1st Half College Football Preview

We are a mere seven days from the start of the college football season. Every year around this time I am to the point where I am begging for something that is not baseball. Thank God the Olympics were on this summer for a few weeks. I would be the happiest guy in the world watching Temple play Duke, that’s how excited I am to see some pig skin. And so on that note, I will give my extensive college football preview. I will break the preview up into two different posts because it is too long to post it all into one. Today I feature the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10 (the three best conferences in my opinion). Monday I will preview the Big East, ACC and Big 10.

1. SEC: Four teams in the top 10. Six ranked overall. Last two National Titles.
Eastern Division
# 5 Florida Gators: The Gators didn’t finish the year on a positive note by losing to the struggling Michigan Wolverines, but I’m not sure they would have let Lloyd go out on a loss. To be honest, the season changed when Georgia beat them in Jacksonville. As classless and retarded as it was, the Bulldogs touchdown team celebration worked to perfection as they beat the Gators for just the 3rd time since 1996 (the Gators first national title). Tim Tebow was sensational last season as he was the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He did, however, take quite a beating in the brutal SEC, but have no fear Emmanuel Moody is here from So. Cal. Tebow will not be asked to run as much this season which should help the Gators down the stretch. The key games for this Florida team are Sept 20th @Tennessee, November 1st against Georgia, and November 29th @ FSU. I don’t see Florida having trouble with anyone else on the schedule. With the additions of Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody and a good amount of the defense back, look for Florida to be in the hunt again for a national championship.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keeping Tebow healthy, getting Percy Harvin 10-15 touches a game as well as getting Chris Rainey effectively, getting solid play from the defensive backs and winning in Neyland Stadium on September 20th.

#1 Georgia Bulldogs: Mark Richt will have his most talented team since he has been at Georgia and with lots of talent comes lots of expectations. The Bulldogs finished the year as strong as anyone last season and a 41-10 thumping of Hawaii pretty much guaranteed the Bulldogs would be the #1 team to start the year. The bulldogs have the toughest schedule in America, so if they do win it all, they will be well deserving, that’s for sure. Georgia has two tough road games in September as they play @ South Carolina and @ Arizona State. The Dogs then face Alabama and Tennessee at home followed by games @ LSU and Florida in Jacksonville. Oh and then they have to make the trip to Jordan-Hare to take on the Auburn Tigers towards the end of the season. This schedule just doesn’t give any room to make mistakes. Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will be called upon to lead this team to Miami and they are two of the best players in the country. Moreno is quite possibly the best running back in the land as a true sophomore and Stafford has shown improvement every year he has been at Georgia. The pro scouts think this kid has all the tools to be a great QB in the NFL someday. We will see how the Dogs handle the biggest expectations they have seen since Herschel Walker.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keeping a level head, fighting injuries through a brutal schedule and getting consistent play from the offensive line.

#18 Tennessee Volunteers: Well, the Erik Ainge era has finally come to an end. He may have been one of the most under-appreciated quarterbacks in Tennessee history. Jonathan Crompton has been waiting to get his shot at the starting job and now he has his chance. He has played pretty well when called upon, so I’m not sure Vol fans have much to worry about especially with Arian Foster back at tailback. The Tennessee secondary is by far and away the strong point of this team and Fat Phil is hoping that they can carry them a long way. They are deep at running back as usual so injuries shouldn’t play a key role in this team’s success, but the Vols have a pretty tough first six games to start the year. The Vols head to Los Angeles to play UCLA in the opener and may have gotten a bit lucky since the Bruins will be starting their 3rd string QB in that game, Redshirt Junior Kevin Craft due to injuries to Ben Olsen and Patrick Cowan. Tennessee then heads home for a game against lowly UAB before playing Florida, @ Auburn and @ Georgia. The final six aren’t as daunting of a task and I think if the Vols can get through the first six at 4-2 or 5-1, they will set themselves up nicely for a chance to get back to Atlanta for the SEC championship. This year might show everyone just how good or bad of a coach Phil Fulmer really is at this point.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Consistent QB play, giving Arian Foster 20 carries a game and getting back to real Tennessee football with new offensive coordinator Dave Clausen.

