Coaches vote USC No. 2; AP No. 3

Florida is the unanimous National Champion. Their victory over Oklahoma in the BCS championship game solidified the top spot in the coaches’ poll, and any speculation of a split title ended with the Gators finishing No. 1 in the Associated Press. Texas’ Mack Brown proved to be only a man of words, after announcing from the Fiesta Bowl that he would defy the contractual agreement and vote his Longhorns No. 1. Texas finished third in the coaches poll, behind USC, and received no first place votes. Undefeated Utah had a 4th place finish, with one coach giving the Utes a vote for first.

The Associated Press placed the Trojans third, with one first place vote. That seated them behind Utah (16 votes) and Florida (48). USC occupied the fifth position for several weeks, unable to leap-frog Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma. They finally make the jump in the final poll, when it no longer matters and there is no prize.

The Pac 10 has 4 teams ending in the coaches’ top 25 (USC, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal), the same as the SEC, and one less than the Big 12, with those conferences hosting 2 more programs than the Pacific 10. Arizona also received votes, giving half the conference recognition among voters. Too little, too late, and it’s time to focus on 2009.