BCS poll loses two voters w/ Sun Belt connections

[Baby Arm!]

New BCS poll loses another voter

04:47 PM CDT on Thursday, August 25, 2005

By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News

College football's Harris Interactive poll lost another potential voter Thursday when television broadcaster Sam Smith said he would not participate at the request of ESPN.

Network spokesman Josh Krulewitz said ESPN is not allowing any of its commentators to participate in the new college football poll that will count one-third of the Bowl Championship Series formula. Smith is a play-by-play announcer on Sun Belt Conference games on ESPN's regional network.

"We've asked him to withdraw his name, and he will comply," Krulewitz said.

The network nixed three other Harris voters on Wednesday because of their affiliation with ESPN. Former coaches Lou Holtz and Gerry DiNardo and former Pittsburgh quarterback John Congemi all work with the network in some fashion, Krulewitz said.

Also on Wednesday, Jason Rash, called BCS officials and asked to withdraw. As it turned out, Rash did not meet the requirements that a voter be a former player, coach, administrator or a member of the media. Rash's college football connection is that he's the son-in-law of Troy coach Larry Blakeney.

Harris Interactive officials said the poll will still have 114 voters. Nancy Wong, a Harris spokeswoman, said the company spent the day Thursday devising a plan to fill four vacancies, which has now grown to five.