An AP story from Monday presents an interesting idea. A poll was done of 500 black voters in each state of South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri and Indiana. Two-thirds of those responding said they were closely watching electoral politics this year and between 3/4 and 4/5 of all respondents said they intend to vote this year. The collective sigh you just heard was from Democratic strategists who are considering that November may not end up as bad as anticipated.

In South Carolina, like the South in general, politics are racially-charged. You can run whatever naive line of thinking you want, but in the states of the old Confederacy, the Democratic party is very black and the Republican Party is very white. That’s just the way it is. Hence, unprecedented black turnout in North Carolina and Virginia in 2008 helped President Barack Obama win those states — something a Democrat hasn’t done in decades.

The last time Dems did anything worthwhile around here, 12 years ago, a well-coordinated and motivated black electorate got to the polls and made it a good year for the donkeys in the Palmetto State. We’re still thinking it will be a big year for Republicans, in this state and nationally, but if there is any truth to this poll, the races in the general election could be a lot better than anticipated.

A new poll coming out of George Washington University, Tarrance Group and Lake Research Partners gives Republicans a slight edge on the generic ballot, though the edge is slim enough — 42-40 percent — that it can be considered a tie. The same goes for favorability ratings, which give the Democrats a close lead at 43/49 and the GOP at 41/46.

The other polling numbers, reflecting the desire for the want of divided government and approval ratings for President Barack Obama also show a general split on voter sentiments. What can be ascertained is there is not a widespread sentiment of a Republican takeover of Congress next year. However, historical trends still give the edge to GOP challengers in competitive districts.

The past week has seen some interesting polls put into the field, one by the Republican-leaning Rasmussen and one by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling. Depending on who you believe and what you believe, you’ll come out from looking at the polls with your own idea about South Carolina’s U.S. senators.

The Rasmussen poll took a look at the dichotomy between U.S. Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham. For almost five years, it’s been pretty clear that the Palmetto State’s representatives in the nation’s most deliberative body are fairly different fellows. You can explain it this way and that, but it comes down to this: DeMint won’t compromise with Democrats. Graham will. Everything beyond that is spin for whichever side you support.

According to the poll, which has a 4.5 percent margin of error and a sample of 500 people, 38 percent want the S.C. Republican Party to be more like DeMint. About 32 percent want it to be more like Graham. The balance doesn’t know or doesn’t care. The favorability/unfavorability ratings for both men are about the same — which is to say, they’re both a little more than 60/30 positive, with the difference between the senators being within the margin of error.

According to Real Clear Politics, that looks good for DeMint keeping his seat in next year’s election.

DeMint’s favorable rating in this survey is 63 percent, while 25 percent have an unfavorable view. That number is certainly in the range where incumbents can be considered safe.

But hey, PPP is giving Democrats some hope. That poll had a margin of error of 4.1 percent and a sample size of 570 people. The rub here is that President Barack Obama, DeMint and Graham are all below 50 percent approval (O: 46, D: 44, G: 43). The real difference is that Obama’s negatives are pegged at 49 while the GOP senators have much lower negative ratings (D: 29, G: 35). Also, support for the Democratic health care plan is just getting hammered here, 53-35 against.

Democrats looking for a positive outlook could play up the 47-38 advantage DeMint has over a generic Democratic opponent. That gets donkey types breaking out their “The Candidate” DVDs to analyze the McKay-Jarmon race. We’re still extremely suspect of any chance a Democrat has of defeating DeMint next year. The “generic Democrat” number is bolstered because Democrats really don’t like DeMint, and there’s an anti-incumbency vibe going down (like ‘92, ‘94, ‘06 and ‘08).

Unless there’s a seriously game-changing event in this race, we’re still putting the over/under at DeMint by 10.

