http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/.../polls/coaches/

Division I-A Coaches' Top 25 Poll
The USA Today Coaches Top 25 college football coaches' poll, with number of first-place votes and record in parentheses, total points and previous ranking
Other Polls: AP Top 25 Coaches Top 25 BCS Rankings AP Weekly Tracking Coaches Weekly Tracking Comparison Poll --> Div IAA Top 25 Poll (SEC in bold)
Rank Team Record Votes Previous
1 USC (45) 0-0 1,481 NR
2 LSU (4) 0-0 1,372 NR
3 Florida (9) 0-0 1,278 NR
4 Texas 0-0 1,231 NR
5 Michigan (2) 0-0 1,218 NR
6 West Virginia 0-0 1,205 NR
7 Wisconsin 0-0 1,114 NR
8 Oklahoma 0-0 1,026 NR
9 Virginia Tech 0-0 1,005 NR
10 Ohio State 0-0 919 NR
11 Louisville 0-0 836 NR
12 California 0-0 763 NR
13 Georgia 0-0 604 NR
14 Auburn 0-0 595 NR
15 Tennessee 0-0 583 NR
16 Rutgers 0-0 466 NR
17 UCLA 0-0 454 NR
18 Penn State 0-0 440 NR
19 Nebraska 0-0 388 NR
20 Arkansas 0-0 360 NR
21 Florida State 0-0 301 NR
22 TCU 0-0 233 NR
23 Boise State 0-0 222 NR
24 Hawaii 0-0 214 NR
25 Texas A&M 0-0 209 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Georgia Tech 150, Boston College 150, Miami (FL) 91, South Carolina 90, Notre Dame 90, Wake Forest 71, Missouri 58, Oregon State 52, Brigham Young 47, Clemson 30, Oregon 30, South Florida 26, Texas Tech 20, Alabama 16, Oklahoma State 15, Southern Miss 14, Iowa 12, Kansas State 8, Memphis 5, Houston 4, Duke 1, Arizona 1, Washington State 1, Kentucky 1

http://www.pickupspecialties.com/Hammerhea..._hurricanes.jpg

Our daughter started band camp at UF yesterday. We're ready to do the Gator Chomp at the Swamp in Gainesville!

(Name deleted at request of member) and TammyJo:

I've said a brief prayer for both your children.
I don't have much place with Our Lord, seeing how
I've bourne arms and all. But I've made my solicitation.

Both are good schools, with great reputations.
We may not be Ivy League, but then they produced GW.
And they can't touch The Band from Tigerland
or The Fighting Gator Marching Band.
Lord for them to share Tiger Stadium or The Swamp on a Saturday night.
I get chills.

Go Huskers --- Go Rutgers --- my two alma maters...

Nebraska
"Hail Varsity"
(Played after a touchdown)

Hail to the team!
The stadium rings as everyone sings
The Scarlet and Cream
Cheers for a victory echo our loyalty
So on mighty men!
The eyes of the land upon every hand
Are looking at you
Fight on to victory
Hail to the men of Nebraska U!

"There is No Place Like Nebraska"
(Played after the PAT)

There is no place like Nebraska
Dear old Nebraska U
Where the girls are the fairest
The boys are the squarest
Of any old place that I knew
There is no place like Nebraska
Where they're all true blue
We'll all stick together in all kinds of weather
For dear old Nebraska U.

GO HUSKERS!!!

We're got a few too...
mostly fightin'...
one lovin'.
------------------------------------
LSU School Song Lyrics

Hey Fighting Tigers!


Hey! Fightin' Tigers! Fight all the way!
Hey! Fightin' Tigers! Win the game today!
You've got the know-how, You're doin' fine
Hang on the the ball as you hit the wall
And smash right through the line.
You've got to go-o-o-o! for a touchdown
Ru-u-un! up the score!
Make Mike the Tiger stand right up and roar. ROAR! !! !!
Give it all of your might as you fight tonight,
And keep the goal in view, Victory for LSU!!!


Touchdown!

Tigers, Tigers! They've come to town,
Tigers, Tigers! Make that first down.
Give them the ball now and see how they go,
Smashing the line with runs and passes high and low.
Touchdown, touchdown, it's Tiger's score.
Give 'em HELL and a little bit more.
Come on, you Tigers, Touchdown, you Tigers,
Touchdown for LSU!

Fight For LSU!


Like knights of old, we fight to hold,
The glory of the purple-gold.
We'll carry through, and die or do
To win this game for dear old LSU.
Keep fighting for the higher score,
Come on, you Tigers, fight for more, for more.
Come on, you Tigers, fight, fight, fight
For dear old LSU.

(break up strain)
We are the bravest, we are the strongest football team in history.
Here's to the glory, here's to the honor, marching on to victory.
Cheer for the Tigers, cheer for the Tigers, Tigers fight, fight, fight!

Alma Mater

Where stately oaks and broad magnolias shade inspiring halls,
There stands our dear old Alma Mater who to us recalls
Fond memories that waken in our hearts a tender glow
And make us happy for the love that we have learned to know.

