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An Open Letter to Fox, ABC, and the Fans
From the desk of Richard Billingsley:
I’ve been a college football fan for 49 years, probably longer than the current age of the majority of the media representatives covering the sport today. There is no doubt in my mind that college football is the greatest sport on earth, yet, season by season, the ignorance of media representatives, the lack of sportsmanship, and the greed of television is slowly but surely diminishing my appreciation of this beloved game.
The brawl between the players from Miami and Florida International was a disgrace to the rich history of sportsmanship generated by thousands of dedicated young men who graced the fields of the gridiron for over 135 years. Shame on you, shame on all of you who participated in that gross misuse of your God given talent. But there is nothing that the fans of college football can do about situations like that. Our hands are tied. That incident was a result of a much larger problem in society, one that has been building for years. It can be traced all the way back into the 1980’s. But preventing incidents like that is unfortunately in the hands of administrators, politicians, and millions of citizens who comprise this great nation of ours, many of whom would not know the difference between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the country music group Alabama playing on their Ipod. It’s up to the whole of society to determine just how far we will slide into the abyss of human experiences before we say enough. I fear we may be too late to stop it now.
For decades television has been chipping away at the tradition and integrity of college football. I recognize that the need for big money is a necessity in the NCAA Division 1-A. But I also know that long ago administrators failed to strike a balance between what television money is necessary to survive and what has become saturation in the marketplace. No one could be a more dedicated fan than I am, but not even I care to watch college football 7 days a week. Yes, it’s true. By seasons end we will have seen a college football game at least once on every day of the week. That is insane and a disgrace to the tradition of college football. Call me old fashioned, but some things should just not be compromised. Thursday’s were a great addition to the sport, Friday was pushing the envelope, but Sunday was over the line. Enough said.
The real reason for my taking the time to share these few but precious thoughts is because this past weekend I witnessed Craig James of ABC sports ignorantly blast the BCS computers on national television for the umpteenth time, and this morning I read a commentary on Fox Sports web site by Pete Fiutak questioning why the BCS has more than one computer formula in the standings. I want to do what I can to help answer that question for Mr. Fiutak, and comment on Craig James and his misunderstanding of the role computers play in the BCS.
Observations of this nature were to be expected in the initial years of the Bowl Championship Series because the BCS itself was a new experience for college football, but ladies and gentlemen, this is 2006. This is the 9th season in the existence of the BCS, an organization in which the great majority of fans recognize is without a doubt a positive participant in college football, light years ahead of the old Bowl system. Say what you will about the formula, but at least acknowledge that matching #1 and #2 team in a championship game is better than watching #1 and #2 play in separate Bowls, which is what college football had from the inception of the Associated Press Poll in 1936 until the BCS in 1998. I’m just weary of the fact that the media refuses to do their job by investigating aspects of the BCS before they carelessly and thoughtlessly impart information that is ridden with misinformation. This only serves to undermine not only the BCS, but college football as a whole. The BCS is a part of college football. Computers are a part of the BCS. Get over it. If anyone, media reps or fans don’t understand the intricacies of the formula by now, whose fault is it? THEIRS!
Millions of people watch national television pre-game shows, whether it is ESPN, ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC or some cable outlet. Millions of people read information on these same media outlet web sites. Everything seems to be about shock values, selling ad space, and stirring up controversy. Does anyone in the media REALLY care about the facts anymore? Do the facts ever come into play when writing or speaking about the BCS? Craig James, do you really want to understand the dynamics of each of the computer rankings? You should. It is your job as a responsible analyst for ABC. Why have you not tried to contact me? I’m very accessible. I love talking college football. Chris Fowler has called me on several occasions because he wants to know the facts before he gets on national television and starts making remarks about subjects he realizes he might not have all the information he needs to make an informed statement. Craig, I admire your work, but you’ve slipped into the same role played by 99% of the media……just doing whatever attracts attention, regardless of how misinformed the statements are. Do you feel any sense of responsibility to your viewers to be informed? If you do then you’ll investigate what role the computers play in the formula and you’ll take an individual look at the rankings and not lump all of us together into one category. There is a reason why there are six computers, and a reason why we output different results. You slammed the “computers” for their ranking of Texas. Did you even bother to notice I had Texas ranked #7 at the time….almost identical to the Harris and Coaches Polls at #5?
