College Athletics

Was it really that bad? Didn't it all, in the end, after five months, a thousand howls and 34 bowls, work out for the conspiracy theorists, playoff advocates and, most of all, Florida? Gators Coach Urban Meyer, sleepless after a night of celebrating his team's Bowl Championship Series victory against Oklahoma, spent Friday morning posing with national title trophies presented by the USA Today voting coaches, the Associated Press and the Football Writers Assn. of America.

Gas just doesn't seem to stretch as far on these California roads. Which is why Nikki Caldwell found herself stranded on the side of one last Friday night. Thankfully, the UCLA women's basketball coach had just finished eating dinner with her staff. A couple of quick calls and her assistant coaches hustled off to find a gallon to go. As Caldwell waited, she was approached by two police officers who wanted to know what a young woman was doing alone in a dark car near Marina del Rey.

Pete Carroll 's announcement Tuesday that tailback Joe McKnight would start Saturday's opener against San Jose State did not come as a shock. But the timing spoke volumes. In three previous seasons with the current stable of running backs, Carroll never made a declaration so early in the week before the opener. It is a clear sign that Carroll and new play-caller Jeremy Bates plan to give McKnight an opportunity to earn a larger share of the carries and touches this season.

Even the best-laid plans are subject to the whim of UCLA sophomore linebacker Akeem Ayers. Stanford went with a safe-and-sane pass to receiver Chris Owusu, who was wrapped up by cornerback Alterraun Verner for a short gain. But Ayers swooped in from the left, knocked the ball free and recovered the fumble. Then there is the to-Ayers-is-human side. UCLA had San Diego State stopped on the seven-yard line when a third-down pass fell incomplete. Except that Ayers grabbed a chunk of jersey on the play, giving the Aztecs a second shot, which produced a touchdown.

A U.S. official and some colleges are telling the brewer of Bud Light to can it. Bud Light rolled out a marketing gimmick, "Fan Can," with the beer cans decorated with college team colors in selected markets just as the schools -- and their football teams -- were gearing up for a new season. But the campaign drew criticism from Janet Evans, a senior attorney with the Federal Trade Commission who oversees alcohol advertising, and from certain colleges because the cans could encourage underage drinking on their campuses.

USC cornerback Brian Baucham did not practice and will miss Saturday's Pacific 10 Conference opener at Washington after suffering injuries in a motorcycle accident Thursday morning, the school announced. Baucham, a redshirt freshman from Torrance, was traveling north on the Harbor Freeway when the accident occurred. Baucham was taken to the hospital and treated for abrasions and was recovering at home, the school said. Baucham could not be reached for comment. An officer with the California Highway Patrol said an incident occurred on the northbound 110 Freeway at 6:34 a.m. that required transport of a motorcyclist to the hospital, but she could not confirm that Baucham was involved.

UCLA and USC bashed each other's banners out Wednesday, in the two major revenue sports, from sunrise to well past Rick Neuheisel screaming to a pumped up halftime crowd at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA basketball was embarrassing USC basketball, 44-21. "We're going to the top!" said the man in the beige jacket who last year coached UCLA football to 4-8. Neuheisel didn't say exactly when his program was going to get there. With the Lakers literally out of the country, February in L.A.

How can Florida State fans complain that Bobby Bowden's team is never ranked anymore? Why, just this week the 'Nuls checked in at No. 7 in the Bottom Ten. Of course, they have a way to go to catch No. 1 New Mexico, which is winless. But BT pollsters tend to discount early-season victories, so Florida State (2-3) still has a chance to capture the Bottom Ten trophy, which depicts a Velveeta cheese statuette of Ryan Leaf being sacked in his own end zone. Another contender is Buffalo, which took over No. 2. But the Bulls must guard against a mowing down by Gardner-Webb.

The Rose Bowl introduced the Big Ten to the Pacific 10 at a cocktail party in 1947 and it was love at first sight. It has been a wonderful relationship, except now, after all these years, the marriage is strained. The shared experience is usually terrific right up until opening kickoff. The battle of the bands, for instance, has always been competitive. There's no way you can claim USC's tuba player is better than Penn State's.

With a showdown against third-ranked USC growing close, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has found himself in a tight spot from which he cannot seem to scramble free. The sophomore wrote a tribute to Michael Vick across one of his eye black patches in the season opener against Navy. When asked about honoring the convicted felon, he offered an interesting reply. "Not everybody's the perfect person in this world," he said. "Everyone kills people, everyone murders people, steals from you, steals from me, whatever . . . . " This week, as the controversy gained momentum, Coach Jim Tressel offered his support of Pryor by saying: "Whether it was a coverage read or a defensive guy not playing a gap or whatever, these are all moments that we can learn from."