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Conference and independent capsules

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, BRIAN LANDMAN and BRUCE LOWITT

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 30, 2001

Big East

OUTLOOK: The Big East could enjoy a banner year with Miami and Virginia Tech among the favorites to win the national title and Pittsburgh a consensus Top 25 team. But in the words of Lee Corso. ... not so fast. The Hurricanes had four first-round NFL draft picks (LB Dan Morgan, DT Damione Lewis and WRs Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne) and lost their coach, Butch Davis, to the Cleveland Browns. QB Ken Dorsey can't do it alone for new coach, Larry Coker. Meanwhile, the Hokies return 18 starters, but need to find someone to replace multitalented QB Michael Vick, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. The apparent heir, Grant Noel, injured a knee in July. Pittsburgh WR Antonio Bryant, the Biletnikoff winner and Heisman Trophy hopeful, has to stay out of trouble on and off the field for a change for the Panthers to enjoy a renaissance.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Miami; 2. Virginia Tech; 3. Pittsburgh; 4. Boston College; 5. Syracuse; 6. West Virginia; 7. Temple; 8. Rutgers.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Dorsey, Miami; RB Lee Suggs, Virginia Tech; RB William Green, Boston College; WR Antonio Bryant, Pittsburgh; WR Andre Davis, Virginia Tech; TE Jeremy Shockey, Miami; OL Bryant McKinnie, Miami; OL Joaquin Gonzalez, Miami; OL Dan Koppen, Boston College; OL Bryan Anderson, Pittsburgh; OL Mike Esposito, Rutgers; PK Carter Warley, Virginia Tech.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: DL Dwight Freeney, Syracuse; DL Bryan Knight, Pittsburgh; DL David Pugh, Virginia Tech; DL Chad Beasley, Virginia Tech; LB Ben Taylor, Virginia Tech; LB Clifton Smith, Syracuse; LB Gerald Hayes, Pittsburgh; DB Mike Rumph, Miami; DB Ed Reed, Miami; DB Ramon Walker, Pittsburgh; DB Ronyell Whitaker, Virginia Tech; P Freddie Capshaw, Miami.

RISING STAR: Suggs couldn't help but be overshadowed nationally by Vick, but he rushed for 1,207 yards and 27 TDs last season and earned third-team AP All-America honors. He was the Big East offensive player of the year. He could be the national player of the year.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Miami. The 'Canes not only have to play their three toughest league games, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Boston College, on the road, but open at Penn State, play Washington and visit Florida State.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Virginia Tech. The Hokies, never ones to load up on powerful non-conference opponents, have UConn, Western Michigan and Central Florida -- all at home.

QUICK FACTS: The 'Canes enter with the nation's second-longest winning streak, 10 games. Oklahoma has won 12 straight. ... Syracuse is one of only four schools (Nebraska, FSU and Michigan) with a winning record in each of the past 14 seasons. . . .Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer is in his 15th year in Blacksburg. Only Penn State's Joe Paterno (36), FSU's Bobby Bowden (26) and Air Force's Fisher DeBerry (17) have a longer tenure at their schools. ... Rutgers first-year coach Greg Schiano, 35, the former Miami defensive coordinator, is the youngest coach in Division I-A. Rich Rodriguez, the former Clemson offensive coordinator who replaces icon Don Nehlen at West Virginia, is the sixth youngest at 38. ... Rutgers hasn't been to a bowl since 1978, its only bowl. It lost to Arizona State in the Garden State Bowl. Temple's last bowl was in 1979, a win against Cal in the Garden State. ... Last season, the Big East led the nation with a .757 winning percentage against non-conference opponents (28-9). The league's teams also were 4-1 in bowl games.

