USA Today Coaches' Poll debuts; Cats snubbed for No.1 spot

The first USA Today Coaches' Poll is finally out for football and Ricardo Brooks and the boys check in with a No. 46 ranking thanks to a single, solitary vote. The one vote received ties Kentucky for the 46th spot with Arizona, Washington State, and football juggernaut Duke. If we all thought that turning in a nice season last year and having a big win in the Roy Acuff Bowl last year would suddenly garner the Cats national respect, we were wrong. Apparently the Cats will begin the season about where I think they are: Not in the top 25, but with the ability to shake things up in games they are traditionally considered underdogs. Is it likely they will beat Florida or LSU? No, but for the first time in a while, Kentucky has a legitimate shot to scare the big boys due to talent as opposed to blind luck. Just for those who care about teams other than UK, some school out west comes in at No. 1, followed by LSU and Florida. Georgia, Auburn, and Tennessee come in at 13,14, and 15 respectively, and Arkansas is the sixth SEC representative in at No. 20. South Carolina just misses the Top 25 by coming in at 30. The Ron Cooper-led Louisville Cardinals check-in at 11--five spots behind their Big East rival, the West Virginia Moutaingoats. For those of you keeping score at home, this means that the Cats will play 6 of the top 20 teams in the country; Jason and the Argonauts (not a doo-wop band) had an easier task in getting the golden fleece. Dicky Lyons, Jr. and Co. have their work cut out for them this year, but, like every year, hope springs eternal in the Bluegrass. And now for the rest of the top 25 in no particular order. Actually they are in order--that would sort of defeat the purpose. 1. USC (45) 0-0 1,481 2. LSU (4) 0-0 1,372 3. Florida (9) 0-0 1,278 4. Texas 0-0 1,231 5. Michigan (2) 0-0 1,218 6. West Virginia 0-0 1,205 7. Wisconsin 0-0 1,114 8. Oklahoma 0-0 1,026 9. Virginia Tech 0-0 1,005 10. Ohio State 0-0 919 11. Louisville 0-0 836 12. California 0-0 763 13. Georgia 0-0 604 14. Auburn 0-0 595 15. Tennessee 0-0 583 16. Rutgers 0-0 466 17. UCLA 0-0 454 18. Penn State 0-0 440 19. Nebraska 0-0 388 20. Arkansas 0-0 360 21. Florida State 0-0 301 22. TCU 0-0 233 23. Boise State 0-0 222 24. Hawaii 0-0 214 25. Texas A&M 0-0 209