Pete, you’re article was well written, and thanks to your recent email, I understand more clearly the intent behind it. We certainly do agree on one thing, the computers should comprise more of the formula than 33.3%. It should be at least 50% and I continue to fight for this in each off season, but to no avail at this point. You are probably correct in your email assessment that the fans would have a clearer understanding of the computer ranking if there were only one computer being used. But in question of whether or not the BCS should use only one computer, the answer is no. It is not humanly possible to achieve this. At one time the BCS did actually consider this possibility, but I personally enlightened then BCS Commissioner Kevin Weiberg on the fact it could not be done, and he understood. I spoke with Commissioner Weiberg in person several times during his tenure as BCS Commissioner and we discussed many aspects of the BCS and college football in general. I always appreciated his accessibility and his willingness to listen to my suggestions.
The reason the BCS uses more than one computer is because there is no one single philosophy of how to rank teams in college football. I don’t know what your personal preferences are regarding factors that you might consider to be important in the process of ranking teams, so I’ll ask this question to start, would you want to use an initial rank of teams to start the season as the AP and Coaches polls do, or would you prefer to start everyone out equal? There is the core of your answer right there. I’ll guarantee you at least 50% of America will disagree with your perspective of that, and your answer would DRAMTICALLY change the ranking of each team as the season unfolds. Already that means at least two computers are needed. Next I would ask you this. Should the site of the game be taken into account? Do you want strength of schedule to be based solely on wins and losses of opponents, or would you want to factor in the strength of the conference, or perhaps the opponents rank instead of their record? These issues are all addressed in the various computer formulas, and I can tell you from experience, millions of fans subscribe to the philosophy of one of the computers over the others, feeling that one formula addresses their belief stronger than the others. That’s cool…..that’s why there are 6 of us! The BCS was just covering all the bases.
I’m not going to sit here and whine about the computers not getting the respect they deserve, but I certainly have the ammunition to do that. The 7 men who generate the 6 computer rankings for the BCS are dedicated to college football. The current computer panel of 2006 boasts over 100 years of combined service to the field of mathematical rankings in college football. Not only are these gentlemen the best America has to offer in this field, but they are highly regarded in their individual respective professions.
• Jeff Sagarin is a mathematics graduate of MIT and is America’s best known, and highly respected rankings professional through his syndicated work in the USA-Today newspaper since 1985.
• Kenneth Massey is a mathematics graduate from Virginia Tech, a young man that Roy Kramer once described to me as “one of the brightest young mathematical minds in the world”.
•Wes Colley has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Princeton and is currently a Senior Research Scientist in Virginia.
•Doctor Peter Wolfe is a world renowned medical researcher.
•Anderson/Hester- Jeff Anderson is a professor of Political Science at the Air Force Academy. Chris Hester is a professional sports broadcaster.
• Myself, Richard Billingsley. While I lack the credentials of some of the members of the panel, I’m a dedicated fan who has spent much of the past 30 years compiling the world’s largest database of college football scores and statistics. If you have a copy of the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, look at those 1,625 pages of information. Now, realize this……. over 1,300 pages of that information was supplied by Richard Billingsley, a man who has dedicated practically his entire life to recording the history of college football. In the encyclopedia you will find an article I wrote on the history of mathematical ranking systems (page 1128). You should come away with a much greater understanding of how each computer formula operates, but if you have any further questions, pick up the phone and give me a call. I would love to chat with both of you, or any media representative for that matter. I do hundreds of radio and newspaper interviews a season and I never tire of talking college football.
Look at my rankings. Compare them to the Harris Poll, the Coaches Poll, and your own idea of where each team should be ranked. Find what you consider to be an injustice and call me, we’ll talk about it. I’m never one to turn down a lively discussion of college football rankings.