Big Ten

OUTLOOK: Northwestern is the frontrunner, but the race for the crown could be the most competitive it has been in many seasons. Northwestern returns its leading rusher, its quarterback (Zak Kustok) and all five linemen, but its defense must improve. Former powers (Ohio State and Penn State) have struggled the past two seasons and with the loss of Drew Brees (Purdue), Rashard Casey (Penn State) and Drew Henson (Michigan), several teams are in need of someone to step up at quarterback.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Northwestern; 2. Michigan; 3. Wisconsin; 4. Purdue; 5. Illinois; 6. Ohio State; 7. Michigan State; 8. Minnesota; 9. Penn State; 10. Iowa; 11. Indiana.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: RB Damien Anderson, Northwestern, RB T.J. Duckett, Michigan State; TE Tim Stratton, Purdue; T Leon Brockmeier, Northwestern; T Ben Johnson, Wisconsin; G Jeff Roehl, Northwestern; G Jonathan Goodwin, Michigan; C LeCharles Bentley, Ohio State; QB Kurt Kittner, Illinois; WR Ron Johnson, Minnesota; WR Marquise Walker, Michigan.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: CB Mike Echols, Wisconsin; CB Cedric Henry, Michigan State; LB Josh Thornhill, Michigan State; LB Nick Greisen, Wisconsin; LB Joe Cooper, Ohio State; S Mike Doss, Ohio State; S Stuart Schweigert, Purdue; E Akin Ayodele, Purdue; E Aaron Kampman, Iowa; T Matt Mitrione, Purdue; T Wendell Bryant, Wisconsin.

RISING STAR: RB Ladell Betts (Iowa). As a junior last season, he gained 1,090 yards, despite playing behind a less than stellar offensive line. Changes have been made that might get Betts to the top of the conference.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Penn State. The Nittany Lions will try to rebound from its first losing season in 12 years (5-7), but the schedule won't make it easy. After its opener at home against Miami, they travel to Virginia, then host Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and Southern Mississippi. They end on the road with Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan State.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Northwestern. They face Navy, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State and Iowa at home. They don't face Wisconsin and Michigan, which automatically makes a good season possible.

QUICK FACTS: Penn State coach Joe Paterno needs two wins to surpass Paul "Bear" Bryant's record of 323 to become the coach with the most wins in Division I-A. The Big Ten set overall attendance records -- average attendance and total sellouts (38), last season. The league returns 15 players who were listed in the nation's top 25 in the 2000 year-end statistics. The Big Ten hasn't had a consensus national champion since Ohio State in 1968.

Big 12

OUTLOOK: Mark Oct. 27 on your calendar. Oklahoma at Nebraska. The winner could have an inside track at a Rose Bowl berth. Unless, of course, Kansas State still is in the running. Or if Texas ... That's the Big 12: powerful and balanced; five teams in last season's final AP Top 25. Oklahoma will be defending its national championship minus Heisman Trophy runner-up Josh Heupel, and coach Bob Stoops' Sooners could be better if Georgia transfer Nate Hybl's arm is as strong as advertised. Then again, if Nebraska's defense improves enough to take some of the load off quarterback Eric Crouch, the Cornhuskers, last season's preseason No. 1, will challenge. K-State plays at Nebraska and Oklahoma, but in halfback Josh Scobey coach Bill Snyder finally has a runner capable of carrying the Wildcats to the conference championship. Texas coach Mack Brown's third consecutive highly ranked recruiting class, coupled with quarterback Chris Simms, could do the same for the Longhorns.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: North: 1. Nebraska; 2. Kansas State; 3. Iowa State; 4. Colorado; 5. Missouri; 6. Kansas. South: 1. Oklahoma; 2. Texas; 3. Texas Tech; 4. Texas A&M; 5. Oklahoma State; 6. Baylor.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Eric Crouch, Nebraska; RB Ennis Haywood, Iowa State; RB Quentin Griffin, Oklahoma; WR Curtis Fagan, Oklahoma; WR Roy Williams, Texas; TE Tracey Wistrom, Nebraska; L Toniu Fonoti, Nebraska; L Frank Romero, Oklahoma; L Andre Gurode, Colorado; L Seth McKinney, Texas A&M; L Mike Williams, Texas; K Tim Duncan, Oklahoma.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Nate Dwyer, Kansas; L Justin Bannan, Colorado; L Ty Warren, Texas A&M; L Jeremy Slechta, Nebraska; LB Ben Leber, Kansas State; LB Rocky Calmus, Oklahoma; LB Lawrence Flugence, Texas Tech; B Roy Williams, Oklahoma; B Quentin Jammer, Texas; B Kevin Curtis, Texas Tech; B Keyuo Craver, Nebraska; P Jeff Ferguson, Oklahoma.

RISING STAR: The departure of Sage Rosenfels left a big hole at quarterback for Iowa State, but Seneca Wallace might fill it and then some. He passed for 3,675 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 550 yards at Sacramento (Calif.) City College last season.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Baylor starts with a string of 22 consecutive conference losses and barring an upset at Iowa State on Sept. 29 the streak shows no sign of ending. Not with an October of Texas A&M, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The Bears will face seven of last season's bowl teams.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Texas plays New Mexico State, North Carolina and Houston before the Big 12 schedule kicks in, and then the Longhorns won't play Nebraska or Kansas State but will play Oklahoma at home.

QUICK FACTS: Since starting football in 1996, the Big 12 has had two national champions, one Heisman Trophy winner and runner-up. In the same stretch, the SEC has done the same. ... Nebraska takes a 10-year record of 62-2 (.969 winning percentage) at Memorial Stadium into this season. ... Baylor has lost 37 of 40 conference games since it was born in 1996, and has yet to win a Big 12 road game. ... The eight Kansas State coaches preceding Bill Snyder won 104 games. Snyder's next win will be his 100th with the Wildcats. ... Texas was one of three teams in the nation in the top 20 in total offense and total defense. The others, Oklahoma and FSU, who played for the national championship. ... Fullback Ja'Mar Toombs and wide receiver Robert Ferguson, who left early for the NFL, had 55 percent of Texas A&M's touchdowns last season. ... Baylor coach Kevin Steele is probably the second most famous resident of Crawford, Texas. No. 1 is President George W. Bush, whose home is in the little town near Waco.

Conference USA

OUTLOOK: A 10th team joins this season, TCU, with South Florida joining in 2003. After that it is only a matter of time before an invitation is tendered to Marshall, SMU, Central Florida or a dark horse, bringing C-USA to a dozen teams and two divisions, with the requisite conference championship game. The TCU joining C-USA isn't the same team that won the WAC title last season. The Horned Frogs lost coach Dennis Franchione to Alabama and LaDainian Tomlinson, the nation's leading rusher, to the NFL. In all, 12 starters and 26 seniors are gone. East Carolina, led by senior QB David Garrard, Southern Mississippi (senior Jeff Kelly) and defending champion Louisville (junior Dave Ragone) are likely to compete for the crown.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. East Carolina; 2. Louisville; 3. Southern Mississippi; 4. Alabama-Birmingham; 5. TCU; 6; Tulane; 7. Memphis; 8. Houston; 9. Cincinnati; 10. Army.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Dave Ragone, Louisville; RB Derrick Nix, Southern Miss; RB Ray Jackson, Cincinnati; WR Orlando Iglesias, Houston; WR Deion Branch, Louisville; TE Ronnie Ghent, Louisville; L Artis Hicks, Memphis; L Victor Payne, TCU; L Preston Fray, UAB; L Dustin Plumadore, Army; L Orrin Tucker, Southern Miss; K Jonathon Ruffin, Cincinnati.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Andre Arnold, Memphis; L Michael Josiah, Louisville; L Bryan Thomas, UAB; L Eddie Freeman, UAB; LB Pernell Griffin, East Carolina; LB Brian Zickefoose, Army; LB Rod Davis, Southern Miss; B Anthony Floyd, Louisville; B Chad Williams, Southern Miss; B Glen Sumter, Memphis; B Adrian Singleton, UAB; P Casey Rouseel, Tulane.

RISING STAR: Iglesias was a medical redshirt last season after severely spraining an ankle in the opener. He should be better than either teammates KeyKowa Bell or Brian Robinson, statistically the nation's top returning receiving pair with 133 catches last season.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: East Carolina's nonconference schedule includes games at Syracuse and North Carolina, and the Pirates close the season against Louisville and Southern Miss on successive weeks.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: It's a tossup. TCU has nonconference games against North Texas, SMU and I-AA Northwestern State, and Army at home. Tulane's got Central Florida, Southern, and road games against Army and Navy.

QUICK FACTS: TCU is coming off a record-breaking season, having set school marks of 410 points and 52 touchdowns, surpassing the 376 and 48 in 1984. ... Cincinnati's Jonathan Ruffin was awarded the Lou Groza Award last season as the nation's top kicker. He didn't take the Bearcats' longest kicks (senior Jason Mammarelli tried them) but what he tried he rarely missed, good on 26 of 29 attempts. ... East Carolina plays in-state rivals Wake Forest, in the season-opener, and at North Carolina, the first time the Tar Heels and Pirates have met since 1981. North Carolina will play a return game in Greenville in 2003. ... Six Memphis players will miss the opener at Mississippi State because of academic problems. Two of them, starting DE Andre Arnold (who had 12 sacks last season) and starting LB Derrick Ballard, also will miss the second game against Cincinnati. ... Louisville's 12-game schedule includes three on a Thursday and one on a Tuesday. ... Southern Mississippi's new defensive coordinator is 28-year-old Tyrone Nix, brother of running back Derrick Nix. ... Gary Patterson is TCU's 30th coach. He was an assistant for 18 seasons, the past three at TCU. He got the job when Franchione left.

Mid-American

OUTLOOK: Marshall is the only MAC team to win four consecutive league titles, but media covering the MAC has picked Toledo to win it all this season. The Thundering Herd is easily the most-talented team in the league and its dominance has given it an air of confidence that other teams lack. But Toledo is coming off a 10-1 season and first-year coach Tom Amstutz is looking to prove the season was no fluke. Western Michigan is expected to challenge Toledo for the West title, while Ohio returns 18 starters from a 7-4 team last season. Akron hopes to continue its rise (after finishing tied for first in the East last season) and Northern Illinois is looking for consecutive winning seasons.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: East: 1. Marshall; 2. Ohio; 3. Miami-Ohio; 4. Akron; 5. Bowling Green; 6. Kent State; 7. Buffalo. West: 1. Toledo; 2. Western Michigan; 3. Northern Illinois; 4. Ball State; 5. Central Michigan; 6. Eastern Michigan.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Byron Leftwich, Marshall; RB Thomas Hammock, Northern Illionis; RB Chester Taylor, Toledo; TE Mobolaji Afariogun, Western Michigan; WR David Bautista, Bowling Green; WR Kenny Christian, Eastern Michigan; T Konrad Dean, Akron; T Matt Stover, Western Michigan; G Nick Glowacki, Ohio; G Brian Hallett, Kent State; C Nick Otterbacher, Toledo.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: CB Bop White, Ohio; CB Ronald Rogers, Western Michigan; E Anthony Allsbury, Western Michigan; E Ralph Street, Marshall; T Ryan Terry, Miami; S Jad Winchell, Ball State; S Jermaine Lewis, Western Michigan; LB Larry Williams, Northern Illinois; LB Matt Weikert, Ohio; LB Duane Williams, Buffalo; LB Max Yates, Marshall.

RISING STAR: WR Kendrick Starling, Marshall. A former junior-college All-American, he adds to an already talented group of Herd wide receivers. The Herd lost its top four receivers from last season, so Starling could be a prime target for Leftwich, which could translate into an All-America season in the Division I-A ranks.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Akron has decided to take its show on the road against big-time schools like Ohio State and Purdue. It also will face conference foes Western Michigan, Miami-Ohio and Marshall, which makes for a tough schedule no matter how you look at it.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Marshall. Toledo and Western Michigan have been picked to battle it out in the West, but Marshall won't meet either during the regular season. When they go on the road, it'll be against conference teams Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Kent State and Miami-Ohio, all of whom went a combined 7-8 in home games last season.

QUICK FACTS: Toledo finished the season ranked No. 25 with a 10-1 record last season, but failed to earn a bowl bid. The GMAC Bowl will feature a MAC team this season, which means the league will have two bowl teams for the first time. Akron gave up more than 400 yards per game last season, but has a new defensive coordinator in Bob Morris.

