Computer glitch puts LSU, Boise State in wrong order in final BCS standings

This is pretty incredible:

The final BCS ratings show LSU ranked 10th and Boise State 11th. But I discovered a mistake that would switch the order of those teams. The Broncos should be BCS No. 10.

Wes Colley’s final rankings, as submitted to the BCS, were incorrect. The Appalachian State-Western Illinois FCS playoff game was missing from his data set. I will spare you some of the gory, mathematical details, but the net result of that omission in Colley’s rankings is that LSU, which he ranked ninth, and his No. 10, Boise State, should be switched. … LSU and Boise State are so close in the overall BCS standings (.0063) that this one error switches the order. Boise State should be 10th in the overall BCS standings and LSU should be No. 11.

This may not seem overly important, especially since neither team qualified for a BCS game either way. … But the bigger point is that nobody checks the BCS computer data. We should all be grateful to Colley for having a system that is open, accountable and verifiable. The BCS owes us an entire system that is open, accountable and verifiable. …

The fact that there was a mistake made isn’t the problem. It’s the assumption that no mistakes are ever made, and therefore, nothing ever gets checked. …

The fact that this mistake didn’t have an overwhelmingly dramatic effect this year doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future. This time, it affected the 10th- and 11th-rated teams. Maybe next time, it will impact the race for No. 2.

Wow. This must lead to reform, immediately. It is completely unacceptable to have millions upon millions of dollars riding on a computer formula with no effort to verify the data, and no system in place for correcting known errors. It would be like running an election without no provision for recounts in close races. Absolutely ridiculous.