South Carolina Gamecocks: On October 19th last season, the Gamecocks were 6-1, ranked 6th in the country and acting as if they were prepared for a title run and then a month later they were 6-6. It’s time for Steve Spurrier to show that he can still coach some football. South Carolina absolutely collapsed the second half of the season and the pressure is mounting for Spurrier. SC must take care of the ball better this season as they gave the ball away 28 times and only came up with 21 turnovers. They finished 101st in the nation in turnover margin last season. The Gamecocks do return 10 starters on defense and should be a little better on offense as they replaced guys with solid talent. The final two games of the year, South Carolina plays @ Florida and @ Clemson which means they must get off to a good start. They get Georgia, Tennessee and LSU all at home. QB Chris Smelley has to be better if the Gamecocks are going to make some noise in the SEC East. .

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Turnover Margin, Consistent play from the linebackers and getting off to a good start.

Kentucky Wildcats: The Andre Woodson era is over, but Wildcat fans can feel good about the steps the program has taken. This is going to be Joker Phillips team after this season and he was a key reason why the Wildcat offense played so well last year. RB Tony Dixon is back along with eight starters on defense and both kickers as well. Kentucky struggled at the end of the year as well. The Wildcats dropped four of their remaining five regular season games and the Florida State cheating incident helped them mightily in the music city bowl. The schedule looks pretty tough with road games @ Louisville, @ Florida, @ Miss. State, @ Tennessee and @ Alabama. They are going to need great play from their line if they have a chance at making it to a bowl game this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Consistent line play, Stealing a road game somewhere and keeping the game simple for the new QB.

Vanderbilt Commodores: The quarterback situation is pretty solid with Mackenzi Adams and Chris Nickson who will give defense fits. Believe it or not the defense finished 16th in the nation last year and was very good against the pass specifically. Cornerback D.J. Moore returns as well as the rest of the secondary. Vanderbilt might have lost their only chance to get to a bowl game the last two years and now is rebuilding with five new starters on the offensive line and of course Earl Bennett is making money in the NFL this season. Good luck to Vanderbilt throwing the ball this season with basically no one to catch the ball. It is painful trying to watch Vanderbilt get over the hump every year and it may take another 3-4 years before they have a realistic chance of playing in a bowl game.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a play-making receiver, get lots of interceptions and pray as much as they can.

Western Division:
#7 LSU Tigers: LSU now has two national titles in five years. What’s not to be excited about now? Les Miles has brought in another stellar recruiting class to go with some pretty good talent that was left over, minus Ryan Perrilloux. LSU’s defense should still be phenomenal, but their quarterback situation has to be worrying Tiger fans just a little bit. Can a former Harvard JV QB really play in the SEC? Appalachian State will give them quite the challenge in the first game of the season and then from there it gets a bit tricky. LSU has tough road games @ Florida, @ South Carolina and @ Auburn relatively early in the schedule. With arguably the fastest player in the country in Trindon Holliday, the Tigers need to get better in the return game. Tyson Jackson should be the defensive leader and hopefully (unlike Glen Dorsey) he can stay healthy for the majority of the season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Running backs and Wide receivers helping out the QB as much as possible, defensive scoring and special teams play.

#10 Auburn Tigers: The Tigers were young last year, but that didn’t stop them from having an above average season. Cody Burns now steps in to be the leader for Auburn and they have eight starters returning on offense. Brad Lester should give the Tigers a big rushing attack if he can stay on the field for all the games. Lester had some off field issues last season and Tuberville is hoping that all that mess is done with. They have a very likeable schedule with some huge games at home. Southern Miss, LSU, Georgia and Tennessee all come to Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall. Auburn will have to travel to Tuscaloosa and Morgantown for road games against Alabama and West Virginia. I like this Auburn team to challenge in the West as long as the inexperience doesn’t hurt them down the stretch. Auburn is instilling a new spread offense so LSU might creep up on them early if the Tigers have not had enough time to adjust to the new offense.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Staying focused week to week, defending home field and keeping the QB healthy.

