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| | Monday, September 6 | |||||
| Survival tips -- in handy packages of six -- for pinpointing
places to be and players to see on the road to deciding the final
national champion of the century, in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4,
2000.
Heisman Hopefuls 2. Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin: The Badgers' Great Dane -- all 253 pounds of him -- needs 1,717 yards to break Ricky Williams' Division I-A career rushing record. If he does, and Wisconsin makes it to a BCS game, Dayne becomes the guy to beat. 3. Chris Redman, QB, Louisville: On numbers alone, the 6-3, 215-pound Redman should be the favorite after throwing for 4,042 yards and 29 TDs (in 10 games). But playing in Conference-USA doesn't help. Just ask Tulane's Shaun King, who was 10th in the '98 voting despite leading his team to a perfect season and owning the nation's top pass efficiency rating. 4. Drew Brees, QB, Purdue: Can the kid from Austin, Texas, come close to last year's Big Ten record numbers of 3,983 yards and 39 TDs? On Joe Tiller's offense, the answer is yes and yes. The 6-1, 212-pound junior will have his chances to pull away from the field if he has big games against the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. 5. Trung Canidate, RB, Arizona: A sleeper, for sure, but the Pac-10's leading rusher in '98 -- 1,220 yards, 7.3 per carry -- gets national exposure when the Wildcats open at Penn State on Aug. 28. A big game from the 5-11, 200-pound senior, and Canidate becomes a prime candidate. 6. Tee Martin, QB, Tennessee: He replaced Peyton Manning and accomplished what the Vols' folk hero couldn't -- taking his team to a national title. For a Heisman chance, the 6-3, 215-pound senior will merely have to get his team back to the title game.
Benchmark games 2. Colorado at Washington (Sept. 25): There's no love lost between new Colorado coach Gary Barnett and new Washington coach Rick Neuheisel, former Colorado coach. Neuheisel bolted Boulder for $1 million a season, and then ended up being reprimanded by his new school for minor recruiting violations. Barnett claimed Neuheisel stole a recruit away because of assistants making improper recruiting visits. Stay tuned. 3. Otterbein at Mount Union (Oct. 16): Mount Union can break Oklahoma's NCAA-record 47-game winning streak. The three-time defending Division III national champs need to open 5-0 to set the stage. 4. Florida State at Clemson (Oct. 23) : If there's not enough intrigue in the fact father (Bobby Bowden) coaches against son (Tommy Bowden), then how about Dad going for career win No. 300? If the Seminoles win their first seven games, he'll have 299 wins entering Death Valley. 5. Nebraska at Texas (Oct. 23): This is only the seventh meeting between the teams, but it's the Cornhuskers' first visit to Austin since 1960. The Huskers won, 14-13, but the Longhorns were surprise winners in the last two meetings. In '98, the 'Horns won 20-16 and halted the Huskers 47-game home winning streak; in '96, 21-point underdog Texas beat No. 3 Nebraska 37-27 in the first Big 12 title game. 6. Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (Nov. 13): Final game at 74-year-old Pitt Stadium. The Panthers move to Three Rivers Stadium for the 2000 season and then to the Steelers' new stadium in 2001.
Games of the Year 2. Tennessee at Florida (Sept. 18): The stakes are simple: The winner becomes the favorite for the SEC East title, the SEC championship and a spot in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4. Gators looking for revenge after last year's tough 20-17 OT loss; Vols haven't won at The Swamp since 1971. 3. Miami at Florida State (Oct. 9): Kind of an "if" game. First, the Seminoles must beat Georgia Tech on Sept. 11. Then, the Hurricanes become the toughest hurdle before the season-finale against Florida. 4. Ohio State at Penn State (Oct. 16): This has the potential to be a dud, too. Buckeyes need to get past Miami, UCLA, Wisconsin and Purdue, while Nittany Lions must beat Arizona and Miami to turn this into a blockbuster. 5. Florida State at Florida (Nov. 20): In the 1990s, the winner usually finds itself playing for a national title. In fact, the teams were so good in '96 that Florida won the national title with a Sugar Bowl win over Florida State after losing to the Seminoles in the regular-season showdown. 6. Big 12 and SEC title games (Dec. 4): Last year at this time, college football enjoyed one of its best days _ Kansas State lost its shot at the national championship with a loss to Texas A&M in the Big 12 title game, while Tennessee survived a scare from Mississippi State in the SEC title game to move into the Fiesta Bowl. Also, Miami ended UCLA's perfect season in a rescheduled game. Let me introduce you ... 1. At Texas: Junior Hodges Mitchell replaces Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. Hodges, 5-7, 190, had 37 carries for 203 yards and 3 TDs in two seasons as Williams' backup. Redshirt freshman Victor Ike, 5-11, 195, opens as Hodges' backup. 2. At Kentucky: Sophomore Dusty Bonner takes over for record-setting Tim Couch. Bonner, 6-4, 240, is from Valdosta, Ga., so coach Hal Mumme, who coached at Valdosta State, is quite familiar with his new QB. 3. At UCLA: Drew Bennett moves in for All-American Cade McNown. The 6-5, 210-pound junior has thrown 11 passes in two years, but has three star receivers returning. Three other QBs are vying for time -- Ryan McCann, Cory Paus and Scott McEwan. 4. At Syracuse: sophomore Madei Williams, 6-2, 202, is set to get first call to replace four-year starter Donovan McNabb. Williams threw seven passes last season. 5. At Oregon: A.J. Feeley, a 6-4, 220-pound junior, takes over for Akili Smith. Feeley, a third-stringer last year, did not throw a pass in '98. 6. At Ohio State: Chris Kirk, a 6-3, 235-pound senior, steps in for linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer. On the hotseat 1. Gerry DiNardo, LSU: Last season's collapse -- 4-7 -- puts one-time fan favorite atop the coaching hotseat. 2. Mike DuBose, Alabama: Opens his third season under a dark cloud after he was disciplined for lying about his relationship with an employee who accused him of sexual harassment. DuBose's salary was cut $360,000 when the school agreed to pay his accuser $350,000. Of course, if 'Bama wins, all will be forgiven. 3. Frank Solich, Nebraska: Things could get tough on good-guy Solich if Huskers are out of national title chase early. Four losses in his rookie season was not what Big Red backers had in mind for Tom Osborne's successor. 4. Nick Saban, Michigan State: In four seasons, and with some pretty good talent, the Spartans have not produced a season better than 7-5. They better. 5. Rick Neuheisel, Washington: Hasn't even coached a game for the Huskies, but embarrassed his new school by getting caught on minor recruiting violations. He'll have to win in a hurry to justify $1 million a year salary. 6. Tyrone Willingham, Stanford: In four years, Cardinal are 22-23-1 under Willingham. If things don't improve, it could be time for a change.
Hard road to New Orleans 2. Michigan: Notre Dame, Purdue and Ohio State at home; Syracuse, Wisconsin and Penn State on the road. 3. Notre Dame: Arizona State, Southern California at home; Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee on the road. 4. Miami: Ohio State, Penn State at home; Florida State and Virginia Tech on the road. 5. Central Florida: Purdue at home; Florida, Georgia and Georgia Tech on the road. 6. Southern Mississippi: Nebraska, Texas A&M and Alabama on the road. | ALSO SEE ESPN.com's don't-bother-to-be-there games
ESPN.com's can't miss non-league games
Twelve teams taking aim at perfection
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