The coach of a college football team that averages 39 points a game really shouldn't get too mad when a rival runs up a 41-17 score in a championship game.
But Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino appeared to be extremely upset with LSU Coach Les Miles after the Tigers kicked a field goal with five minutes remaining in their battle for the 2011 Western Division championship of the Southeastern Conference (November 25). He barely shook hands with Miles at the end of the game and some unconfirmed Internet reports said he screamed an obscenity at Miles across the field before the game end.
At his news conference after the game, Petrino seemed just as unhappy, but a bit calmer. The Hogs, he said, "got beat by a better football team."
Miles Held Down the Ole Miss Score
A week earlier, Miles had been criticized for having his quarterback down the ball four straight times in the Ole Miss red zone to avoid scoring more points against the Rebels. Some critics said that was insulting to the badly-beaten Rebs.
By now, Miles might be asking "what's a guy to do?"
It's what the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has brought us with its computer models.
It's why Arkansas ran up 50-plus points against the Missouri State Bears and the New Mexico Lobos at the start of the 2011 season and 40-plus points against Tennessee and Mississippi State near the end of the season.
Coaches Must Play Against the Computers
College coaches now find themselves playing against computers, as well as against rival football teams. There was a time when fans expected coaches not only to win but also to beat the point spreads published by Los Vegas casinos. Now they must run up points to impress the computers.
Pity the coach who loses a BCS bowl bid by failing to run up sufficient computer points against an already-beaten opponent.
Whether he was or not, Miles should have been thinking about the computer rankings in case LSU loses to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Though they will probably be favorites, the Tigers will be playing their 13th game of the season and could be emotionally drained. They also will be playing in Atlanta, giving an improving Georgia team the home field advantage. A spot in the BCS title game will hang in the balance.
Houston Scored 70-Plus Against Rice, Tulane
Few folks outside the BCS inner circle understand its computer rankings, but big scores seem to matter. Why would an unbeaten team like Houston run up 70-plus points against hapless Rice and Tulane teams? Scores like that will be remembered by those schools and coaches in later years. However, Houston climbed steadily from 19th to 8th in the course of running up seven lopsided victories against unranked opponents.
Sometimes, it seems coaches can't control the situation. Substituting reserve players often just means putting in fresh, fired-up players against tired losing players
Unfortunately, the computer rankings probably also influence the voting in the sports writer and coach polls because the machines are considered objective. However, a bit of human judgment may sometimes be helpful in preserving sanity and friendships in the college ranks.
Of course, you'd think computers would be smart enough to handle such problems on their own.
Join the Conversation