The e-mail in-box and junk filter are filled to overflowing, one screen after another jammed with impassioned beggary and desperate entreaties.

"Do the right thing!" they implore. "Give us justice!" they beseech. "Right a wrong" they cry out.

Appeals to the Supreme Court? Seekers of Presidential pardons?

No, University of Utah football fans clamoring for our ballot — and those of others — in the hopes of seeing their unbeaten (13-0) Utes voted No. 1 in the Associated Press media poll later this week.

That's something neither the Supreme Court or President-elect Barack Obama can help with at the moment. Even if there weren't more pressing matters.

Which 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 unlike the BCS national championship trophy that goes to the winner of its title game, AP voters can and, sometimes, have voted for a split national champion. Sportswriters, you see, delight in the contrarian.

So, while we await Thursday's showdown of Florida (12-1) and Oklahoma (12-1) in the BCS title game in Miami, the Utah faithful press a campaign on behalf of the nation's only remaining unbeaten major college team.

It is a noble effort. One they champion in great and, sometimes, pettifogging detail.

Of course, they might not need to if Utah's conference, the Mountain West, had a real TV contract allowing the country to see how good the Utes really are on a regular basis. Most of their games are shown on something called "The Mountain," which, apparently, is something you have to live on top of in order to view.

Sadly, that's why much of the West had a better chance to see 0-and-12 Washington play more often this year than Utah.

Last week the Utes did under the Superdome bigtop to a Southeastern Conference team (Alabama) what Hawai'i only dreamed of a year earlier against another, Georgia. The Utes made Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson every bit the pinata Colt Brennan had been for the Bulldogs.

To be sure, after smacking around Alabama, Utah deserves a place in any national championship debate. Just as it did at 12-0 after the Fiesta Bowl win in the 2004 season and 13-0 Boise State did following its Fiesta Bowl triumph two seasons ago.

Without a genuine playoff, the BCS schools that control the hundreds of millions of dollars in postseason money aren't about to admit someone outside their cabal is title-worthy and willingly dilute their take.

Will Utah get our ballot? It is under consideration pending Florida and Oklahoma's showings in Thursday's game.

But whether as champions or martyrs, the Utes have our respect.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.