Eyes on Irish, Buckeyes
The Southern California dynasty has been derailed, and the player most responsible won’t be around to help Texas defend its crown.
For the first time in a few years, there will be a race instead of a chase for the college football national championship.
There’s legitimate title talk at Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU, Auburn and West Virginia. Hopes are high for Florida and California. And let’s not forget USC and Texas.
Is there even a favorite this season?
“At this time of year, I never have an opinion,” said USC coach Pete Carroll, whose Trojans were denied a third straight national title by Vince Young and Texas. “We just got to start playing and see what happens.”
What college football fans will see this season is bigger – though not necessarily better: an expanded Bowl Championship Series; 12-game regular-season schedules for all major college teams and new replay rules.
Now, coaches can challenge a call but will lose a timeout if it’s not overturned.
This season the often challenged BCS, always an easy target for those pining for a Division I-A playoff system, debuts a new five-game, double-hosting format.
The idea behind the expansion is to give better access to teams outside the six conferences with automatic qualification – ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC.
Since the BCS’ 1998 debut, Utah of the Mountain West is the only team from outside the high-revenue leagues to play in a BCS game. The Utes needed to finish in the top six in the final BCS standings to earn a Fiesta Bowl bid.
Now teams from the MWC, WAC, MAC, Conference USA and Sun Belt need only finish in the top 12 to get a BCS invite.
“It’s better than it used be, which is good,” said Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower, whose team is a perennial C-USA contender. “At least you have a legitimate chance now.”
The BCS championship game will be played Jan. 8, a few days after the Sugar, Rose, Orange and Fiesta bowls.
Charlie Weis exceeded expectations of even the most optimistic Notre Dame fans in his first season as Fighting Irish coach in 2005. Weis’ prizes for going 9-3 and getting the Irish back into the BCS: a fat contract extension and more preseason hype than any disciple of Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick could tolerate.
“I’ve been involved with three different programs that after having a good year, everyone got caught up and we had a bad year,” Weis said. “It happened twice in New England and once with the Jets where we had a good year and then we had a setback.”
Adding to the blaring Notre Dame buzz is quarterback Brady Quinn, already considered the Heisman Trophy front-runner.
One season under Weis’ tutelage had Quinn looking like Tom Brady. Quinn passed for 3,919 yards and 32 touchdowns last season. Another season just like it might be enough to make him the first Notre Dame Heisman winner since Tim Brown in 1987.
Other players who enter the season with Heisman momentum are Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and his teammate, receiver Ted Ginn Jr., and Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, the 2004 Heisman runner-up as a freshman.
Smith, a smaller version of Vince Young who can win games with his arm or legs, and Ginn fuel an offense with head-spinning speed that could redefine “Tresselball” in Columbus.
Under coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes have made a living – and won a national title – with stingy defense, low-risk offense and clutch kicking. These Buckeyes are all about offense, having said goodbye to linebacker A.J. Hawk and seven other starters from one of the country’s best defenses last season.
The Buckeyes are No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press poll, Notre Dame No. 2.
As difficult as replacing Hawk and two other NFL first-round draft choices will be for Ohio State, it’s a minor renovation compared to the Carroll’s extreme makeover at USC.
Texas snapped the Trojans’ 34-game winning streak in the Rose Bowl. This season, USC must replace Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, plus LenDale White and several other players currently in NFL training camps.
Carroll will reach deep into his bag of blue chips for replacements.
“Losing a Heisman winner has happened to us before,” said USC center Ryan Kalil. “We know we have guys that are going to rise to the challenge.”
Stepping in for Leinart at quarterback will be John David Booty, who’s been waiting for three seasons. He won a tight battle with redshirt freshman phenom Mark Sanchez beats him out.
Texas coach Mack Brown doesn’t have quite as many holes to fill, but boy does he have one huge one.
He’s chosen redshirt freshman Colt McCoy ahead of fresh out of high school Jevan Snead to call signals after Young skipped his final year of eligibility. Either quarterback will get lots of help from the loaded team, led by running back Jamaal Charles, defensive end Tim Crowder and safety Michael Griffin.