[Rally]

It's not anti-Stanford bias, it's East coast and "name brand" bias.  Voting attitudes, and numbers have changed.  It will take several more years at the current level for us to become a name brand, or a National Championship.  Oregon played in the NCG twice while we have been ascending; USC is so established as a brand name it will take several more down years to tarnish.  Other than those two you're looking at not in the Far West Region.  The far west region includes over 25% of the population yet only 16% of the eligible voters (and I read today over 100 voters, out of 900 something, failed to return a ballot.) then there will always be the poor-boy-overcomes-adversity-to-become-a-star factor.  Are you familiar with Plunkett's story?  Fits the narrative, helping to overcome geography and missing name brand factor.  I know there have been exceptions but not many.

Possible fixes?  Redraw the voting regions.  Prohibit voting until one day after the CCGs.  Remove non-voters from future rolls.  Publish and identify each ballot after the award is presented.  Award one extra first place vote for Academic All American or Conference All Academic team.  (Or just do away with the student-athlete charade.) none of these are even going to be considered because the voters and committee like things just the way they are; just like the SEC isn't going to give up their scheduling advantage until they are punished for it . . . Which certainly hasn't happened yet.

How would you fix this?

[Rally]

It's not anti-Stanford bias, it's East coast and "name brand" bias.  Voting attitudes, and numbers have changed.  It will take several more years at the current level for us to become a name brand, or a National Championship.  Oregon played in the NCG twice while we have been ascending; USC is so established as a brand name it will take several more down years to tarnish.  Other than those two you're looking at not in the Far West Region.  The far west region includes over 25% of the population yet only 16% of the eligible voters (and I read today over 100 voters, out of 900 something, failed to return a ballot.) then there will always be the poor-boy-overcomes-adversity-to-become-a-star factor.  Are you familiar with Plunkett's story?  Fits the narrative, helping to overcome geography and missing name brand factor.  I know there have been exceptions but not many.

Possible fixes?  Redraw the voting regions.  Prohibit voting until one day after the CCGs.  Remove non-voters from future rolls.  Publish and identify each ballot after the award is presented.  Award one extra first place vote for Academic All American or Conference All Academic team.  (Or just do away with the student-athlete charade.) none of these are even going to be considered because the voters and committee like things just the way they are; just like the SEC isn't going to give up their scheduling advantage until they are punished for it . . . Which certainly hasn't happened yet.

How would you fix this?