Richard Billingsley
October 27, 2006
From the desk of Richard Billingsley:
I’ve been a college football fan for 49 years, probably longer than the current age of the majority of the media representatives covering the sport today. There is no doubt in my mind that college football is the greatest sport on earth, yet, season by season, the ignorance of media representatives, the lack of sportsmanship, and the greed of television is slowly but surely diminishing my appreciation of this beloved game.
The brawl between the players from Miami and Florida International was a disgrace to the rich history of sportsmanship generated by thousands of dedicated young men who graced the fields of the gridiron for over 135 years. Shame on you, shame on all of you who participated in that gross misuse of your God given talent. But there is nothing that the fans of college football can do about situations like that. Our hands are tied. That incident was a result of a much larger problem in society, one that has been building for years. It can be traced all the way back into the 1980’s. But preventing incidents like that is unfortunately in the hands of administrators, politicians, and millions of citizens who comprise this great nation of ours, many of whom would not know the difference between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the country music group Alabama playing on their Ipod. It’s up to the whole of society to determine just how far we will slide into the abyss of human experiences before we say enough. I fear we may be too late to stop it now.
For decades television has been chipping away at the tradition and integrity of college football. I recognize that the need for big money is a necessity in the NCAA Division 1-A. But I also know that long ago administrators failed to strike a balance between what television money is necessary to survive and what has become saturation in the marketplace. No one could be a more dedicated fan than I am, but not even I care to watch college football 7 days a week. Yes, it’s true. By seasons end we will have seen a college football game at least once on every day of the week. That is insane and a disgrace to the tradition of college football. Call me old fashioned, but some things should just not be compromised. Thursday’s were a great addition to the sport, Friday was pushing the envelope, but Sunday was over the line. Enough said.
The real reason for my taking the time to share these few but precious thoughts is because this past weekend I witnessed Craig James of ABC sports ignorantly blast the BCS computers on national television for the umpteenth time, and this morning I read a commentary on Fox Sports web site by Pete Fiutak questioning why the BCS has more than one computer formula in the standings. I want to do what I can to help answer that question for Mr. Fiutak, and comment on Craig James and his misunderstanding of the role computers play in the BCS.
Observations of this nature were to be expected in the initial years of the Bowl Championship Series because the BCS itself was a new experience for college football, but ladies and gentlemen, this is 2006. This is the 9th season in the existence of the BCS, an organization in which the great majority of fans recognize is without a doubt a positive participant in college football, light years ahead of the old Bowl system. Say what you will about the formula, but at least acknowledge that matching #1 and #2 team in a championship game is better than watching #1 and #2 play in separate Bowls, which is what college football had from the inception of the Associated Press Poll in 1936 until the BCS in 1998. I’m just weary of the fact that the media refuses to do their job by investigating aspects of the BCS before they carelessly and thoughtlessly impart information that is ridden with misinformation. This only serves to undermine not only the BCS, but college football as a whole. The BCS is a part of college football. Computers are a part of the BCS. Get over it. If anyone, media reps or fans don’t understand the intricacies of the formula by now, whose fault is it? THEIRS!
Millions of people watch national television pre-game shows, whether it is ESPN, ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC or some cable outlet. Millions of people read information on these same media outlet web sites. Everything seems to be about shock values, selling ad space, and stirring up controversy. Does anyone in the media REALLY care about the facts anymore? Do the facts ever come into play when writing or speaking about the BCS? Craig James, do you really want to understand the dynamics of each of the computer rankings? You should. It is your job as a responsible analyst for ABC. Why have you not tried to contact me? I’m very accessible. I love talking college football. Chris Fowler has called me on several occasions because he wants to know the facts before he gets on national television and starts making remarks about subjects he realizes he might not have all the information he needs to make an informed statement. Craig, I admire your work, but you’ve slipped into the same role played by 99% of the media……just doing whatever attracts attention, regardless of how misinformed the statements are. Do you feel any sense of responsibility to your viewers to be informed? If you do then you’ll investigate what role the computers play in the formula and you’ll take an individual look at the rankings and not lump all of us together into one category. There is a reason why there are six computers, and a reason why we output different results. You slammed the “computers” for their ranking of Texas. Did you even bother to notice I had Texas ranked #7 at the time….almost identical to the Harris and Coaches Polls at #5?