MEAC

OUTLOOK: On paper, Florida A&M and North Carolina A&T look like they'll finish 1-2 (but not necessarily in that order). QB Quinn Gray (23 passing TDs, 12 rushing), is back for the Rattlers, as is RB O.J. Marchbanks. N.C. A&T's Aggies have been one of the top defensive teams the past four seasons and they have exciting running back Maurice Hicks returning. Delaware State won its final five games to finish 7-4 but the Hornets lost nine starters including QB Rahsaan Matthews, a Black College All-American and MEAC offensive player of the year.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Florida A&M; 2, N.C. A&T; 3. Bethune-Cookman; 4. Hampton; 5. Howard; 6. Delaware State; 7. S.C. State; 8. Morgan State; 9. Norfolk State.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Allen Suber, B-CC; RB Jay Rogers, B-CC; RB Maurice Hicks, NCA&T; WR Zuiel Smith, Hampston; WR Marc Lester, MSU; TE Marcus Bryson, NCA&T; L Gabe Pinella, B-CC; L James McCall, Hampton; L Jermaine Hannon, SCSU; L Marcus Ogden, Howard; L Qaism Mitchell, N.C. A&T; K Juan Vasquez, FAMU.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Brandon Yarber, DSU; L Greg Scott, Hampton; L Damion Walker, Howard; L Virgil Neal, N.C. A&T; LB Anthony Hubbard B-CC; LB Tracy White; Howard; LB Oby Arah, Howard; B Rashean Mathis, B-CC; B DaShane Dennis, DSU; B Vincent Lewis, Hampton; B Vontrae Long, Howard; P Frank Zeigler, SCSU.

RISING STAR: Hicks had three games of more than 200 yards rushing, including a 353-yard, six-touchdown performance in the finale against South Carolina State. His 1,473 yards as a junior essentially came in the Aggies' last seven games; he had 60 yards on 29 carries after four games, then wasn't held to less than 100 the rest of the way.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Florida A&M has the toughest schedule, considering seven of its 11 games are on the road, and one of its nonconference opponents is on the road against SWAC champion Grambling.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Bethune-Cookman opens with three "home" games (including Morgan State at Jacksonville and Savannah State at Fort Lauderdale). And after an Oct. 20 open date it plays three of its final four at home, starting with North Carolina A&T.

QUICK FACTS: Morgan State has had 21 consecutive losing seasons and has lost 16 MEAC games in a row, dating to the final conference game in 1998, a 15-13 win over Delaware State (and the Bears' lone MEAC win that year). ... FAMU had a nice rununtil last season. It had advanced past the second round of the NCAA playoffs for four of five seasons, but Western Kentucky whacked the Rattlers 27-0 in the opening round last season. ... The MEAC has finished in the top three in attendance among Division I-AA conferences the past five seasons.

Mountain West

OUTLOOK: For a lower-tiered league, the 3-year-old MWC has an inordinate amount of TV exposure with 15 scheduled national (or split national) telecasts. That's not counting the league's three postseason games, the New Orleans Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl and the Liberty Bowl. Of course, give commissioner Craig Thompson his due. His mandate to the coaches was to schedule big-time, big-name non-conference opponents. Air Force opens with defending national champ Oklahoma, Wyoming has Texas A&M, UNLV plays Northwestern, San Diego State visits Ohio State and Colorado State, the top team in the league and one of the nation's better-kept secrets, plays intrastate rival Colorado. But before the MWC receives national recognition to go along with the national exposure, the teams need to win some of those games. PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Colorado State; 2. UNLV; 3. BYU; 4. San Diego State; 5. Air Force; 6. Utah; 7. New Mexico; 8. Wyoming.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Jason Thomas, UNLV; RB Larry Ned, San Diego State; RB Cecil Sapp, Colorado State; WR Ryan Fleming, Air Force; WR Pete Rebstock, Colorado State; TE Jose Ochoa, Colorado State; L David Moreno, San Diego State; L Ben Miller, Air Force; L Broc Finlayson, Colorado State; L Jason Scukenec, BYU; L Doug Kaufusi, Utah; PK Vladimir Borombozin, New Mexico.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Brian Johnson, New Mexico; L Anton Palepoi, UNLV; L Garrett Smith, Utah; L Justin Pendry, Air Force; LB Jomar Butler, San Diego State; Justin Ena, BYU; LB David Vickers, Colorado State; B Will Demps, San Diego State; B Kevin Thomas, UNLV; B Aaron Sprague, Colorado State; B Stephen Persley, New Mexico; P Aaron Edmonds, BYU.

