College Football | Annual Seattle Times survey of head coaches

It's not only around Oklahoma, where Sooners faithful feel they got chiseled out of a win at Oregon last year, that they take a dim view of Pac-10 officiating. Division I-A football coaches, asked in the third annual Times survey which conference had the most incompetent officiating, named the Pac-10 more than any other.

Forty-two coaches — including Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, Bob Stoops of Oklahoma, Bobby Bowden of Florida State, Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, Joe Tiller of Purdue, Jeff Tedford of California and Phil Fulmer of Tennessee — were polled.

Other prominent findings: Most favor an earlier national letter of intent signing day in tandem with the current February date; most like the return to the old clock rules, rather than the rules that created such a stir in 2006; and most think that their best players are spending considerably more than the NCAA-allowed 20 hours per week in football-related pursuits.

Question: Which conference, in your opinion, has the most incompetent officiating?

Top vote-getters:

Pac-10 | 9 votes

SEC | 5

ACC | 2

Big 12 | 2

WAC | 2

No other conference drew more than one vote. The Big Ten was not named on a single ballot.

Q: Which conference, in your opinion, has the most competent officiating?

Big Ten | 7

Big 12 | 5

SEC | 5

Pac-10 | 2

ACC | 2

Q: The rules committee has legislated a return to the timekeeping rules in place before the 2006 season. Did you like or dislike the changes that were in place last year?

Like | 12 Dislike | 27

Q: Would you favor or oppose an "early" letter of intent in football to accompany the one in February, much as college basketball has — say, during a weeklong period in August or September?

Favor | 26 Oppose | 15

Several coaches favoring the concept opted for a December date, while others would like a spring or midsummer one.

Q: Since you've been a head coach, who's the best quarterback you've seen in person?

Peyton

Manning | 5

Ben Roethlisberger | 4

Philip Rivers | 3

Michael Vick | 2

Vince Young | 2

Brian Brohm | 2

Kevin Kolb | 2

(The old-timers weren't forgotten: Among the many getting a single vote were Roger Staubach, Jim Kelly and John Elway.)

Q: Since you've been a head coach, who's the best pure football player you've seen in person?

Reggie Bush, USC | 4

Calvin Johnson, Ga. Tech | 3

Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma | 2

Deion Sanders, Florida St. | 2

A.J. Hawk, Ohio St. | 2

Joe Thomas, Wisconsin | 2

Roy Williams, Oklahoma | 2

Q: Among the best players on your team, what's your guess as to the amount of time they actually spend weekly on football-related preparation — including film study, games, practices, meetings, etc.?

20 hours | 17

25-30 hours | 15

30-35 hours | 8

35 or more hours | 2

Q: What bowl game does the best, most consistent job of making the event memorable and enjoyable for players, coaches and fans?

Fiesta | 7

Cotton | 6

Rose | 4

Holiday | 4

Citrus | 3

The Peach, Orange, Sun and Liberty were the only other bowls to draw more than one vote. Only 13 bowls of 32 elicited any mention.

Q: Has the Bowl Championship Series been good or bad for college football?

Good | 32

Bad | 3

One coach wrote, "The BCS is only a slow prelude to what will eventually be at least a 16-team playoff."

Q: At 80 years of age, Joe Paterno will coach Penn State this season. Provided the alumni and the administration look kindly on you, at what age do you see yourself hanging it up?

60 | 7

65 | 7

55 | 3

Four coaches answered whimsically, "81." Another said, "Joe and Bobby [Bowden] are crazy."

Q: The NCAA has proposed a ban on text-messaging recruits. Do you favor or disapprove of such a ban?

Favor the ban | 27

Disapprove | 14

The NCAA board of directors recently voted to uphold the ban, but it is likely to be voted on in January by the NCAA membership.

Q: Has the implementation of the Academic Progress Rate been good or bad for college football?

Good | 21

Bad | 17

There was obvious dissent on this one. Advocates like the accountability of the APR, but naysayers hit it from all sides. "It is very superficial," one coach wrote. Another called the APR "expensive, complicated, overrated."

Q: The NCAA has kept the number of bowl games at 32 for the 2007 season. Is that too many, about right or not enough?

About right | 31

Too many | 6

Not enough | 1

Q: Some conferences are playing on nontraditional nights like Tuesdays and Wednesdays to get on television. Do you favor or oppose playing on such nights?

Favor | 14 Oppose | 28