NEWS & NOTES: Oct. 3

In early August, when I was contemplating which two teams I would project to eventually meet in the Rose Bowl to determine this season's national champion, it boiled down to Oklahoma, Miami (Fla.), Florida, Texas, Virginia Tech and Nebraska.

I ultimately went with Miami (Fla.) and Texas, although I strongly believe that defending national champion Oklahoma should have opened the campaign No. 1 in the rankings and been afforded the opportunity to defend the title on the field. In the end, though, I felt the graduation losses of QB Josh Heupel and OU's impact defensive performer, LB Torrance Marshall, would be huge.

	Except for one bad game, Florida QB Rex Grossman has been unstoppable this season.

Virginia Tech would have been the hands-down favorite not only to play in the Rose Bowl but also to win the national title had Michael Vick been part of the equation. Working in the Hokies' favor, though, was a schedule that appeared to be extremely manageable. In fact, Virginia Tech and Nebraska clearly had the easiest schedules of all the leading contenders for the national championship.

I looked closely at the 'Huskers for that reason, especially with such a tremendous college QB as Eric Crouch directing the offense. However, I didn't see the overall star power at several positions that had been evident over the years.

Texas was more of a hunch-type pick. I figured most observers would look at the Longhorns as being a year away from seriously contending for the national title. However, for me, the overall talent level was tough to overlook. In my mind, if Chris Simms were able to emerge as a top-flight field general and the Longhorns' gifted receiving corps performed up to the level expected, there was reason to believe the Texas offense would be tough to deal with. And defensively, outside of defensive tackle, everything looked to be in place.

Then it came down to Miami (Fla.) or Florida. I went with the Hurricanes because of their stability at QB with Ken Dorsey. Granted, the new-look receiving corps must step forward with the graduation loss of Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne and Andre King. But players such as Daryl Jones, Andre Johnson and Ethenic Sands all have the necessary athletic ability to get the job done. Then there is Jeremy Shockey, definitely one of the elite tight ends in college football. In addition, the Hurricanes have a deep and talented backfield, highlighted by Clinton Portis, Najeh Davenport and spring sensation Willis McGahee. The offensive line has a pair of top-flight bookends in Joaquin Gonzalez and Bryant McKinnie, while veteran guard Martin Bibla carries the underrated tag.

Defensively, the loss of Damione Lewis and Dan Morgan on the front seven definitely hurts, but I feel the overall talent level of the Hurricanes' stop troop can more than make up the difference.

Then there was Florida. I actually had marked down Texas and Florida, but after making the point time and time again on radio shows over the summer that a necessary component for playing for the national championship revolved around stability at QB, I called an audible away from the Gators. Remember, going into preseason practice, there was still uncertainty as to whether sophomores Rex Grossman and Brock Berlin would split time at QB for the Gators.

Now, entering the first Saturday in October, the concern that steered me away from the Gators turns out to be one of their vital strengths. In fact, Grossman is not only the unquestioned No. 1 signal caller, but also one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates.

After their first four games, the high-powered Gators are averaging a remarkable 50 points per game, with Grossman bringing back memories of the Heisman performance turned in by Danny Wuerffel in 1996. While I never regarded Wuerffel as starting material in the NFL, I continuously raved about his play at Florida. At the college level, he was definitely one of the top field generals of all-time.

Since the Wuerffel era, Steve Spurrier has lacked a true No. 1 QB who could display the necessary game-to-game consistency and thus has been forced to go with a rotation system. Now, though, with Grossman performing at such a high level, the Gators have to be viewed as definite national-championship material.

This past week against Mississippi State at The Swamp, Florida extracted a measure of revenge against the Bulldogs, routing Jackie Sherrill's squad 52-0. Grossman was on fire. He completed 22-of-31 passes for 393 yards and five TDs. He tossed TD strikes to four different receivers: Reche Caldwell had two while Taylor Jacobs and TEs Aaron Walker and Ben Troupe had one each. For the year, Grossman has completed 66.4 percent of his passes and has been intercepted just twice, compared to his 15 TD strikes.

Even though gifted sophomore wideout Jabar Gaffney didn't have a TD reception against Mississippi State, he leads the Gators with 28 receptions for a 15.8-yard average (plus four TDs).

This week, Dave Revsine and I -- along with the College GameDay on ESPN Radio crew -- will be in Baton Rouge for the battle between Florida and LSU. It's always a tough venue, and Grossman and the Gators face one of their sternest tests of the 2001 campaign. They also have an extremely challenging stretch of games later in the year. After playing at South Carolina and then hosting Florida State, the Gators have a week off before Tennessee visits The Swamp on Dec. 1. A week later is the SEC championship game.

BADGERS BACK ABOVE .500
Wisconsin improved its record to 3-2 last weekend with a 24-6 victory over Division I-AA Western Kentucky of the Gateway Conference.

