LSU LOYALISTS LOBBY LABORIOUSLY.

Byline: SCOTT WOLF 

There are 65 people who comprise the Associated Press Top 25 poll, and this week, it's somewhere between being a member of the College of Cardinals and a Miami-Dade County, Fla., voter during the 2000 presidential election.

I'm one of those 65, and right now the lobbyists are coming out in full force, desperately trying to get their team ranked No. 2.

``We're No. 2'' is the novel rallying cry, as USC and Louisiana State jockey to sit behind Oklahoma in Sunday's final Bowl Championship Series rankings.

The deluge started Monday, when LSU fans sent out e-mails listing all the reasons the Tigers should leapfrog USC if they beat Georgia on Saturday. It's important because if LSU rises to No. 2 in the top-25 polls, they also will finish second in the BCS rankings, thus guaranteeing a trip to the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.

Among the Tigers fans' top selling points: ``In the ESPN/Coaches Poll, LSU has played No. 5 Georgia, No. 16 Florida, No. 18 Ole Miss and knocked Arkansas down to No. 37 Friday.

``The SEC championship game will be against a No. 5 Georgia team. USC has played No. 14 Washington State and that's it. Those are the only two games against top 40 opponents. LSU: 5, USC: 1. LSU plays two top 10 games. USC zero.''

The LSU fans' reasoning is obvious: If the Tigers and USC win Saturday, a voter needs only six letters to decide who is No. 2?

1.) Cal.

2.) SEC.

Of course, these sentiments are counter-balanced by USC fans, who are less creative and usually don't know much more than saying the Trojans are the best team in the nation ... blah, blah, blah.

Their arguments are usually about as logical as saying the most buxom contestant should win a beauty contest. On the other hand, it's clear LSU fans are trying to sway voters with their best arguments.

Although I expect few voters to change their polls if USC and LSU win Saturday, it's clear the BCS radically changed the importance of what poll voters do each week.

It's no longer just a matter who gets voted No. 1 in the polls. It's more important these days to see who you ranked second and third, or even fourth, because each point counts in the overall BCS standings.

USC's lead over LSU is almost all attributable to the top-25 polls, which gives the Trojans a one-point cushion. That's why LSU fans are working overtime.

Another Tigers argument: ``LSU's top 1/3 of its schedule far outweighs USC's. LSU is 3-1 against top 40 teams. LSU will play its fifth top 40 game in Georgia in the SEC championship game, a game that won't help LSU in the BCS strength-of-schedule component for some odd technical reasons.

``That means LSU will play two games against teams that finish in the top 10.

``USC has only played ONE top 40 team, and zero teams in the top 10.''

USC fans argue that LSU played no one, citing nonconference games against Louisiana-Monroe and Western Illinois. LSU fans counter those games were scheduled after Marshall and Troy State canceled.

The arguments can see-saw back and forth but only one opinion matters: The convoluted BCS computers - with an assist from us top-25 poll voters.

--Add LSU: One of the LSU lobbyists sent along this final thought: ``We're gonna beat a real team ... an SEC! team ... Georgia! ... TWICE. those guys (USC) would have to play weakling Cal AT LEAST three times to post two wins.''

--What are the odds? If USC and LSU played this weekend, the game would be rated even on a neutral field. If the game were at the Coliseum, USC would be a five-point favorite. If the game were in Baton Rouge, the Tigers would be four-point favorites.

--Dept. of Say What? Need further proof the coaches' top-25 poll is a joke? Iowa somehow jumped ahead of Purdue, even though both teams won their final game and the Boilermakers defeated the Hawkeyes 27-14 last month.

--Perfect gift: If you're interested in a historical look at football, an interesting book is ``King Football'' by Michael Oriard, which traces how the mass media shaped the sport in its Golden Age during the first half of the 20th century and glorified/vilified teams, coaches and players.

An interesting local angle is how the Los Angeles media, in a gross display of unprofessional behavior, pushed for USC and UCLA to leave the Pacific Coast Conference because players were deemed ineligible for the 1956-57 seasons after receiving money from slush funds.

For anyone who didn't live through the era, it provides an eye-opening account of how the media ``supported'' its local teams.

The book is available from the University of North Carolina Press at http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/T-5521.html.

CAPTION(S):

3 boxes

Box:

(1) FOOTNOTES

By Scott Wolf

(2) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

- Scott Wolf

(3) BOWL SCHEDULE