How does the USA Today poll work?

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 6:18 pm

Exactly how do they break down the voting process? IE, how many people have how many votes which are counted in such and such a way?

transfer2BGSU · Post by **transfer2BGSU** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 6:40 pm

USA Today is the coaches poll, correct?

If so, approximately 60 football coaches are selected to partixcipate by the College Football Coaches Association. Joe Paterno recently elected not to particpate for next year.

Each of the sixty coaches is responsible for submitting a ballot with their Top 25 football programs on it. Ususally they turn this duty over to an Assistant Coach or a Sports Information Director and have no idea who their votes are going for.

How's that?

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:33 pm

No, I mean is the voting weighted in some way, the numbers I looked at don't add up exactly. Do they rank them, does each rank come with a given vote tally, etc.

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 8:01 pm

NWLB wrote:No, I mean is the voting weighted in some way, the numbers I looked at don't add up exactly. Do they rank them, does each rank come with a given vote tally, etc.

The poll is listed here along with everyone who votes in it:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/ ... atpoll.htm

I'm almost positive a first-place vote gets 25 points, second 24 points, and on down to a 25th-place vote, which would get one point.

I don't think there's any other weighting to it.

By rule (a rule that makes me want to vomit every time I think about it) all 61 coaches had to vote for Southern California once they won the Orange Bowl last year. 61 x 25 = 1,525.