Best ESPN's 'College GameDay' Signs: LSU vs. Alabama (PHOTOS)

 It's Saturday again, which means it's time for college football and "College GameDay" signs! The jokes! The meanness! The school spirit! Mostly the jokes, but definitely also the meanness!

This week the location is Baton Rouge, La.. for the LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide. Before we get started, a few observations:

* Water Boy reference?ALWAYS a good thing
* Cute kids are cute!
* Not as much Roll-Tiding as I would have thought.

To the signs!

1. "Nick Saban uses the shake weight"

Is this true?(Photo: Instagram)

via Instagram

2. "Bobby Boucher > Forrest Gump"

via Instagram

3. "ROLL TEARS ROLL"

via Instagram

4. "DOES THIS GAME COUNT OR NOT?"

via Instagram

5. "These things control the tide."

Cute kid alert!(Photo: Instagram)

via Instagram

6. "Grammy Loves LSU"

via Twitter

7. Alabama claims Lance Armstrong's titles

via Instagram

Bonus: Just an awesome car.

Mayor Bloomberg says he fought the battle for marathon

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Blankets, water aimed for finishers redirected to those in need
• He says city had resources to pull it off
• He expressed support to hold the race before it was finally called

Addressing a question about complaints from disappointed marathon participants, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said "I wish that we didn't have a hurricane and that we could have had a great event. Should've, would've and could've isn't something that I have to worry that I deal with."

Bloomberg, who spoke during a Saturday evening news conference at City Hall, initially brushed aside a question about the marathon cancellation, saying storm recovery issues were more important. But he turned back to the marathon issue at the end of the briefing.

"What simply happened was that it became a source of dissension, and we don't need that right now," said Bloomberg. "And hopefully next year we'll have a great event where people can come to the city and enjoy what the city has to offer and compete and participate. The spirit of the race is to bring people together. When it became a divisive issue, I just made the decision that it should not go on."

He said the cancellation led to some good news: about 600 medical blankets readied for the marathon were instead delivered to hard hit residents of Staten Island's Midland Beach area by volunteers who went door to door Saturday. And 10,000 cases of water were redirected to a central distribution center at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

"The situation changes, and it's a shame that it had to happen, but we've got to do the right thing each time," said Bloomberg. "I'm looking forward and I'm sure all those runners are, to coming back next year."

On Sunday, more resources are expected to be redistributed.

Earlier Saturday, in an interview with WCBS-TV New York, Bloomberg said, "I still think that we had the resources to do both, and that we want people to take a break and that sort of thing. There are lots of people in this city – some hurt, some not. It's a big part of our economy. But it was just becoming so divisive that whether it's a good idea or not, we just don't need the distraction."

As many across New York continued to recover from superstorm Sandy, Bloomberg came under fire for saying that the race should be run as planned. Local politicians voiced their concern, and thousands of critics took to Twitter and Facebook to protest the decision.

Bloomberg defended the decision Friday just hours before the race was called off by city and marathon officials, saying, "It does use some resources but not resources that can make a difference in recovery. It's a relatively small amount."

The mayor drew a parallel between 2001 and 2012, saying "Rudy (Guiliani) made the right decision" holding the 2001 race after 9/11.

A day later he spoke of the visitors who came to New York for the race. "I'm sorry," he said in the WCBS interview. "I fought the battle, and sometimes things don't work out."

Contributing: Roxanna Scott

2009 champ Meb Keflezighi supports marathon decision

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Keflezighi wants to know how he can help with recovery
• He commits to running the race next year
• Said he was told anger could be directed toward runners if race was held

NEW YORK -- On Saturday afternoon Meb Keflezighi lingered in the lobby of his midtown Manhattan hotel, a man without a marathon.

On Sunday at 9:40 a.m., he will not be at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island awaiting the howitzer boom of the start of the New York City Marathon, which was hastily canceled late Friday afternoon.

So where will one of America's most accomplished marathoners be?

"A lot of things crossed my mind," he said. "I want to work with somebody. I don't mind going to Staten Island (which was greatly affected by the storm.) If I cannot run, I want to be positive. Or go to Central Park and let the runners know it's OK. I don't know. It's my first Sunday off in many years. How can I help?"

On Saturday, New York Road Runners President and CEO Mary Wittenberg met with the race's elite runners to explain the decision. It was an emotional meeting, Keflezighi said. He said Wittenberg told the runners that anger over the city's decision to initially hold the race was being directed toward the runners. "She said it wasn't safe," Keflezighi said. "You never know what's going to happen in the streets."

Keflezighi wasn't supposed to address the group but he felt compelled to stand up and speak on behalf of the athletes. "We understand," he told them. "It's like an injury. Sometimes you have to stop and come back stronger."

