FROM THE REAL ART SPORTS DESK
Longhorns ranked No. 2 in USA Today poll

From the Houston Chronicle:

Even with the loss of quarterback Vince Young, defending national champion Texas will begin the season No. 2 in the USA Today preseason college football poll released Friday.

The Longhorns, coming off a school-record 13-0 season and victory over Southern California in the Rose Bowl, received 13 first-place votes and 1,378 points.

Ohio State, which visits Austin on Sept. 9, is ranked No. 1. The Buckeyes, who must replace nine starters on defense, received 28 of a possible 63 first-place votes from a panel of Division I-A coaches.

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I have never in my life started out a football season as a fan of the defending national champion. First time for everything I guess. But I'm purposely keeping my expectations low. I mean, okay, the Sooners, in what appears to be an attempt to keep OU alumni from returning to their old NCAA violating ways, just booted their starting quarterback off the team for taking illegal handouts, so the Big 12 looks like easy pickings this year. It's also nice to hear that the Buckeyes will have an unproven defense. But, hey, Vince Young is going to be playing for the former Oilers this year, and, you know, he's the guy that changed the Longhorns from being simply a perennial top ten team to to being the champion. So my thinking is that without him they're back to perennial top ten status. I'll hope, yes, but I won't expect.

That way lies madness. Seriously.

My other school, LSU, ranked ninth. Not half bad, if you ask me. What I'm really waiting for is the AP poll--I guess I'm old school; I like that one better.

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