Style Points Galore
By Bruce Marshall
What next? Dick Button, Scott Hamilton and Peggy Fleming joining Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso on ESPN College Game Day? Forgive us for that bit of tongue-in-cheek, but with all of the recent talk about "style points" in college football and the polls, we couldn’t help but make reference to figure skating. After all, how a team looks when it wins is almost as important as winning a game, period, these days. Especially when we’re talking about potential BCS Busters who have to hit all of their triple Lutzes and Salchows in order to gain enough notice in the polls to have a chance at a coveted BCS invitation. Or, in an absolute best-case scenario, perhaps even a ticket into the BCS title game.
Running up scores to curry favor with pollsters, however, is hardly a new development. And it is an unfortunate byproduct of a college football system that continues to jump through countless hoops in order to avoid the sort of playoff system that most fans desire. Instead, teams playing the "poll game" are often compelled to dispel sportsmanship and run up scores on overmatched opposition whenever possible, hoping for a possible "bump" in the polls. Just ask Penn State HC Joe Paterno, who still believes his 1994 Nittany Lions (in the last pre-Bowl Alliance or BCS season) were denied at least a share of the national title with Nebraska because of an early-November contest at Indiana in which the Hoosiers scored a pair of late TDs (the last on a 40-yard Hail Mary bomb as the game clock expired) and a 2-point conversion to cut Paterno’s final win margin to only 35-29. Because the scoreline apparently wasn’t impressive enough, Penn State relinquished the top spot in the USA Today coaches poll to the Huskers, who routed Kansas 45-17 the same day and continued unbeaten (and stayed number one) through their Orange Bowl win vs. Miami.
Paterno’s Nittany Lions never reclaimed the top spot in the polls that season, and thereafter the strategy of "Shades" changed noticeably, as he was no longer going to be reluctant to run up scores if it could help his team in the polls. That included the final regular-season game of the ‘94 campaign, when instead of displaying some customary grace at the end of a heavy win over Michigan State in what was be longtime Spartan HC George Perles’ farewell game, Paterno had starting QB Kerry Collins in the game deep in the 4th Q, throwing bombs to increase an already sizable Nittany Lion edge that would mushroom to 59-31. The repercussions of letting Indiana close the final margin left an indelible impression on the mind of Paterno, who has run up scores countless of times in the fifteen years since. Although JoePa is hardly the worst offenders among college coaches guilty of such transgressions.
Instances of teams playing the "poll game" go back much further than 1994. Indeed, there might have never been a better example than 1966, when Ara Parseghian’s Notre Dame controversially (but wisely) settled for a 10-10 tie in the epic "Game of the Century" November 19 at Michigan State, with knowledge that the Irish still had one more game left on their schedule (vs. Southern Cal) to better sell the idea to pollsters that Notre Dame should be number one. Which the Irish did beyond a doubt in their final game, burying the Trojans 51-0. Moreover, Parseghian made no bones about his intentions. "I would say we went out to prove we are number one," said Parseghian after handing SC its worst-ever defeat in an epic bombardment ironically led by ND’s backup QB, Coley O'Brien, who threw 3 TD passes. "And we did, didn’t we?" Notre Dame. not surprisingly, subsequently topped the final polls in 1966.
Most of the attention for the current interpretation of such developments seems to involve non-"Big Six" entries such as Boise State, TCU, and Utah, which risk losing their places in the BCS Buster "queue" if their wins aren’t impressive enough each week. And, for the most part, the Broncos, Horned Frogs, and Utes have been taking care of business lately. Which is a necessity, considering the lengths the "style points" debate has progressed, reflected in how several media members, and some Boise State players, resorted to playing the "score comparison" between the Broncos and TCU against Oregon State, an early-season victim of both. After last week’s 37-24 win over the Beavers, Boise QB Kellen Moore reminded scribes that the Broncos had defeated OSU a bit more soundly than did the Horned Frogs (a 30-21 winner over the Beavs back on September 4). "They (OSU) played neck-and-neck with TCU earlier in the season," Moore reminded reporters after last week’s 13-point Boise win. Although some wire service reports of the Broncos’ win over Oregon State wondered if Boise hadn’t cost itself some "style points" when committing 8 often-costly penalties against the Beavers. For better or worse, the magnifying glasses are out in force for the hopeful BCS Busters.
But "style points" apply to all high-rated teams, and some of those have delivered impressive point-spread results in recent times...especially when laying heavy lumber. Following is a quick rundown of some of last week’s ranked college teams who have displayed pronounced point-spread trends as a favorite in recent times.
Alabama...Nick Saban didn’t quite get the number last week at Arkansas, but his teams are still 16-6 their last 22 as chalk, including 4-0 as a double-digit favorite away from home. The Tide has also covered 6 of its last 7 laying 20 or more. Ohio State...Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes are now 50-22 vs. the line since mid 2004, including covers in 10 of their last 13 as double-digit chalk. The Buckeyes have also covered 6 of their last 7 laying 20 or more. Boise State...The Broncos have long been a profitable favorite, standing 66-38 as chalk the past decade, as well as 23-10 their last 33 vs. the line overall. Boise is also 20-9 as blue carpet chalk since mid ‘04, and has covered 10 of its last 15 laying 20 or more. TCU...The Frogs have been especially tough as home favorites lately, standing 14-4 as Amon Carter Stadium chalk since ‘07, and 11-3 as DD chalk at Fort Worth that span. Oregon...The Ducks are 13-5 as DD chalk since 2007, and like Bama & Ohio State have covered 6 of their last 7 laying 20 or more. Oklahoma...The Sooners were dynamite vs. the number with QB Sam Bradford at the controls in 2008, covering 9 of 10 as DD chalk, but they’re only 2-7 in that role since. Florida...Urban Meyer is now 29-13 his last 42 as chalk since late ‘06, including 13-7 laying DDs at The Swamp. Utah...The Utes are now 14-6 laying DDs since 2007. Utah has also covered 9 of its last 10 laying 20 or more since early in the 2008 campaign. Stanford...It hasn’t taken HC Jim Harbaugh long to learn how the "style" game is played. He’s now 10-3 his last 13 as chalk and has covered five straight laying DDs.