It's on the Internet, So it Must be True

There's nothing better than good, old fashioned spin, especially when it comes to statistics, which can be put into two categories: Lies, and Damn Lies. The basis of those two categories basically lies in the fact that you, the educated poster/writer/spinner, can pretty much do whatever you want to any set of statistics to prove any point. An agenda is all that matters - the statistics can be molded. For the best statistical analysis out there, I beg you to read SMQ's Stats Relevance Watch. It's a good look at statistics without agenda - something very few try to do, and even fewer accomplish.

Why bring this up now? In the first installment of "State of Game Address" I mentioned - several times - that interest has never been higher in College Football, especially during bowl season. I even linked an article from the NCAA. I distinctly remember being surprised at the fact that bowl viewership appeared to be up across the boards despite lousy matchups and blowout games. Actually, surprised may be an understatement. I was shit my pants shocked. But - none the less - there it was in black and white, proof that the NCAA was still on the right track. So, instead of writing a scathing review of the BCS, I was forced to say, basically "well, it appears to be working" while adding snarky "but it won't last forever" and "see: NBA" comments to justify my original point. Then the counter punch came today in the form of this post from the Wizard of Odds.

Now, folks, the conundrum: One piece saying "yay us" from the NCAA, one piece saying "boo you" from the Wiz. Oh, and they're both about the '07-'08 season. I checked. Where's the discrepancy lay? Well, for starters, the NCAA article didn't include shit about any of the bowls that sucked. It highlights the good bowls (all two of them), and conveniently ignores the others by making blanket statements like "Viewership for all pre-Christmas bowls increased!! Woo!!" Sweet!! More people got to watch MSU melt down again, and Purdue triumph over a MAC team they were beating by 30 at one point. Exaggeration? Maybe. But you get the picture. Nobody cares about those bowls, mostly because they were invented specifically for the purpose of getting more people to watch a TV station at odd hours during the holidays. Congratulations, bowls before Christmas, you're doing your job, which is more than can be said for New Years Day/BCS bowls.

The NCAA, by virtue of having written such garbage (that I, being an idiot, linked to as fact - mea culpa) is simply blinding you with bright shiny objects while pushing that dirty 800 pound gorilla under the rug. But Beauford's no Magpie, or at least isn't once somebody points out that shiny objects aren't really that cool, and that maybe somebody should take care of that gorilla. At least bathe it, right?

So, NCAA, my original suspicions were, at least partially, right. Viewership is already decreasing, and will continue to do so until you right this ship. Sure, the pre-Christmas bowls are doing their job. We get that. But the expressed job of New Years Day and BCS bowls is to produce the best matchups and crown a "true" national champion. Neither of those things is happening which means, NCAA, you've failed. Despite all the articles you publish telling us otherwise (which is creepy in and of itself), the people are starting to take notice that the BCS sucks, and the squeeze is going to start being felt in the one place that (apparently) it matters: your wallet.