It’s doubtful that anytime in the modern era of college football there have been six undefeated teams, ranked Nos. 1-6, going into the final week season (not counting Army-Navy on Dec. 12). As such, not much changed, even after a run of upsets. There remains the distinct possibility of four undefeated teams topping the polls when all is said and done. That would require the winner of the SEC Championship to win the national title game, Cincinnati to beat the loser of the SECCG, and TCU and Boise State to be victorious in their games. If such a thing happens, the issue will probably dominate ESPN for a solid week.

BCS Standings
1. Florida (.9868)
2. Alabama (.9513)
3. Texas (.9282)
4. TCU (.8689)
5. Cincinnati (.8547)

USA Today Coaches’ Poll
1. Florida (53)
2. Texas (3)
3. Alabama (3)
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Harris Poll
1. Florida (82)
2. Texas (15)
3. Alabama (12)
4. TCU (4)
5. Cincinnati

AP Poll
1. Florida (46)
2. Alabama (7)
3. Texas (7)
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

The only real changes came in the first place votes. In each one of the polls, Texas and Alabama lost votes to Florida, while TCU collected one more in the Harris Poll. The computers like Florida and Alabama equally, as the two are tied at No. 1. More or less, the computers and the human polls are looking pretty similar at the top, though the ones and zeroes types have Cincinnati in the No. 3 spot with Texas at No. 4 and TCU at No. 5.

Hey, look — mainframes! It’s hard not to think of these behemoths, and their sleeker ’90s counterparts, when thinking of the bank of computer polls being used as a third of the BCS formula. This week, for whatever reason, the computers were near-unanimous in picking Alabama as No. 1. Only the Anderson & Hester index didn’t, but since the top and the bottom polls are thrown out, Bama rolled to a perfect 1.000 average among the silicon set.

The human polls see it differently, so the Top Five looks the same.

BCS Standings
1. Florida (.9664)
2. Alabama (.9614)
3. Texas (.9263)
4. TCU (.8699)
5. Cincinnati (.8591)

USA Today Coaches’ Poll
1. Florida (47)
2. Texas (4)
3. Alabama (8)
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Harris Poll
1. Florida (78)
2. Texas (18)
3. Alabama (15)
4. TCU (3)
5. Cincinnati

AP Poll
1. Florida (36)
2. Alabama (13)
3. Texas (11)
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Yeah, that’s the same as last week, with some first-place votes moving around. TCU took one each from Texas and Alabama in the Harris Poll, while the Tide took one from Florida in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Frankly, with most of the major races in the country already decided, the only think that can flip the script is a spectacular upset. Of course, Alabama and Florida will play in the de facto national championship play-in game, Texas and Nebraska meet in the Big XII Championship Game, Georgia Tech and Clemson will play in the ACC title tilt, Oregon and Oregon State play for the Pac-10 championship, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh go for all the marbles in the Big East and Ohio State has already locked up the Big Ten.

Certainly, the next two weeks will decide conference winners, BCS bids and where everyone else goes in the major bowls. All you can pull for now, beyond those planned eventualities, is straight-up chaos. Texas, Alabama and Florida all lose to lesser rivals. Pitt beats Cincinnati, but TCU and Boise State advance to the national championship game. The Fiesta gets Texas, the Sugar gets the Florida/Bama winner and — surprise! — the SEC runs out of bowl spots and Carolina gets to shop for an at-large bid.

The Mountain West-WAC smackdown in Pasadena gets a decent amount of viewers. For five minutes. It then becomes the lowest-rated national championship game in years. Gnashing of teeth. People shooting their televisions. A parody of parity. Texas versus Iowa in the Fiesta and Alabama/Florida against Pitt don’t get many eyes, either. People swear off college football.

Floods.

Droughts.

Locusts.

Before you throw yourself out the window, we’re still probably going to see two hyper-talented, powerful teams meet for the national title. And that’s a good thing.

Barring some very bizarre events in the next three weeks, we’ve got your Top Six and guarantees for the major bowl games. Alabama, Florida, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State will all likely head into the first week of December undefeated. Either the Crimson Tide or Gators will play Texas for it all, and the “BCS busters” will also make BCS games with unblemished records.

