LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Pat Dye had a lot on his mind when he

began his speech at an Arkansas luncheon.

"We are in a mess," the former Auburn coach said Monday.

"We're fixing to pay 700 billion dollars to bail out Wall Street.

We don't know who to vote for president. Auburn and Arkansas -

ain't either one of them worth a damn. Y'all have had floods all

down here, in Louisiana and Texas, and hurricanes, and floods up

there in the midwest. We're in the middle of a three-year drought

where I live.

"And it's still great to be an American."

That set the tone for Dye's visit. He spoke for over a

half-hour, drawing more than a few laughs with his blunt, folksy

style. Arkansas plays at No. 20 Auburn this weekend. The Razorbacks

are trying to snap a three-game losing streak, and the Tigers are

coming off a loss to Vanderbilt.

Dye discussed the state of the Southeastern Conference - and

college football in general. He talked about the importance of

college sports and the need to keep alumni happy.

"That puts pressure on the (school) president. The president's

got to keep the coach that wins," Dye said. "We had a president

get fired because of a plane ride."

That was a reference to Auburn president William Walker's

resignation in 2004. Walker, the athletic director and two trustees

secretly flew to meet with Bobby Petrino, who was then the coach at

Louisville. Neither Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville nor Louisville

officials were informed of the trip, and a firestorm of criticism

erupted when it became public.

Tuberville is still Auburn's coach, and Petrino is at Arkansas

now.

Dye, however, didn't show any animosity toward Petrino. In fact,

he defended the coach's decision to leave the Atlanta Falcons last

year to come coach the Razorbacks. Dye noted that athletic

directors and presidents can move around, so why not coaches?

"I don't blame Petrino for doing whatever the hell he had to do

to look out for himself and his wife and his own best interests.

It's a business," Dye said. "And they ain't doing too bad in

Atlanta right now anyway."

The Falcons are off to a 3-2 start.

Dye offered an amusing line about how coaching can be overrated.

"It ain't about the Xs and Os. It's about the Jimmys and the

Joes," he said. "Now you can take 'em and screw 'em up - I've

seen that happen before."

Dye talked a bit about undefeated Alabama, Auburn's big rival.

He indicated that Crimson Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson is

basically a game manager.

"It's hard for him to make a mistake from the center to the

tailback," Dye said. "He's what we call a caddy."

Dye did say that Alabama has a better chance going forward than

LSU - because LSU still has to play Georgia and Florida in addition

to the Crimson Tide. Dye predicts the national championship game

will include Oklahoma or perhaps Texas against the SEC champion. He

also said Penn State has a chance to sneak in by going undefeated.

Dye was asked about Penn State coach Joe Paterno and Florida

State coach Bobby Bowden, who are still coaching while within a

game of each other on the career wins list. Paterno has 378 to

Bowden's 377.

"All football coaches, and I include myself - they all got

egos," Dye said. "It's all about who's going to win that one game

more than the other one. I guarantee you, coach Paterno, if they've

got to put him on a damn gurney and take him out there ..."

Dye did turn serious toward the end, when he talked about

meeting Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird." He was

clearly inspired by Lee and said it takes heart, soul and passion

for people to accomplish all they can.

"In my opinion, that's the only way you can ever come close to

being the best you can be," he said. "If you're just doing it

with your brain for a salary, you'll never be the best you can be -

until you can put your whole self into it."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)