Since April, San Jose State football coach Dave Baldwin has been painting the town red.

"I started our camp talking about Nebraska," Baldwin said of No. 1 Nebraska, the Spartans' red-clad, opening-game opponent Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

This training camp, Baldwin has started every practice at 6 a.m., helping the Spartans adjust to the two-hour time difference in Lincoln.

Baldwin has used little-train-that-could slogans -- "Never stop competing," for instance -- and there are three billboards, painted in Cornhusker red, near San Jose State's downtown campus, promoting the game.

Baldwin said he is concerned about Nebraska's jet-loud crowd noise and weather. While temperatures are in the low 60s in the Bay Area, the mercury is pushing triple digits in Lincoln.

"You can't possibly simulate the noise," SJSU spokesman Lawrence Fan said, "but we've been working on the heat."

The Spartans have been wearing sweats under their uniforms "to make it seem warmer" in practices, Fan said.

But perhaps the greatest heat is applied by WAC leaders, who have urged member teams to not only schedule marquee opponents, but also play well against them. In the second year of a reconfigured WAC -- eight teams seceded to form the Mountain West Conference -- the league needs strong early showings in nonconference games to impress both pollsters and national television executives.

The WAC is in the second -- and option -- year of what is regarded as one of NCAA Division I-A's least lucrative national television deals. The WAC receives only a share of advertising revenue from each of the five national telecasts this year. League officials refused to divulge last year's modest net earnings.

With 24 of the 28 nonconference games played before Oct. 1, the WAC is hopeful this will be a September to remember.

But it won't be easy. Three first-week opponents -- Nebraska, Ohio State and Oklahoma -- are nationally ranked. Five of the seven games are on the road with Rice playing host to city rival Houston, and SMU opening its new stadium against Kansas being the exceptions.

(Hawaii was supposed to open against Texas this week, but the Longhorns pulled out last spring, citing travel costs. That prompted taunting from UH coach June Jones and Warrior supporters to print "Texas Leghorns" T-shirts.)

Each WAC team has prepared extensively for the openers. Fresno State has run full-contact drills beginning at 9 every morning -- the same time as the noon (Eastern time) kickoff against Ohio State. Nevada, which will start a lineup of mostly underclassmen, has simplified its playbook for the opener against Oregon.

Baldwin, meanwhile, gave his players a decade-by-decade rundown of Nebraska's success.

"Our kids know all about (Nebraska's) tradition," Baldwin said. "We have to make a challenge. It's not about Nebraska. It's about how San Jose State can continue to improve."

Around the WAC
Fresno State: Of all of the NCAA Division I-A teams located in Mountain, Pacific and Hawaii time zones, Fresno State (12-6) has the second-best record in the last 18 games, trailing only Utah (13-5). ... After three years as head coach, Pat Hill has the best winning percentage (.652) in the WAC. ... The Bulldogs' top two weakside defensive ends, Justin Johnson and Brian Morris, won't play this season. Johnson, who led the Bulldogs in sacks last season, had shoulder surgery in July. Morris suffered a knee injury during training camp. ... Middle linebacker Tim Skipper's father, Jim Skipper, resigned as the New York Giants' assistant head coach to become the head coach of an XFL team.

	June Jones will name a quarterback for the Warriors Sept. 9 opener this weekend.

Hawaii: UH coach June Jones has decided on a starting quarterback for the Sept. 9 opener against Portland State but will delay the announcement until this weekend. Eight quarterbacks entered training camp to compete for the job vacated by Dan Robinson's graduation last December. By the end of the first week, freshman Chad Kapanui moved to linebacker and junior-college transfer Jared Flint, regarded as the leading candidate at the end of spring practice, underwent season-ending surgery on his right (throwing) shoulder. Last week, Jones whittled the competition to a "top-tier" of junior-college transfer Nick Rolovich, sophomore Mike Harrison and true freshman Timmy Chang. ... UH continues to suffer injuries. Five potential starters have missed practices with injuries, and starting cornerback Feiamma Armstrong and free safety Nate Jackson still have not returned.

Nevada: This season, for the first time since 1975, the Wolfpack will wear silver helmets. The Wolfpack decided to go with the new look -- a large blue block "N" on each side of the helmet -- to commemorate its first season in the WAC. The Wolfpack wore blue helmets last season, its last in the Big West Conference. ... Starting tight end Erik Streelman suffered a slight leg fracture and won't play for at least three weeks. Also, linebacker Jeff Peterson has a pulled hamstring and won't play this week. ... Eleven first-year players, including six redshirt freshmen, will start against Oregon.

Rice: The Owls will start a redshirt quarterback (Jeremy Hurd) for the first time since 1994. Rice coach Ken Hatfield used one of the team's 60 traveling spots on Hurd last year, even though he did not suit up. Hurd sat in the coaches' booth and helped call plays. .... Center Aaron Sandoval, the Owls' best one-on-one blocker, has a twisted right knee and won't play this week. Fullback Jamie Tyler, who missed three games with a hamstring pull in 1979, has another hamstring pull and probably won't play against Houston. True freshmen Jordan Kramer and Robbie Beck will platoon in Tyler's spot.

San Jose State: Deonce Whitaker is one of 35 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back. ... The opener against Nebraska marks the first time since the Spartans played Miami in 1989 that they will play the nation's top team. The Spartans lost to the Canes, 48-16. ... Several Nebraska fans have offered to buy the Spartans' allotment of 1,000 tickets.

Southern Methodist: The Mustangs will play their first game Saturday in Gerald J. Ford Stadium, a 32,000 on-campus facility. The Mustangs had played in the Cotton Bowl. ... Only three seniors will start. ... In an attempt to upgrade their pass rush, the Mustangs moved Kevin Aldridge from linebacker to defensive end.

TCU: Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, a school-promoted Heisman Trophy candidate, returned to practice after missing a week with a strained achilles. TCU coach Dennis Franchione said Tomlinson is about 95 percent healthy, but is expected to start the season opener Sept. 9 against Nevada. To prevent injury, TCU held Tomlinson out of scrimmages in spring practice. Franchione said Tomlinson did not practice Saturday because the injury "acted up." But, Franchione said, "he'll be OK."

Texas-El Paso: For Gary Nord, UTEP's first-year head coach, the opener against Oklahoma is a chance to relive what his wife calls "The Nightmare in Norman." When Nord was Oklahoma's offensive coordinator, he told a group of dentists that Sooner fans were too critical and mouthy. "They won't let go," said Nord, who claims to still receive nasty "letters, e-mails and clacking teeth" from Sooner fans. "They like to hold grudges at Norman," he said.

Tulsa: Quarterback Gary Brashears, who played two games for Arkansas as a true freshman in 1999, enrolled at Tulsa Monday. He must sit out this season as a redshirt, but then will have three years to play three seasons. Brashears is reunited with Tulsa coach Keith Burns, who was Arkansas' defensive coordinator last year. Brashears enrolled at Arkansas in January 1999 in what would have been his final semester of high school. But he played sparingly last year and sought a transfer. he did not compete in volunteer summer workouts. ... Tulsa will start four redshirt freshmen; there are eight true freshmen on the two-deep chart.

Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honlulu Advertiser.