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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Less time to resolve issues
By Terry Bowden
Special to ABC Sports Online
Now that spring ball is beginning to wind down, it seems we all have questions that we want answered going into next year.
Back when I first began coaching in the early '80s, spring football was almost a season unto itself. We were allowed 30 days in which to get in 20 days of practice, and we were allowed to be in full gear each of those 20 days. So you could do scrimmaging and live contact drills on each day. A lot of coaches felt that what you did in spring ball would make or break you for your season.
|  | | Gator fans are going to expect quick results from Ron Zook. |
Nowadays, with spring practice cut down to only 15 days, of which only 10 can be in full gear, there is a lot less that can be accomplished. No longer can coaches have the goal of getting all their questions answered before they go into the fall. Nowadays, it has become more the case of just trying to get your major concerns and getting them corrected. Instead of trying to find your top 44 players and polishing your entire offensive and defensive packages, a team may find itself focusing on just improving its running game or maybe blitzing on defense.
With that in mind, let's look at some of the major issues going into next season, and what must be done to solve them.
Florida
How do you replace Steve Spurrier? Not only does Ron Zook have to win 10 or more games out of the gate, but he must quickly show he knows how to put a lot of points up on the board. Gator fans are spoiled. They don't just expect to win, they expect to win big.
Texas
Chris Simms is coming back, and Mack Brown's recruiting class has received its typical billing as one of the best in the country. But after last year's loss to Oklahoma and then Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game, people are still asking if Simms and Brown can win the big one. After being handed the reigns and then having to turn them over to Major Applewhite, my thinking is that the burden rests solely on Simms' shoulders.
Miami
Any chance of Miami repeat as national champions will depend on the Hurricanes' ability to find the chemistry that they had last year. There is no doubt in my mind that Miami is back to the days of reloading instead of rebuilding, but the loss of so much senior leadership will be hard to replace. Watch early to see what happens at tight end and in the secondary, where the 'Canes were hit the hardest.
Oklahoma
The nation's longest winning streak last year ended at 20 games, and you have to wonder if it was a one-time thing or if Bob Stoops can get them back to that incredible level. In the three years since Stoops arrived in Norman, the Sooners have lost two offensive coordinators. And just as importantly, they have lost their running game. My guess is that if the Sooners can't find a running game, and a deep ball passing attack, they're always going to have to deal with a couple of low-scoring losses.
Notre Dame
The question is not whether or not Bob Davie can be replaced, but whether Tyrone Willingham was the right man to replace him. The answer is yes, and these are the reasons. Although the expectations were not as high at Stanford, it was a difficult place to win ballgames, and Willingham did just that. Unlike his predecessor, he comes in knowing exactly what kind of offense and defense he wants to run, and has hired coaches to get them implemented. Don't look for the Fighting Irish to sign up the top two running quarterbacks if they are not also great throwers. Now the only thing they need is to win 10 out of the gate to keep everyone happy.
Florida State
You are probably thinking that improved quarterback play is the key for Florida State to get back into the national championship hunt. But the way that last season progressed, that question is already answered -- in the affirmative -- and the true issues are on the other side of the ball. Overall, the defense must show vast improvement, but the most important thing is for the Seminoles to develop a pass rush. More specifically, if Ken Dorsey and Rex Grossman cannot be put on their fannies next year, the ACC title is the only one the 'Noles will be after.
Big Ten
Will superpowers Ohio State and Michigan get back to being just that -- superpowers? These teams should be in the hunt for the national championship every year, and lately they just hasn't happened. I just don't know if Michigan's John Navarre or Ohio State's offensive scheme are enough to get them to the Promised Land. I guess we'll soon find out.
Pac-10
Will these coaches just learn to get along? With all this focus on how negative everybody else in the conference is recruiting, you have to wonder who is going to stay focused enough on the Xs and Os to win the conference crown. It's been 11 years since a team from the Pac-10 won a national championship and it looks like that streak is going to be extended this January.
Maryland, Illinois, Washington State, BYU
They did it once, but was that just a fluke? Turning a mediocre program into an overnight success is one thing, but it will take two years in a row to make me a believer. A program that has been mediocre for most of its history does not often change that overnight. Of these, BYU looks to be the only one with a history and schedule to maintain this level of winning.
Joe Paterno/Bobby Bowden
Who will be the winningest coach in Division I-A history?
I don't know if anybody noticed, but Bobby Bowden scheduled 13 regular season games this year. Could he be trying to catch up with JoePa -- who has four more victories -- before his age catches up to him? Although neither coach will talk about it, I can't help but believe that either of these septenerian legends would have spent their entire lifetimes coaching football to end up the second winningest coach of all time. I can just picture that 20 years from now, we will still see these guys on the sidelines in rocking chairs, coaching the game they love.
I can hardly wait for the next four months to go by.
Terry Bowden was the head coach at Salem College, Samford University and Auburn University. He is ABC's college football studio analyst and contributes regularly for ABC Sports Online.
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