Opposites won't attract in L.A.: Other notes

By B.G. BROOKS
Friday, November 24, 2006
Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis aren't close enough _ and likely never will be _ to be The Odd Couple.

Carroll, Southern California's coach, likes pickup hoops and boogie boarding. Weis, Carroll's counterpart at Notre Dame, might not know a boogie board if he woke up beside one.

What might best be described as a competitive tension exists between them. They've quickly rebuilt a pair of the nation's most storied college football programs, and their game Saturday in Los Angeles _ USC is No. 3 in the current Bowl Championship Series standings, Notre Dame is No. 5 _ could topple a few dominoes in the latest BCS controversy.

Both arrived on their respective campuses from NFL jobs _ with New England. The Patriots replaced Carroll with Bill Belichick, who hired Weis as his offensive coordinator.

"Pete and I, we knew each other (in the NFL)," Weis said. "We were friendly, not friends."

Not exactly a deep, enduring warmth resonating from that statement.

"We coached opposite each other in the AFC East, but I don't know him real well," Carroll said. "We probably talked more the last two years than before."

Carroll acknowledges the pair differs in most every way imaginable, from backgrounds, to interests, to appearances, to coaching methods.

"We're totally different in the way we approach the game," Carroll said. "I saw (Weis) on TV wearing a coat and tie around campus. I haven't done that many times since I've been here."

On Sunday, Weis went into great detail _ nearly 2,500 words worth _ describing USC. Two days later, Carroll opened his weekly briefing with this: "Sorry I'm a little late. I was reading Charlie's press conference quotes."

URBAN WARFARE

Here's a news flash (not): Florida coach Urban Meyer vehemently opposes an Ohio State-Michigan rematch in the BCS title game.

He believes there will be other one-loss teams _ he hopes his Gators are among them _ more worthy of a national title shot than the Wolverines. No. 4 Florida needs to defeat Florida State on Saturday and No. 5 Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference championship game (Dec. 2) to finish with one loss.

Meyer told The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union a Big Ten rematch would be "unfair" to the Buckeyes and "the country." And if the rematch materializes, Meyer says, "It's over. All the presidents need to get together immediately and put together a playoff system.

"I mean like now, January, or whenever to get that done. . . . I would say that if it were up to the 117 Division I-A coaches, certainly it would not be a rematch."

BEDEVILED BLUE DEVILS

A loss Saturday to North Carolina _ a very real possibility _ would send Duke to 0-12, making the Blue Devils the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to hit that lowly mark. (Their current losing streak is at a nation-worst 19.)

Beleaguered coach Ted Roof is acknowledging many outsiders doubt Duke can become a consistent winner. He said the school's football culture "has to change before the record changes."

It's beyond that. If Duke loses Saturday, Roof's three-year record at the school will be 5-34.

ONE TOUGH GOPHER

The 2006 season's Grit 'n Guts Award might belong to Minnesota senior tight end Matt Spaeth, who suffered a severe separation of his right shoulder on Oct. 21 but put off surgery to try and help the Gophers win their final three games and become bowl eligible.

They did, with Spaeth wearing a brace on his shoulder and ignoring advice from "pretty much everybody" to have immediate surgery.

But Spaeth's decision might have cost him. Surgery likely is soon, prompting him to skip the bowl.

Projected as a high NFL draftee, he's unsure whether he would be ready for the NFL combine in late February because of an expected four-month recovery.

Minnesota coach Glen Mason called Spaeth's story "one of the best in college football this year and maybe in a long time. . . . When a guy in this day and age turns his head on what's best for him and maybe his pro career and wants to come back and play for his team and school, that's refreshing."

Said Spaeth of his final college season: "In my heart, I just didn't want it to be over with. . . . I just didn't want to go out like that."

BOSS HOG

Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden, a sophomore from Little Rock, is drawing high praise from some very high-profile observers of Southeastern Conference football.

Former Auburn coach Pat Dye calls McFadden, who has totaled 2,416 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns in two seasons, "the best running back we've had in this conference since Bo (Jackson). That covers some pretty good running backs, too."

Dye, who coached Jackson, echoed the sentiment expressed by former Georgia coach Vince Dooley, whose top tailback was Herschel Walker. Dooley said McFadden "is really fun to watch. I mean, he's not fun to watch if he's running against you, but he's fun to watch from a fan's perspective."