Plus-one, or any playoff system, is dead, and many wish Bobby Petrino was, too. Joe Paterno’s job may be on life support by season’s end, and Notre Dame must take a cue from Touchdown Jesus and rise from the dead as well.
Still, the 2008 season will be very much alive. A quarterback competition may be ongoing at Southern California, and Ohio State is stewing over stumbling at the foot of the throne two straight years. Could they meet for the national title instead of the Rose Bowl in a hellacious rematch of their Sept. 13 showdown? They could.
With the season kicking off Thursday, here’s a look at what you must look for. And you Nebraska fans? You can come out of hiding now.
5 things to watch
Three-peat?
Ohio State seeks its third straight title game. It’ll be ranked in the top five, and if it can beat USC and Wisconsin, it should run the table. Even if Buckeyes lose to USC, it’s only Week 3 and they could make up enough ground to reach the title game. Then when does losing the Big One start to irk Buckeye Nation? Terry Gilliam, Associated Press photo
Rise of Big 12
Remember when the Pac-10 was the breeding ground for quarterbacks? It’s the Big 12 now. Missouri’s Chase Daniel, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, Kansas’ Todd Reesing and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell are among the nation’s top 10. And don’t forget Nebraska’s Joe Ganz, Colorado’s Cody Hawkins, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Kansas State’s Josh Freeman. Ten of 12 starting quarterbacks return and so do five All-Americans.
Joe Paterno
Could this be the end after 43 years? Many in Nittany Lions country — including some in his administration — hope it is. He was asked to retire after the 2004 season but has gone 11-1 and 9-4 twice with three bowl wins to keep his job. His recruiting has dropped off the table, and if he fights too hard, he may blow the chances of his hand-picked successor, longtime defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.
Bobby Petrino
Last season’s favorite villain gets to show why he dumped the Atlanta Falcons like a hot skillet before season’s end. Louisville flopped when he left after 2006, and a lot of people want to see Petrino fail at Arkansas. He probably will this year. He lost 3,339 rushing yards with Darren McFadden and Co. Weeks 3-6 are at Texas, Alabama and Florida at home and at Auburn.
Tim Tebow
Can he become only the second repeat Heisman Trophy winner and first in 33 years? He has to be favored. With a stronger defense and a promising running game, Florida is a national title contender again. His only drawback in the Heisman race is if tailback Emmanuel Moody is too good and takes away too many carries, not that Tebow will mind.
5 teams on the way up
Mississippi
Rival coaches say 10 Rebels could start for any team in the SEC. Fired coach Ed Or- geron’s last three recruiting classes were ranked higher than new coach Houston Nutt’s last three at Arkansas, where he went 22-16. Nutt also has a new dual-threat quarterback in Texas transfer Jevan Snead.
Louisville
The Cardinals went 6-6 thanks to a defense that couldn’t stop Bluegrass High. Out went defensive coordinator Mike Cassity; in comes Ron English, who was the hot assistant at Michigan before a late-season fall. Six of the first seven games are at home, and that road test is at Memphis.
Nebraska
Louisville’s D looked like the ’72 Steelers compared to Nebraska’s. Bo Pelini, the defensive guru at LSU, arrived and immediately made the Cornhuskers’ defense leaner and, presumably, meaner. He moved tailback Cody Glenn to linebacker for more speed.
Pittsburgh
Watch how much momentum the Panthers got from their season-ending 13-9 upset at West Virginia. They have emerging stars in quarterback Bill Stull and tailback LeSean McCoy, and 12 other starters return. Coach Dave Wannstedt received a three-year extension just before the West Virginia game.
Temple
Huh? Remember the Big East Owls? Former Virginia assistant Al Golden has 21 starters back from a team that won four games a year ago after winning four in its previous four years. They’re considered contenders in the Mid-American East.
5 teams on the way down
Michigan
Those screams for murder in West Virginia will turn into howls of laughter when jilted Mountaineers fans watch Michigan unravel. New coach Rich Rodriguez had three starting linemen bolt after his hiring, and his choices to run his spread offense are Georgia Tech transfer Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan, a former walk-on who ran the spread at nearby Saline High School.
Louisiana State
In three years, Ryan Perrilloux has gone from the most highly recruited quarterback in the nation to the SEC championship game MVP to a transfer at Jacksonville (Ala.) State. You don’t prop up the national title and ask Andrew Hatch, a former Harvard-transfer walk-on, or Jarrett Lee, a freshman, to defend it. Besides quarterback, LSU lost 11 senior starters and assistant Bo Pelini, its defensive glue.
Iowa
Lost in the mad scramble of the BCS last year was Iowa’s maddening loss to Western Michigan. This program is going nowhere fast, and the spiral continues with no discernible talent at quarterback, tailback or receiver.
