Football Polls And Conflict Of Interest

It was recently revealed how unheralded USF made it into the top 40 in the recent USA Today/coaches preseason football poll. It was because one of the polled coaches, USF’s Jim Leavitt, had the Bulls 18th on his ballot. No other voting coach had the Bulls anywhere near that. Leavitt’s vote was largely responsible for USF’s rating. Polls, regardless of subplots and controversies, are great for generating publicity and fan interest. But it’s awkward for coaches who have a vested interest in how they rank their own team as well as those on their schedule, especially the ones in their conference. The obvious compromise: No coach should be permitted to vote for his own team. That’s an obvious conflict of interest and has to change. That said, go Bulls.

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