Ole Miss: The Brent Schaeffer/Seth Adams era is finally over and Jevan Snead is ready to finally play some division 1 football. The Texas transfer had a terrific spring and looks to be one of the best newcomers this year in the SEC. Injuries to the defensive line which is considered this team’s strong point could hurt the Rebels through the first 3-4 games of the season. Ole Miss didn’t win a game last year in the conference, but I fully expect them to be the most improved team in the SEC this season. They have a tough home opener against Memphis, but Houston Nutt should have them ready for the upcoming season. Oxford is more than happy to have Nutt after three lackluster seasons under Coach O (the former USC assistant). They have a tough road game early at Wake Forest along with conference road games @ Florida, @ Alabama, @ Arkansas and @ LSU. If somehow they can go 6-6 or 7-5, Rebel fans have to consider that a plus. Dexter McCluster is looking to have a great year after an injury-prone sophomore campaign. This team should be much more competitive this season with Coach O leaving behind a ton of talent. They are hoping UCLA transfer Jeremy McGee can step in for BenJarvus Green-Ellis at the running back position. We will see how Houston Nutt’s squad performs in his first season, but nothing can be much worse than the last three years.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Defensive line must dominate, Jevan Snead must be a leader and the running game must be consistent.

Mississippi State: Wesley Carroll wasn’t the most consistent quarterback last year, but he was good enough to give Mississippi State their first bowl win since anyone can remember. State had a solid 8-5 season which included a big road win over Auburn, a comeback against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl and a Liberty Bowl victory over Conference USA Champion Central Florida. The schedule looks pretty nice as the Bulldogs get Vanderbilt and Kentucky from the East, both at home, along with at Louisiana Tech, SE Louisiana, Middle Tennessee, and at Ole Miss. In other words, the slate is in place to go back to another bowl. The running backs are great in Starkville, but they still have nobody to make plays downfield which means they will rely on the defense to keep them in games yet again. Anthony Dixon has shown flashes of greatness at the tailback position, but has been inconsistent at times. This team will go as far as the defense takes them.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Taking care of the ball, defensive pressure on the quarterback, the improvement of Wesley Carroll and the leadership of Anthony Dixon.

#24 Alabama: I hope $5 million was worth going 7-6. The Crimson Tide are another team from this conference that just couldn’t tally any wins together late in the year and lost for the sixth straight time to the Auburn Tigers. Nine starters return on offense and six starters return on defense. Then, add the best recruiting class in America and things are looking good for the future of Alabama football. They have a HUGE opener in the Georgia Dome against Clemson to start the year and we should get a quick feel for just how good freshman sensation Julio Jones will be right from the bat. The schedule gets rough late as the Tide has to go to Tennessee and LSU, but does get in-state rival Auburn at home to end the year as always. The western division is up for grabs and I wouldn’t be surprised if Alabama was in the thick of things at the end of the season. John Parker Wilson is looking to have a great senior year and make a statement about his career as a Crimson Tide. He’ll need help from a slew of freshman wide receivers if the Tide is going to put some points on the board this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Playmaking at the WR position, showing up to play in the first game of the year and sustaining confidence on the road.

Arkansas: Houston Nutt is out and Bobby Petrino is in. Most Razorback fans were happy when they heard who the new coach would be, but all that might go away after the Hogs season this year. Arkansas loses the best running back tandem in school history in Darren Mcfadden and Felix Jones. Casey Dick is back at quarterback and he should get to sling it around this year with the new offense that Petrino loves to run. This team should get better and better as the season goes on, but I wouldn’t expect a .500 football team in Fayetteville this year. Before mid-October, the Hogs have to go to Texas, Auburn and Kentucky and then host Alabama and Florida. Oh yeah, then they get to host LSU to end the year. Think they will remember the game from last season? Ryan Mallett lost his appeal and he will not be eligible until the 2009-2010 season. The Hogs are going to need to rely on pure energy to get an advantage over anyone this year. Look for the Razorbacks to struggle early, but get better with experience as the season continues.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Much like Vanderbilt, pray. Consistent play for Casey Dick and protect the home field advantage for whatever Arkansas stadium they choose to play in on that given Saturday.

Conference Champion: Florida Overachieve: Ole Miss Underachieve: LSU

2. Big 12: Five Teams ranked in the top 15. Two BCS bowl bids last year. Best QB’s in America top to bottom.
North Division:
#6 Missouri: The Tigers are coming off of one of the best years in school history. Missouri only lost to one team last season, but it kept them from playing in a BCS bowl and more notably, the National Title game. Chase Daniel returns as the teams leader at QB as well as a dynamite receiving core led by sophomore sensation Jeremy Maclin who set a record as a freshman for most all purpose yards in a single season. The schedule includes contests against Illinois as the opener as well as @ Texas, @ Nebraska and of course Kansas to finish the season. The Tigers return 10 guys on defense including All-American safety William Moore. Mizzou has a good shot to make it back to the Big 12 title game as long as everyone stays healthy, specifically Chase Coffman who kind of had an injury ridden Junior season. There has never been this much buzz entering a football season in Columbia, so we will have to see how these Tigers handle the big expectation.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: A solid running attack, stealing a game on the road either @ Texas or @ Nebraska and staying healthy on offense.