All praise to thee, our Alma Mater, molder of mankind.
May greater glory, love unending, be forever thine.
Our worth in life will be thy worth, we pray to keep it true,
And may thy spirit live in us... forever, L-S-U.


Y'all come see us.
But remember,
Southern Hospitality ends
with the national anthem.

(BTW I'm a Northeast La. U alum, my daughter is the LSU alum,
and couldn't care less about football. Where did I fail? )

The U of Oregon Ducks are a BIG DEAL out here. Actually it's a refreshing break from my previous, hapless MN Vikings.

No... FLAG???? Holding? Called back??? GRRRRRR!

OK IH --- you've got a better mascot than we do -- I love Tigers --- to me they are the most powerful and graceful animal around...

I'll never forget a National Geographic Anniversary Special in which a Bengal Tiger had caught a deer or elk and a large crocodile dragged it into the water away from the tiger. For four hours the tiger kept hissing at the crocodile from the safety of the shoreline. Finally, being able to take it no longer, the large beast submerged himself and swam to where to carcass was, grabbed it with his teeth, and started swimming back to the shore. The crocodile left him alone. Now you have to know that an animal is powerful if he enters your territory, take a couple hundred bound carcass, and swims out and you refuse to challenge him. Its one of the most impressive wildlife events I have ever witnessed.

Maybe some year soon the Huskers and the Tigers can meet for the NC...or a playoff if they ever get one going...

I like your head coach, Les Miles - he did a great job at Oklahoma State and is continuing it at LSU, and your defensive coordinator is the former interim Husker head coach ---

Go Big Red!

Michael:

Used to really like Glenn Mason when he was Kansas's coach and then he went to U Minn and had some good seasons there.

I am sorry I can not say the same for the University of Oregon Coach --- Mike Bellotti. Frankly, I think he's a jerk. He seems to stand for a lot of things that are wrong with college football. Questionable recruiting methods (he stole at least one top player away from Nebraska), and his facilities are good --- but the program seems to focus too much on glitz...with its flat screen TVs in the locker room -- etc.

Nebraska just made over its athletic facilities and it does not have the level of glitz that Oregon does.

I also have a problem with the referee's call in that Oklahoma game last year when they missed two blatant penalties late in the game which ended up giving the win to Oregon.

Nothing against the players ---- and nothing against the school --- I just wish the Coach was an assistant somewhere until he gets an attitude adjustment...

I do like Oregon State. What talent they have --- in that game they beat USC last year. Wow.

ALL RIGHT!
15 minutes to TIGER football!

I know a lot of y'all may think me shallow...
but OMG there's something about 70 young
guys busting their butts in training, claiming
their University's colors. Passing the most
stringent scrutiny, while workin' 'till they
twitch with fatigue.

Matt Flynn is the QB because he stayed straight.
He played the game, earned the respect.
He is surrounded by young men, many black,
who did the same...suffered to play.

LSU football is an analogy of what is best about
Louisiana, black and white men fighting back-to-back.
Southern pride is no longer aristocracy and slave...
it is men they came here or grew here who share a mission.
A mission to be the best on the field.

I'll always believed football (La. high school) best prepared me
for Vietnam...going when you're too tired to go...sacrificing
for the team, the coach. Having pride in your people.

Are U ready for some (SEC) football?

They are about to tee it up on ESPN...y'all take a look.

You will not be disappointed.

I was premature...still 30 minutes until Tiger football...

Tonight we play at Mississippi State, but soon we will be at home, in Death Valley.



Tiger Stadium/Death Valley

The stadium was built in 1924,
Gov. Huey Long sold the stadium by
building dorm rooms into the walls...
students made it...players made it,
we call it Death Valley...the original...
I remember hearing that the
Heip Duc Valley in The Central Highlands
of Vietnam was called "Death Valley",
and strangely I felt totally at home
when serving there. Where Silver Stars,
and at least one Medal of Honor was bestowed.
"Tigers" were chosen as a mascot because of the La. Tigers of Civil War fame - at First Manassas, the Shenandoah Valley (under Stonewall) and Gettysburg.
La. Troops have adopted the nickname in every war this country has fought since.
It is a Badge of Honor, embracing black and white La. soldiers. It is home.
----------------------------
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/sports/colleg...tiger.asp?cp1=1
A picture perfect moment: Saturday night on the Bayou. Local lore has it that LSU plays better in night games; that day games simply don’t have that certain magic. There’s not much of a difference, really, other than Tiger Stadium is more juiced at night and the place just seems louder. It’s a simple scenario, really: More tailgate time means more excitement and anticipation (read: consumption of certain adult beverages). In other words, a strange and fascinating combination of voodoo, Jack Daniels and a pinch of Tabasco. The campus is beautiful, the crowning jewel of the city. From the moss-draped oaks to the formal gardens and classic southern architecture, it all rolls into a memorable game day.
Of all the stadiums in the country, few can match the architectural and aesthetic genius of Tiger Stadium. The stadium recently received a 11,000-seat expansion, complete with an upper deck on the east side that includes luxury suites. Remember the Colosseum from the Roman Empire? The façade on Tiger Stadium looks eerily similar. Imagine how it looks on a fall Saturday with the electricity of game day, the steam of the Bayou and 90,000 fans.
There’s a reason they call it Death Valley. Not many stadiums have had crowd reaction that causes an earth tremor. On October 8, 1988, quarterback Tommy Hodson hit Eddie Fuller with a game-winning touchdowns pass against Auburn, and the explosion of crowd noise caused an earth tremor that registered on a seismograph meter in LSU's Geology Department across campus. The fans never let up, from the moment Mike Tiger ­ LSU’s live Bengal tiger mascot -- is rolled into the stadium and parked in front of the opponent’s locker room minutes before kickoff.
-------------------------
There are a few inspirational things about my life,
my country, my unit, and my team. I thank God I made it,
and can now watch LSU Tigers play ball. Heaven for me will
include my Army buddies and LSU football. 'nuff said.

