Michael Ventre

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Get used to it.

Actually, the teams vying for college football’s national championship this season aren’t mighty at all. They’re near mighty, perhaps quasi mighty. An Italian might even call them “mezza” mighty.

But as the 2007 campaign develops, it’s clear that no one team is leaping out and acting as the mighty majorette. This parade seems more like the one at the end of “Animal House” that is led down a blind alley.

In recent years, college football has seen the USC team that rolled past Oklahoma to win the national title; it saw the USC-Texas clash of the colossuses; there was the LSU team that beat Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl for the BCS side of the crown; and an argument can be made that one-loss Florida last season reached mighty status right around kickoff against Ohio State.

But this season, there is no such clear-cut champ candidate. Certainly LSU is deserving of its No. 1 (AP poll) or No. 2 ranking (coaches’ poll), but it hasn’t had anything close to a real test yet. That will change this week, when the Tigers host a wounded and angry band of Florida Gators.

Yet USC is one of the greatest teams ever — on paper — but has played thus far like any other run-of-the-mill team trying to find a rhythm and an identity. And after their near meltdown at Washington on Saturday, the Trojans are probably lucky to still be ranked among the top five.

Florida looked shaky on the road at Ole Miss, then followed it with a “can’t wait to play LSU” flop against Auburn. Oklahoma defied logic in losing at Colorado. West Virginia again failed to measure up against South Florida. Texas gave up 41 points at home in falling to Kansas State. Even Rutgers, simply looking to add to its national credibility reserves, failed to handle the burden of breaking into the top 10 with a loss to unranked Maryland.

It’s as if nobody wants the job.

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We’ll know more in the coming weeks, especially after the bayou dust settles on LSU-Florida. But it appears whichever teams meet in the Superdome on Jan. 7 to play for the national title will get there as fortunate survivors rather as invincible warriors.

Here's a friendly warning to LSU
Naturally, LSU is afraid of no team, as one might expect. The Tigers have a magnificent defense to go with a serviceable offense and a fine coaching staff.

But if there is a flicker of doubt in their minds, it might have come Saturday when it was announced that Florida had been upset by Auburn. No perennial power likes to face another perennial power after it has just been stung – and at home, no less – by an inferior team.

The Tigers were probably gearing up to welcome the Gators into Baton Rouge, which would explain why they got off to a slow start against Tulane last week before rolling, 34-9. Oklahoma and Texas were probably also looking ahead to their Red River imbroglio, but at least LSU had the capability to first take care of the business at hand.

The Gators don’t quite have the same mojo as last season, on both sides of the ball. Yet they’re still among the top three or four programs in the nation in terms of recruiting and coaching. Urban Meyer is fast becoming the Pete Carroll of the East, securing commitments from premier recruits up and down the coast.

It will not sit well with Meyer or anyone around the program if Florida loses on back-to-back weekends, even if the teams in question are two respected SEC rivals. Meyer has set up his program to be among the elite, which usually means nothing less than one defeat or fewer is acceptable.

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But two in a row? Unthinkable.

Except, of course, that this is LSU, not Tennessee or Mississippi. Les Miles and his charges won’t care if Florida is coming off one defeat, or eight straight, or for that matter, 10 victories in a row. They have national championship aspirations, and if the Gators happen to be in a surly mood, the Tigers are good enough and determined enough to make sure it gets even surlier after Saturday.

Heisman hope?
After a month of the season has passed, there still doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut leader for the Heisman Trophy.

Since it’s wide open, here are a couple of early suggestions:

If the award supposedly goes to the best college football player in the land, then it probably should go to DeSean Jackson of Cal. Who is better at this point? He came up big in Saturday’s clash at Oregon, snagging 11 receptions for 160 yards and two TDs. He has 28 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He also has returned a punt for a touchdown and scored another rushing.

As far as game-breaking multi-purpose threats, he’s the Reggie Bush of 2007.

But if it isn’t Jackson, and the floor is taking nominations, this might be the ideal year to seriously consider a defensive player.

Two come to mind right away, and both are defensive linemen. Glenn Dorsey of LSU and Sedrick Ellis of USC are already off to excellent starts. In their own way, they control the game from their side of the ball.

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