BCS Standings
1. Florida (.984)
2. Alabama (.952)
3. Texas (.923)
4. TCU (.862)
5. Cincinnati (.858)

USA Today Coaches’ Poll
1. Florida (48)
2. Texas (4)
3. Alabama (7)
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Harris Poll
1. Florida (78)
2. Texas (19)
3. Alabama (16)
4. TCU (1)
5. Cincinnati

AP Poll
1. Florida (36)
2. Alabama (14)
3. Texas (10)
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Because it’s unlikely that TCU, Boise State or Cincinnati will play each other, that means we could well end up with three undefeated teams after it’s all over. One title will go to the BCS champ. The AP could run with another team, but since Florida, Alabama and Texas have topped the rankings for so long, the winner of the title game will probably get the AP behind it, too.

Bowl’d
So, here’s how it stacks up.

BCS National Championship Game
Alabama or Florida v. Texas
Fiesta Bowl
Iowa v. Boise State
Sugar Bowl
Alabama or Florida v. Cincinnati
Orange Bowl
Georgia Tech v. TCU
Rose Bowl
Oregon v. Ohio State

The SEC now has nine teams that are bowl-eligible, including five of six teams in the SEC West. If Tennessee beats Vanderbilt or Kentucky, the Vols will make it 10. And, with two BCS teams, everybody moves up a slot.

Capital One Bowl
LSU v. Penn State
Outback Bowl
Ole Miss v. Wisconsin
Cotton Bowl
Arkansas v. Oklahoma State
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Georgia v. Clemson
Music City Bowl
Tennessee v. North Carolina
Liberty Bowl
Auburn v. SMU
Independence Bowl
Kentucky v. Iowa State
Papajohns.com Bowl
South Carolina v. West Virginia

Prominent Northwestern grad, Washington Post writer and ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon had a pretty good day on Saturday, watching his purple-clad Wildcats kill Iowa’s national championship hopes. The Hawkeyes dropped from No. 4 to No. 10 in the BCS standings, No. 9 to No. 11 in the Harris Poll, No. 9 to No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and (though it doesn’t matter), No. 8 to No. 15 in the AP Poll. Gah, you’re probably going to hear about this all during “PTI” on Monday.

In other news, Alabama moved back to No. 2, displacing Texas. What’s bizarre is that last week, when Bama had a bye, the sportswriters, coaches and “Harris Poll voters” slid the Crimson Tide to No. 3. After Bama beat a Top 10 team in LSU, the Tide is supposed to still be No. 3? That’s asinine. Three computer polls have Alabama at No. 1, one at No. 2 and two at No. 3.

BCS Standings
1. Florida (.9842)
2. Alabama (.9516)
3. Texas (.9234)
4. TCU (.8620)
5. Cincinnati (.8580)

USA Today Coaches’ Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Harris Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

AP Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati

Yes, it all looks the same. That’s good, for what it’s worth. Barring a playoff, it’s nice to see that all the polls are shaping up the same. As well, we’re getting excited about the possibility of Alabama returning to postseason action in Pasadena. The Tide haven’t done that since 1945, when Bama beat the hell out of Southern Cal and after that, the West Coast teams and Big Ten claimed the Rose Bowl for themselves.

Alabama in Pasadena
1925: Alabama 20, Washington 19
1926: Alabama 19, Stanford 19
1930: Alabama 24, Washington State 0
1934: Alabama 29, Stanford 13
1937: Alabama 0, California 13
1945: Alabama 34, Southern Cal 14

Ain’t nothing wrong with a 4-1-1 record and a few national championships. The Crimson Tide put Southern football on the map with the win over Washington — before that, it was all about the Ivy League, the service academies, Penn State and Notre Dame. You’re welcome, SEC.

There’s three more games left before the SEC Championship Game of the Century II, but it can’t come quick enough.