Keflezighi, 37, said he was committed to run the race next year. "I think it's going to be very emotional. It could be my last marathon next year. I was narrowing down my career, now it got narrowed down one less," he said with a laugh.

Even though he is one of the stars of the field, Keflezighi found out about the race cancellation late Friday afternoon from a television in the elevator in his hotel. The 2009 New York City Marathon men's champion had just returned to the hotel from a 6-mile run. Like all the 40,000 runners expected to compete Sunday, he was stunned. "I guess a lot happens in a 30-minute run," he joked.

Though he acknowledged it would have been easier if the race had been canceled earlier before most had traveled to the city – Keflezighi is from Mammoth Lakes, Calif. -- he didn't want the race to be a divisive force during a time of so much suffering after superstorm Sandy.

"It's not about me, it's about the city. If we're going to have a negative influence, then they have the right to cancel," he said.

The canceling of the race is a financial hit for many runners – from the travel expenses of recreational runners to the loss of potential prize money for the elite runners. The champions receive $130,000. Plus, depending on a runner's sponsorship agreements, there are performance-based bonuses in contracts. Also, there's bonuses from race organizers based on time and place finishes in addition to the guaranteed appearance fee.

"For the top of the food chain, this 50% of your income if you do well," said David Monti, a NYRR consultant who works with the professional athletes. There's also the time and training investment. "It's a three, three-and-a-half month investment of training with a highly specialized schedule to get on a trajectory to be here and ready to go on Nov. 4. It's very hard to salvage that training time."

Keflezighi said he felt well prepared less than three months after finishing fourth in the London Olympics. "Yeah, we get a financial hit, but money comes, money goes," Keflezighi said. "I'm a father (to three young daughters), and there's a lady that lost two of her kids in Staten Island. There's no coming back. Money comes, money goes, but how to you compensate for that loss?"

History against No. 1 and No. 2 losing on the same day

12:01PM EDT November 3. 2012 - No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Oregon face their stiffest tests of the 2012 regular season on Saturday night, with the Crimson Tide heading to LSU and the Ducks to USC.

These are the defining games of both teams' regular season. For Alabama, a win is the final hurdle to 12-0. For Oregon, a win should do enough to bump the Ducks up a notch in this week's BCS rankings.

But how crippling would a loss be for either team? With Kansas State and Notre Dame still undefeated, a loss by Alabama or Oregon would essentially eliminate it from the national championship race.

MAILBAG: Let's hear your college football questions

Of course, few think that LSU has what it takes on offense to beat Alabama. And the sloppy, error-prone USC team that lost to Arizona last Saturday would have no shot at hanging with the high-powered Ducks. There's a reason why Alabama and Oregon top the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

METTENBERGER: LSU quarterback used to call Alabama home

But Kansas State and Notre Dame hope that LSU and USC have what it takes, of course. Unfortunately, history is not on their side: Only five times since the start of the 1991 season have the Coaches Poll's No. 1 and No. 2 lost on the same day.

The rundown:

Jan. 1, 1994 – Nebraska entered the postseason No. 1 but lost 18-16 to Florida State in the Orange Bowl; West Virginia entered the postseason No. 2 but lost 41-7 to Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Florida State, which had been No. 3, moved to No. 1.

Sept. 21, 1996 – No. 1 Nebraska lost 19-0 to Arizona State; No. 2 Tennessee lost 35-29 to Florida. Florida, which had been No. 4, moved to No. 1.

Dec. 1, 2007 – No. 1 West Virginia lost 13-9 to Pitt; No. 2 Missouri lost 38-17 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. Ohio State, which was idle that week and ranked No. 3, moved to No. 1.

Oct. 13, 2007 – No. 1 LSU lost 43-37 to Kentucky; No. 2 California lost 31-28 to Oregon State. Ohio State, which had been No. 3, moved to No. 1 off a 48-3 win against Kent State.

Oct. 11, 2008 – No. 1 Oklahoma lost 45-35 to Texas; No. 2 Missouri lost 28-23 to Oklahoma State. Texas, which had been No. 5, moved to No. 1. That leap by Texas, from fifth to the top, is biggest jump to No. 1 by anyone since 1991.

There are also two instances since 1991 of No. 1 and No. 2 losing on consecutive days:

Jan. 1-2, 1997 – No. 1 Florida State lost 52-20 to Florida in the Sugar Bowl on the 2nd; No. 2 Arizona State lost 20-17 to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on the 1st. Florida, which had been No. 3, moved to No. 1.

Nov. 23-24, 2007 – No. 1 LSU lost 50-48 in triple overtime to Arkansas on the 23rd; No. 2 Kansas lost 36-28 to Missouri on the 24th. West Virginia, which had been No. 3, moved to No. 1 after a 66-21 win against UConn on the 24th.