Poll Positions
While we already mentioned USC is ineligible for the coaches' poll, USC is also ineligible for the Harris Poll. That means the Associated Press poll is the only poll that appears willing to include USC this season.
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While we already mentioned USC is ineligible for the coaches' poll, USC is also ineligible for the Harris Poll. That means the Associated Press poll is the only poll that appears willing to include USC this season.
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The AP is the only poll that counts. Fight On!
The Harris poll was created for the explitict purpose of participating in the BCS. After the 2004 football season, The AP requested that their poll be dropped from the BCS formula, and the Harris was created to maintain the appearance that three separate entities (Coaches, Harris, computers) were selecting the teams to play in the BCS CG and BCS bowls. As such, the Harris is simply an entity that serves the BCS. And the BCS is not well served when/if ineligible teams achieve mathematically qualification to BCS bowls. Hence, the BCS eliminated that possibility by excluding USC from the Harris poll. It makes sense, but it is only significant at the "bookkeeping" level.
The Harris poll is voted on by knowledgeable, incompetent dolts. What you say? Scott is a voter for AP? I guess that poll has the same criterion.
I really wonder how USC's exclusion from the BCS process will hurt other Pac-10 teams. Remember that bonus points are awarded to teams that beat BCS ranked teams. It's one of the many factors that go into determining those rankings, so when SC isn't ranked, teams like Oregon or Stanford will lose that opportunity to get extra points - and will end up worse for wear.
But what about the computer polls? Will they include SC?