http://www.thesportsking.com/story.a...ry_id=79427914
A funny quote --
"New LSU coach Les Miles played Ohio State and Texas last year when he was the coach of Oklahoma State. When Miles was asked his thoughts on that monster matchup, he said, 'Where do they meet?'
'Columbus.'
'Good luck,' he said with a laugh before adding he didn't know who was the better team. 'It will be interesting to see how Texas responds on the road. I know those Ohio fans get after them.'
Miles would know well as a former Michigan player under Bo Schembechler and longtime assistant coach."
--And for the featured presentation---
Too Close to Call for Now
Publication Source USA TODAY
Publication Date 2005-08-26
With two-time defending national champion Southern California an overwhelming pick for No.1, the most compelling question entering the college football season could be this: Who's No.2?
The large gap between No.1 and No.2 -- USC received the most first-place preseason votes (60) since USA TODAY began administering the coaches' poll in 1991 -- is like that of a landslide primary election. When there's little intrigue, the focus turns to the running mate, or to the other team hoping to be on the Rose Bowl ticket for a shot at the national title Jan.4.
When the season gets underway Thursday, a wide-open race for second place begins, spanning across the USA, from South Beach through the Bayou over the Smoky and Blue Ridge mountains through the Great Plains and across the Rust and Sun belts.
Is it Texas, the team voted No.2 in the coaches' and the Associated Press media preseason polls? Is it Tennessee, LSU or Iowa, all of whom received No.2 rankings in preseason magazines? Or what about Michigan, Ohio State, Florida, Virginia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Florida State, Oklahoma or anyone else with a marching band and cheerleaders, for that matter?
"I feel what USC has done is phenomenal, and until someone beats them, they're still the national champions," Texas coach Mack Brown says. "I think it should be them No.1 and all the rest of us No.2 until somebody else proves otherwise."
In this age of Bowl Championship Series math, finishing second has taken on added importance. For all the bellyaching over the BCS, its intention is to match the No.1 and No.2 teams in a title game, which was less probable under the previous bowl system. No.2's have reason to dream as well. In two of the last three years, the No.2 team in the final BCS rankings won the BCS title -- LSU in 2003 and Ohio State in 2002.
Coaches used to thumb their noses at preseason polls, but not anymore, given Auburn's plight last year. USC and Oklahoma started and finished No.1 and No.2, respectively, in both major polls and met in the national championship game.
Auburn was picked 18th in the preseason coaches' poll and 17th in the AP poll. Auburn finished the regular season undefeated, as did USC and Oklahoma, but the Tigers never could gain ground on No.2 Oklahoma, in large part because of their starting position in the polls. As a result, the Tigers were shut out of the national title game.
"If you're good enough to finish where you want to, and that's to win all your games, you'd rather start high because it's a lot harder now to come from the bottom to the top than it used to be," Brown says. "If you're out of the top 10 and some other teams have good seasons, you can have a great year like Auburn did and not have a chance to win it all. So there's no doubt that it's more important. I wish we started polls in October. Since we do not, I'd rather be rated high."
Among the 62 voters in the coaches' poll, 27 of them selected Texas as No.2. Eight other schools received No.2 votes, including Tennessee (15), Michigan (six) and Oklahoma (six).
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, whose team finished No.2 in the final polls last season, says he considered voting for Texas, Iowa, Miami and Virginia Tech before settling on Michigan for No.2 on his preseason ballot. "I had no clue," Tuberville says. "Just take one of them out and put them in there."
Then again, this season may also show how little voters know in the preseason. In 2003, LSU began the year ranked 15th in the coaches' poll and still won the BCS trophy.
Of course, the race for second place will become more focused once voters can judge teams on wins and losses and not just last year's success and this year's potential. In some cases, a few No.2 contenders will be knocked out before September's end.
Texas duels early with Ohio State
For a change, Texas fans aren't focused on the second weekend in October. They are not obsessing about the Longhorns' five consecutive losses to Oklahoma.
Instead, Sept.10 is circled, the night the Longhorns play Ohio State in Columbus for the first time.
"It's probably not a smart game for either school in modern-day football because of the BCS," Brown says.
"This is a game that's so unique right now because not many people are playing this type of out-of-conference game anymore."
For all the possible pitfalls of this game -- the loser just might be eliminated from the national title race by the second weekend of the season -- Brown also sees some positives.
His team has been better focused in offseason conditioning given the game is so early. After a morning summer workout, quarterback Vince Young, a Heisman contender, wrote a message on the blackboard in the locker room: "Everybody that wants to beat Ohio State, be on the practice field at 8 tonight."
Attendance that night was excellent because such a blockbuster matchup has everyone's attention.