Pete, you’re article was well written, and thanks to your recent email, I understand more clearly the intent behind it. We certainly do agree on one thing, the computers should comprise more of the formula than 33.3%. It should be at least 50% and I continue to fight for this in each off season, but to no avail at this point. You are probably correct in your email assessment that the fans would have a clearer understanding of the computer ranking if there were only one computer being used. But in question of whether or not the BCS should use only one computer, the answer is no. It is not humanly possible to achieve this. At one time the BCS did actually consider this possibility, but I personally enlightened then BCS Commissioner Kevin Weiberg on the fact it could not be done, and he understood. I spoke with Commissioner Weiberg in person several times during his tenure as BCS Commissioner and we discussed many aspects of the BCS and college football in general. I always appreciated his accessibility and his willingness to listen to my suggestions.
The reason the BCS uses more than one computer is because there is no one single philosophy of how to rank teams in college football. I don’t know what your personal preferences are regarding factors that you might consider to be important in the process of ranking teams, so I’ll ask this question to start, would you want to use an initial rank of teams to start the season as the AP and Coaches polls do, or would you prefer to start everyone out equal? There is the core of your answer right there. I’ll guarantee you at least 50% of America will disagree with your perspective of that, and your answer would DRAMTICALLY change the ranking of each team as the season unfolds. Already that means at least two computers are needed. Next I would ask you this. Should the site of the game be taken into account? Do you want strength of schedule to be based solely on wins and losses of opponents, or would you want to factor in the strength of the conference, or perhaps the opponents rank instead of their record? These issues are all addressed in the various computer formulas, and I can tell you from experience, millions of fans subscribe to the philosophy of one of the computers over the others, feeling that one formula addresses their belief stronger than the others. That’s cool…..that’s why there are 6 of us! The BCS was just covering all the bases.
I’m not going to sit here and whine about the computers not getting the respect they deserve, but I certainly have the ammunition to do that. The 7 men who generate the 6 computer rankings for the BCS are dedicated to college football. The current computer panel of 2006 boasts over 100 years of combined service to the field of mathematical rankings in college football. Not only are these gentlemen the best America has to offer in this field, but they are highly regarded in their individual respective professions.
• Jeff Sagarin is a mathematics graduate of MIT and is America’s best known, and highly respected rankings professional through his syndicated work in the USA-Today newspaper since 1985.
• Kenneth Massey is a mathematics graduate from Virginia Tech, a young man that Roy Kramer once described to me as “one of the brightest young mathematical minds in the world”.
•Wes Colley has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Princeton and is currently a Senior Research Scientist in Virginia.
•Doctor Peter Wolfe is a world renowned medical researcher.
•Anderson/Hester- Jeff Anderson is a professor of Political Science at the Air Force Academy. Chris Hester is a professional sports broadcaster.
• Myself, Richard Billingsley. While I lack the credentials of some of the members of the panel, I’m a dedicated fan who has spent much of the past 30 years compiling the world’s largest database of college football scores and statistics. If you have a copy of the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, look at those 1,625 pages of information. Now, realize this……. over 1,300 pages of that information was supplied by Richard Billingsley, a man who has dedicated practically his entire life to recording the history of college football. In the encyclopedia you will find an article I wrote on the history of mathematical ranking systems (page 1128). You should come away with a much greater understanding of how each computer formula operates, but if you have any further questions, pick up the phone and give me a call. I would love to chat with both of you, or any media representative for that matter. I do hundreds of radio and newspaper interviews a season and I never tire of talking college football.
Look at my rankings. Compare them to the Harris Poll, the Coaches Poll, and your own idea of where each team should be ranked. Find what you consider to be an injustice and call me, we’ll talk about it. I’m never one to turn down a lively discussion of college football rankings.
Richard Billingsley
October 27, 2006
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