College football coaches drop secret ballot
By Jack Carey, USA TODAY

The 62 members of the American Football Coaches Association who vote in this fall's USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll will emerge from 55 seasons of secrecy and make public their final regular-season ballot, the group's executive director told USA TODAY on Wednesday.
That vote, to be taken Dec. 4, probably will count one-third toward the selection of teams to play in the Rose Bowl, which will decide this season's Bowl Championship Series national title, and also help determine participants in the BCS' Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls. The BCS has not yet finalized its formula.

The decision reverses a practice of keeping ballots secret, which coaches have said prevented potential conflicts with opponents and fans. But the move addresses criticism that the secret weekly ballot allowed coaches to escape accountability for their votes.

The title formula

The top teams in the final Bowl Championship Series standings Dec. 4 will play in the Rose Bowl for the BCS national title. A team's ranking in the BCS standings is expected to be determined by:
One-third for its place in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll.
One-third for its place in an average of six computer rankings.
One-third for its place in a second human poll.
Makeup and final decision on a second poll expected to replace the Associated Press media poll yet to be finalized.

Grant Teaff, AFCA executive director, said many of the 119 Division I-A coaches "really didn't want to do this." But he said they voted "overwhelmingly" to make the final ballots public because "we want to do whatever it takes for the coaches to be involved in our game." It's not known whether any coach will decline to vote because of the change.

BCS bowls can be worth $15 million or more to participants, but the 8-year-old BCS has been dogged by controversy concerning its selection process. The Associated Press pulled its poll from the formula after last season, and BCS officials are looking at putting together a new poll to take its place, potentially made up of former athletic administrators and former coaches.

How the votes will be released to the public has not been determined, said Monte Lorell, USA TODAY managing editor for sports. USA TODAY collects ballots and distributes the poll.

Though coaches' ballots for the rest of the season will remain secret, Lorell said Wednesday's announcement represents progress.

"We've always tried to push for transparency, and we're glad the coaches agreed that that's the best route to take," he said. "It's the coaches' poll, and it's their decision what to release."

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