Indianhead,

My husband and I will be at "the swamp" in Gainesville tomorrow for Florida's first game (Western Kentucky). There is nothing like the swamp on a Saturday afternoon and nothing like the feelings you have as your team runs onto the field to the marching band's rendition of the Florida Fight Song and the screaming of 90,000 plus fans. I'm not as eloquent as you, but the feelings are similar.

I caught some of the game last night. Congratulations on a fine start. I can't help but feel sorry for Coach Croombs though. It's got to be tough to watch a game like that and feel that your hard work has not paid off. Hopefully, the rest of their season will be better. I think it is a make or break year for him.

Coach Croombs has to deal with the SEC.
He and his Bulldogs did well for the first half,
they just couldn't hang. If LSU is to be his
judgement - it ain't fair.

Florida in Death Valley this year.

One game at a time. But, I'll take a 45-0 win over an SEC team.
Next is VA Tech...a good test to see if #2 is true.
I think they are in the top 20 pre-season.

Have fun at the game...nothin' like SEC football!

But, before Va. Tech...

I'm gonna watch Tennessee at California
tomorrow night 12vs15, PAC 10 vs SEC.

Drool............

With the kickoff to the college football season full of mismatches, starting with No. 1 Southern California vs. Idaho down to No. 25 Texas A&M vs. Montana State and plenty in between, the one game to watch should be No. 12 California against No. 15 Tennessee in Berkeley (Saturday, 8 p.m., ET, ABC).

Volunteers vs Bears...Saturday Night Live!

We just got home from the game. The Tebow Era has begun! He passed for 300 yards in 3 1/2 quarters. The lightning got too close and the refs stopped the game, then eventually called it. The final was 49-3.

We're watching Boston College vs Wake Forest and waiting for the CALIFORNIA vs TENNESSEE!

Go GATORS! Go SEC! Go COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

Well, the Lloyd Carr death watch has to be on at Michigan after Appalachian State's stunning win. He'd better beat Ohio State this year ...

What a day of football!

California scored on Tennessee on defense,
special teams and offense and Tenn. didn't
look that bad! This SEC nut agrees - The Pac-10 is Real!

I'd write off the lopsided wins between major conferences
and the other guys...if the top 1-AA Apalanchian State hadn't
shocked Big Blue. A coach's nightmare for #5 Michigan.

Unless something strange happens CA-USC should be a great
one - like LSU-FLA. OK is looking good and Penn State may have
their first good year in quite awhile. Kansas State hung with
Auburn for quite awhile as did East Carolina with VA Tech.

One thing I noticed in the CA-Tenn game was ABC's Brent
Musberger's bias to the Pac 10. "They play round robin"
he kept saying, pushing for all conference teams playing all members in that conference. The West Coast media is one of their strong points in national rankings...but that's what they have bowl games for...and it looks like there will be some great ones this a year.

BTW I'm not upset we don't play Tenn. this year. But, for a fumble run back and a punt return for a TD, they hung right there with CA. Of course, had CA not fumbled on the Tenn. 1-yard-line it could have been a 21-point win for The Golden Bears...so, like said - The Pac-10 is Real!

And, Michigan fans...it's only one game...ya still got a full schedule, and a great tradition of football. Ya got Ohio State and Wisconsin coming.

BC and Wake was a great game (who is that masked BC QB?) and Ga Tech probably hurt ND more than Ap State did Mich.
See ya next week.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...ngs2/index.html

Ok...this is how it works out from the power rankings per Sports Illustrated Power Rankings:

SEC: six in top 25 - LSU (2); Fla. (4);
Georgia (8); Arkansas (18); Auburn (20); and Tenn. (22).

Pac-10: three in top 25 - USC (1); Cal (11); UCLA (19)

Big 10: three in top 25 - Wisconsin (5);
Ohio St. (14); Penn St. (15)

Big 12: three in top 25 - Oklahoma (7);
Texas (9); Nebraska (13).