Brown also says such a tough early test on the road will prepare the Longhorns for a difficult conference schedule, which includes games against ranked Big12 opponents Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
A win would also give the Longhorns momentum and added confidence for when Oct.8 rolls around. If the Longhorns survive their Texas two-step -- games against Ohio State and Oklahoma -- a return trip to the Rose Bowl, where they beat Michigan last season, looks promising.
Big hopes for Big Ten
With three Big Ten teams in the top 10, perhaps there will be a traditional Pacific-10-Big Ten matchup in the Rose Bowl after all.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, the bard of the Big House, was asked recently about winning the team's third consecutive Big Ten title and returning to the Rose Bowl.
"An old poet said, 'It's better to go to the Rose Bowl and lose than not to have gotten there at all.' What I want to do is keep going out there (to Pasadena) until we win one of those things," Carr says.
Probably standing in the way to Pasadena: at home vs. Notre Dame (Sept.10), at Iowa (Oct.22) and home vs. Ohio State (Nov.19). Two of the Wolverines' three losses last year were to Notre Dame and Ohio State.
With 18 starters back, Ohio State fans are giddy. That emotion might change if they falter against Texas or Iowa at home (Sept.24) before ending with Michigan in Ann Arbor.
With so much experience and talent, including wide receiver-punt returner Ted Ginn Jr., wide receiver Santonio Holmes and linebacker A.J. Hawk, the Buckeyes feel they can get through the tough September stretch.
New LSU coach Les Miles played Ohio State and Texas last year when he was the coach of Oklahoma State. When Miles was asked his thoughts on that monster matchup, he said, "Where do they meet?"
"Columbus."
"Good luck," he said with a laugh before adding he didn't know who was the better team. "It will be interesting to see how Texas responds on the road. I know those Ohio fans get after them."
Miles would know well as a former Michigan player under Bo Schembechler and longtime assistant coach.
The next step for Iowa, a 10-win, top-10 team the last three seasons, is a run at the national title.
In addition to games against Ohio State and Michigan, the Hawkeyes also play at Purdue (Oct.8).
Amid all the preseason glow, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says, "I'm still trying to figure out what the expectations are, I guess. The thing I've talked to our team about ... positive talk is not going to help us this year. I know Iowa State, Ohio State, Purdue, go right down the list. None of those people are impressed or could care."
Although Purdue hasn't been pegged as a No.2 contender, it does have a friendly schedule, which could make the conference race intriguing and perhaps disrupt the hopes of a team such as Iowa.
"We have Ohio State and Michigan right where we want 'em," Boilermakers coach Joe Tiller deadpans, meaning neither the Wolverines nor Buckeyes are on the schedule.
Any edge? LSU might have one
Tennessee, Florida and LSU probably will spoil each other's chances for the Rose Bowl. Tennessee's fate will be decided early with two tough road games in consecutive weeks the first month of the season: at Florida on Sept.17 and at LSU on Sept.24.
Even if Florida navigates its SEC schedule successfully, Florida State is waiting Nov.26 at The Swamp.
The schedule-makers smiled on LSU, given the Tigers face their toughest opponents -- Arizona State (Sept.10), Tennessee, Florida (Oct.15) and Auburn (Oct.22) -- in Baton Rouge.
"I don't know who's No.2. There are 10 to 15 teams as talented as each other, and it's all about who's going to work the hardest to get there," LSU senior defensive tackle Kyle Williams says.
No school has a tougher opener than Miami, which heads to Tallahassee on Sept.5 to play nemesis Florida State. The Hurricanes' Nov.5 game at Virginia Tech also might have a say in who's No.2, given the Hokies could be undefeated entering this showdown.
USC recalls the close ones
Still, in the end, the season might come down to USC after all.
For all the premature plotting about the Trojans' home-for-the-holidays Rose Bowl, what if the team stumbles?
The Trojans play only two teams ranked in the preseason coaches' poll -- No.18 Arizona State and No.20 California -- but they face three of their toughest opponents on the road -- Oregon on Sept.24, Arizona State on Oct.1 and California on Nov.12.
That Cal game again will be a big game considering the Bears have given the Trojans fits the last three years, including a 2003 upset in Berkeley.
For all the talk of the Trojans' dominance last year, consider that four of USC's wins came by eight points or fewer (Stanford, California, Oregon State and UCLA). A fifth close call came in the season opener against Virginia Tech.
Which is why on the first day of fall practice this month, coach Pete Carroll showed his team a highlight tape of all five of USC's near escapes.
"His message was that every game is tough and, yeah, we finished undefeated and, yeah, we won the national championship, but it wasn't easy," USC quarterback Matt Leinart says. "There were a lot of games where we battled back and had to show our mettle as a team. We still have to fight to beat people."
So No.2's, take heart. The Trojans' chances for another number -- three, as in titles -- might be harder than it seems.
