There’s no spinning in football?

Fall is coming and the debate begins on another season of the AP, USAToday, and BCS college football rankings to determine which two teams will play for the national championship. Without even playing a single game, the national championship hopes of the pre-season top 25 have already begun to be determined.

In recent years, the controversy surrounding the method of selecting the teams that compete for the national championship has contributed to a changed game and different philosophy regarding not only football, but the power of spin. You may remember the controversy surrounding the selection of teams to the national championship game in January of 2007. The long and short of the controversy was the University of Florida was selected to play Ohio State in the championship game instead of the University of Michigan. Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer was scorned for taking, what some thought, was a spinning role, touting his team’s superiority and right to play for the national championship.   As it turns out, Florida dominated the Ohio State team, deemed by many to be un-beatable, proving Meyer was not spinning, but simply delivering the facts of the Gator’s ability to win a national championship.

Expect this year to be no different. After the success of Meyer’s actions, it will come as no surprise to see athletic departments across the country spinning every piece of information they can get a hold of in hopes of repeating his results. Coaches will be speaking out more often than ever before on their team’s superiority. Unfortunately, the speaking abilities of some coaches and athletic spokespersons may allow them to actually spin their team into a higher ranking. If this is the case, it will be a disaster for college football and the competition on the field fans enjoy every Saturday in the fall. Hopefully the media and the fans can keep the coaches in check and teams will be judged on their merits, not the spin they create. — Morgan Smith