#14 Kansas: Much like Missouri, the Jayhawks had themselves quite a season. Despite playing just one Division 1A opponent it seems like, KU somehow found themselves playing in the Orange Bowl against an overrated Virginia Tech team. Well, now Kansas will have to prove it wasn’t a fluke because they pick up Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas from the South. Aqib Talib is gone on defense as well as starting tailback Brandon McAnderson so they will need to fill some shoes on both sides of the ball. I only see there Jayhawks winning eight games or so and right back where they belong in the college football world a few years from now (completely non-existent). Todd Reesing will have to lead this team as much as possible without the same offensive fire power they had last year.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Withstand a regular schedule, find a solid running game and don’t look ahead to the beating they will get from Missouri (for the third straight year).

Nebraska: Nebraska proved they could put up some points last season (73 against Kansas State), but they also proved they could give them up (more than 70 to KU). The Bill Callahan era has ended and most people will tell you it was a complete and utter failure. The Huskers confidence was shot last season when Missouri trounced them 41-6 in front of a national TV audience as they got lit up for more than 600 yards. Now Bo Pelini steps in and will try his best to bring back the tradition of the black-shirts. Marlon Lucky is sure to get a ton of carries this year and Joe Ganz will sling it around as much as the old school Pelini will let him. I wouldn’t expect the Huskers to be a dominant team this season, but certainly within the next 3-5 years I fully expect Nebraska to be back to “Nebraska.”

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Get Lucky 20 carries a game, solid play at the cornerback position and adjusting well to Pelini’s new system on both sides of the ball.

Colorado: Dan Hawkins improved the Buffs from the 2-10 campaign in 2006 to a 6-7 overall record with an Independence Bowl birth against Alabama. Colorado’s best offensive player from last season, Hugh Charles, has graduated and in steps true freshman sensation Darrell Scott. The kid from Oxnard, California was the most complete running back in the class in my opinion. He is a power back with great vision and cuts on a dime. Colorado is now looking to challenge in the North, but they are still 2-3 years from that goal in my opinion. The schedule is rough as it includes trips to Florida State, Missouri and Kansas with a home schedule that includes West Virginia and Texas. The Buffs certainly have the right coach in Dan Hawkins, but he will need another couple of recruiting classes before the Buffaloes become a serious threat in the Big 12.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Improvement from Cody Hawkins, stellar play from Darrell Scott and protecting their home field if they have hopes of another bowl game.

Kansas State: After going 7-6 in his first season, Ron Prince was excited about his 2007 team which got off to a 4-2 start, but then suddenly faded late and lost their final four games to end the year 5-7. Looking to get back on track, QB Josh Freeman must step up his game this season. Concerns in Manhattan are building with the rise of Missouri and Kansas in the Big 12 North. Leon Patton will need to make the most of his carries this year because the defense wasn’t that spectacular last season. The schedule proves to be pretty tricky with road games @ Louisville, @ Texas A&M, @ Missouri and @ Kansas. This squad might struggle through their 2008 season, but much like Colorado and Nebraska I fully expect Kansas State to be a competitive unit within the next few years, but I am not sure this team is ready to take the next step right now.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Freeman and Patton must take care of the ball, has to win the games they should win and get more consistent play from the defensive backs.

Iowa State: The Cyclones were downright bad in Gene Chizik’s first season in Ames, but at least they never quit playing hard. They started out 1-8 before beating Kansas State and Colorado in consecutive weeks. The Cyclones did beat rival Iowa and had a bit of confidence heading into the 2008 season. QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson will need to pick up most of the slack for the offense this season along with WR Marquis Hamilton. All have little experience under their belt, but will need to step in and contribute right away. The schedule isn’t too daunting, however, but this team may still lack the talent to get 5 or 6 wins. Everyone in Ames just needs to be patient because I do believe Chizik is going to be a very good head coach for the Cyclones when he gets some talent in there.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keep building confidence under Chizik, improve on last season and find a QB for the future.

