Statistics usually play a supporting role in college sports stories, but a recent decision about postseason play has made football stats the
story.

The NCAA statistics staff, based on survey results from Divisions I, II and III sports information directors, has decided to include postseason statistics as part of teams' regular-season totals, effective this year. That includes postseason bowl games in Division I-A and playoff results in Divisions I-AA, II and III.

Since college football statistics compilations began in 1937, postseason competition never has been part of individual and team statistics. However, all other sports for which statistics are compiled include postseason play.

The statistics staff has surveyed SIDs twice in recent years -- most recently this summer -- and in both cases, a majority supported the concept of including postseason statistics in the season's totals. That majority increased in the 2002 survey. Divisions II and III SIDs showed solid support (51-39 and 78-50, respectively), while the tally was a bit closer in Division I. Division I-A SIDs voted 42-37 in favor, while the vote was 35-30 in Division I-AA.

"Change is hard to come by, and it should be hard to come by," said Florida State University SID Rob Wilson, who supports the decision. "You don't want to make a change like this flippantly."

Proponents cite the extended length of seasons and the proliferation of bowls among reasons to include postseason play.

"When the decision to exclude bowl games was first implemented, there were only a handful of such contests and there were no NCAA football playoffs," said Jim Wright, NCAA director of statistics. "At that time, the statistics staff believed the few schools able to participate in bowl games would have an unfair advantage regarding career statistics. The limited opportunities convinced the staff that football statistics should end with the regular season."

Since then, though, more I-A bowls have been added and the other three divisions all have separate championships, thus significantly increasing the number of institutions able to participate in postseason play.

"The current staff believes that to ignore those games is inconsistent with statistics policies in place for all other sports," Wright said.

Wright also noted that while the current statistics staff is unanimous in its support to include postseason statistics, the impetus for change began with increasing inquiries from both the media and the membership.

Florida State's Wilson said he and others had to deal with those questions almost daily. He said when writing game notes or media guide summaries, SIDs struggled to decide whether to include a bowl performance when discussing a statistical streak.

"Say you have a running back who has a string of eight straight 100-yard games over a two-year period that includes a bowl game," he said. "As the streak progresses, the media will ask in every game: 'Now does that count the bowl game or not?'

"Also," Wilson said, "if your quarterback is 31-1 as a starter, does that include postseason bowls? According to the old policy, it shouldn't, but it should."

Those who oppose the change worry that records that have stood for years may be quickly eclipsed with the additional games. Wright said the change will not be retroactive in order to help preserve those records, but many SIDs expect to see new career and single-season highs established quickly.

"Whenever you're doing records, you always like to compare apples to apples as best you can," said Tony Neely, sports information director at the University of Kentucky. "Having per-game averages helps preserve some of those records, but most schools put more emphasis on season totals than per-game averages, which could skew some accomplishments."

There have been similar instances in the past when new statistical categories were added. Quarterback sacks began being compiled only recently, and in basketball, blocked shots wasn't a category until the 1980s. In fact, David Robinson, known as one of college basketball's greatest shot blockers, had only his junior- and senior-year totals officially recorded.

Wright said statistics an active player accumulated in bowls or playoffs before the 2002 season will not be included in his career statistics.

"This is consistent with existing statistics policies regarding similar changes," he said.

It also isn't the first time schools have pushed for including bowl performances. Steve Boda, who was a member of the statistics staff from 1949 to 1989, said the University of Southern California began including rushing leader O.J. Simpson's postseason totals in the school's media guide in the late 1960s.

"While the NCAA had Simpson for 1,709 yards, USC listed 1,880 in their media guide, which included the bowl game," Boda said.

Boda said the issue wasn't really an issue before then. "Teams completed their seasons in early November," he said. "And because those few bowl games weren't played until late December or January 1, there didn't seem to be much sense in waiting that long for just a handful of games. In basketball, there's more of a continuity between regular-season and postseason play."

But the issue has built gradually to the point where a change became imminent. Still, Wright said it was a decision his staff did not make lightly.

"We have had discussions regarding this change for many years and consulted with individuals we respect throughout the country," he said. "Even though a majority of SIDs and media support this change, we realize some still feel strongly that things should remain the way they always have been. But we believe this change puts football in line with all our other sports and needed to