USF coach Jim Leavitt has a ballot in the USA Today Coaches Poll, which has made for some difficult decisions this season. This week, balloters had to help decide which team would represent the Big 12's South division in its league championship game, as Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech finished with identical league records, so the deciding tiebreaker was which team had the highest BCS ranking.

Oklahoma had a higher ranking than Texas, despite the Longhorns beating the Sooners head-to-head. (Texas lost to Texas Tech, which lost badly at Oklahoma to create the three-way tie). Leavitt hasn't talked about his ballot much this season, but took time this week to explain his take on a difficult vote:

"It's a very difficult situation, honest to God. It's too bad that two teams got burned, Texas Tech and Texas. Somebody was going to be on the outside looking in. I kept my relationship out of it (he and Sooners coach Bob Stoops have been close friends since coaching together at Kansas State) because I knew people would know how I voted and I didn't want that to be a factor.

"I tried to decide who did I think was the better team today, and that's what I went by. I thought Oklahoma, the way they beat Cincinnati, who won the Big East, and the way they played nonconference, TCU, and the way they played the last four games, I just thought they got a slight nod over Texas. But if I'm the head coach at Texas, I'm not going to understand it when I beat a team head-to-head on a neutral field. I totally understand that.

"Texas Tech, they had a rough time the way Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, but it was at Oklahoma. Would it have been the same at Texas Tech? I don't think it would be like that, though I think Oklahoma would have won. It was a very difficult situation. I had Alabama 1, Oklahoma 2, Texas 3, which I thought was appropriate, Florida 4, USC 5. I had Texas Tech 6 or 7, Utah was up in there.

"Every week, I've thought it through well. I felt like I could explain why I put somebody in. This week was very tough from 15 through 20, through 23 even. Where do you put Oregon, Oregon State, Georgia, Georgia Tech? I always do it that night, get it in before 6 a.m. (Sundays). I don't usually sleep after a game anyway. Watching, seeing what's going on, I try to follow it the best I can. I cannot be an authority on it, and I understand why people gave up their votes if they felt like they could not do an adequate job of it. But I feel like, to be asked to do it, it's something I think is a privilege, and I would rather have it that coaches have a say, so that's why I do it."