The Hilltoppers battled hard, limiting the Badgers' emerging standout running back, Anthony Davis, to 89 yards on 19 carries (plus a pair of TDs). Wisconsin QB Brooks Bollinger was just 3-of-10, accounting for 50 yards and one TD. The Badgers' other QB, Jim Sorgi, completed 7-of-12 for 91 yards (plus two interceptions). Lee Evans led the way with six catches for 85 yards, while Nick Davis' only grab resulted in a 32-yard TD.

What prevented RB Davis from going over the 100-yard mark was the stellar play of Hilltoppers senior free safety Mel Mitchell. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was able to close down on running plays by Davis that appeared to have the potential for significant yardage. Against Wisconsin, Mitchell recorded 14 total tackles (nine solos). He also had one stop behind the line of scrimmage and one pass breakup.

Mitchell is second on the team in tackles (34 stops). He has also intercepted a pass, broken up three others and blocked a kick (last season, he blocked three kicks). A proven difference-maker on special teams as well, Mitchell has returned a pair of kickoffs this season for 37 yards. As a junior in 2000, he averaged 27.5 yards per kickoff return.

Badgers super blue-chip senior DT Wendell Bryant recorded six tackles, one stop behind the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble against Western Kentucky. Since the Hilltoppers utilize a triple-option offense -- they attempted only four passes and completed just one on the day -- Bryant's sack opportunities were negated. His season total remains at seven.

This week, the Badgers host winless Indiana at Camp Randall Stadium before going on the road to face Ohio State and Illinois.

UCLA's FOSTER BACK IN HEISMAN RACE
After fumbling four times (two were lost) and rushing for just 66 yards on 26 carries against Ohio State, UCLA's DeShaun Foster enjoyed a bounce-back week in the Bruins' 38-7 victory over Oregon State. Foster carried 31 times for 147 yards and three TDs.

Foster is leading the Pac-10 in rushing (128 yards per game). His impressive performance against the Beavers definitely catapulted him back into the Heisman race. After a week off this Saturday, Foster and the undefeated Bruins return to action Oct. 13, when they host Washington. Later, they face challenging back-to-back road games against Stanford (Oct. 27) and Washington State (Nov. 3). Both teams are currently unbeaten.

While the gifted Foster is the top senior running back on my draft board, the NFL brass is also keeping a close eye on North Dakota State's Lamar Gordon. The physically talented and extremely durable 6-0½, 218-pounder has been tearing up Division II competition on his way to what looks to be a spectacular finish to his college career.

Gordon is coming off a 200-yard rushing effort on 18 carries against South Dakota. In four games, he has carried the ball 81 times for 550 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, and has scored nine TDs. The all-time leading rusher in North Dakota State history, Gordon has rushed for more than 100 yards in 30 of his last 33 games. Although he has hauled in just three receptions for 30 yards through the first four games, Gordon has caught 39 passes out of the backfield during his college career.

This week, the 4-0 Bison take on arch-rival North Dakota (5-0) at Grand Forks in a battle for supremacy in the North Central Conference.

QBs MAKING MOVE TO RB?
Nebraska's Eric Crouch and Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler showcased once again this past weekend their natural running skills and ability to make defenders miss in the open field. Impressive performances like this provide a sense that both Crouch and Dantzler will be able to make the successful transition to a running-back spot in the NFL.

SPEEDY UTAH WR SHOULD MOVE UP DRAFT BOARD
Not only is Utah's Cliff Russell arguably the fastest wideout in college football (4.27-second 40-yard dash), but he also has the pass-receiving skills and consistency to enjoy a steady rise up the draft board. Of note was his eye-catching effort against Oregon, when he hauled in seven receptions for 100 yards. This past weekend, Russell caught three passes for 86 yards and a TD against New Mexico. Through four games, the athletically gifted 5-11½, 183-pounder is averaging 15.4 yards per catch on 19 receptions.

FOUR FIGURE IN NO. 1 PICTURE
When all is said and done, three defensive linemen and Fresno State QB David Carr could vie for the top spot in the 2002 NFL draft. The expansion Houston Texans hold the first overall selection. In the mix figure to be Tennessee's John Henderson, South Carolina's Kalimba Edwards and North Carolina's Julius Peppers (a fourth-year junior who is not listed on my Top 25 senior board).

Against Alabama this past weekend, Edwards wreaked havoc once again, despite playing through a neck strain in the second half. Edwards recorded 12 tackles, one stop behind the line of scrimmage and one QB pressure. Through four games, the athletically gifted 6-5¼, 255-pounder has 43 tackles, three sacks, five tackles for loss and nine QB hurries.

While he has been limited in practice this week due to the neck strain, Edwards is considered probable and expected to see action this week when the Gamecocks play host to Kentucky.