Well, how about that — Florida and Texas wait until last week to rediscover how to dominate an opponent, dropping 40+ on Georgia and Oklahoma State, respectively. Alabama had a very tough, defensive game against Idle, which the Tide beat by a field goal. The move at the top means very little when it comes down to it. In the event Bama wins against LSU this weekend, we’re pretty certain the Tide will go back to No. 2 on the homestretch to the SEC Championship Game.

The biggest news was Southern Cal having its era of Pac-10 rule showing signs of coming to a close, with Oregon laying it on the Trojans in a high-scoring affair. That didn’t stop the voters from keeping Southern Cal ranked too high, keeping the team has the highest-ranked two-loss squad in the country. The good news about the polls, though, is that every undefeated team is at the top.

TOP FIVE
BCS Standings
1. Florida (.9918)
2. Texas (.9227)
3. Alabama (.9166)
4. Iowa (.8407)
5. Cincinnati (.8033)

USA Today Coaches’ Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. TCU
5. Boise State

Harris Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Boise State
5. Cincinnati

AP Poll
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati
5. Boise State

Thanks to losses on Saturday, Carolina and Ole Miss dropped out of the polls, leaving Florida, Alabama and LSU as the only ranked SEC teams. Unless something dramatic happens, all three will stay ranked through the end of the season. If Auburn, Carolina and Tennessee can have a good final few weeks, they might crack the poll, too.

Bowl’d
The only change in the BCS bowls is that Oregon will probably be going to the Rose Bowl to face Iowa. But, with the wins and losses over the past week, who goes where from the SEC looks a little different.

BCS National Championship Game
Florida or Alabama v. Texas
Sugar Bowl
Florida or Alabama v. Cincinnati
Capital One Bowl
LSU v. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl
Ole Miss v. Oklahoma
Chick-fil-A Bowl
South Carolina v. Virginia Tech
Outback Bowl
Auburn v. Wisconsin
Liberty Bowl
Kentucky v. Houston
Music City Bowl
Tennessee v. Florida State
Independence Bowl
Georgia v. Texas A&M
Papajohns.com Bowl
Arkansas v. West Virginia

Nothing gives you that sinking feeling like when the preseason college basketball polls come out. It only means that the football season is more than half over and barreling toward the finish line. Thursday, the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll came out, and Kansas and Michigan State take top honors.

Three SEC squads managed to make the list, though few people outside the mid-South (i.e. Kentucky and Tennessee) are really going to give too much of a damn unless their team goes on a run and actually does well, like the 2003-04 Carolina team that had been picked to finish last in the SEC East. Kentucky lands at No. 5, Tennessee at No. 11 and Mississippi State at No. 19.

Several teams landed in the “also receiving votes” category, including Vanderbilt, Florida, Ole Miss and Carolina. Obviously, the voters have absolutely no faith in the SEC West. It’ll be interesting if Alabama, LSU, Auburn or Arkansas do anything interesting and buck the conventional wisdom. The only SEC East team that didn’t receive a vote was Georgia, which probably reflects the decline in the program since Tubby Smith left years ago.

Supt. of Ed. Jim Rex got some mixed news in an internal poll that was reported by The State on Wednesday. It has him with a significant lead over his counterparts in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, with 25 percent saying they would vote for Rex, who had a 60 percent name ID.

However, 43 percent of people polled had no preference, and the other major candidates — Sen. Vince Sheheen, attorney and former lobbyist Dwight Drake and attorney Mullins McLeod — don’t have much statewide recognition beyond the political class.

As a whole, it looks more like the polls that showed U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman leading the Democratic presidential pack early in the 2004 primary race. He didn’t have the goods, but he had name ID.

While the Rex campaign tried to spin it like he was the front-runner, Democratic pollster Carey Crantford said in the story, “If I’m advising someone who is the only statewide elected official, running against a group of people with no name ID, I’d be a little bit concerned with the numbers. It shows the intrinsic strength that Rex has is only marginal.”