Or, even if they play like champions, what if enough AP voters decide they've had enough of the bowl conspiracy and decide to make a statement by overlooking anyone with a loss on one's record and instead vote undefeated Utah No. 1?

I talked to two of those AP voters, Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle and Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser, and both said it wasn't absolutely for-sure that they wouldn't vote for Utah.

Each said his e-mail inbox is already filled to overflowing with "desperate entreaties" from Ute fans to "Do the right thing!"

Apparently, immediately after they ordered their Sugar Bowl memorabilia and "Utah Did It Again" long-sleeved T-shirts online from the Campus Store, these fans started e-mailing the AP voters.

Says Lewis, "That tells you right there how crazy the whole Bowl Championship Series nonsense is, when complete strangers feel compelled to seek relief from a ... sportswriter."

But desperate times call for desperate measures, which in this case involves sucking up to sportswriters.

A vote from him for Utah, Lewis allows, "is under consideration pending Oklahoma and Florida's showing."

As for Ratto, he says, "I've had Florida atop my ballot the past several weeks and if they run Oklahoma out I'm not sure that is worthy of demotion. I think I'm going to wait for the game and see what occurs before I commit myself, which is the standard coward's answer. In short, barring something enormously weird happening Thursday, this is a two-horse race for me, and you have one of them."

So they're telling us there's a chance.

Hang on to those gray hats.

Lee Benson's column runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com.