Old Guard Poised For Comeback

While everyone always clamors for new and improved, this season it might be time to take a closer look at the tried and true.

Five programs mothballed for the last decade are poised to be prominent players on the national scene.

Alabama is No. 3 in the AP poll. Miami, which rolled up 65 points Thursday, is No. 5. Texas is No. 7. Southern Cal, fresh off its whipping of Penn State, is No. 12. And Oklahoma is No. 19.

For three decades (1961-92), these five storied programs won or shared 22 national titles. And they were always a mainstay in the top 10. Only in 1982 did one of the five tumble out of the top 10. In 1972, 1978 and ‘79, three of these teams finished one-two-three.

But ever since the 1992 Sugar Bowl (an Alabama win over Miami) everything has turned sour for college football’s elite programs.

The once proud schools have only combined to finish in the top 10 twice since 1992. North Carolina accomplished that feat all by itself. So did Arizona, Auburn, Virginia Tech and Kansas State.

Now the traditional powerhouses are ready to climb back to the top of the mountain.

Alabama rebounded from coach Mike Dubose’s improper relationship with a secretary and the team rebounded from a humiliating loss to Louisiana Tech to win the SEC Championship last season. In the process the Crimson Tide beat Florida and Georgia.

Miami, which joined the elite in the 1980s, is off probation and has enough speed to strike fear into any opponent. Santana Moss is this year’s Peter Warrick.

Texas has a solid defense and could have the top two quarterbacks in the country. And once again, the eyes of Texas and the nation are upon them. Southern Cal has got its best defense in years. And quarterback Carson Palmer is a can’t miss player.

Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops replaced the wishbone with a wing and a prayer. And it worked. The Sooners finished tied for second in the Big 12 South Division last year. Fans are excited - 63,000 season tickets have been sold - and expectations are high. Just like at the other four schools.

“What makes college football great is you have teams that are powerhouses,” UT quarterback Major Applewhite told the Chicago Tribune. “Of course I can say that because I’m at Texas.”

Boots are made for walking

It’s a good thing R.C. Slocum made Bob Davie buy those Tony Lama boots way back when they were coaching together at Texas A&M, because the Notre Dame coach may be stepping into a pile of, ahem, manure, this season.

In fact, Slocum may want to strap his pair of boots on as well. The pair, who will meet today when A&M travels to Notre Dame, enter the season on the coaching hot seat.

Davie’s troubles at Notre Dame have been well chronicled. Last season the Fighting Irish lost more than they won for the first time since 1986. They haven’t won a game since Oct. 30 for goodness sakes.

At A&M, Slocum is being taken to task for not taking advantage of Texas’ lean years in the ‘90s. Now it’s too late. Longhorns coach Mack Brown has been able to come in and win over the state and the recruits.

Of course, Davie’s situation is a little more serious than Slocum’s. And the coach knows it. “If he’s under fire,” Davie told The Dallas Morning News, “I’m already ashes.”

Heads or tails

North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato wants everything to be perfect for his debut on the Wolfpack sideline. So the first-year coach ran his team through a dress rehearsal Tuesday. The players rode in a bus to the stadium and dressed at their assigned lockers. The NCSU captains even went through the coin toss, which they bungled.

“We did screw up the coin toss,” Amato said. “We deferred the choice and then said we were going to kick into the wind.”

Oh well, practice makes perfect.

Team with a view

First-year Prairie View A&M coach Larry Dorsey’s not running from anyone. But he’s decided not to run right at anyone either.

“We have two running plays: We run off the field and we run on the field,” he told the Associated Press. “The rest of the time we pass. We get off the bus throwing the football. Anybody standing around, you might catch a few balls, too.”

Actually anyone enrolled at Prairie View could have a chance to catch some balls. Prairie View, which ended its 80-game losing streak in 1998, only has enough money for 15 scholarships. So Dorsey has hit the university cafeteria to recruit.

“You see a big ol’ guy going into the cafeteria and you say, `Hey, you want to play some football? Come here and let’s talk to you a little bit,”’ he said. “Everyone 6-3, 6-4, I’ll be pulling them to the side.”

Cyber shot

The hits have probably slacked off a bit on CoachPaterno.com this week after what CoachPaterno.reallife did last week against USC. But the Web site still provides some of the best insight and analysis of the college game.

Top coaches across the country - two Pac-10 coaches, UW’s Rick Neuheisel and Oregon’s Mike Bellotti are regulars - provide defensive schemes, video of favorite plays that have worked, game film, instructional videos and motivational speeches. There is also a “Coffee Shop” link for direct interaction with coaches, athletes and fans.

Say what?

“LaVell’s one of those guys I’ve always enjoyed being around. I just wish he wasn’t so old.”

- Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, 70, when asked about the contributions retiring BYU coach LaVell Edwards, 69, had made to college football.

Fast fact

Georgia, Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Falcons never all won on the same weekend last year. This weekend they are all favored.

Chicken run

The South Carolina Gamecocks have got a chance to break the longest losing streak in Division I this weekend. The Chickens - as USC is known around the South - have lost 21 straight games. But this week South Carolina is favored by eight over New Mexico State. But don’t underestimate the Aggies, they ripped Arizona State last year 35-7.