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Pollsters, At Least, Are Impressed With USF

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By BRETT McMURPHY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

Updated: 10/13/2007 12:22 am

TAMPA - As the University of South Florida continues climbing in the polls, more and more critics emerge to dismiss the Bulls as a fluke or an annoyance on the national scene.

Two weeks ago, it was Alabama coach Nick Saban taking a shot at USF and last week, former University of Miami coach Jimmy Johnson said there were a number of two-loss teams 'that would wear them out.' Since Saban and Johnson also are former Miami Dolphins coaches it's probably only a matter of time until Don Shula disses the Bulls.

While newspaper columnists and TV talking heads continue to bash USF's national title hopes, there is one faction that doesn't let personal bias interfere with their judgment of the Bulls: the computers used in the BCS rankings.

Six computer polls - Anderson-Hester, Billingsley, Colley, Massey, Sagarin and Wolfe - are used as part of the BCS rankings, along with two human polls (the coaches and Harris).

Entering today's contest with UCF (3-2), USF (5-0) is ranked the nation's No. 1 team by Anderson-Hester, second by Massey and Sagarin and third by Billingsley and Colley.

Wolfe's rankings won't be released until Sunday along with the first official BCS rankings.

The humans don't look as kindly at the Bulls. USF is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll (not used in the BCS), No. 5 in the coaches poll and No. 6 in the Harris poll.

'I'm not one that believes USF is the fifth- or sixth-best team in the country right now,' ESPN 'College GameDay' host Chris Fowler said.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit also doesn't believe an undefeated USF would be worthy of playing in the national title game. He also believes USC, which is ranked no higher than 15th in four of the six computer polls but is seventh in the two human polls, would pass USF.

'I could see a one-loss team with a traditional name going right by them when they're not playing top 20-type opponents the rest of the season,' Herbstreit said. 'Where USC will play Oregon, Arizona State and Cal. You're trying to tell me if USC runs the table and beats those kinds of team, they're going to stay behind USF? I find that highly unlikely.'

Joe Biddle, of The Tennessean, votes in the Harris poll and has USF in his top five.

'USF has gotten everyone's attention,' he said. 'With all the upsets they're in the perfect storm right now. They're moving on up like 'The Jeffersons.''

The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger's Tom Luicci, another Harris voter, believes if USF is one of two remaining unbeatens, the Bulls would deserve a spot in the national title game.

'I don't think people would deny an unbeaten Big East team a spot,' Luicci said.

Blair Kerkhoff, of the Kansas City Star, said USF has as impressive of a resume at this point as anyone in the country.

'When you strip away the tradition, the heritage from everybody and you figure that all teams start from the same place, South Florida has done as much as any team in the country, except for maybe for LSU,' Kerkhoff said.

Tommy Hicks, another Harris Poll voter, from the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register, believes USF is in good position if it can run the table.

'I think they'll be in pretty good shape,' Hicks said. 'The computers don't look at how many national championships you've won or if your coach has won 300 games, they look at Team A, Team B and Team C and how they have performed against this year's schedule.'

Even so, USF might have to do a little extra to convince the human voters.

'Style points are really important,' Fowler said. 'They have to take care of business each and every week starting this week by thumping UCF.

'They have a lot of things working against them to reach the title game, but it's not impossible.'

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928 or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com.

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