ACC: three in top 25 - Va. Tech (10); Boston COllege (17); Ga. Tech (23).

Big East: West Va. (3). Great rank for the conference!

Big Sky: Boise State (15). Another great conference rep...

Mountain West: Texas Christian (21). God loves 'em.

Ivy League: Rutgers (24). Brains with some brawn.

Sorry but I don't know or care what conference Hawaii (25) is in - great state - but football?

Best game of the week:
LSU (2) VS Va. Tech (10)
y'all tune in they are supposed to introduce Mike (the tiger) VI (LSU's new mascot - a two-year-old, 300-pound and expected to reach 700-pound, Bengal-Siberian tiger mix, that has the best life for tigers in captivity in the world).

Geaux Tigers!

I recently read an article about Hawaii's record breaking quarterback. He was formerly at Colorado or Colorado St.? and was accused of some type of sexual harrassment. He was exonerated on the basis of several witnesses, but it was during all of the other problems they were having out there where team members were supplying alcohol and girls to recruits, but the dye had been cast and he was crucified in the media. He said he went to Hawaii because June Jones was the only one who was willing to give him a chance to pick up the pieces of his life. Last year he broke several NCAA records, but was virtually ignored because he played for Hawaii, and they don't get a lot of press on the mainland. I was a great story!

Big game in this neck of the woods this week is TCU-Texas. TCU has one of the best defenses in the nation, and Texas played poorly last week. Horns will need to be much better this week.

Another big one is Miami-Oklahoma. Sooners ran it up last week, but only against North Texas, which is playing almost all freshmen. So what did that prove?

Every game adds a few brush strokes to the painting that is 2007...

For your convenience here's the 2007 1-A football schedule courtesy ESPN:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/schedules

A bit of trivia...

Before the LSU-Va. Tech game Saturday night in Death Valley
there will a parachute demonstration. This is common at LSU...
a chutist drops in with an LSU flag and another with the Stars
and Stripes. But this time a Va. Tech Flag will also be included
with a third chutist.

And, LSU's "Band from Tigerland" will play the VT alma mater
prior to the game...another first by the La. State U. Krew.

All these things are a deep bow to the students victimized at VT.

...but like I've said, the deep-and-wide Southern Hospitality
experienced during tail-gating and pre-game ceremonies ends
with the National Anthem...then we tee it up!

And then, whichever team wins the game...they will be able
to stand tall...and know it was won - on the field of honor.

Don't miss this one y'all. It will be the best!

Week two:

LSU is for real, as is the PAC 10.

The one score by VT had to be reviewed to be called (I'm still not convinced LSU has been scored on)...and Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Cal proved again the PAC 10 is here to play.

Oklahoma also showed speed and strength and belongs in the top few, and I believe BC's QB Ryan is among the best on the NCAA field, although there are several who still want to believe Hawaii's is. (La. Tech lost to the Rainbows in OT when they tried for a 2-point extra point to win).

Fla.'s offense was good, but their defense gave up 31 points by Troy State; maybe they are building as the year goes on.

Speaking of 1-AA schools: South Florida took out #17 Auburn 26-23 for what seems to be the weekly 1-AA upset.

U. Ala. Birmingham (UAB) scared the hell out of Fla. State before falling 34-24; and Marshall led West Virginina at half, to lose later. Same scenario with 1-A TCU-Texas, but the Horns pulled away handily when they proved they had the best defense.

LSU's 48-7 win and Oklahoma's 51-13 win over Miami were the big ones...but if USC makes it through the PAC 10 without a loss they will gain traction as those kids are playing well this year.

Tenn. bounced back against Southern Miss and So. Carolina took Ga. in Athens - Spurrier can coach. No gimmies in the SEC.

The USC-Nebraska game lost some hype when the Cornhuskers struggled to best Wake Forest 20-17. Wake is good at home, but when the ACC slugs it out with the Big 12 it goes toward leveling the field. USC looks like Fred Thompson at the moment...but will get busy soon.

The mover of the week...I'd have to say Cinncinati 34-3 over Oregon State...good defense.

Tennesse plays Fla. and Arkansas-Alabama in the SEC next weekend for the best match-ups IMHO; BC-Ga. Tech close behind; and LSU has to be careful of Middle Tenn. and that 1-AA boogieman.

I'm glad LSU is ranked #2...a little less pressure...and I'm hoping Michigan wins out - so UM doesn't try to hire away LSU coach (and UM alumni) Les Miles.

The Florida game gave us a lot to celebrate and more importantly, a lot to be concerned about!

I wouldn't fret too much about losing a coach. LSU is one of the few schools that move seamlessly from one coach to another and still perform at a high level. You can't say that about a lot of schools.

The South Carolina/Georgia game was a good one. The Gamecocks defense showed up to play. I think that was the best game I've seen from them since Spurrier took over.

I think the upsets and close games we've seen in the last too weeks shows just how fallible the sports media are when they drive the rankings through their selective coverage. They hype certain teams to entice more viewers to the games they cover. It's starting to remind me a lot of how the media drives the political polls.

