Recalling BYU’s soft ’85 schedule

ROGER CARLSON

A bell rang on Monday as I scanned a story in The Times about the

Associated Press football poll and how some writers were

uncomfortable with participating in the process.

The AP rankings indeed, thankfully and correctly, provided USC’s

football team with No. 1 laurels, sharing the honor with Louisiana

State after its victory over an undeserving finalist, Oklahoma, on

Sunday.

One writer had given up his vote on the AP panel before this

season, because there was too much of a chance of “becoming the

news,” as opposed to “reporting the news.” And another was

uncomfortable with the ethics issue.

There is a thin line between being the reporter of an event, as

opposed to being in a position to being a part of the event.

I found myself in that position in January of 1985 after the bowl

games were completed.

Brigham Young University defeated Michigan in late December at the

Holiday Bowl to go 13-0-0 and a few days later was named No. 1 in

both polls, the coaches and the writers.

I was on the AP panel, the second year of a second “run” as a

voter on the writers’ panel and was one of several voters who did not

vote for LaVell Edwards’ BYU eleven, denying it a complete sweep as

the only undefeated team in the land.

The Cougars played a very soft schedule that season -- defeating

Pittsburgh (3-7-1), Baylor (5-6), Tulsa (6-5), Hawaii (7-4), Colorado

State (3-8), Wyoming (6-6), Air Force (8-4), New Mexico (4-8),

Texas-El Paso (2-9), San Diego State (4-7-1), Utah (6-5-1) and Utah

State (1-10), before posting a 24-17 victory over Michigan (6-6).

They managed to get past Hawaii, 18-13, Wyoming, 41-38, and Air

Force, 30-25. It was Michigan’s worst record in 17 years.

Washington (11-1-0), meanwhile, KO’d Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl,

28-17. The Huskies’ only loss was to Rose Bowl-winner USC (9-3),

16-7, and there were no USCs on BYU’s schedule.

It was a hot topic in November, with BYU and its weak schedule in

the No. 1 slot with its unblemished record after Washington fell in

the 10th week.

After some writers went with Washington in the final poll,

including myself, the Associated Press called me at home, inquiring

for my reasons for not voting for BYU.

I had not voted for BYU as the No. 1 team at any point in the

season. And, a final No. 2 vote for BYU was given grudgingly. There

were several teams obviously superior, among them USC, Ohio State,

Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington.

I told the caller, “I have a question for all of those so enamored

with ‘nbeaten.’ Where were you late in the season when Cal State

Fullerton was 10-0 and the panel [logically] had the Titans No. 19

because of a ‘soft schedule’ ”?

Fullerton finished 11-1 and among its list of victims were Hawaii,

Colorado State and Fresno State.

Why such respect for a BYU schedule which was arguably not much

better than Fullerton’s?

The Times and Register did not carry the AP story, but plenty of

others did and my question was the central point of the piece. I got

a phone call from Seattle where the Huskies thought I had it just

right.

At any rate, that was my reasoning, right or wrong, but I had no

idea I’d wind up in the sports pages around the country.

I found myself on the AP panel after receiving written invitations

from AP, twice, and looking back can only presume I was given the

opportunity because I covered home games for two major schools (USC

and UCLA). I’d call in each Sunday morning from home with my picks,

always updating my previous selections, as opposed to updating the

actual Top 20, but it was not something to boast about, it was just

my first assignment each Sunday morning.

There seems little doubt the Pilot, with a circulation at that

time hovering around 15,000, was one of the smallest in the nation,

if not the smallest, to be involved with the AP Top 20.

That was the end of my voting on the AP panel. The following

season I was replaced by the Register’s college writer, who to my

amusement, referred to his paper’s participation in his game notes

and so forth on a regular basis, which was something new.

It must have just about jolted them out of their chairs after

scanning the AP story to read of the tiny Daily Pilot’s AP Top 20

football poll voter, while they had been sitting on their duffs.

I had a previous “run” of two or three years with the AP voting in

the late ‘70s when USC was running amok, but there was nothing close

to controversy and I considered the end of the first tour simply a

matter of rotation. Perhaps it was no more than rotation, again, I

don’t know.

At any rate, I remember that uncomfortable feeling about becoming

the news in 1985, rather than reporting the news, and it didn’t

bother me at all to see it end.

Still, because of the power of the bowls and the apparent forever

lack of playoffs on the Division I level, someone’s got to do it, and

thankfully they got it right this season. Without the writers, USC

would be No. 2.

Hey. See you next Sunday.

* ROGER CARLSON is the former sports editor for the Daily Pilot.

His columnappears on Sundays. He can be reached by e-mail at

[email protected].