I'm sure you meant 2004, and it was USC and Oklahoma. 2007. If we don't start the season #1, I don't believe we get the benefit of the doubt when the shit hit the fan at season's end. With our schedule this year, we need the SEC to keep being dominant OOC to get that benefit. Either 2000 or 2001, Miami started well outside of the top 5. They were the best team in college football at season's end and had barely lost to FSU early in the season, but because of they're low initial ranking, they couldn't jump FSU (who lost late in the season) to take on Oklahoma. The following season they ran the table and beat Nebraska. If, and granted, it's not likely, but IF SEC teams make a habit this year of losing OOC games, and we play this all of a sudden weak schedule...and TWO other teams, say USC Big-12 team dujour go undefeated, we COULD be screwed without the lofty pre-season rankings to protect us. Remember, the media loves USC and the computers love the Big-12. We shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the importance of pre-season rankings. We have them and they aren't going anywhere. And in certain scenarios, they help immensely.
Legal isn't the problem. Its the team fucking rules. He signed up for it, he knew the fucking rule, and HE decided to say "fuck it." What don't you understand. I don't care if there was a team rule to not use twitter, they'd better follow it. 3-4 years of following rules leads to possibly Millions of dollars. They can deal with it.
Yeah, I had the wrong "followup to LSU's NC year". It was 2004 as you stated. Fortunately, the 4 team playoff deal starts in a couple of years and then it certainly won't make a difference. If you can't be in the top 4 no matter where you start the season, you are indeed cursed big time.
This is the part I'll never wrap my mind around. Not with Perrilloux, not with Mathieu. Compared to the general population, they're born with the equivalent of a winning lottery ticket. All they have to do to cash in is keep their noses clean for 3-4 years. After they get that big signing bonus and guaranteed money, THEN they can decide to pull a Jamarcus if they want to, or worse. And they can't even manage to do that.
