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ESPN The Magazine's Top 25
ESPN The Magazine |
1. Florida State
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As you can imagine, the buzzword around Tallahassee is repeat. It's the only goal the Noles have yet to accomplish in their amazing 13-year stretch atop the college football world.
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Frosh PK Brett Cimorelli held foes to a .242 average as a pitcher in the Angels farm system (about the same average PK Chance Gwaltney had with PATs this spring). If neither steps up, FSU's title hopes will go wide right.
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2. Nebraska
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Nebraska's vaunted Blackshirt D is solid, but it won't be asked to win many games as long as wingback Bobby Newcombe & Co. go about their business.
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In 1999, Nebraska led the nation in fumbles with 50 en route to a 12-1 record. If the Husker backs get a grip, they could play for it all in Miami.
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3. Alabama
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Despite losing NFL first-rounders OT Chris Samuels and RB Shaun Alexander, the Tide are still stacked, with 18 returning starters and enough depth to keep the first team fresh. |
QBs Andrew Zow and Tyler Watts alternated series in the SEC title game and Orange Bowl, racking up 60 total points. If they strike a similar balance this fall, the Tide may play for a national title.
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4. Miami
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Start with the best stable of rushers in America. Add WR Santana Moss, who might as well be Peter Warrick: He averages 18.5 yards a catch and a TD every seven receptions.
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Sophomore QB Ken Dorsey's production determines the Canes' fate. If he has time and makes the right reads, Miami could be Orange Bowl-bound. Remember: Bernie Kosar was a freshman in '83 when he led the 'Canes to a title.
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5. Georgia
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This team has more weapons than a Saudi arms dealer: Heisman hopeful Quincy Carter, two new deep threats -- Reggie Brown and Durrell Robinson -- go with Jasper Sanks, the best Bulldog back since Garrison Hearst.
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New defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs hasn't worked a sideline in five years. But he built a national championship defense for Barry Switzer at Oklahoma in '85.
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6. Wisconsin
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Wisconsin's offense is usually about as fancy as a bratwurst with a squirt of mustard. Still, with Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne gone to the NFL, Wisconsin will have to use QB Brooks Bollinger's arm a little more.
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If Wisconsin scores on D and special teams, pressure's off the O. CB Jamar Fletcher has returned a Big Ten-record five picks for TDs, and WR Nick Davis has scored on three punts and two kickoffs.
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7. Michigan
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QB and minor league baseballer Drew Henson has a legion of believers in Ann Arbor. With the starting job finally his, it's time to prove them right. Primary target WR David Terrell will make his job a lot easier.
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Three inexperienced rush linebackers -- redshirt frosh Shantee Orr, frosh Alain Kashama and ex-fullback junior Evan Coleman -- must get serious pocket pressure or BCS hopes fade fast.
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8. Texas
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The Horns' QB controversy between Major Applewhite and Chris Simms won't mean a thing if Texas can't protect them. The behemoths up front collapsed under their own weight last season, allowing 20 sacks in the final three games.
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With K-State and Nebraska off the sked, Texas could two-step to the Big 12 title game, where it would likely meet -- doh! -- K-State or Nebraska. Win there, and the Horns will hook a BCS bid.
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9. Kansas State
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Coach Bill Snyder had a tough call to make -- pass-first senior Jonathan Beasley or option-whiz redshirt freshman Ell Roberson -- and chose Beasley. But he may swap them depending on the situation.
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An undefeated K-State squad will still be locked out of the BCS title game if almost any other two teams also go unbeaten. The Cats' schedule has three nonconference foes that may not crack the top 100.
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10. Virginia Tech
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Try telling the Hokies that their national title run was a fluke, and prepare yourself for the four-letter response that makes every defender in the Big East shudder: V-I-C-K. The sophomore QB could put Temple in the Top 25.
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Tech's trademark is great special teams, but the kicking game is a concern: If redshirt freshmen PK Carter Warley and P Robert Peaslee handle hostile road games, Tech goes BCS again.
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11 Florida
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Coach Steve Spurrier's wish list includes a go-to receiver, a sturdy tailback and a few more able bodies for the line. Good thing the defense's shaping up to be great.
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Center Zac Zedalis, T Kenyatta Walker and T Mike Pearson must stay healthy and Leon Hires has to step up at LG if Florida wants to fly. If not, the O falls to Earth in a hurry.
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12. Tennessee
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Tennessee isn't big on the R word (don't say "rebuilding"), but that's what happens when you lose nine players to the NFL and 12 starters in all. With only 10 seniors on the two-deep, keep a roster handy -- the names on the jerseys could change every Saturday.
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If the line can pass block, the Vols get their sixth straight top-10 finish. Falter, and they can get tips from Munoz's pop, Anthony, who bought a condo just down river from Neyland Stadium.
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13. Penn State
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After allowing QB Rashard Casey to start the season despite an offseason arrest, JoePa is likely to get the seven wins he needs to pass Bear Bryant's career record of 323.
