Playoff talk is dead, and the Bowl Championship Series is slowly getting it right. No one outside suburban Detroit would argue Ohio State vs. Florida wasn’t the proper title matchup last season, but don’t expect any unbeaten superpowers this year. If top-ranked USC gets through its gantlet of a schedule unscathed, maybe we should just put the BCS championship trophy under its Christmas tree.
Same with No. 2 Louisiana State, which could be forgotten quickly when ninth-ranked Virginia Tech visits Sept. 8.
Expect to see a lot of Tommy Trojan, lithe returners “taking it to the house,” Darren McFadden getting gang-tackled, “GameDay” dissecting Notre Dame, New York becoming a college football town, ex-Buff Colt Brennan becoming a household name and immeasurable copy written about which one-loss teams should meet in New Orleans for the title Jan. 7.
So clean your boda bag, buy that plasma screen and draft a Hawaii Warrior first in your fantasy league. Get set for possibly the most wide-open national title race in years. (The lists below are in no particular order.)
FIVE BEST STORY LINES
Nick Saban
Admit it. You’re curious. Alabama got slaughtered for selling its financial soul to the tune of $32 million, but he attracted 92,000 for the spring game and he won a national title four years ago at LSU. The Crimson Tide is picked third in the SEC West and gets Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida State in September.
Kickoff rule
Don’t think 5 yards won’t make a big difference. More runbacks, more touchdown returns, more injuries, more second-guessing. Saturday night highlights just got better.
USC prowess
Top-ranked Trojans were one loss to UCLA away from a possible third national title in four years.
(Sorry, Ohio State fans. USC could’ve beaten you, too.) Now USC coach Pete Carroll (left) says this is his best team. Let’s see what he says after a road schedule that includes Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon and California.
Big East
Don’t look now, but this is the conference du jour. It has three top 16 teams in Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers, plus a trendy sleeper in South Florida. Also, you take the Heisman field and we’ll take the Big East’s four candidates of Steve Slaton (right), Patrick White, Ray Rice and Brian Brohm.
Fall of Notre Dame
All you Irish haters, dig in. Notre Dame could be in for a fall. It must replace all its top skill-position players, and new defensive coordinator Corwin Brown must resurrect a unit that gave up 340.2 yards a game last year. The schedule is brutal. Can you say “Six-loss Irish”? Coach Charlie Weis (left), your reputation beckons you.
FIVE BEST QB BATTLES
Wisconsin
Career backup Tyler Donovan won the job over Kansas State transfer Allan Evridge. Neither has been great. They combined for six interceptions in an Aug. 21 scrimmage. Wisconsin often didn’t insert Donovan last year with games already won. But he did replace the injured John Stocco for the last two games and beat Iowa and Buffalo and has thrown for 620 yards. However, Evridge threw for 1,364 as a K-State freshman.
Notre Dame
Weis is saying nothing, but don’t look for mega-recruit Jimmy Clausen (left). He had bone chips removed from his elbow in May, and word is he’s not healthy. Sophomore Evan Sharpley, last year’s backup, may lose out to soph Demetrius Jones, who wowed Weis by burning his top defense from the scout team last year.
North Carolina State
Returning starter Daniel Evans barely kept his job after throwing 11 interceptions and six TDs last year. Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck has the strongest arm but was pick-prone in scrimmages, and redshirt freshman Justin Burke is the smartest of the three.
Miami (Fla.)
It wasn’t much choice here between senior Kyle Wright, who went backward last year (184 ypg, 61 percent, 8 TDs, 7 INTs) before getting hurt, and junior Kirby Freeman, who started the last four games and had nearly identical stats (186 ypg, 61 percent, 5 TDs, 6 INTs). Freeman won the job as Wright suffered a late knee injury.
Ohio State
Junior Todd Boeckman won the job over sophomore Rob Schoenhoft and freshman Antonio Henton. Coach Jim Tressel says the 6-foot-5
Boeckman throws the best long ball of any QB he has had. Boeckman was all-state in football, basketball and baseball at St. Henry (Ohio) High. The trio combined for 10 interceptions in three spring scrimmages but had only one in a scrimmage Aug. 18.
FIVE COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT
Bill Doba, Washington State, 25-22, fifth year
He went 10-3 his first year and it has been downhill ever since, culminated with a disastrous 35-32 loss to bitter rival Washington that cost Cougars a bowl berth last year. He turns 67 next Friday and has a brutal early schedule. He is signed only through 2009, and either an extension or a fresh start should be in order at season’s end.
Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M, 25-23, fifth year
Last year’s 9-4 record loses its shine in Aggie eyes when looking at three losses in the last four games, including a 45-10 blowout to Cal in the Holiday Bowl. Franchione has lost his two bowl games with A&M by a combined 83-17. But he has 15 starters back – and a patient AD.
Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State, 9-25, fourth year
Croom hasn’t recruited very well, and his game management has been ripped. Mississippi State is going through its worst six-year stretch (14-44) since 1964-69 (14-44-2), and no Bulldogs coach has ever had four straight losing seasons and kept his job. Plus, new president Rusty Foglesong fired Larry Templeton, the AD who hired Croom.
