Thursday, August 24
1. No one questioned whether John David Booty should take over for Matt Leinart as USC quarterback. The question was whether the fourth-year junior would be able to take over after surgery last spring for a herniated disc. But Booty has sailed through August practices without pain, and the Trojans' prospects for the fall are brighter. Now, to find a tailback …

2. Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw are rounding into health, which means depth behind Tony Hunt at tailback for Penn State. None of that matters, however, until the debut of an offensive line that lost four starters. The most interesting new starter: center A.Q. Shipley, who switched to defense at midseason last year, had two sacks, and now switches back.

3. Florida's running game remains a question mark until proven otherwise, and Urban Meyer's offense looks like an ill-fitting suit on senior Chris Leak. But there are two reasons to like Florida. One is obvious: a strong defense. One is not: 20 seniors. That's an unusually large number in today's game. You can't overestimate its importance.