South Division:
#4 Oklahoma: Bob Stoops has pat himself on the back for recruiting Sam Bradford because he was sensational in his freshman year. The Sooners were terrific last season and won the Big 12 championship after defeating Missouri (for the 2nd time) in the Big 12 title. Who knows where they were in the Fiesta Bowl though as West Virginia marched up and down the field in one of the most surprising results of the 07-08 bowl season. The schedule is in their favor as all three of the ranked teams they play they will get in Norman. Demarco Murray will step in as the starting running back and could have a breakout season after a solid freshman year. The defense should be as stout as always and I like this team to get back to the Big 12 title game with no more than one loss under their belt. This team is a dark horse to win the national championship in my opinion as long as they stay healthy.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Avoid the sophomore slumps, stay inspired and beat Texas in the Red River shootout.

#11 Texas: The longhorns start out with an intriguing home opener against the Florida Atlantic Owls. They are led by Rusty Smith who can throw it all over the field so Texas better not take them lightly. From there, we know the big game is against Oklahoma. Since the departure of Vince Young, the Sooners have dominated this series. They get Missouri at home but must go to Texas Tech and Kansas at the end of the year. Colt Mccoy had a sophomore slump and is looking to get back on track. Mack Brown will not have as much talent in Austin this season, but it just means he is going to have to coach even harder. I think the corners must be better than 2008 or the problems will continue on defense. So, to help matters, Mack Brown went out and hired Will Muschamp as the new defensive coordinator. Jamal Charles won’t be in the backfield anymore so it will be vital for the offensive line to open up holes for whoever Brown decides to give the nod to at running back.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Get past the home opener in blowout fashion to build confidence, step up the defensive secondary and get the freshman Colt Mccoy back to playing his A game.

#12 Texas Tech: There is no team in the country who has an offense like Texas Tech. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree absolutely toyed with teams last season and look to make even more noise this year. The Red Raiders are improving on defense and that is a scary thought for opponents. Aaron Crawford, the Ridgeway High School product, looks to be the starting tailback and will hopefully be able to establish the run to open up the passing game a little more (as if it needed it). The Red Raiders have a significant portion of their games at home, but they have to go to Norman to end the season. I fully expect them to challenge for the Big 12 South title and give Oklahoma and Texas everything they’ve got. This offense could put up record numbers this season and Graham Harrell might get a shot at the pros if he can prove that he is anything but a “system quarterback.” The expectations are big in Lubbock, bigger than they may have ever been, so like many others we will see how they handle it.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Scoring 40 plus points, getting Crabtree the ball as much as possible, establishing a running game and getting better play from the linebackers.

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy fired up his troops last season with his rant in the press conference, but that didn’t help a defense which couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback or stop the pass whatsoever. Zac Robinson was named the QB in September and he set single season records at Ok State for total offense and rushing by a quarterback. RB Kendall Hunter and WR Dez Bryant are going to be scary for opposing teams and if the defense gets any better this team could be a Big 12 sleeper next season. They have a big road opener at Washington State and will try and get revenge on Troy as they have to come to Stillwater this season for a rematch of last year’s contest. The Cowboys do have to travel to Missouri, Texas and Texas Tech which will make it hard to compete for a Big 12 South division title, but if they can steal one or two on the road, look out for the Cowboys.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Sharpen up the defensive line, getting through a brutal toad schedule injury free and putting up tons of points to give themselves a chance.

Baylor: Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. That is what did the Baylor Bears in last season along with have minimal talent. The non-conference is pretty tough this year as Baylor hosts Wake Forest and Washington State before conference play even gets started. They get Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas A&M all at home with road games @ Texas and Texas Tech. Enter ex Houston coach Art Briles who will get the next shot at reviving this program. He is a respected coach who won a lot of games in Conference USA. The offense is going to take a while to get going, but the defense is young with some decent talent and can hopefully keep this team in some ball games this year, but I do not expect Baylor to win more than three games much like last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Pray, pray and lots more praying.

