High-profile former coaches hope to form new poll

Thursday, July 14, 2005 | 9:11 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

A group of high-profile former coaches will meet this weekend to discuss forming a new college football poll that won't be part of the Bowl Championship Series formula -- at least this season.

Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he has been invited to attend the secret two-day meetings at a resort in Thomasville, where the ex-coaches will discuss what's being called "The Master Coaches Survey," aka "The MCS."

The idea for the poll involving only former head coaches is the brainchild of Atlanta-based attorney Andy Curtin, who wouldn't comment when contacted Wednesday. It's not clear what the coaches' motivation is, although they may hope their poll becomes part of the BCS formula down the road.

"It's an interesting idea and I promised that I would come down and listen to what they have to say," Dooley said.

The new Harris Interactive Football poll, formally introduced earlier this week as the final piece of this year's BCS formula, has been turned down by a significant number of former coaches.

Now we know why.

A slew of them are on the guest list for this weekend's meetings, including Oklahoma's Barry Switzer, Michigan's Bo Schembechler, Ohio State's John Cooper, Auburn's Pat Dye and Alabama's Gene Stallings. Dye said he could not comment when asked Wednesday about the new poll.

Under the structure of the Master Coaches Survey, coaches would put together their poll by watching game films, making reports on the teams and taking part in a conference call to finalize the rankings.

"If everything is the way they say it's going to be, then I'd like to do it," said Stallings, who won the 1992 national championship at Alabama. "If I was an average person interested in the rankings, I'd want to know what some of the coaches who have no axe to grind are thinking. I'd want to hear from coaches who have actually played in a championship game."

In a report released by the school today, South Carolina classified five of its violations as major and proposed cutting two football scholarships for both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years. The school also proposed reducing the number of expense-paid visits football recruits can make to the school from 56 to 50 for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years.

The NCAA enforcement staff contacted South Carolina about possible rules violations in December 2002, and the school began an investigation that concluded last month. The school has forwarded the results to the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, which can accept, reject or modify the proposed penalties.

South Carolina found that it had a lack of institutional control over the program and had violated rules under former coach Lou Holtz when prospective players were given impermissible tutoring sessions and participated in offseason workouts in 1999 and 2000.

"These matters occurred before my staff and I arrived in November," first-year Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said in a statement. "Hopefully, the NCAA will agree to the penalties we are proposing, which I believe are fair, so that we can get this matter behind us."

Cromartie, an All-Atlantic Coast Conference choice last season, tore his left anterior cruciate ligament while working out. The junior will have surgery next week, the school said in a statement.

"He was right there on the verge of becoming a dominating player," defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said. "He's a preseason All-American so obviously it's a big loss for us."