Week Three:

Looks like to me USC, LSU, Oklahoma and Florida are still tough...
but Utah, Ohio State, Boston College, Alabama, Oregon, and yes even Nebraska, could move up.

UCLA, Louisville, Arkansas, Ga. Tech, and Texas looked weaker than I thought, and may/should drop.

But that's just me...in week three...

Top 25 teams' results:

USC 49-Nebraska 31
LSU 44-Middle Tenn. 0
OK 54-Utah St. 3
WVa 31-Maryland 14
Fla. 59-Tenn. 20
Texas 35-Central Fla. 32
Wisconsin 45-Citadel 31
*Louisville 34-Kentucky 40
Ohio St. 33-Washington14
*UCLA 6-Utah 44
Penn St. 45-Buffalo 24
Rutgers 59-Norfolk St. 0
*Ga. Tech 10-Boston College 24
*Ark. 38-Alabama 41
So. Carolina 38-So.Carolina St. 3
Va. Tech 28-Ohio 7
Oregon 52-Fresno St. 21
Clemson 38-Furman 10
Ga. 45-Western Carolina 16
Hawaii 49-UNLV 14
Texas A&M 54- La. Monroe 14

*Lost to lower ranked (or unranked) team

Next Week's best looking games:(rankings are as of Sunday 9/16/07 morning)

3)LSU plays 17)vs So. Carolina (Steve Spurrier makes SC much better)
12)Penn St. vs Michigan (which came through 38-0 over Noter Dame)
13)Rutgers vs Maryland (who lost to #4 W.Va. 31-14)
16)Arkansas vs Kentucky (Ky sky-high and Ark has something to prove)

In the future:

LSU vs Florida vs Alabama (Sabin makes The Tide much better)
OK vs Nebraska vs Texas
USC vs Oregon
Boston College vs Va. Tech

I was at the Florida/Tennessee game yesterday and must say that if anyone had predicted that it would end up that one-sided, I would have thought they were crazy. The young Florida defense is coming along nicely, but I think their biggest tests are yet to come.

I know the score says that Alabama won the game, but I think Arkansas should have won. Houston Nutt will forever be questioned for not using McFadden during the Hog's last possession. If your number one running back can't take the field, what about your number two? Why use your number three? Inquiring minds want to know.


We are the boys from ol' Florida,
F L O R I D A
Where the girls are the fairest,
the boys are the squarest,
of any ol' State down our way.
Hey!
We will hold strong for ol' Florida,
down where the ol' GATORS

I was at the Florida/Tennessee game yesterday and must say that if anyone had predicted that it would end up that one-sided, I would have thought they were crazy. The young Florida defense is coming along nicely, but I think their biggest tests are yet to come.

I know the score says that Alabama won the game, but I think Arkansas should have won. Houston Nutt will forever be questioned for not using McFadden during the Hog's last possession. If your number one running back can't take the field, what about your number two? Why use your number three? Inquiring minds want to know.

WE ARE THE BOYS (sung at the close of the 3rd quarter in every Florida football game)
We are the boys from ol' Florida,
F L O R I D A
Where the girls are the fairest,
the boys are the squarest,
of any ol' State down our way.
Hey!
We will hold strong for ol' Florida,
down where the ol' GATORS play
In all kinds of weather we all stick together,
for F L O R I D A!
Go GATORS!

(OT) It looks like Houston FINALLY has a pro team!

Now back to college football......

[quote name='Indianhead' date='Sep 16 2007, 10:58 AM' post='752456']
Week Three:

Looks like to me USC, LSU, Oklahoma and Florida are still tough...
but Utah, Ohio State, Boston College, Alabama, Oregon, and yes even Nebraska, could move up.

UCLA, Louisville, Arkansas, Ga. Tech, and Texas looked weaker than I thought, and may/should drop.

But that's just me...in week three...
[quote]

I agree that USC, LSU and Florida look like the big 3 at this point. But I think OU is untested and *vastly* overrated based solely upon run-it-up scores. OU has played a cream-puff schedule. The best team they have played, Miami, will do well to finish .500. The Hurricanes narrowly beat Florida International last week, and FIU is by many accounts the *worst* of the 119 teams in Division I.

OU is also starting a freshman quarterback. When the Sooners get into real games, that will almost certainly bite them at some point. I don't think they will win every game by 40+.

It also should be noted that OU is merciless about running it up. Against North Texas, OU's *third-string* quarterback, if I recall, had like 3 TD passes. Why was he even throwing the ball? At that point, they should have been just running out the clock ......

Texas is a mystery. Clearly the Longhorns' offense has underperformed. But UT has also played a much tougher schedule than OU, if people were paying attention, rather than just remembering Miami from years ago. Arkansas State, TCU and Central Florida (whom they played on the road) have all looked like pretty good teams -- all better than anything OU has played. However, none of them are in the league of USC, LSU or Florida, and to compete with the likes of that, UT has a long way to go ....