Texas A&M: The Aggies said bye bye to Dennis Franchione and welcome in former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman who recently announced Stephen Mcgee would be his starter. Mike Goodson will be the starting tailback and Jorvorskie Lane will be playing the position he should have been playing in the first place, fullback. The problem for the Aggies will be the depth on the offensive and defensive line. Miami will be the big challenge for A&M before they open up conference play @ Oklahoma State. They get Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home. This team needs to capitalize this season on a favorable schedule and solid talent on the offensive side of the ball. How will Sherman adjust to the college game in his first year in College Station? How many cheeseburgers will Jorvorskie consume in one sitting. Those answers will surely come this season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Keep feeding Jorvorskie, linebackers must play strong and offense needs to put up a ton of points.

Conference Champion: Missouri Overachieve: Texas A&M Underachieve: KU

3. Pac 10: Three teams in the top 25. Top heavy conference. SEC wanna-be’s.

#3 USC: Well, when Pete Carroll isn’t being the worst cheater in the world, he is putting together a pretty solid football team AGAIN. It seems as if Mark Sanchez won the QB battle, but his injury in fall camp seems to help Mustain’s chances of starting the season. Joe Mcknight and C.J. Gable are two of the nine running backs that USC has to choose from and Mcknight is sure to have more of a Reggie Bush like role. Carroll will try and get Mcknight as many touches as possible. USC will undoubtedly win its seventh straight Pac 10 title simply because there is such a huge gap between them and the rest of the conference. The Trojans schedule has a big non-conference game as Ohio State comes to the Coliseum on the 13th of September. Nothing much to say about this team except they are going to be very good and in the hunt for the national title once again.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Sanchez playing within himself, beating Ohio State and avoiding a Stanford-like letdown in 2008.

#21 Oregon: The Ducks chances at a BCS title got screwed up last year when Dennis Dixon went down and was injured for the rest of the season. They lost their final three league games and then pounded South Florida in the Sun Bowl as a consolation. Justin Roper will most likely take over at QB and Mike Bellotti is hoping he wasn’t just a one game wonder. He will most likely determine whether Oregon will be able to compete in the Pac 10 and be a perennial powerhouse as they were last season before Dixon went down. This team proved it could score points, but can it defend against anyone??? The Ducks go to Purdue and then welcome Ian Johnson and Boise State to Eugene for a fun out of conference affair. The schedule is pretty tough though with games @ USC, @ Arizona State and @ Cal. This team may shock some people in how well they play with a totally new offense.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Consistent QB play from Roper, starting out hot and finishing strong.

Oregon State: The Beavers strung together nine wins last season and nobody probably knew about it. They rebounded from an ugly start which included a blowout loss to Cincinnati and went 7-1 down the stretch including a win over Oregon in Eugene. Yvenson Bernard is gone, but Sammi Straughter is back after an injury plagued year last season. QB Sean Canfield must develop into the player the Beavers thought he was going to be coming out of high school or this team will struggle mightily. They have a tough non-conference road test in Happy Valley against Penn State. The Beavers do get USC, Cal and Oregon all at home in Corvallis. This season could be determined on a bunch of swing games including @ Washington, @ Utah and @ UCLA. Oregon State needs to show poise down the stretch as they did in the 07 season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a replacement for Yvenson Bernard, steal a road game somewhere and finish strong like last season.

#15 Arizona State: Rudy Carpenter and Dennis Erickson’s high flying offense is back and they will be tested early against the #1 in the nation, Georgia. Many felt like ASU, much like KU was stellar because of an awful schedule and this year, nobody can use that argument. The Sun Devils go to Cal, USC and Oregon State. Arizona State’s big problem last year was they couldn’t protect Rudy Carpenter. Carpenter spent too much time running horizontally and couldn’t stay comfortable in the pocket at all. They need to sure the line up before the Bulldogs come into town because that defensive line isn’t going to feel sorry for them one bit. Erickson has been great everywhere he has been and I expect the Sun Devils to have a pretty good season if the offensive line can play a bit better than it did last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: consistent play in the trenches, withstanding a brutal schedule and continuing with the same momentum they had coming off last season.

