Louisville, Purdue, and NC State at Little Rock

What a great start to the 2007-2008 collegiate angling season! Champions have been crowned in Texas at the BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship (Texas A&M) on Lake Lewisville and in Arkansas at the Under Armour College Bass Championship (Virginia Tech) on the Arkansas River.

“I was privileged to be able to attend both events this fall to support the anglers, and it’s great to see the outstanding opportunities that have developed over the past two years. These opportunities are truly remarkable and I hope every team will be able to participate on the national level in their near future; it would be something they won’t soon forget. Over the past month, one of the most satisfying things for CBAA has been to see several clubs we have assisted through the club development process, not only participate in, but thrive in peer competition” stated Commissioner Heckaman.

Heckaman related, “Another highlight over the past month has been the activation of the CBAA Athlete Advisory Council which is in the process of assisting CBAA leadership in the review and analysis of sport issues.” The AAC activities have recently included the review of our national ranking data model. This process has been effective and has been conducted via conference call, e-mail, and informal meetings with AAC members at Lewisville and Little Rock. Mark Heckaman, CBAA Deputy Commissioner, called them “a talented group of student angler leaders. They are very knowledgeable about the sport and have proven to be a very capable group and a constructive part of the CBAA growth process.”

Heckaman described rankings as a “hot potato of an issue and one that we want to get right. Of course, with any national ranking system controversy and conversation will ensue, but having people talking is a good thing. Constructive feedback was documented for review and consideration. This information was presented to our friend at BassFan who assisted us in a critical review of the model and provided insight on key components of a data model while providing possible recommendations for revision. What a great group of professionals at BassFan. Mr. Kumar has assembled a terrific staff and were truly appreciative to have them in our corner.”

Two important considerations on the collegiate angling scene that affect any ranking model and make it difficult to create a detailed statistical analysis are the limited number of collegiate events and the inconsistency of team participation at those events.

Another primary concern was how to best evaluate a one-boat team vs. a multiple-boat team at any given event. On one side of the coin you have a one-boat team who has the equivalent of a crap shoot -- all or nothing. This team will either perform exceptionally well (Top 10) or crash and burn (Bottom 10), with no help in sight. On the other side of the coin you have multiple- boat teams. A multiple-boat team that has one boat with a poor/average performance (#30) can be lifted up in the ranking by another boat with a strong finish (#1). Conversely, multiple-boat team that has a boat with an exceptional performance (#1) may be pulled down in the rankings by another boat with an average/poor performance (#30).

In an effort develop a fair and equitable model, CBAA Athletic Advisory Council members were consulted in Little Rock about the data model. With their feedback and support, the following ranking protocol will be implemented and made retroactive to the 2007 NCBFC. In keeping with the CBAA mission of promoting collegiate opportunities, the ranking model will promote team participation and continue to reflect team strength.

The process is fairly fundamental in nature. Team placement and score at individual events will be determined by the total weight of fish brought to the scale by a team’s top two boats, or as other event scoring dictates (i.e. in the Big 10 Classic, five boats may compete for each team with the top three boat weights determining the each team’s results). In a one-boat event such as the recent Under Armour College Bass Championship, the event’s final results will be honored. Team placement will be determined and ranking points assessed as follows:

Point System

This model will encourage participation by rewarding participation points to teams who are not fortunate enough to weigh fish at an event. The team weighing in the lightest amount of fish for an event will earn an additional 10 points toward their effort. Remaining teams with weight will be assigned points (+1) for each ascending place. This model acknowledges event size and provides greater point values than smaller event (it’s harder to win a big tournament than a small one).

Example of Regional Event…

(Team L did not participate)
* Note: Top two boat weights scored only

Recognized event points will be totaled together as events take place to produce a cumulative total toward national ranking and the CBAA Team of the Year. National rankings will be released the Wednesday following recognized events (Note: delays may occur while awaiting complete results to be validated or confirmed).

Tie breakers in the national ranking will be determined by “head to head” competition among competitors. The second tie breaker, if necessary, will determined by the team holding the higher rank in the previous ranking. The third tie breaker, if necessary, will be determined by the total number of keeper fish weighed in at recognized events (year to date). In the event that a fourth tie breaker is necessary, a vote of the AAC will be taken.

CBAA thanks all who provided valued input toward this model. There are far too many of you to list here, but your assistance has been welcome and been of great value. CBAA sanctioned events for spring 2008 are forming and will be added to the CBAA calendar as details become available. What an exciting time for our sport! Tight lines <’)))><