Afternoon Drive: USA Today Coaches Poll is out, it's pretty much football season

Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will begin the 2013 college football season ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. (AP)

1. Rolling Tide

As we turn the calendar to August, the USA Today Coaches Poll is upon us. Let's just go ahead and say it's college football season. In a surprise to no one, defending BCS champions the Alabama Crimson Tide begin the season in the No. 1 position. Perennial top dogs Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford and Georgia round out the top five followed by the Johnny Manziels, or um, Texas A&M in the sixth spot.

The Pac-12 is well represented in the first poll of the season with Oregon State (25), USC (24), and UCLA (21) joining Oregon and Stanford. Kansas State just missed out on the Top 25 after last year's 11-2 campaign led by senior Collin Klein of Loveland. Buffs fans' least favorite team in red east of Boulder came in at No. 18. Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre's former school San Jose State received eight votes, three more than RichRod and the Pac-12's Arizona.

2. Safety dance

ESPN's Pac-12 blog continues its position rundown for the college football season with today's soup du jour, safeties. Stanford is great, Oregon is great and Colorado we'll see. CU's blurb reads, "Colorado: The Buffaloes lose Ray Polk, but there's no lack of returning experience here among Josh Moten, Terrel Smith, Parker Orms, Marques Mosley and Jered Bell. But, as we noted with the corners, when you rank last in the nation in pass efficiency defense, it's difficult not to rank a "we'll see." Moten of course is now out for the season after suffering another Achilles tendon injury. Who will start at safety for the Buffs? We'll find out soon.

3. Baby born in Michigan Stadium parking lot

A couple of Oregon fans had a baby. If you're still reading, it happened in the parking lot of Michigan Stadium. Yahoo's Dr. Saturday blog reports Dominika Wozniak and her husband Dave welcomed their 7.5-pound daughter to the world next to the university's 107,501-capacity stadium in Ann Arbor. The couple was headed to the hospital, but got derailed by road construction and traffic. Buffs scholars, let us all know if any babies have been born in the Folsom Field parking lot.

4. New NCAA rules

The NCAA rolled out new rules today, which CBS Sports college basketball writer Matt Norlander helps explain.

"The new enforcement structure creates additional levels of infractions, hastens the investigation process and offers stauncher penalties for the most egregious violations," the NCAA said in a statement, saying the organization will continue "to offer harsh consequences (postseason bans, scholarship reductions, recruiting limits, head coach suspensions, show-cause orders and financial penalties) that align more predictably with the severity of the violations. The new penalty structure also places a premium on aggravating and mitigating circumstances in each case."

There are now four levels of cheating and punishment. Many of the rules stem from the University of Miami scandal and the investigation of booster Nevin Shapiro.

5. Football 101

Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun's wife Amanda is teaching a class she's calling "Football 101". The program is aimed at women ,to help learn more about the game. Class starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and includes a dinner and gifts with the $40 per person charge. Amanda Calhoun expects 200 attendees.

Source: http://www.buffzone.com/ci_23777818/afternoon-drive-usa-today-coaches-poll-is-out?source=rss_viewed

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