ERST LESEN! » game.STEELES DEFENSEKevin Steele is the

PHOENIX -- Villanova already has lofty expectations this season as the reigning national champion. The Wildcats also have to deal with opposing fans screaming louder and opposing teams playing them harder.Villanova has handled anything thats come its way to this point, but everything ratchets up another level now that the Wildcats are No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the second time in school history.So far, we have, coach Jay Wright said about managing expectations. This puts more on top of that. I do think last year when we were ranked No. 1, we handled it pretty well but I do think it got to a point by the time we got to Xavier where it got to us a little bit.Villanova had to adjust to being No. 1 for the first time in school history last season. The Wildcats handled it well through the first two weeks, but the pressure continued to build, contributing to a loss to Xavier.Villanova went on to win the national championship and entered this season ranked No. 4 in the AP preseason poll. The Wildcats moved up to No. 2 by week 3 and this week received 57 of 65 first-place votes to supplant Kentucky at No. 1.The Wildcats (8-0) at least know what to expect heading into games against La Salle on Tuesday and No. 23 Notre Dame on Saturday.We know what its like, Wright said. We know what the attention is like, we know what the effort of the other team is like. Our first thought is, this gets La Salle to even another level.---KENTUCKY BOUNCEBACKKentucky coach John Calipari said last week that he wanted his team to play a close game after the Wildcats won their first seven by 21 points or more.Kentucky got more than that on Saturday, when it lost 97-92 to then-No. 11 UCLA in Lexington. The loss ended the Wildcats home winning streak at 42 games and dropped them to No. 6 in this weeks poll.Kentucky (7-1) hosts Valparaiso on Wednesday and Hofstra on Sunday.There are great lessons out of this, Calipari said after the UCLA defeat. I wish we would have come back and won. I would have liked to learn from that lesson a little bit more. But sometimes you need to get hit on the chin, especially at home.---BRUINS RISINGUCLAs win over Kentucky gave the Bruins (9-0) a huge boost in the poll, moving them up nine spots to No. 2 on Monday. They also received two first-place votes.UCLA also gets to savor the victory over the Wildcats, getting a week off before facing another difficult game Saturday against Michigan at Pauley Pavilion.We have a goal: from good to great, UCLA coach Steve Alford said. Were not great yet, but we knew we were good coming in. We took a pretty good step toward being a little bit better than good.---ANNIVERSARY GAMENo. 5 Duke (8-1) has a tough game Tuesday night, facing No. 21 Florida at Madison Square Garden.On Saturday, the Blue Devils will play UNLV at the new T-Mobile Arena along The Strip in Las Vegas. The game will be the first meeting between the teams since Duke knocked off undefeated UNLV in the 1991 Final Four on its way to the first of five national championships for coach Mike Krzyzewski.The Runnin Rebels (5-3) are rebuilding in their first season under Marvin Menzies, and Duke is finally getting healthy, so it probably wont come close to living up to that epic game 25 years ago.---BIG SATURDAYSaturday has a big slate of games involving ranked teams, including No. 3 Kansas vs. Nebraska, No. 11 Xavier vs. Utah, No. 16 Butler against No. 23 Cincinnati, No. 17 Wisconsin at Marquette, and No. 20 Arizona at Missouri.---WATCH LISTTeams to keep an eye on this week for possible entry into the poll next week:Southern California. The Trojans (8-0) are still undefeated and have one game this week, against Pepperdine.Ohio State. The Buckeyes (7-1) played No. 14 Virginia close last week, with Florida Atlantic and UConn coming up this week.Florida State. 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AUBURN, Ala. -- Before the Auburn Tigers even started fall camp, amid already diminished expectations, they lost their most productive player.Tigers coach Gus Malzahn dismissed tailback Jovon Robinson hours before the first practice, leaving a team already seeking a quarterback with another significant void in the backfield.How well those two jobs get filled will go a long way toward deciding whether Auburn and Malzahns fast-paced offense rebound strongly or continue going in the wrong direction.Malzahn said the leadership is as strong as any team hes had. Theyve got a chip on their shoulder and theyve got something to prove, he said.That starts with the offense, which ranked 110th in passing offense and 94th in total yards thanks largely to the struggles of quarterbacks Jeremy Johnson and Sean White. The result was just a pair of Southeastern Conference wins two seasons after winning a league title and making the national championship game.Robinson emerged as the top runner late in the season though Peyton Barber topped 1,000 yards. Malzahn did not elaborate on the reasons for his dismissal, but it leaves sophomore Kerryon Johnson as the only returning back who logged a carry last season. Fullback Kamryn Pettway has moved to tailback, and Johnson is joined by freshman Kam Martin, a late addition who was released from his scholarship with Baylor.Weve been one of the better rushing teams in our league, I guess, for six years and well continue to be that, Malzahn said.Theyre going to need to be strong on the ground again with no established quarterback and having to replace two of the top three players in an already-thin receiving corps.Defensively, the line is well-stocked with highly rated recruits, including tackle Montravius Adams and end Carl Lawson, who has star potential but has battled injury problems. Guards Alex Kozan and Braden Smith anchor the offfense.ddddddddddddGraduate transfer T.J. Neal, who started 25 games for Illinois the past two seasons, joins Tre Williams at linebacker. Safety Rudy Ford has led the Tigers in tackles two straight years and cornerback Carlton Davis had a promising freshman season.SEASON OPENEROpening with national runner-up Clemson and quarterback Deshaun Watson, a Heisman Trophy finalist, is a huge challenge for a team trying to rebuild in a number of areas. The good news is its the first of five straight home games.WHOS THE QB? Junior college transfer John Franklin III is trying to challenge Johnson and White, who both had uninspiring stints as the starter last season. Franklin is the biggest running threat, but never won the starting job at either Florida State or junior college and has little experience. Multiple receivers from a strong signing class at the position will also have to step up in the passing game.STEELES DEFENSEKevin Steele is the teams third defensive coordinator in as many years and fourth in five seasons. The veteran former LSU, Clemson and Alabama coordinator is one of five new assistants on Malzahns staff.PREDICTIONThe Tigers have been at their best when outsiders arent expecting much from them -- and at their worst when theyre drawing loads of preseason buzz. After two straight disappointing seasons, they fall in the former category now while picked toward the bottom of the SEC West. There are a few games that seem like toss-ups, but 7-5 seems like a reasonable outcome. To blow past that win total would require improved quarterback play from last season and strides from the defense, plus the emergence of Kerryon Johnson or another tailback as a reliable go-to runner.---AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '