Stewart Mandell of Sports Illustrated reflects on what has turned out to be the most talked-about story of the college football season (two months before the season actually begins) - LSU Coach Les Miles‘ calling out USC for what he considers to be a suspect schedule.  Mandell explains that the coach’s ”idiotic statement” not only provides red meat for LSU fans still fuming over having to share the 2003 national title, but it also establishes a built-in excuse should SC make the 2008 National Title game against a non-LSU opponent:

He’s covering his butt…Yep. That’s right…Miles’ comments were one big excuse-in-the-making. He’s seen the prognostications. He knows the experts are projecting a USC-LSU matchup. He knows his fans are foaming at the mouth for just such an outcome. And he’s trying to diffuse those expectations — and temper the possible letdown — by saying, “Hey, I’d love to play USC, too, but if they get there and we don’t, it’s because we had to play Florida while they got to play Stanford.”

Better Les unsaid: LSU’s Miles called out USC; now Tigers must deliver (Sports Illustrated)
USC Stuck in LSU’s Craw (LAist)