I must accept the logic on Texas, mainly on the strength
of Coach Mac Brown and the tradition of getting the best
talent in a big tiime football state. I wouldn't want to be
in their practice sessions this week. But, I still think the
OU-Texas game will be a biggie on the way to Nebraska.


Seems I was correct on:
Ohio State (went from 10 to 8)
Oregon (19 to 13)
BC (21 to 14)
Alabama (from zip to 16)
Louisville (9 to 18)
Texas (6 to 7)
and UCLA, Arkansas, Ga. Tech dropping - out of the top 25.

But wrong on:
Nebraska staying where they were (fell from 14 to 24)
and Utah (still not in top 25, or even a vote)

What I can not understand is how Kentucky at 3-0 (who broke in at 21)
is ranked below Louisville (18), who they beat. Go figure.

A thought on running up scores...
When you have second and third teams in a game coaches
expect them to score, expect them to use all the weapons in
the playbook...so they are ready if an injury vaults them into a
position of responsibility. It also is a part of the BCS ratings,
which we know lands teams in the big games, including the
Championship. However, there are ridiculous cases:
our local University (Southeastern La. U) won their game
Saturday 79-6 (largest total ever) when returning to 1-AA
after losing to two 1-A schools to open their season...
that's a bit ridiculous...but I think it propably reinstated
their self confidence.

Meanwhile South Carolina (LSU's next opponent) climbed from 17 to 12,
making that game even more important Saturday.

The rest of the LSU schedule provides for the chance at the BCS
with FLA. and Ark. at home and Kentucky and Alabama on the road.

Sat, Sep 22 #12 South Carolina * 2 Baton Rouge,
Sat, Sep 29 Tulane - at New Orleans, La.
Sat, Oct 06 Florida * - Baton Rouge, La.
Sat, Oct 13 Kentucky * - at Lexington, Ky.
Sat, Oct 20 Auburn * - Baton Rouge,
Sat, Nov 03 Alabama * - at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Sat, Nov 10 Louisiana Tech (HC) - Baton Rouge
Sat, Nov 17 Ole Miss * - at Oxford, Miss.
Fri, Nov 23 Arkansas * Baton Rouge

Then hopefully:
SEC Championship Game
Sat, Dec 01 - at Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Dome)

And, although the coaches refuse to discuss it...all LSU fans pray for:




Sorry to carry on so, but Tiger-mania is wild this year.
There's still a long way to go and Oct. 6 (vs FLA.) will be huge -
for both teams' hopes to be in New Orleans in January.

That's OK to a point, but some schools just don't do it. It is really not sportsmanlike to beat a team 79-6 or 79-10. And unless a team is coughing up turnovers by the truckload, there is just no reason to do it just because you can. A few years back, Houston was roundly criticized for beating SMU 95-10. But OU gets a pass on it, and in fact moves up in the polls because of running up the score. At this point, if I had a vote, I would leave OU in the same place I had it in preseason. The Sooners haven't proven a thing. They do have better opponents upcoming, so that will tell how good they really are.

Margin of win is one part of a team's BCS ranking. As long as that's the case, teams are going to score as many points as they can. Some Tennessee fans accused Florida of running up the score on Saturday. This is Florida vs Tennessee and you can bet if the situation was reversed (and it has been in the past) they would be singing a different tune. My problem with the Florida game was how long Meyer left Tebow in the game. He played all but the last possession. The last possession of the game Cameron Newton can in at quarterback, and he ran for a lot of yards and eventually ran it in for a score.

I don't believe that margin of victory is technically part of the BCS equation. It was removed before last season. However, poll voters are undoubtedly influenced by victory margin (see OU), and polls are something like 2/3 or more of the mix.

A great story on *not* running it up: One of the former Notre Dame coaches (I think it was Lou Holtz, but might have been Ara Parsegian), when playing against outmatched foes, used to give his team a maximum point number for the game. If they exceeded it, they had to do extra laps, etc. They almost never did.

BTW, Florida-Tennessee is a rivalry game between major football powers. Nobody would pull any punches in a game like that. And 59-20 isn't *that* bad, though Florida probably could have done without the last TD.

But if Florida were playing Florida International, I would hope that at some point, they would call off the dogs. There is no reason to beat an overmatched team by 84-10 or some such ridiculous score. The other team is in over its head and is only playing the game for a payday and to give your squad some practice and an easy W. No reason to rub it in.

I do give UT's Mack Brown some credit on this. I watched UT play Rice one year, and the Owls were so overmatched that it looked like a high school team playing an NFL squad. Some of UT's offensive linemen literally outweighed Rice defensive linemen by 100 pounds. It was purely a name-the-score game. UT was up by like 40 points by halftime, and to the Horns' credit, that's where the game stayed.

I'm starting to like Women's Soccer too:




Heather Mitts

Lesson for the week...don't take any SEC game for granted.
Tim Tebow carried Florida past Ole Miss at Oxford, MS; LSU
used it's ground game to beat South Carolina; Kentucky
showed Arkansas, and Georga showed Alabama, they will
compete this year. Could we have an SEC team in every
bowl game this year?

