poll.
These voting head coaches that have to spend 60 hrs+ a week on their own team preparing for their next opponent.......as so many claim...how do they find time keep up with the other 118 teams and accurately rank them ? How many teams do these voting coaches actually get to see play ? Somebody explain to me how this whole 'coaches poll' concept isn't a complete sham.

[GatorGrad]

Question about this so called 'Coaches' poll.
These voting head coaches that have to spend 60 hrs+ a week on their own team preparing for their next opponent.......as so many claim...how do they find time keep up with the other 118 teams and accurately rank them ? How many teams do these voting coaches actually get to see play ? Somebody explain to me how this whole 'coaches poll' concept isn't a complete sham.

So I take it that you think that the AP Poll is the most valid, or should I say, the lesser of two evils?

[Blue Hen]

....well, I didn't cast a vote in your survey other than a write in vote for an NCAA championship over the mythical style ones, but if pressed, I'd have to, reluctantly, take the AP poll as the voters in that poll at least see more teams play and have more time to actually think about relative strength. Also, and very important - the AP voters are allowed to vote their true opinions in the last poll while the Coaches are not. Also, kudos to the AP for withdrawing from the BCS selection system which it (AP) viewed as fraud. But as you suggest...'the lesser of two evils'.

The championship divisions of NCAA College Football have assorted polls, but they're for fun more than anything else. These polls are life and death (relatively speaking) in the Exhibition division....no good.

[tigercpa]

If I was forced to choose one over the other, I'd say that the AP has done a better job of selecting National Champions over the years than the Coaches when the polls have disagreed. I've listed the the times they have disagreed in the Final Polls.

1954: AP-Ohio State, Coaches-UCLA
1957: AP-Auburn, Coaches-Ohio State
1965: AP-Alabama, Coaches-Michigan State
1970: AP-Nebraska, Coaches-Texas
1973: AP-Notre Dame, Coaches-Alabama
1974: AP-Oklahoma, Coaches-USC
1978: AP-Alabama, Coaches-USC
1990: AP-Colorado, Coaches-Georgia Tech
1991: AP-Miami (FL), Coaches-Washington
1997: AP-Michigan, Coaches-Nebraska
1954: AP-USC, Coaches-LSU

Obviously this is just an opinion.

Please don't rile up the corn dog crowd any more than they are already about 2003... :-)

If they had to share with USC, tOSU and UCLA, they would absolutely go postal!

[EvilVodka]

Just to piggyback on the other thread discussing AP vs Coaches Poll National Champs, I was wondering...which "National Championship" do you think is more legit or more valued? Keep in mind, I realize that they are both mythical and neither represent a true NCAA Championship. But I am wondering...we have two polls that crown a "National Champ" at the end of each season:

1) The AP Poll

2) The Coaches Poll (now basically the BCS)

Which poll do you value more or recognize more? Or do you view them as equal? To put it another way...although it would obviously be ideal to finish #1 in both polls (like Florida did last season,) if you knew ahead of time that your school would have to share the MNC, which poll would YOU prefer that your school finished #1 in and why?

Good question

IMO, I think the BCS has the most legitimacy to date because it has an actual title game

Also, the further back you go in history, the more illegitimate the Championships become...for example, teams that were awarded championships before the bowls, and then lost their bowl game...if you could somehow go back through history and install a BCS title game, you'd get different results...more legitimate IMO

I like this quote from CFN - "Let’s put it all on the table here … USC has only one real national title under Pete Carroll. I don’t care about 2003. We live in a BCS world, like it or not, and anyone else named a national champion is just for show."