Gotcha on Georgia, I didn't pick up he was talking about SC.
I don't think for a minute that the committee members *rely* on media to establish their opinions. That makes no sense. These are football people; former coaches, players, administrators, etc. You think Barry Alvarez relied on the media to establish his opinions? He's one of the most hard nosed, hard headed guys out there. You think Ronnie Lott is going to form his opinions based on what ESPN is saying?
I would wager that Condoleezza Rice watched way more games than you give her credit for. Being on the committee is not a country club gig where you roll out some rankings and then get drinks. It's a serious job and for the integrity of the sport I do believe they take it seriously.
From Rice, after leaving the committee
"I've been on a lot of committees -- government, corporate, university -- and I've said many times, I think it's the best committee I've ever served on," Rice said Monday. "We had this thing of checking our hats at the door. Everybody really did. Everybody was there for a common goal and really working really hard toward it. There weren't agendas in the room, and I really enjoyed it tremendously."
and...
"There was a real sense we were trying to set a high bar, and a bar where people could have trust in the decisions, even if they didn't agree," she said. "That sense of joint purpose, it's really inspiring and I've really enjoyed it."