Oklahoma is gelling like Oklahoma does and USC grinds on...
(comer this week looks like Ohio State)

Looks like the big boys are close to being in stride for
their biggest conference games...coming attractions:

SEC awaits LSU-Fla. (but four others are in AP Top 25)
Pac-10 awaits USC-Oregon-Cal
Big 12 awaits Texas-Oklahoma
Big 10 awaits Ohio State-Wisconsin (but season enders between OSU and UofM are classic)
ACC awaits Va.Tech-BC-Clemson

The most exciting games of the past week? IMO:

Fla. - Ole Miss (wow)
Ky.-Ark. (zing)
Michigan-Penn St. (they're back!)

Week 4 Scoreboard

AP & USA Today's Top 25 Rankings

Games to see in Week 5:

Friday

8 p.m.
West Va. (5) - South Fla. (18)

Saturday:

1 p.m.
Ole Miss at Georgia (15)

3:30 p.m.
Cal (6) at Oregon (11)
Kansas State at #7 Texas
Michigan State at #9 Wisconsin
#13 Clemson at Georgia Tech

8 p.m.
Auburn at #4 Florida
#1 USC at Washington

...another great week of football...(then LSU-Fla.!)

Unbelievable!

USC 27-24 over Washington

LSU 34-9 over Tulane (but, was ahead by 1 point at half)

Oklahoma loses 27-24 to Colorado

Florida loses 20-17 to Auburn

West Va. loses to So. Fla. 21-13

Texas loses to Kansas State 41-21

Rutgers loses to Maryland 34-24

CAL beats Oregon 34-24

GA Tech beats Clemson 13-3

Illinois beats Penn St. 27-20


Fla. St. beats Ala. 21-14

Ohio St. wins 30-7 over Minn.

Michigan beats Northwestern 28-16
---------
What a weekend!
Ohio State is the big winner...top four I'd say. USC, LSU, CAL, OSU.

But the toughest test coming up is LSU-Fla.
Fla. is bruised and has something to prove. If LSU wins they should be ranked #1, IMHO. If Fla. wins...back in the top four.

All roads lead to Baton Rouge this coming weekend...and Florida knows it.

Ya can have the Pac-10; Big 10; Big 12; but the National Championship comes through the SEC - stay tuned.

Ohio State and USC are cheering for Fla. and they'd better...cause if LSU comes out...there ain't no doubtin' the La. Fightin' Tigers. They have their future in their hands. And, the depth of the team, is the key.

I'd say Ohio State has a chance for the Championship...but it comes through Michigan and that ain't no push.
But then, LSU has to play Fla., Auburn and Kentucky...let's see who has the plays. God I love the NCAA.

Next week's big games lost some luster this week. Told you OU was overrated

Still, LSU-FL is a huge game, even with the Gators' loss.

BTW, did you see the Oklahoma State coach's post-game rant last week. Talk about over-the-top nuts!!!

Florida may be tougher because of the loss. And "over-rated" was what Tulane fans were chanting the first half of the game with LSU...so I hesitate to repeat it...

One more thing:

LSU Slips Past USC for Top AP Ranking

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jR46pPL...9d7slgD8RVVCH00


By RALPH D. RUSSO – 2 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — LSU reached No. 1 the hard way. The Tigers edged past Southern California in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, even though the Trojans remained undefeated.

On a wild day in college football, when half the top 10 lost, USC avoided the upset bug that struck Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and Rutgers. But a sloppy 27-24 victory at Washington on Saturday night cost the Trojans the No. 1 ranking they've held all season.

USC is the first team to lose the No. 1 ranking after a victory since Nov. 3, 2002, when top-ranked Miami dropped after beating Rutgers 42-17 and No. 2 Oklahoma moved up after a 27-11 victory over No. 13 Colorado.

LSU, which recovered from its own first-half malaise to beat Tulane 34-9 on Saturday, received 33 first-place votes from the media panel and 1,593 points. USC got 32 first-place votes, 11 fewer than last week, and 1,591 points.

The voting was the closest since the second poll of the 2002 season, when Miami and Oklahoma tied for No. 1 and each received 27 first-place votes.

LSU is No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time since Nov. 2, 1959.

The rest of the rankings released Sunday bore little resemblance to any of the previous polls, thanks to a crazy weekend in which three of the top five and seven of the top 13 teams lost.

Overall, nine ranked teams went down, seven to unranked opponents.

California moved up three spots to No. 3, Ohio State jumped four places to No. 4 and Wisconsin moved up five spots to No. 5.

The rest of the top 10 featured some unfamiliar names.

South Florida, which knocked off No. 5 West Virginia 21-13 on Thursday night, made it into the poll for the first time two weeks ago. Now the Bulls are No. 6 in the country and West Virginia dropped eight spots to 13th.

No. 7 Boston College is in the top 10 for the first time since 1992. No. 8 Kentucky has a top-10 ranking for the first time since 1977.

