He always loved basketball best. But now the time has come for North Carolina's Julius Peppers to devote himself to one sport year-round—and it's football

By Tim Crothers

Frenzied State Oregon and Oregon State both have Heisman candidates and national title hopes, so their cute little rivalry has suddenly turned very, very serious

By Grant Wahl

Scouting Reports THE TOP 25

1 Oregon State After going 11-1 last year, the even-better Beavers are eager to take a shot at the title

By Austin Murphy

2 Florida The Gators' toughest task may be choosing which passer will run their potent attack

By B.J. Schecter

3 Miami The Hurricanes rode out a stormy off-season and stayed on course for another title run

By B.J. Schecter

4 Texas The Longhorns spent the summer talking the talk. Now it's time to walk the walk

By Gene Menez

5 Oklahoma Anyone trying to grab the Sooners' national crown will have to go through Rocky

By Mark Bechtel

6 Florida State The Seminoles lack big-name players and experience but haven't lost their swagger

By B.J. Schecter

7 Oregon The Ducks, winningest Pac-10 team the past six years, will again fly in V formation

By B.J. Schecter

8 Nebraska Behind run-pass threat Eric Crouch, the Huskers eye the title run they blew last year

By Kelley King

9 Tennessee The Vols have vowed to return to the elite, and a large defensive tackle shall lead them

By Gene Menez

10 Virginia Tech While the Hokies reload at quarterback, the veteran defense will take care of business

By John O'Keefe

11 Georgia Tech Pass master George Godsey could be the Goose that lays the Jackets' golden egg

By Richard Deitsch

12 Northwestern Skeptics beware: The Wildcats should score in droves again and play better defense too

By Ivan Maisel

13 LSU The resurgent Tigers are loaded at the skill positions and have big expectations to fulfill

By Pete McEntegart

14 Michigan Damn Yankees made the Wolverines' uphill struggle on offense an even steeper test

By Kostya Kennedy

15 Kansas State Can the Wildcats maintain their recent high rate of success? The pressure is on

By Kostya Kennedy

16 Washington After turning a cameo role into a smash hit, running back Rich Alexis now plays the lead

By Lars Anderson

17 Wisconsin The Badgers have long relied on the run; now they will ride the arm of their quarterback

By Richard Deitsch

18 Notre Dame With few turnovers--on the field and on the roster--the Irish may not need much luck

By Mark Bechtel

19 South Carolina Lou Holtz's Gamecocks have turned things around, but they're not finished yet

By Lars Anderson

20 Clemson Past glory spurs the Tigers to reach for the stars in coach Tommy Bowden's third year

By Tim Crothers

21 Texas A&M Can latecomer Mark Farris wheel the Aggies into a Big 12 showdown in November?

By Elizabeth Newman

22 Mississippi State The Bulldogs will go as far as the arm and legs of a seasoned Wayne Madkin take them

By Mark Bechtel

23 UCLA After two dismal seasons, the retooled Bruins are saying they have something to prove

By Ivan Maisel

24 East Carolina The Pirates will pull out all the stops in a bid for their first Conference USA title

By Kostya Kennedy

25 UNLV John Robinson's gamble will continue to pay off for the up-and-coming Rebels

By Kelli Anderson

1 to 117 Our Rankings from Top to Bottom

Compiled by Richard Deitsch

College Football 2001

Little Giants Georgia Southern's Adrian Peterson and Furman's Louis Ivory are two reasons the Southern Conference is the toughest Division I-AA league

By Pete McEntegart

Dear Derek...

By Rick Reilly

Departments

Look for the Union Label? Ramogi Huma's Collegiate Athletes Association is organizing Division I players

By Alexander Wolff

New Kids on the Pitch D.C.'s Santino Quaranta, an All-Star at 16, typifies the MLS youth movement

By Mark Bechtel

Hail To The Sisters Valiant Michigan's one-day gridiron camp for women of all ages is a runaway success

By Kelli Anderson

Leading Off

A scrambling par for the old pro and a kick-in birdie for the rookie

By Charles Hirshberg

X-Man, the Sequel Like his old flame Jennifer Capriati, Xavier Malisse is a hot commodity again

By L. Jon Wertheim

Letters

Scorecard

By Kristin Green Morse; Kostya Kennedy; Grant Wistrom Edited by Albert Kim and Mark Mravic

Faces in the Crowd

Edited by Albert Kim and Mark Mravic

August 12, 2001

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