NCAA Football LSU

Jack Marucci's focus this week has been the health of his LSU Tigers as they prepare for Saturday's SEC showdown at third-ranked Alabama. But Marucci can't help but sneak a peek at the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Especially after Marucci prior to the start of the Series received a message from Philadelphia's Chase Utley that indicated he wanted a special bat to swing against New York reliever Mariano Rivera.

"It's the same wood but a different style, a little thicker and shorter," Marucci told FanHouse Wednesday.

Alabama's offense has mellowed over the past three games.

The Crimson Tide has registered only a pair of rushing touchdowns in victories over Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Ten trips into the red zone have resulted in eight field goals. The passing game hasn't featured many deep throws, and Alabama's Wildcat offense, which started as a gimmick, has become more relevant.

Third-ranked Alabama realizes it will need a better all-around effort on Saturday to beat No. 9 LSU, the only remaining ranked team on the Crimson Tide's schedule. The Crimson Tide can clinch the SEC West title with a win and would then meet No. 1 Florida on Dec. 5 in the SEC title game.

A few days turned into four months. And those four months have since turned into four years, and counting. It's a span that continues to teach the definitions of perseverance, spirit and courage.

Eight current Tulane players were on the team in August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and forced Tulane to play 11 games during an 11-week span in 11 different cities. For the "Katrina Seniors," forever linked by struggle and friendship, their collegiate careers are quickly winding to a close.

"We need some more wins but we are not giving up," defensive tackle Reggie Scott, a Katrina Senior who has played in 37 career games, told FanHouse. "We are working over here. There ain't no quit in us."

When it comes to debating rankings, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is a fuddy-duddy.

So there's no need to waste your time, even if the Crimson Tide leapfrogged SEC rival Florida into the top spot of this week's Associated Press poll. Of course, Alabama is also ranked second behind the Gators in the initial installment of the weekly BCS poll that will determine national title invites by early December.

Saban doesn't mean to be a killjoy -- or does he? -- but his game-at-a-time mantra is focused on Saturday's showdown against visiting Tennessee.

If needless intrigue is your bag, college football's got it this week. Florida is dragging its feet on deciding whether to play concussed quarterback Tim Tebow whose Kryptonite was revealed last week as the meeting place between the back of his head and a teammates leg. Meanwhile LSU and coach Les Miles are saying all the right things, which doesn't come easy with that program. Weird. Very, very weird. I think Alabama's the better team right now anyway. A Florida defeat eases the dilemma.

There's other football to be played of course, other matters to be discussed (welcome back from your week off, Texas, you could be No. 1 after Saturday). Sooooo, let's talk about it like we do every Thursday. The FanHouse Midweek College Football Chat will commence at 2 PM Eastern. Chat application after the jump (we'll leave it open for folks to post comments and questions in advance, they need approval so won't appear until 2 PM but we'll see them, don't worry).

In 2007, Les Miles won a national championship despite losing two regular season conference games to teams, Kentucky and Arkansas, that finished with a combined 7-9 record in the SEC. Later, Miles would memorably argue that those overtime losses weren't real losses because his team hadn't lost yet in regulation. As if that weren't enough, Miles's entire championship season was a high-wire act. LSU won seven SEC games, five of them by a touchdown or less. Along the way Miles burnished his reputation as the most confident coach in America.

And the luckiest.

In fact the old cliche, fortune favors the bold, has never had a finer example than Leslie Miles.

As LSU-Florida looms and the Tim Tebow health watch drives ESPN to fits of reportorial glee, one man remains unconcerned with Tebow's health. That's Les Miles. Why? Because Les, the man Forrest Gump would have grown up to become if he'd been born in Michigan instead of Alabama, isn't impacted by the maelstroms that swirl around him. The world of Les Miles is always uncomplicated. He and his damn fine football team are going to win no matter who they play and what the circumstances are.

Doubt me? As the latest big game looms, let's take a look at Les Miles's top 10 ridiculous and improbable wins at LSU:

Its a simple headline but the implications are immense. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow returned to practice -- albeit in a limited manner -- Tuesday. This more than a week after a concussion against Kentucky left him a physical, hospitalized mess on national television. Florida has yet to publicly name Tebow's backup John Brantley the starter ahead of this week's game against LSU.

Its probably head games, but even if Tebow is 'cleared' Florida would have to be insane to play him. Head injuries are no joke and Tebow has well earned that baby rhinocerus nickname. Mix in his all-out style with LSU's terrific hitting and its an easy call: sit him. LSU is prepared for either quarterback and delaying only makes Meyer look desperate while potentially undermining Brantley before his first career start.

Florida hasn't hit the field to play LSU, but already the Tigers have Gator quarterback John Brantley's number. His cell phone number, in fact. Yes, those crazy Cajuns have struck again, discovering the phone number of projected Gators starting quarterback John Brantley and doing pesky things with it like you'd expect an amateur fan base to do.

This is sort of old hat for LSU, as its fans also figured out how to reach out and touch opponents such as Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson and Georgia back Knowshon Moreno. They're rumored to have also discovered the numbers for several other Florida players and even coach Urban Meyer. At this rate they're probably not to far from reaching President Barack Obama with a different kind of 3 AM call if his health care push upsets them too much.

OK, so we know that Tim Tebow has been cleared to act like Tim Tebow. He can go to class, he can watch TV and game tape, he can tolerate bright lights and he doesn't have a headache. That was Florida coach Urban Meyer's latest medical update Monday concerning his recovering quarterback as the top-ranked Gators prepare for Saturday's showdown at No. 4 LSU.

While the big question remains -- when will Tebow be cleared to play football after suffering a concussion late in the third quarter against Kentucky two weekends ago? -- LSU coach Les Miles says the Tigers are prepping to face either Tebow or his backup, John Brantley.

Les Miles is the most confident man in America. It doesn't matter what situation he faces, Miles believes he will triumph. What's more, he believes that everyone around him will win as well. Little Bighorn? Miles slays the Native Americans and rises to prominence on the Bull Moose ticket. Gettysburg? Miles takes Cemetery Ridge during Miles's Charge and the country remains divided forever (Or it would be one nation with Waffle Houses everywhere). Put Les Miles in charge of any losing proposition in the annals of history and he single-handedly swings the result the other way.

Meet the new college calculus: Les Miles + impossible eventuality = probable eventuality.

I'm going to write on this later this week, but until then, just keep our new equation in mind as we dive into the ClayNation Starting 11.