I just thought I would post this. I have xm radio and travel quite a bit. So today I flipped through several talk radio stations including ESPN, Fox Sports, and Sporting News. I have to say that I am very pleased at what is being said of us. Sure there is the occasional detractor (i.e. Dan Patrick), but to be honest OU is taking the most heat( which I do not agree with). BUT there are also a lot of people not sold on USC. Some polls have shown strong support for USC, but I have heard very little negativity on the airwaves regarding our shot in the Sugar Bowl. In fact during the ESPNEWS BCS special, it was mentioned that if LSU wins USC is definitely not garaunteed the AP Poll. Salisbury damn near choked when he heard it, but that is the truth. OU had 8 first place votes. If LSU beats OU, wouldnt those writers think we are #1. 15 points is a microscopic lead. The only thing that is annoying is that more people are excited about the Rose Bowl than the Sugar Bowl.
Plus you would like to think with an LSU win we would at least get OU's remaining #1 votes and that makes it even more razor thin.
I was listening to Chris Myers and Bob Golic this afternoon out here in L.A. and these guys were driving me crazy. They could not get off sos and how that was helping LSU. They kept saying that LSU knows its scheduling weak teams with Ul Monroe, Western Illinois, and LA Tech at the begining of the year and that USC tried to schedule tougher teams in Aubarn, ND and BYU. Its not their fault that those teams did not have good years. Mike Garret(USC AD) came on and said teams should be penalized for scheduling weak teams and SC helped for trying to create a tough schedule. Trust me, you've never heard UL-Monroe said so many times on Monroe talk radio let alone out here. They could not let this go. Who gives a sheite what your schedule looks like at the begining of the year. Hawaii, BYU and ND are soft and Aubarn did not have a great year. No mention of all the tough teams LSU played, SEC over PAC 10 strength, losing to CAL, playing one team in the top 40, NADA. Also no mention of West. Illinois being a replacement for Marshall, or Arizona because they know they're in the weak ass pac 10. According to them if SC wins the Rose they are the undisputed champs. I was getting so frustrated driving, listening to this ridiculous banter my wife had to keep telling me to calm down. Unbelieveable.
What pisses me off...is that most of these "LA sports media guys" aren't even from there...they just are there. We are from Louisiana and we have a personal vendeta with anything against our tigers...Those guys do it for the attention, media, and just to make a headline...It pisses me off.
I can understand your frustration. I live in Tampa, and I'm shocked at how often sports talk show hosts bring up UL Monroe and Western Illinois, but they don't bring up the points you mentioned in your post: conference strength, top 20 opponents (4 for LSU vs 1 for LSU!), loss to a top 10 UF vs Cal., et cetera. Every show I heard is assuming Oklahoma will win. They aren't even entertaining the possibility that LSU may win. However, this kind of attitude has worked in our favor all year long. I heard UGA would destroy us both times, Auburn would run all over us, and Ole Miss was the real deal. I can't imagine the talk in L.A. Don't worry, we have fared well all year long when we were expected to lose. I too went balistic when one host (an Oklahoma supporter) bragged that OU had beaten Texas-yes, the Texas team that Arkansas spanked! Geaux Michigan and GEAUX TIGERS!!!!
