College Football Preview 1998
Crib Sheet Welcome, students, to College Football 101, a crash course designed to give you a jump on the upcoming season. Think of it as instant answers to all the questions you haven't had time to ask
Back To The Option Fearing the blitz, teams are adding the razzle-dazzle of this intricate--and venerable--offense to their repertoire
A Moving Experience UCLA quarterback Cade McNown hit the road when he was in high school, changing his football fortunes and his life
The Perfect Team Some schools field top players at the same position each year. Put them together to construct the team of the 1990s
Kataclysm Andy (the Big Kat) Katzenmoyer, Ohio State's explosive linebacker, has one small season-threatening weakness: the classroom
Scouting Reports
1 Ohio State They're loaded with talent and play most of their tough games at home. Is this the season the beleaguered Buckeyes beat Michigan and win their first title in 20 years? Yes, it is
2 Florida State In 26-year-old sophomore Chris Weinke, the Seminoles have the oldest starting quarterback in school history. And they still dare anyone in the nation to try to beat them
3 Kansas State The Wildcats became a power partly by feasting on nonconference patsies--a strategy that might come back to bite them now that they're in the national title hunt
4 Florida Lying in the weeds? In the unfamiliar position of not defending the SEC title, the Gators make a fresh run at the championship behind their vaunted defense
5 Nebraska A new coach and 11 new starters can mean only one thing: the start of another dynasty at Nebraska, where the names change, but everything else remains the same
6 UCLA Last year the Bruins blew it early--and they haven't forgotten. This time out, with a quarterback of renown, they vow to come up roses
7 Arizona State The Sun Devils are absolutely giddy that this season's national title game will be played in their home stadium. Now, if they can just get themselves an invitation....
8 Michigan The '97 Wolverines were not the most star-studded team in college football when they won a national title. Now, with even fewer stars, they have to defend it
9 Tennessee The Volunteers are going to have to Tee it up without Manning, but it's the defense, not the offense, that will more likely give Tennesseans cause for concern
10 LSU In three years in Baton Rouge, Gerry DiNardo has restored the Tigers' dignity. That's nice, but not enough. What he really wants to do is win an SEC title
11 Syracuse With their explosive backfield, the Orangemen remain the class of the Big East. Alas, another cruel September awaits
12 Washington The Huskies have thrown those rebuilding plans away, thanks to a lefty quarterback who hasn't left
13 Michigan State Sedrick Irvin has always carried his load, but this year he'll run free of the shadows cast by other Big Ten backs
14 Penn State The Nittany Lions dream of a title, but reality says they'll need a healthy Aaron Harris to have any chance
15 North Carolina This is what's new in Chapel Hill: the coach and 14 starters. This is what's old: coming up short against Florida State
16 Missouri That rumbling noise coming out of the Show Me State is from a Tigers team hungry to prove that it's for real
17 Colorado State The Rams have reached the promised land of the power programs, but can they survive there without Moses?
18 West Virginia The Mountaineers, with perhaps the best running back in the nation, won't have much time to rev up. Game 1 is the test
19 Miami Tired of looking more like chumps than champs, the Hurricanes believe this is the year they turn things around
20 Georgia The Bulldogs are back in the SEC hunt, but uncertainty at quarterback could take the bite out of their resurgence
21 Texas A&M The Aggies have a revitalized quarterback, but real redemption--a Big 12 title (or more)--looks out of reach
By B.J. Schechter
22 Wake Forest After a summer in the weight room, the Deacons are ready to take on a more pressing issue: bulking up in the wins column
23 Auburn The coach is trimmer and the defense as beefy as ever, but the Tigers must deal with weighty concerns on offense
24 Kentucky It's bombs away again in Lexington, with a pass-happy coach and the nation's most prolific drop-back quarterback
25 Notre Dame On the field and off, this once proud program continues its struggle to live up to the standards of the past
One To 112 Our Rankings, from Top to Bottom
Top 25 Lower Division Rankings