RISING STAR: UNLV's Thomas, a junior, threw for 1,708 yards and 14 TDs and rushed for 599 yards and 11 TDs last season. Coach John Robinson said he "may be the most gifted athlete I've ever coached." TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: UNLV. Robinson never ducked tough games, but hey John, this isn't USC (at least his late 1970s version). The Rebels open at Arkansas, then play Northwestern, Colorado State, at Arizona and then BYU.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Wyoming. The Cowboys not only play I-AA Furman and Kansas, a Big 12 divisional cellar-dweller, but also play host to Colorado State, UNLV and BYU.

QUICK FACTS: Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Gay Crowton took over at BYU for the legendary LaVell Edwards. ... The MWC was 3-0 in bowls last season with wins from Colorado State against Louisville, Air Force against Fresno State and UNLV against Arkansas. No other league with multiple bowl appearances went undefeated. ... The league sure made an impact in the National Football League. Former New Mexico linebacker Brian Urlacher was the defensive rookie of the year for the Bears last season and former Utah back Mike Anderson was the offensive rookie of the year for the Denver Broncos. ... For the third straight year, a MWC team opens against the defending national champ. Wyoming opened with Tennessee in 1999 and BYU met Florida State in the Pigskin Classic last year. ... With a game at Hawaii, Air Force will play 12 games. BYU, which also plays at Hawaii, will play 13 games. It already hosted the fifth annual Black Coaches Association Classic against Tulane. BYU also played a 13-game regular-season schedule in 1985 and 1996.

Pac-10

OUTLOOK: For the first time, two Pac-10 teams finished in the AP Top 5 last season, No. 3 Washington and No. 4 Oregon State. Oregon finished No. 7, giving the league three Top 10 teams for the first time since 1984. Don't be shocked if there's a sequel this season. Despite some key losses, Oregon, Oregon State and Washington return with solid, star-studded nucleuses. Ducks QB Joey Harrington and Beavers TB Ken Simonton, a first-team All-American who is looking to become the first player in league history and the fifth in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four seasons, are Heisman Trophy candidates. But the Pac-10's second tier figures to be far better, too. Every other team returns at least 15 starters and UCLA and USC, with two of the league's better QB-RB tandems (Cory Paus and DeShaun Foster, and Carson Palmer and Sultan McCullough, respectively) could crack the final polls.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Washington; 4. UCLA; 5. USC; 6. Stanford; 7. Arizona; 8. Cal; 9. Arizona State; 10. Washington State.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB Harrington, Oregon; TB Simonton, Oregon State; RB DeShaun Foster, UCLA; WR Kareem Kelly, USC; WR Brian Poli-Dixon, UCLA; TE Jerramy Stevens, Washington; L Levi Jones, Arizona State; L Mark Wilson; L Chris Gibson, Oregon State; L Scott Peters, Arizona State; L Eric Heitmann, Stanford; PK Ryan Cesca, Oregon State.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Larry Tripplett, Washington; L Terrell Suggs, Arizona State; L Kenyon Coleman, UCLA; L Keoni Fraser, Arizona; LB Lance Briggs, Arizona; LB Robert Thomas; LB Coy Wire, Stanford; B Rashad Bauman, Oregon; B Dennis Weathersby, Oregon State; B Marques Anderson, UCLA; B Tank Williams, Stanford; P Nate Fiske, UCLA.

RISING STAR: The Ducks would have to be the sitting variety were it not for Harrington. But he didn't seem to garner the acclaim of Washington's Marques Tuiasosopo, the Pac-10 offensive player of the year and Rose Bowl MVP, or even USC's Palmer and Cal's Kyle Boller. That won't be the case in 2001.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Washington begins the season with two daunting non-conference games, Michigan and then at Miami. Although the eight-game league format will mean no game against Oregon, the Huskies have road trips to UCLA and Oregon State.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: The Bears open with their three non-conference opponents, Illinois, BYU and at Rutgers. A murderer's row this ain't. Not that the softness will help much. Where's the Stanford band when you need it?

