Polls Are Not Tillman’s No. 1 Priority

Pat Tillman, Arizona State’s irreverent outside linebacker, says he couldn’t care less how football pollsters vote on Jan. 3.

Asked how he felt about the possibility that his team could beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and still be denied No. 1, he said, “I don’t give a . . . about any of that.

“If we beat Ohio State, we will have achieved every single goal we set for ourselves. We cleared every barrier. . . . We’d have done every possible thing we could do to win the national championship.

“If they vote for someone else, that’s just how it goes. We’ll know in our hearts who the real No. 1 is.”

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The Rose Bowl game an alumni game? You could make a case for that.

Seven competing players already have their degrees.

Sun Devil diploma holders: offensive tackle Juan Roque, Latin American history; linebacker Chris Finn, finance; guard Pat Thompson, social work; tight end Zack Romero, agribusiness, and linebacker Ron McCook, marketing.

Ohio State grads: defensive end Matt Finkes, business administration, and tight end D.J. Jones, operations management.