No. 9 Florida, which lost 20-17 on a last-second field goal to Auburn, fell five spots. Oklahoma, which lost to Colorado on a field goal as time expired, dropped seven spots to No. 10.

In the USA Today coaches' poll, USC held on to No. 1, with LSU, Cal, Ohio State and Wisconsin in the top five.

The other two top-10 teams to lose this weekend took the largest tumbles in the new rankings.

Texas dropped 12 spots to No. 19 after it was handed its worst home loss of the Mack Brown era, 41-21 at home to Kansas State. The Wildcats entered the rankings for the first time since 2004 at No. 24.

Rutgers fell 11 spots to No. 21 after losing 34-24 at home to Maryland.

The second 10 starts with South Carolina at No. 11 and Georgia at No. 12.

After West Virginia is Oregon at No. 14. The Ducks fell three spots after a tough 31-24 loss to Cal. Virginia Tech is No. 15, followed by Hawaii, Missouri and Arizona State at No. 18.

Cincinnati moved up four spots to No. 20, a week after receiving its first national ranking in 31 years.

Clemson, another upset victim, fell nine spots to No. 22 after losing 13-3 to Georgia Tech.

No. 23 Purdue was the second newcomer to the rankings, along with Kansas State, and No. 25 Nebraska was the only team in the Top 25 to hold the same spot as it did last week.

Falling out of the rankings were Penn State and Alabama.

------------------

Ya gotta take the field every week and there's still alot of big games left...one slip and you're yesterday's news...but for the time being :

We're No. 1!

But, no matter what I'll always cheer: Geaux Tigers!

Kentucky got their welcome to SEC football tonight.
(8) Kentucky 23
(11) South Carolina 38

It's the toughest conference in the USA.

And now for the big boys...LSU vs Fla.
If y'all like football, tune in - Saturday.

Sure Fla. slipped to Auburn...but this is the
real test...Tigers vs Gators...it's for all the marbles.
The ruling National Champs vs the contenders.

If you win the SEC you are in the drivers seat.
Like NCAA football? Then Saturday is D-Day!
Defense Day! Offense wins games, defense wins championships!

Tune in to see the best...

Ladies and gentlemen I think I've just watched the best college game of the year.

Florida fought their heart out...led until the last 90 seconds of the game.
Had the most successful quarterback on the field...and LSU came back.

It could have gone either way. My vote LSU #1, Fla. #2
with the SEC Championship game still to play.

Damn! That's SEC football!

I'm gonna pour me a bourbon and bourbon. Wow!

LSU
Ohio State
Missouri
Florida
Cal.
Boston College
Va. Tech
Illinois
Oklahoma/Kansas

Is this the top 10?
I don't know...
LSU still has Alabama, Auburn and Kentucky;
Illinois/Ohio State/Michigan; Missouri/Oklahoma/Texas;
Cal./USC/Oregon; B.C. and Va. Tech (which is my choice).
Big Ten and SEC? Pac-10 and SEC? Big 12 and SEC?
ACC and SEC? Big East and SEC?

It seems the BCS comes through the SEC. As it should be.
But we have to win out...one game at a time.
See y'all in New Orleans in January!

Looks like a quiet week here...lots of changes...

A note on LSU's win Saturday:
It took everything LSU had to beat Florida.
Fourth down conversions, interceptions et al.
And, the guys who left it all on the field...
well, they know the rest of the SEC schedule
will not allow them any let-downs if they seek to
continue their quest for the BCS date in the Sugar
Bowl in January.

AP, USA Today, Coaches Polls

AP Top 25:
SEC - 7
Big 12 - 4
PAC 10 - 3
Big 10 - 3
ACC - 2
Big East - 2

And, welcome Kansas!

USC's big slip throws the city for a loss
By Gary Klein
The flogging has begun, but the Trojans aren't out of the national title picture
just yet.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/eBZiq0IAIo30G2B0I1d

Indianhead,
Congratulations on a great win. We had our chance to win the game, but our inexperienced defense still has a thing or two to learn. I thought the entire team was much improved over the Auburn game. We may end up playing again in December - time will tell.

Go Gators!

We're coming for you on the 20th, IH!!!!

Florida-LSU was a great game. Best I have seen this year so far.

Texas also played OU a much better game than most expected.

I would have moved both Florida and Texas up in the polls after those games, but poll voters didn't see it that way.

Auburn's role this year appears to be to act as "spoiler," as our win over Florida kind of took the rating wind out of their sails. Our earlier games didn't go well at all.

Florida's coach and quarterback are definately Hall of Fame.



We've learned not to assume UK, Auburn or U of Alabama are patsies. SEC!




Polls don't play...both Texas and Oklahoma have great coaches and recruiting...
which I hope we can intercept...LSU would love to have Texas and Oklahoma
recruits...which they are fightin' for every day. Football powerhouse states.

We could lose to Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama - or Florida in the SEC Championship...
it's a long way to SEC championship...as it should be...as it should be.
Champions have to walk the walk...it's the law of the gridiron...and infantry.