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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Colorado ready to compete again
By Terry Bowden
Special to BCSfootball.com
Bowden's Weekly Chat Show
Gary Barnett's first two years at Colorado were shaky to say the least. When you build a program, you want to be heading in the right direction at all times. Last year's team did nothing but head south with a disappointing 3-8 record.
Much of Colorado's 10-13 record during Barnett's tenure can be attributed to numerous injuries and a ridiculous schedule.
|  | | Craig Ochs threw for 1,778 yards and 7 TDs in eight games last season. |
However, it also seems that coach Barnett contributed to the problem by trying so hard to prove that he was not like former head coach Rick Neuheisel. He tried so hard he failed to prove that he was the right coach for the job. By playing so many freshmen, including true frosh quarterback Craig Ochs, he not only suggested to everyone that the cupboards were left bare, but also virtually guaranteed a rebuilding job was in order.
Whether or not you agree that the last two mediocre seasons were inevitable, good times are on the horizon. Colorado has 18 starters returning and a favorable schedule this fall. The Buffaloes could easily start out 5-0 if they can find a way to beat their in-state rival, Colorado State, in the second game of the season. The big obstacles will be Kansas State and Texas on the road and Nebraska at home in the season finale.
Neither the offense nor the defense was very effective last season as each failed to make it into the top 50. But with Ochs and the return of injured RB Marcus Houston, the offense should make great strides.
Defensively, the strength is at linebacker where all-star candidate Jashon Sykes will be assisted by Sean Tufts, who had an outstanding spring. If the cornerbacks can avoid giving up the big play, the defense will get competitive real quick.
Colorado will not get into the Big XII Championship game or even crack the top three or four in the conference in 2001, but the Buffaloes will get seven or eight victories and a decent bowl bid. That is definitely a step in the right direction.
Miami and Florida have top-shelf talent
Have you looked at the mock NFL Drafts for 2002?
|  | | Najeh Davenport ran for a touchdown and caught a TD pass in the 'Canes 37-20 Sugar Bowl victory. |
It comes as no surprise that Miami has as many as six athletes listed as possible first-round draft picks: Offensive tackles Bryant McKenzie and Joaquin Gonzalez, running back Najeh Davenport, safety Edward Reed, cornerback Mike Rumph and defensive tackle William Joseph. The list does not include quarterback Ken Dorsey, who could come out early if he has a great year.
Next closest to Miami is Florida with four potential first round selections: defensive end Alex Brown, offensive tackle Mike Pearson, cornerback Lito Sheppard and wide receiver Jabar Gaffney.
No other team in the country is projected to have more than three players selected that high.
Even if these predictions don't prove to be completely accurate, they provide more ammunition to those who are picking the 'Canes and the Gators as the top two teams heading into the season.
It's time college football got it right
Currently, there are five African-American head coaches in college football at the Division I-A level.
Thirty-five years ago, African-Americans were not allowed to play football with whites. Then, they could play football but they could not play quarterback. Then, they could play quarterback but they could not be coaches. Then, they could be coaches but they could not be coordinators. Then, they could be coordinators but they could not be head coaches.
Are we stupid or what?
* * *
If one of the traditional powerhouses of college football had the guts to put in a spread offense that had the capability of running the option and the forward pass with equal proficiency, they would be the next dynasty in college football.
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For all you SEC fans, I thought you'd like to see how many players each of you have on rosters in the NFL at this very moment.
| School |
Players in the NFL |
| 1. Tennessee |
57 |
| 2. Florida |
55 |
| 3. Auburn |
44 |
| 4. Georgia |
40 |
| 5. LSU |
39 |
| 6. Alabama |
38 |
| 7. Mississippi State |
35 |
| 8. South Carolina |
29 |
| 9. Mississippi |
29 |
| 10. Arkansas |
24 |
| 11. Kentucky |
23 |
| 12. Vanderbilt |
7 |
You make your own conclusions.
Defense will spark turnaround at UCLA
After posting a 10-13 record the past two seasons, UCLA fans are ready for better days. Head coach Bob Toledo could use a change in the weather himself. In fact, if things don't improve this season, the storms of discontent could settle squarely over his professional head. In other words, it's time to win.
|  | | DeShaun Foster rushed for 1037 yards and 12 TDs last season. |
I know it is beginning to sound like a broken record, but the problem with UCLA, like a lot of other struggling teams, is that the Bruins haven't played very good defense. Even in those years when the Bruins were very good, their defenses were bad.
Maybe that is why they have hired their fourth defensive coordinator in five years. Phil Snow plans on playing a more aggressive, penetrating style of defense that had a good amount of success during his seven years running Arizona State's defense. Hopefully it will do the trick at UCLA. Great defense is about stopping the run and not giving up the big pass play. With stud defensive end Kenyon Coleman back to 100 percent after a knee injury, the odds of getting this accomplished is definitely improved.