QUICK FACTS: Eight teams return their starting QB, always a good sign. In addition to Harrington, Oregon State's Jonathan Smith, UCLA's Paus, UCS's Palmer and Stanford's Randy Fasani figure to have big seasons. ... Despite the arms, the league's strength could be its legs. Every runner who finished in the top 10 is back, led by Simonton. ... USC, after overtures to Oregon State's Dennis Erickson and San Diego Chargers coach Mike Riley, turned to former New England Patriots and New York Jets coach Pete Carroll to resurrect its tradition. Veteran college coach John Mackovic left the broadcast booth for Arizona, while former Boise State coach Dirk Koetter takes over at Arizona State. ... Washington enters the season on an eight-game winning streak, tops in the league. ... The Ducks have won 20 straight at home, second in Pac-10 history to Cal's 26 in a row (1919-23) and the second longest in the nation to Florida State's 35. ... No team has repeated as league champ since Washington pulled a three-peat (1990-92). ... Seven different teams have represented the league in the Rose Bowl the past seven years. The unlucky three? Oregon State, Arizona and Cal.

Sun Belt

OUTLOOK: Of the seven schools that make up this all-new conference, Middle Tennessee State is the most solid. Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe are all coming off 1-10 seasons. MTSU returns 18 starters, 10 at the skill positions, from a team that ranked No. 16 nationally in offense. League officials are hoping this coalition will catch on in similar fashion as the 5-year-old Conference USA league, butmany of the schools have struggled in past years.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Middle Tennessee; 2. Idaho; 3. New Mexico State; 4. North Texas; 5. Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette; 7. Louisiana-Monroe.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: L Garry Johnson, Arkansas State; L Larry Pink, Louisiana-Monroe; L Brandon Westbrook, Middle Tennessee; L Tony Wragge, New Mexico State; L Nick Zuniga, North Texas; TE Geoff Franks, Idaho; WR Chris Lacy, Idaho; WR Kendall Newson, Middle Tennessee; QB John Welsh, Idaho; RB Dwone Hicks, Middle Tennessee; RB Kenton Keith, New Mexico State; K Brian Kelly, Middle Tennessee; Punter Jason Ball, North Texas; PR James Hickenbotham, Arkansas State.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Tanaka Scott, Middle Tennessee; L Wil Beck, Idaho; L Derrick Marshall, Louisiana-Lafayette; L Corey Williams, Arkansas State; LB Brad Kassell, North Texas; LB Brad Rice, Idaho; LB D'Wayne Taylor, New Mexico State; B Dedrick Buckles, Louisiana-Monroe; B Don McGee, North Texas; B Corey Paul, New Mexico State; B Charles Tillman, Louisiana-Lafayette.

RISING STAR: WR John Floyd, Louisiana-Monroe. A transfer from Southern Mississippi, Floyd is 6-4, 200 pounds and was the 1999 Liberty Bowl's MVP. He'll offer much-needed experienced leadership to the Indians.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Louisiana-Monroe went 1-10 last season and one of those losses was a 70-3 beating by Tennessee. On the schedule this season? Preseason No. 1 Florida. What more do you need to say about the Indians schedule? Idaho also has its hands full, playing at Arizona and Washington.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Middle Tennessee takes on three SEC schools -- Vanderbilt, Mississippi and on the road against LSU, but it also has Division I-AA Troy State, three conference teams that went 1-10 last season and Connecticut, which just moved to Division I-A.

QUICK FACTS: This is the 26th season of Division I-A competition for Sun Belt schools, but its first in football. The Sun Belt encompasses the former teams of the Big West, which no longer has a football conference. Idaho and Louisiana Monroe compete as football-only members. The conference champion will earn a berth in the inaugural New Orleans Bowl, the first game of bowl season, against an opponent from the Mountain West conference.

