Just before Vince Dooley, then Georgia's athletics director, offered Mark Richt the head football coaching job after the 2000 season, he spoke with Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. Richt had spent 15 seasons with Bowden's Seminoles, primarily as offensive coordinator.

"The one thing that worries me about him is he's too nice," Bowden told Dooley.

Seven seasons later, Richt is still as nice but also has won nearly 80 percent of his games, becoming one of only nine coaches in major college history to record 70 or more wins in his first seven seasons. He also restored the glory, glory to old Georgia, as the fight song goes, winning two SEC championships.

Now Richt, 48, has the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, which raises the question: Can nice guys finish first?

"Absolutely they can," says former coach Dooley, whose 1980 team won Georgia's last national title.

Bowden, Richt's mentor, also agrees. "Because he is very nice, I wondered if he'd be tough enough to be the head coach when everyone's jumping down your throat. We have found out he has an inner toughness that makes him able to handle it," says Bowden.

Georgia returns 16 starters from last year's 11-2 team, which defeated Hawai'i, 41-10, in the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 3 in the coaches' poll.

Georgia received 22 of a possible 61 first-place votes and finished with 1,438 total points, just eight ahead of No. 2-ranked Southern California.

"I know the ranking is exciting for Georgia football, and hopefully we can do our part to stay in the race," Richt said.

Five of Georgia's opponents this season also begin the year in the coaches' top 25, including No. 5-ranked Florida, sixth-ranked LSU and 11th-ranked Auburn. The Bulldogs will also travel cross-country Sept. 20 to play No. 16 Arizona State in a non-conference game.

ARMY

COACH HAS FOLLOW-UP TREATMENT FOR CANCER

Army football coach Stan Brock watched his team's opening practice at West Point, N.Y., from a golf cart yesterday after having follow-up treatment for prostate cancer.

Brock, 50, said in a statement that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine physical in July and underwent successful surgery Tuesday.

He met with players yesterday before going for follow-up treatment, then returned to watch practice.

"Fortunately, it appears the doctors were able to diagnose things early and they expect me to enjoy a complete recovery," Brock said in a statement. "I am excited to return to coach the team during preseason camp and expect to be back out on the practice field next week."

Army went 3-9 in Brock's first season in 2007, including a 39-3 loss to archrival Navy in the season finale, for its 11th straight losing season.

OKLAHOMA

FRESHMAN RECEIVER DISMISSED FOR RAP VIDEO

An incoming freshman player at Oklahoma was dismissed from the football team yesterday by coach Bob Stoops after a video of him rapping about guns and shooting people appeared on the Internet.

The dismissal of wide receiver Josh Jarboe came after the player appeared in a 74-second, profanity-laced video.

"We are disappointed in this outcome, but our complete review and this final decision is in the best interest of our program," Stoops said in a statement. "We outlined for Josh the expectations we had for him when he arrived and, unfortunately, those expectations have not been met."

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Jarboe signed with the Sooners in February. In March, he was arrested after an assistant principal at Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Ga., told a school police officer he saw Jarboe grab a gun from a car.

Jarboe was expelled from school, but completed his high school degree online.

OHIO STATE

LAWMAKERS SPEND THOUSANDS FOR TICKETS

Ohio elected officials have spent more than $400,000 on Buckeyes football tickets since 1996, purchasing hundreds of seats each year through their campaign funds, state records show.

For the upcoming 2008 season, 773 season tickets have been purchased by public officials at the state, county and local levels, according to university data. Most of those were bought by state lawmakers, all 132 of whom are offered four apiece.

"We look at ourselves as a statewide institution," Ohio State spokeswoman Shelly Hoffman said. "Football is a great way to connect with people, so we can then tell them about other things we have going on."

The tickets can be purchased for $62 a game — or $434 for for all seven home games.