2005-06 College Bowls

Kevin Sherrington

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NEW ORLEANS – Here's the difference between the coaches going into tonight's BCS National Championship:

Les Miles, who admits he teared up watching an HBO production on the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, prepped his LSU players Sunday night with a viewing of 300, basically a video game version of the Battle of Thermopylae, the Alamo of its age.

And Jim Tressel? "I don't know what 300 is," the Ohio State coach said, blinking. "I'm not a real movie guy. The last movie I went to was Jaws ... I. "

Tressel – a man who doesn't allow himself to daydream because it cuts into his working hours – has other ideas about the educational use of DVDs.

For his players' edification, he compiled a video montage of media commentary on Ohio State, much of it, apparently, less than flattering.

Not until tonight will we learn which of the inspirational approaches works better. Unfortunately or not, depending on your perspective, reporters and Persians are off-limits in the Superdome. The Tigers and Buckeyes will have to take out their aggressions on each other, and maybe we'll get the answers to the following questions:

•Will LSU's great defensive tackle, Glenn Dorsey, disrupt the Buckeyes' ground game enough to make the Miami Dolphins take him No. 1?

•Is Ohio State really too slow for LSU?

•Did the Buckeyes learn enough from last season's loss to Florida to avoid being labeled as the Buffalo Bills of the college ranks?

•Will Ohio State ever beat an SEC team in a bowl game?

•If LSU hadn't all but backed into the BCS title game, would Miles be watching this game from Ann Arbor?

Until game time gives us the real answers, the following is an attempt to provide arguing points, both a prerequisite and hazard of the profession.

For the first time in months, Dorsey claims he's healthy, which is bad news for the Buckeyes. Ohio State's offense starts with 6-1, 235-pound running back Chris Wells. If he can't get past Dorsey, the burden of the offense falls on quarterback Todd Boeckman.

AP

LSU coach Les Miles and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel face each other in New Orleans.

Advantage, LSU.

The question of team speed isn't really the issue. LSU's defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini, who'll be Nebraska's full-time head coach starting Tuesday, notes that 40 times aren't as important as how fast a guy plays.

Translation: Does the player understand what he's supposed to do, and does he do it with conviction?

No one answers that description better than LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith, or No. 7 in your program.

"You better block No. 7," Tressel said, "because No. 7 is a player. They can all fly, but No. 7 is fast, and he plays the game fast."

Still, LSU's superior speed doesn't bother the Buckeyes as much as you might think. Ohio State players believe they lost to Florida last year because the Gators were more physical. Of course, the Buckeyes better be more physical, because LSU plays a tougher brand of football than Florida does.

History isn't on the Buckeyes' side, either. Ohio State is 0-8 against the SEC in bowl games. Asked if reporters make too much of it, Tressel said, "When there's a fact, there's a fact. How can you make too much of the truth?"

Obviously, he hasn't wasted much quality time watching ESPN, either.

But Tressel's response is instructive, as is just about everything else he says. Or doesn't.

He could have countered that most of Ohio State's bowl losses to the SEC came on John Cooper's watch. Or that Miles' last loss at Oklahoma State came at the hands of his Buckeyes in the Alamodome. Or that this BCS title game appearance makes three in the last six years for the Buckeyes, a rate no other team can match.

But Tressel held his tongue. Probably asked for a tape of the news conference afterward.

He'll need all the inspirational help he can get going up against Miles, who's working with better material. And that's why he didn't go back to Michigan, his alma mater. He had a shot now at a national title, playing what basically amounts to a home game. How often does a coach get that opportunity?

His players will reward him for his loyalty tonight. No, it won't be anything like Thermopylae. More like 21-17, which still works.