WAC

OUTLOOK: With Top 25 TCU gone, Fresno State is poised to take over as the league power, despite its tough schedule. Hawaii is coming off a 3-9 record, but quarterback Timmy Chang, who threw for more than 3,000 yards as a freshman last season, returns, along with seven offensive starters. Expect big-time play from Louisiana Tech quarterback Luke McCown, who had five 300-plus yards passing games and three 400-yarders last season as a freshman. Not much is expected from perennial cellar-dwellar SMU and its one-back offense, but junior running back Kris Briggs should be a bright spot. Nevada has put great emphasis on its strength and conditioning game in an effort to physically improve on a 2-10 season. San Jose State, with its 1,600-yard rusher Deonce Whitaker (if he is eligible), and nine returning starters on offense, also could contend for a conference title. Boise State never was held to fewer than 31 points last season and will continue with a wide-open passing game, complemented by a strong running game.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Fresno State; 2. UTEP; 3. Boise State; 4. Hawaii; 5. San Jose State; 6. Tulsa; 7. Rice; 8. SMU; 9. Louisiana Tech; 10. Nevada.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE OFFENSE: QB David Carr, Fresno State; RB Deonce Whitaker, San Jose State; RB Brock Forsey, Boise State; WR Donald Shoals, Tulsa; WR Lee Mays, UTEP; TE Jeremy Johnson, Fresno State; L Chris Fe'esago, San Jose State; L Vince Manuway, Hawaii; L Matt Hill, Boise State; L Joe Schey, Fresno State; L James McCarthy, SMU; PK Nick Calaycay.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE DEFENSE: L Drew McLaughlin, Tulsa; L Alan Harper, Fresno State; L Markus Pratt, SMU; LB Vic Viloria, SMU; LB Dan Dawson, Rice; LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, Hawaii; LB Jorge Cordova, Nevada; B Crance Clemons, UTEP; B Vernon Fox, Fresno State; B Nate Jackson, Hawaii; B Quintin Mikell, Boise State; P Travis Hale, Rice.

RISING STAR: DL Isaak Sopogag, Hawaii: One of the most sought-after defensive linemen in the country, Sopoaga is a junior-college transfer who had 31 sacks for College of the Canyons in California.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: Fresno State's opponents include No. 22 Wisconsin, Colorado, No. 11 Oregon State, Utah State and Colorado. Enough said.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Okay, yeah Tulsa has to travel to Norman in September to play defending national champion Okalahoma, but aside from that, there is no tough part. The Golden Hurricanes play nonconference games against Indiana State and New Mexico State, they don't have to go to Hawaii and there are no back-to-back road games.

QUICK FACTS: Boise State and Louisiana Tech joined the league in the offseason and the conference lost TCU to Conference USA -- bringing the number of teams to 10. The WAC has lost its affiliation with the Mobile Alabama Bowl. The WAC returns five 2,000-yard passers: Carr, McNown, San Jose State's Marcus Arroyo, Tulsa's Josh Blankenship and Nevada's David Neill.

Independents

OUTLOOK: Where Notre Dame finishes will tell how well coach Bob Davie has assembled this team. He is working with four classes he recruited. How well the Irish finish might turn on whether they can run the ball consistently and whether sophomore Matt LoVecchio can hold on to the quarterback job he was handed five games into the 2000 season. South Florida, Troy State, Utah State and Central Florida have the potential for winning seasons.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH: Troy State, Notre Dame, Central Florida, Utah State, Connecticut, USF, Navy.

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: QBs Ryan Schneider, Central Florida, Marquel Blackwell, USF, and Ryan Tracey, UConn; C Jimmy Fitts, USF; RBs Taber Small, UConn, Emmett White, Utah State, and Julius Jones, Tony Fisher and Terrance Howard, Notre Dame; WR Heyward Skipper, Troy State; P Steve Mullins, Utah State.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: E Elton Patterson UCF; T Josh McKibben, UCF; E Grant Irons, Notre Dame; E Anthony Weaver, Notre Dame; LB Kawika Mitchell, USF; LB Tito Rodriguez, UCF; CB Shalimar Brazier, Navy; K Geoff Heyl, UConn.

RISING STAR: Utah State QB Jose Fuentes was an unknown when last season started, second-team All-Big West when it ended.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Irish. They open the season at Nebraska. Two of the next three games are on the road, at Purdue and Texas A&M. Five of their first six are against bowl teams. And they start November against Tennessee. The only pushover is Navy; Notre Dame has beaten the Midshipmen 37 in a row.

EASIEST SCHEDULE: Troy State has moved to I-A and will play Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State and Nebraska. But the rest of its schedule consists of Nicholls State, Cal-State Northridge and so on, teams that are Division I-AA or have just moved to I-A.

QUICK FACTS: Utah State became an independent when the Big West Conference folded. Connecticut is headed for the Big East in 2005. Central Florida likewise would like to join a conference. Meanwhile, four of last season's independents joined conferences -- Middle Tennessee, Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette in the new Sun Belt Conference and Louisiana Tech in the WAC.

- Compiled by Antonya English, Brian Landman and Bruce Lowitt with information from Athlon Sports and cbs.sportsline.com.

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