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Big tiff is more like it: Casey's legal trouble is far from over. The grand jury won't convene until mid-September. If Casey can stay focused, the Lions are in the Rose Bowl hunt. Without him, they're cooked.
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14. Purdue
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This is the final season for QB Drew Brees, the best passer in Big Ten history, and it's Purdue's best title shot for the foreseeable future.
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Tiller made room for three speed rushers by moving DE Akin Ayodele to linebacker. If frosh DE Shaun Phillips bears down on QBs, a young secondary stands a chance. If not, better score 40, Drew.
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15. Washington
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After WR Ja'Warren Hooker made an Olympic relay team, the Huskies need to find a burner to keep defenses from stacking the line against illusionist option QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
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The Pac-10 rep is on the line when UW faces Miami and Colorado in September. Win both, and the Huskies head into their conference opener at Oregon with a head of steam.
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16. Mississippi
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Deuce McAllister -- the Rebels' first Heisman candidate since Peyton's daddy -- teams with QB Romaro Miller to form a dangerous offense.
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If Ole Miss can't defend the pass, the offense won't matter. They'll find out quickly: The Rebs open against air-giddy Tulane and deal with Kentucky three weeks later.
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17. Clemson
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Clemson is the newest, hottest pick to challenge the Seminoles' eight-year stranglehold on the ACC. The Tigers return eight starters from a defense that held FSU to 17 points last season.
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If Clemson wins the close games, they'll make a run at the ACC title. Last season the Tigers dropped four games by four points or less, including a three-point loss to FSU.
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18. Oregon
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Coach Mike Bellotti says this could be his fastest team yet, which is why he isn't worried about replacing 1,100-yard rusher Rueben Droughns and leading receiver Tony Hartley.
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Maurice Morris brings a huge rep -- try a national JC record for career rushing yards. In nine wins in '99, the Ducks averaged 212 rushing yards; in three losses, just 63. The heat's on Morris.
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19. USC
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The Trojans racked up 86 points in their first two games last season before star QB Carson Palmer snapped his collarbone and was lost for the season. Now, with a healthy Palmer, a defense with 10 starters back and a favorable Pac-10 schedule, coach Paul Hackett will have no one left to blame but himself.
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Hackett recruited wide bodies for student body right, with 13 line signees in back-to-back quality classes. Now, if they could only keep Oregon DBs from breaking the QB's collarbone.
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20. TCU
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One of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football continues: The Horned frogs, 1-10 in '97, have now made two straight bowl appearances and fully expect to make a third straight, which would be a first for them.
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If TCU beats WAC rivals Hawaii and Fresno State at home, the Frogs could run the table. The rest of TCU's opponents had losing records in '99, combining to go 34 - 65.
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21. Ohio State
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AAA didn't see as many breakdowns as the Buckeyes last season, as OSU topped 30 points only once in Big Ten play. But the Buckeyes definitely won't be worse than last year's 6-6 mark. Coach John Cooper hasn't had a losing season since his first in Columbus.
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OSU beat only two teams with winning records in '99. If new faces on the coaching staff tune up the backs, the Bucks will win tough games. Hosting the Big Ten's three best run defenses -- MSU, Michigan and PSU -- will help.
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22. Colorado
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The defense, led by hotshot LB Jashon Sykes, has a front seven so ornery and deep it will hardly notice the absence of three starting DBs. The offense, though long on talent at wideout and running back, is short on experience up front and on the sidelines.
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Senior strong-side tackle Tom Ashworth sat the entire spring after shoulder surgery. If he doesn't come back strong, CU is in for a long September, and a long, hard climb back to 7-5.
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23. Oklahoma
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Last year, coach Bob Stoops instituted his all-out passing attack, and revamped a program that spent 40 years wining by the run and the last 10 losing by it. With QB Josh Heupel back and his arm rested from 500 pass attempts last year, expect more of the same from Stoops' troops.
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Last season, visiting teams scored an average of only four points against the Sooners; that zoomed to 28 points off-campus. If the Sooners prove stingier away from home, they could win nine.
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24. Illinois
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Just two seasons removed from an 0-11 debut, coach Ron Turner has folks around Champaign chillin' the bubbly and his Fighting Illini contending for their first Big Ten title since Jeff George.
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If the Illini can revive their proud linebacking tradition, the D could become a strength. Neither Mon Long nor Robert Franklin is Butkus, so look for hard-hitting soph Jerry Schumacher to step up.
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25. Texas A&M
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A&M's rushing attack was nonexistent in big-game losses last season, so coach R.C. Slocum shook things up and instituted a more diverse attack. Now, if FB Ja'Mar Toombs and 222-pound TB Joe Weber both stay healthy and happy in the offense, the Aggies could be 7-0 when they host K-State Oct. 28.
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The Aggies haven't lost at home since '96 -- 19 in a row -- but they lost three of four Big 12 road games in '99. If they travel better, they'll play for a conference title game berth at Texas the day after Thanksgiving.
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