Arizona: The Wildcats played inspired defense and created 26 turnovers last year and allowed less than 20 points a game. Yes, that’s right everyone…the Arizona Wildcats. The offensive line needs to create more holes for the backs, but with the schedule they have on the road, it may not matter. Arizona has games @ Cal, Oregon State, USC and Arizona State. The non-conference isn’t that bad with exception of the one game @ Provo to take on BYU who is a BCS buster this year. The key game is going to be Washington State as they face Cal before and then Oregon State and USC after. If they go 0-4 in that stretch the Wildcats may see a familiar record for themselves at the end of the year. Giving up 31 sacks in 2007 didn’t help matters on offense, so Mike Stoops must do something to help QB Willie Tuitama in the pocket.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Protect Willie, beat Washington State and get turnovers like they did in 2007.

Washington: Jake Locker had an awesome freshman year and gives the Husky fans something to smile about for the next three years. He is a bigger, better Marques Tuiasosopo. Ty Willingham’s job is secure for now as long as Washington keeps competing. If they can create more turnovers than they did last season, they have a shot at knocking off some good teams. Well, the schedule doesn’t lend a helping hand. To get past being average, the Huskies also need to get some skill position players in the key positions to help out Locker and Rankin. Washington has a rough non-conference schedule with BYU and Oklahoma in Seattle in consecutive weeks. Notre Dame also comes to Husky stadium along with Arizona State. The college students must be licking their chops at the teams they get to watch this season, but the bad thing is that Washington might not win that many of them. I don’t think the schedule allows them to be very good, but Ty Willingham always has some surprises for the people.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: protecting Locker, protecting home field as much as possible and taking momentum into the 2009 season.

Washington State: Once the Cougars beat San Diego St. and Idaho it was all downhill from there. They started 0-4 in 2007 and never really recovered in the Pac 10. The one bright spot was beating Washington in the Apple Cup in a thrilling game, especially the fourth quarter. The Cougars will need to find a QB to fill the shoes of Alex Brink who was the only QB in the history of Wazzu football to beat Washington three times in his career. Paul Wulff, who is a former player has been hired as the new coach for the Cougars and he was nothing but brilliant at Eastern Washington. He will be installing a spread offense that will take time to get used to and recruit players for. Much like Washington, I think the Cougars will struggle this season. Oklahoma State, Cal, Oregon, USC and Washington all come to Pullman. They also randomly play a road game @ Baylor in a battle of the worst.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Find a QB to replace Brink, start off 4-0 before Oregon comes to town and have fun at their bowl game against Hawaii the last game of the season.

California: It was definitely a tale of two seasons for the Bears. They started out a hot 5-0 and then suddenly Cal stumbled down the stretch going 1-6. They finished seventh in the Pac 10 and everyone has to think the tragic home loss to Oregon State was the backbreaker. Nate Longshore was out and an inexperienced QB forgot to get out of bounds and the clock ran out along with Oregon State’s whole football team. Lavell Hawkins and DeSean Jackson are gone so the Bears are going to have to find some other players to put points on the board. They have a tough test early with Michigan State coming into town followed by two interesting road games @ Washington St and @ Maryland. Jeff Tedford is now starting to feel his first bit of adversity and might be sitting on a semi-hot seat if Cal plays like it did at the end of the year last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Staying focused for the full 12 games, beating teams they should and coming out strong against the Spartans.

UCLA: Rick Neuheisel got off to a terrible start and the season hasn’t even started. He lost his top two quarterbacks in Ben Olsen and Patrick Cowan and has named Redshirt Junior Kevin Craft the starter against Tennessee in the home opener. UCLA has some good teams coming to the Rose Bowl this year in Arizona State and USC along with Tennessee. There is very little to say about this team until they get on the field because of the lack of knowledge most people have for what Neuheisel is going to do this season. We are just going to have to wait and see.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: Get Ben Olsen healthy, defense must be as stout as last year and must do as good a job as they can until Olsen gets back.

Stanford: Jim Harbough got his first signature win last season with an upset over USC in a game where Stanford was 41 point dogs. In my eyes, it was an even bigger upset than Appalachian State over Michigan because at least App. State has shown they can play with the best of them. Stanford is hoping to be a competitive team week-in and week-out. Last season was something of a first step for the Cardinal, but they need to continue the recruiting efforts and finding solid athletes at the skilled positions. Harbough was a very good coach at USD, so what do they have to lose but to give him time? This program is much like Vanderbilt that has to battle academics in the recruiting process, but I commend them in their efforts last season.

KEYS TO THE SEASON: I know I’ve said it, but its true…a whole lot of praying.

Conference Champion: USC Overachieve: UCLA Underachieve: Oregon