NOTES: The Horned Frogs rose to the top of the league in 2002 in just their second C-USA season, capping it with a 17-3 Liberty Bowl win over Colorado State and a No. 22 national ranking. They are the unanimous choice to repeat as league champions and are ranked in the preseason polls. Defensive linemen Bo Schobel and Chad Pugh combined for 35 tackles for loss for the nation's No. 1-ranked team in total defense (240.5 yards a game) and rushing defense (64.8). Sophomore quarterback Tye Gunn was 4-0 as a starter before sustaining a season-ending knee injury. Running back Lonta Hobbs crested 1,000 yards (1,029) as a freshman with 12 touchdowns and appears to be the heir to LaDainian Tomlinson. TCU visits USF on Oct. 10.
2. Southern Miss
COACH: Jeff Bower (80-58-1, 13th season).
2002 RECORD: 7-6.
NOTES: The Golden Eagles had their ninth straight winning season but never hit their stride in 2002, including a 16-13 midseason loss at USF. The year ended with a Houston Bowl defeat to Oklahoma State. The defense is stacked, even more than usual for always-tough Southern Miss. Middle linebacker Rod Davis is a preseason All-American and is the headliner from among five preseason All-C-USA defenders. Sidekick linebacker Michael Boley makes plays all over the field, too, and defensive backs Greg Brooks and Etric Pruitt are top-shelf. The offense is suspect without departed running back Derrick Nix. Only six I-A coaches have been at their school longer than Bower, the dean of C-USA. USF is at USM on Oct. 25.
3. Louisville
COACH: Bobby Petrino (first season).
2002 RECORD: 7-6.
NOTES: Like Thompson and Briles, Petrino enters his first season as a collegiate head coach and inherits the best situation of the three. Louisville has parlayed a plethora of talent into a 27-11 record the past three seasons. However, aside from a win over Florida State, the Cardinals underachieved in 2002, culminating in a GMAC Bowl loss to Marshall. True freshman quarterback Michael Bush, a local product who was one of the nation's most coveted football and basketball prospects, has superstar potential. If he snares the starting job, he'll have talented FSU transfer Eric Shelton to hand off to and All-C-USA tight end Ronnie Ghent as a target. Petrino was the offensive coordinator at Auburn last season. Louisville visits USF on Oct. 4.
4. South Florida
COACH: Jim Leavitt (44-22, seventh season).
2002 RECORD: 9-2.
NOTES: South Florida is the youngest Division I-A program in the nation and brand new to Conference USA. However, Leavitt is the league's fourth-longest tenured coach and in six seasons the Bulls have won twice as many games as they've lost, so expect them to be in the thick of the league title chase. Strong-armed Ronnie Banks replaces all-everything QB Marquel Blackwell. The onus is on him to keep the momentum going. Senior linebacker Maurice Jones and senior safety J.R. Reed are top-shelf performers. Receiver Huey Whittaker is a matchup nightmare at 6 feet 5, but none of the stable of five running backs has seized the job. The defensive line is a little undersized and a lot underexperienced. The Aug. 30 opener at Alabama will linger, win or lose: USF plays only I-AA Nicholls State in the three weeks afterward.
5. Memphis
COACH: Tommy West (8-15, third season; 43-50 overall).
2002 RECORD: 3-9.
NOTES: The Tigers might have been the best 3-9 team in the nation, but that's little solace after another losing season, their eighth straight. There are reasons to believe it won't be nine. Record-setting junior quarterback Danny Wimprine is back (though he needs to cut down on his 18 interceptions) and sophomore running back DeAngelo Williams (6.6 yards per carry) is a major talent. Some defensive playmakers return for new coordinator Joe Lee Dunn, notably linebackers Greg Harper and Derrick Ballard, safety O.C. Collins and tackle Albert Means. Still, Memphis has to shake its reputation as a team that finds a way to lose close games, such as its 31-28 loss at USF last season. All three 2002 wins were blowouts. The Tigers host USF on Nov. 29.
6. Tulane
COACH: Chris Scelfo (21-27, fourth season).