Arizona State
Watch. Few teams may fall faster and further out of the top 25 than the Sun Devils. Last year’s surprise Pac-10 team is ranked 15th on coach Dennis Erickson’s reputation alone. But he has no returning running back, quarterback Rudy Carpenter is inconsistent and top receiver Chris McGaha caught only one touchdown pass. Plus, from Weeks 3-7 the schedule reads Georgia, at California, at USC, Oregon and at Oregon State.
Kentucky
Surprising Wildcats must replace quarterback Andre Woodson, 1,000-yard rusher Rafael Little and their top two receivers, Steve Johnson and Keenan Burton. And they open at Louisville, which will be retooled and hungry for revenge. An experienced defense must keep it close until they take name tags off the new offensive starters. But it was a nice run while it lasted, wasn’t it?
Coaches on the hot seat
Charlie Weis, Notre Dame
No, he won’t get fired. He can thank his administration for giving him a 10-year extension seven games into his first year for that. But what he’ll face if he produces Notre Dame’s first back-to-back losing seasons will be worse than a pink slip. He lost his genius status in last year’s 3-9 pratfall. Now he must merely regain respect.
Greg Robinson, Syracuse
In three years, the former Broncos defensive coordinator has gone 7-28, including 2-19 in the Big East. The offense finished second to last nationally in rushing (62.8 yards per game) and 111th in total defense. They were outsacked 54-9. Attendance has dropped to barely 35,000. His best player, NFL-caliber receiver Mike Williams, was suspended for academics.
Tyrone Willingham, Washington
An 11-25 record, and 6-20 in the Pac-10, after three years won’t cut it at a football-rich school. It almost cost Willingham his job last year. It all but cost the job of athletic director Todd Turner, one of his few supporters. It won’t get much better. Only one defensive lineman has played, center Juan Garcia is probably out for the year with a broken foot and the Huskies have no experience at running back or wide receiver.
Mike Sanford, UNLV
Urban Meyer he is not. However, UNLV has had only one winning record since 1994, and even John Robinson couldn’t straighten it out. Sanford, Meyer’s offensive coordinator at Utah, has had lousy quarterback play and luck during his four years and may have to rely on tailback Frank Summers to finish drives the Rebels couldn’t last year.
Ron Prince, Kansas State
He has beaten Texas twice, but that hasn’t overshadowed giving up 198 points in the final four games last year, the most ever over a four-game stretch in school history. Think about K-State’s bottom-feeder history and you’ll understand why new AD Bob Krause will be watching closely each Saturday. Prince knows it. He recruited 19 jucos.
Players on the hot seat
Emmanuel Moody, TB, Florida
Urban Meyer hasn’t had a decent running back in his three years at Florida, and now he has USC’s starter from 2006. Moody, Rivals.com’s No. 9 prep tailback in 2005, got hurt in Game 9 two years ago and transferred when USC’s tailback stable got too full. Last year as the Gators’ running game struggled, Meyer told Moody in practice, “I hope you’re good.”
Ben Olson, QB, UCLA
Considered the nation’s best prep quarterback in 2002, he has been plagued with injuries and inconsistency since transferring from Brigham Young. This season was put in jeopardy when he broke a bone in his foot early in fall drills. He’s expected back at the end of September.
Mark Sanchez, QB, Southern Cal
He was OK in his three starts last year and won a close battle with Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain. Expect coach Pete Carroll to show a quick hook if Sanchez struggles early. It’s been four years since USC won a national title. The Pac-10 is down this year, and a clean nonconference slate should be a ticket to Miami.
James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
He could be tooling to NFL training camp in a Lexus right now but chose to return for his senior year. Not only must he avoid injury, he must not regress from the 121 tackles that earned him the Butkus Award. Also, get the Buckeyes over the hump and win the national title. Good luck, kid.
Ian Johnson, TB, Boise State
Remember him proposing to his girlfriend after his dramatic overtime touchdown to beat Oklahoma two seasons ago in the Fiesta Bowl? Boise State has gone backward and so have his numbers, from 1,714 in 2006 to 1,041. He enters his senior year with one returning starter on the line and a new quarterback.
5 best games
Sept. 13 Ohio State at USC A Rose Bowl preview? Maybe. A BCS championship preview? Maybe. The loser has to play catch-up, and if Georgia is No. 1 on this date, USC could leapfrog the ‘Dawgs with a win.
Oct. 4 Ohio St. at Wisconsin This could be for the Big Ten title. The conference doesn’t have much depth again, and Wisconsin is the best of the rest. Notice the word “Michigan” doesn’t appear in this paragraph until now?
Oct. 18 Missouri at Texas If Colt McCoy bounces back, he’ll go against Chase Daniel in one of the nation’s best quarterback shootouts. And the winner likely will have the inside track on his division title.
Oct. 25 Georgia at LSU The Tigers aren’t as good, but they’re always good enough at home and at night. Georgia could be coming into the toughest home stadium in the nation as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Nov. 1 Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla. Don’t expect Florida’s defense to struggle again this year, and if it develops a running game, it could derail the Bulldogs, who by this time could be eyeing a berth to Miami.
