Back in 2008, the Big 12 had a bit of a logjam up top. There was a three-way tie at 11-1 between Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech and a mess in the head-to-head results: Texas beat Oklahoma, who beat Texas Tech, who beat Texas.
Yes, ‘Art Briles’ voted Texas behind a team it beat. But Art Briles didn’t actually vote
“If they ask me not to vote again, I’m fine with it.”
What does this have to do with 2014? Well, Baylor and TCU are in the midst of a race for a playoff bid, and it’s looking quite likely the two teams could have identical 11-1 records at the end of the year. Baylor beat TCU by three in their head-to-head matchup, but lost to four-loss West Virginia by two touchdowns. Baylor fans argue head-to-head should trump all, while TCU fans argue their loss is better.
Where this got a bit sticky for Baylor fans involves that 2008 season. As TCU fans have been eager to point out, Baylor head coach Art Briles voted Oklahoma No. 1 and Texas No. 5 in the year-end Coaches Poll, even though the Longhorns won their head-to-head matchup. Except, Briles didn’t actually vote, he says.
Briles on voting Texas No. 5 and OU No. 1 in 2008: "I didn't vote on that poll. I passed it on to somebody in the office."
— David Ubben (@davidubben) November 17, 2014 This is a pretty well-known secret: coaches don’t actually vote in the Coaches Poll, making it essentially worthless as a rankings system (would you pay attention if it was called the SID Poll?). To our knowledge, Briles is the first coach to be so publicly candid about the process. It appears he doesn’t fear any possible repercussions as a result of his comments.
Briles on passing his ballot: "I've done it that way every year. If they ask me not to vote again, I'm fine with it."
— David Ubben (@davidubben) November 17, 2014 See More:
