Computer to USC: ‘I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That’

Re “USC Is Crunched by the Numbers,” Dec. 8, about USC’s exclusion from the Sugar Bowl: Anyone who has been around computers for a while will recall the term “GIGO,” meaning “garbage in, garbage out.” The USC football team fell victim. The ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls, which both ranked USC No. 1, were determined by the votes of human beings with thousands of collective years of experience. Bowl championship series computers have overturned the decision of these mere mortals.

Are we now living in a nightmare-like scenario where mankind is dominated by artificial intelligence, not unlike the script of a B sci-fi movie? Are the computer nerds and their meaningless, data-collecting GIGO strategies to be the new rulers of the universe, at the expense of mere mortal beings and their souls? Look out, world! There’s an extremely important lesson to be learned here.

In the meantime, let me extend my congratulations to USC’s outstanding football squad, even if it destined to be only the national champion of people.

Richard G. Broadie

Palm Springs

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I’m a Southern Californian transplanted to the East Coast. The BCS system may be flawed, but everyone played by the same rules from start to finish. The bottom line is that if USC had beaten Cal like it was supposed to, then all this would be moot.

The BCS has taught everyone that you can’t rely on someone else (Notre Dame or Hawaii) to do your job. Hopefully, next year, they won’t forget to play hard in every game. On Jan. 1, I hope they crush Michigan and earn a share of the national title, with a goal of being undisputed national champions in 2004.

Dat Ngo

McLean, Va.

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Are we really surprised that the No. 1 team in the country isn’t invited to the Sugar Bowl when we live in a country where the person who really won the presidency didn’t get to go to his big dance? The BCS system is a travesty. USC deserved better. Computers don’t have hearts. They broke ours.

Judi Welch

Pacific Palisades