Offensively, things weren't that bad last season except in the running game, where they ranked 100th nationally. Still, the Bruins averaged 29.4 points per game and that should be good enough to win most of the time. With Corey Paus back at quarterback, DeShaun Foster back at running back and a healthy Brian Poli-Dixon heading up the wideouts, UCLA has enough fire power to win against everybody on its schedule.
However, it's that schedule that should have every Bruin fan worried. UCLA plays Alabama, Oregon State and USC on the road as well as games against Ohio State, Washington and Oregon at the Rose Bowl. If the Bruins were to win all five of their other games and just get a split in their big six, I'd take the eight wins and say it was a heck of a year.
To Bob Toledo, I guess that would be a forecast of mostly sunny weather.
No defense? Then no titles at Northwestern
Who would have believed the day would come when the so-called "experts" would be picking Northwestern as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten Conference? Well, it's here.
Why do the Wildcats have a chance to win the league title next season?
Mostly because the conference race is wide open. Every team in the Big Ten has a few chinks in its armor and everyone has to feel like they have a chance to win -- especially Northwestern.
Look at what the 'Cats have going for them. Not only did they tie for the conference championship last year, but they have a lot of the same guys returning. They have 10 offensive starters back from the fourth-best offense in America. They have the best backfield in the league with RB Damien Anderson and QB Zak Kustok. Plus, they have their top six offensive linemen back and all but one of their wide receivers.
And they have an offensive scheme, like Purdue, that gives the run-oriented teams of the Big Ten fits.
But championships are won with defense, which is something Northwestern has not had. Last year, the Wildcats' defense was ranked 104th out of 114 teams. You can't get much worse than that. With six starters returning on that unit, they will be better, but not good enough to win the league crown. When you give up 30 points per game, you just can't outscore all 11 of your opponents.
My theory is that Northwestern is still not getting enough good athletes to fill both sides of the ball. Whereas you can scheme people on offense, you need a lot of athletic guys who can run and tackle on defense. We saw the same thing under Hal Mumme at Kentucky.
Although Northwestern will make a nice run for the Roses and end up in a bowl somewhere, the league title is something the Wildcats just won't be able to arm tackle.
Nittany Lions will be back
I'm really having a tough time figuring out how good Penn State will be this year. When a team has been good for as long as the Nittany Lions have, one would think that last year's 5-7 record was a fluke.
However, for Penn State to get back to its winning ways, a lot of improvement must be made. Last year, out of 114 teams, the Lions were not in the top 50 in any offensive or defensive statistical category. The offense ranked 62nd in rushing, 84th in passing, 85th in total offense and 81st in scoring. The defense was 67th against the run, 53rd in passing, 67th overall and 53rd in scoring.
In other words, the Lions need to make considerable improvement in every area of their football team. That is why a quarterback or a linebacker or a lineman is not going to be the answer to their problems. The answer in Happy Valley is coming back together as a team.
Coach Joe Paterno said that this spring when he talked about his players needing to show more camaraderie and togetherness. This is just another way of saying you need to start playing like a team. In other arenas, it's been called esprit de corps, synergy and goodwill. In football, we call it chemistry.
Last season, there were just too many distractions for the team to fully jell. From Rashard Casey's legal problems to Adam Taliaferro's catastrophic injury to JoePa's pursuit of "the record" to Jerry Sandusky's retirement, there was no time to think about being a team.
The distractions are mostly behind them now, and the talent cupboard was never really bare. Joe Paterno will become the winningest coach in Division I-A history and the Nittany Lions will get back to their winning ways.
Crouching Tiger in SEC West
The SEC West appears to be another tight race for the divisional crown. Last year, five of the six teams made it to a bowl game with preseason favorite Alabama being the only one left out. With the talent the Crimson Tide have coming back, all six teams could earn bowl spots this season.
However, the best in the west looks to be LSU.
The Tigers' fortunes revolve around the knee of QB Rohan Davey, which he has had problems with in the past. He has great leadership skills and he may be the most talented quarterback in the country. If he stays healthy and performs the way he did against Tennessee and Georgia Tech last year, LSU will end up in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
In all, seven starters return on offense with exceptional talent at running back, wide receiver and tight end. Only the offensive line needs some young guys to step up in the fall.
The defense is in even better shape with 10 starters returning. The newest face on the block is defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs, who comes to Baton Rouge after one season at Georgia. The former Oklahoma head coach is a proven commodity and will adapt quickly to Nick Saban's style of play.
Anyone who knows anything about the SEC knows that the LSU-Auburn game on September 15 is huge. The home-field advantage gives LSU the edge in that one. LSU also hosts Florida in Baton Rouge, but I still don't see the Tigers pulling that one out. A loss to Florida will not keep them out of the SEC Championship Game, but it does mean they'll get two Ls from the mighty Gators next season.
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Terry Bowden was the head coach at Auburn from 1993-98. He is ABC's college football studio analyst and writes a daily notebook for BCSfootball.com.
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