Tommy Bowden, Clemson, 60-38, ninth year
If it wasn’t bad enough that Clemson limped home last year 1-4, including a Music City Bowl loss to Kentucky, Bowden infuriated administrators when he blasted the school for not admitting two recruits. He has an untested quarterback, four new starters on the offensive line and an AD who may replace Frank Broyles at Arkansas. A possible 2-4 start won’t help.
Greg Robinson, Syracuse, 5-18, third year
Too harsh, too soon? Maybe. However, Syracuse has one Big East win in Robinson’s two years and is picked last again. Sophomore Andrew Robinson, in charge of directing the West Coast offense, has thrown all of eight passes. Robinson promoted ex-Air Force linebacker Steve Russ to defensive coordinator, which should free the head coach for other duties.
FIVE PLAYERS ON THE HOT SEAT
Darren McFadden, TB, Arkansas
First, he’s first on the Heisman watch list. Second, his quarterback isn’t good enough to keep defenses honest. Third, SEC defenses are lethal when they don’t have to be honest. Fourth, his coach’s job security may depend on how far this kid can carry the Hogs.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Coach Mark Richt put the heat on by calling the sophomore the best quarterback he has ever coached. Now Stafford must play like it. His 13 interceptions nearly doubled his seven TD passes, and the offense is solid everywhere else. It’s time to grow up.
Brandon Spikes, MLB, Florida
Gators have one career start at linebacker, and Spikes is expected to replace Brandon Siler, the overachieving team leader. Coach Urban Meyer even challenged Spikes, who may have more raw talent than Siler, at SEC Media Day to be the new Siler.
Jamaal Charles, TB, Texas
The junior regressed last year after a sterling freshman season and lost his job to Selvin Young. Young is gone, and Charles has to add some toughness to his speed that earned him second in the 100 meters at the Big 12 track meet last spring.
Drew Weatherford, QB, Florida State
He has underachieved for two years under ex-offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden. His dad sent Jeff to his room, and offensive guru Jimbo Fisher has arrived from LSU. Now Weatherford has no excuses. Another lapse and Xavier Lee will replace him. Again.
FIVE TEAMS TO WATCH
Louisville
Looking for a sleeper pick to win it all? The Cardinals have the nation’s best pro-ready quarterback in Brian Brohm, all his receivers and an easy schedule. They should be 9-0 when they start their final kick at West Virginia, at South Florida and home against Rutgers.
South Florida
Looking for a spoiler to upset them all? Jim Leavitt (left) has quietly stockpiled talent in the rich Florida recruiting grounds (21 of 22 projected starters are from in-state). The Bulls could upset the national title picture early when they host West Virginia on Sept. 28. And remember this name: QB Matt Grothe.
Oklahoma State
What do you get when you combine QB Bobby Reid (right), who throws for 24 TDs, seven other offensive starters and possibly the best defensive end duo in the Big 12? An up-and-coming program that should pass Texas A&M this year and challenge OU and Texas.
Boise State
This year’s Boise State could be Boise State. The Broncos are ranked 24th and have a Heisman candidate in TB Ian Johnson (left). If they win at Washington in Week 2, they could run the table – until visiting Hawaii in the regular-season finale.
Hawaii
How about two unbeaten teams meeting Nov. 23 for a shot at a BCS bowl? Hawaii will need much help. It is ranked 23rd, and toasting the lineup of marshmallows won’t impress, so it must win its last three: at Nevada, then Boise State and Washington at home.
FIVE TRUE FRESHMEN TO WATCH
Chris Strong, MLB, Mississippi
How good is this kid? He was a starter from Day One even though he wasn’t cleared by NCAA clearinghouse until Aug. 22. Mississippi’s Mr. Football is 6-3, 250 and led South Panola High to four straight 5A state titles and a 60-0 mark, the second-longest in the nation.
Trinton Sturdivant, OT, Georgia
This early enrollee last spring earned the starting left tackle job. The 6-5, 293-pounder was North Carolina’s No. 3 prospect out of Anson County High in Wadesboro. He had a 4.1 GPA.
Joe McKnight, TB, Southern California
On a top-ranked team with nine scholarship tailbacks, he still stands out. Last year at John Curtis High in River Ridge, La., he averaged 15.5 yards a carry for 14 touchdowns and 30.8 yards a catch for 13 TDs. Think he would like to get back to New Orleans?
Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois
The No. 5-ranked receiver in the nation leads another top-10 recruiting class for coach Ron Zook. Benn had 55 catches for 1,042 yards and nine TDs for Dunbar High in Washington. He chose the Illini over Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.), Florida State and Maryland.
Torrey Davis, DT, Florida
He could get significant minutes on a defense returning only two starters. Lightning quick at 6-4, 285, he was the state’s top prep prospect after finishing his senior year at Armwood High in Seffner, Fla., with 16 sacks.