2002 RECORD: 8-5.
NOTES: The Green Wave is the opposite of Southern Miss: dangerous offense, uncertain defense. NFL quarterback prospect J.P. Losman and star running back Mewelde Moore are back for their senior seasons after leading Tulane to 30 or more points in eight of 13 games, including a 36-28 win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. Also back is receiver Roydell Williams, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury after leading C-USA with 11 touchdown catches in 2001. The defense was much improved last season (four times it allowed 28 or more points) after a catastrophic 2001 (41.3 allowed per game), but just three starters return. Deluxe defensive back/kick returner Lynaris Elpheage will be missed. Tulane does not play USF.
7. East Carolina
COACH: John Thompson (first season).
2002 RECORD: 4-8.
NOTES: Thompson, the Florida defensive coordinator last season and a longtime college defensive coach, gets his first head coaching job with a team that played little defense last season. ECU didn't hold a single opponent under 20 points. USF lit up the Pirates for 46 points at ECU. The talent is in place for a turnaround. Sophomore linebacker Chris Moore, who made 72 tackles in eight games, and 6-foot-7 defensive tackle Damane Duckett have big-time ability. Senior running back Art Brown appeared destined for big things after scoring 17 touchdowns in 2002, but he is out with a knee injury. All-America candidate Brian Rimpf, a two-time All-C-USA pick at tackle, anchors the line. The Pirates travel to Miami on Sept. 13 and host USF for the second straight season on Nov. 8.
8. Houston
COACH: Art Briles (first season).
2002 RECORD: 5-7.
NOTES: The Cougars improved from 0-11 to 5-7 in 2002, but it wasn't enough to spare coach Dana Dimel the chopping block. Briles was the running backs coach at high-scoring, wide-open Texas Tech the past three seasons, so expect Houston to wing it. The league's leading rusher, Joffrey Reynolds, has graduated, but top passer Nick Eddy and receiver Brandon Middleton (24.1 yards per reception, tops in the nation among returnees) are back. Briles was a high school head coach with three schools in Texas for 16 seasons before spending the past three seasons at Texas Tech. He'll have a tough indoctrination to the big time as Houston plays at Michigan on Sept. 6. The Cougars, who lost to USF 32-14 last season, do not play the Bulls this year.
9. Cincinnati
COACH: Rick Minter (48-56-1, 10th season).
2002 RECORD: 7-7.
NOTES: Minter seemed on thin ice after going 5-17 in 1998-99, but UC has rebounded with three straight bowl appearances (all losses) and seven-win seasons. Junior quarterback Gino Guidugli has garnered national attention for his big numbers and late-game heroics the past two seasons. He threw for a school-record 3,543 yards in 2002 but was careless, throwing 21 interceptions. The defense scored seven touchdowns in the final seven games and tallied 34 sacks, third-most in school history. The Bearcats sustained several key losses, including three NFL draftees plus running back DeMarco McCleskey, who rushed for 1,413 yards, and standout kicker Jonathan Ruffin. UC travels to USF on Oct. 31.
10. UAB
COACH: Watson Brown (42-47, ninth season; 79-124-1 overall).
2002: 5-7.
NOTES: The Blazers are agog over sophomore quarterback Darrell Hackney. After redshirting in 2001, he did not start the first four games last season but finished with a fury, throwing for 1,977 yards with 14 touchdowns and 7 interceptions under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Pat Sullivan, who won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn in 1971. Hackney torched East Carolina for 424 passing yards and twice was named C-USA's offensive player of the week. He is changing UAB's reputation, as the Blazers previously were known for stellar defense and sluggish offense. Last season UAB yielded 26 or more points in 10 of 12 games. Seven starters return, including standout junior linebacker Zac Woodfin. UAB is at USF on Nov. 22.
NOTES: It has been a tough three seasons for Berry, but with eight starters back on defense the Black Knights should be more respectable and eke out a few wins. They allowed more than 40 points in seven of 12 games, including a 58-12 loss to Navy in the season finale. The leading passer (Zac Dahman) and rusher (Carlton Jones) were freshman, so there's cause for optimism on offense, too. Junior William White led C-USA in all-purpose yards, most of it coming on kickoff returns. Since going 10-2 in 1996, Army hasn't had a five-win season. The Black Knights will return to being an independent after 2004. South Florida's first C-USA game is Sept. 27 at Army.
