Playboy's Pigskin Preview

pre-season picks for the top college teams and players across the country

The Impending College Football Season Promises to turn any soothsayer's crystal as opaque as a bowling ball. Football, by its very nature, is permeated by the imponderable and filled with the unforeseeable. But when you need a program to tell Rinkydink Tech's 80-man squad of fleet behemoths from an equivalent aggregation of State U stalwarts. then we have reached a delightful state of competitive chaos -- delightful to the fans, that is, but hell on the coaches and forecasters.

High schools are burgeoning with ham-thighed, bullnecked chaps eager to play college ball, and there are more than enough to go around. Nearly every coach we've interviewed tells us that his sophomore players are among the best in his school's history. Numbers are limited only by scholarships available. The net result is an almost evangelical conversion to LSU's three-team system -- three equally adept teams of skilled specialists, each of whose entrance into the game depends on the situation of the moment. This is going on not only in the big schools, but in many of the small ones. The 60-minute player has gone the way of the dodo and the dropkick.

The boys at Xavier University have come up with the most fascinating and most extreme example of the trend to multiple teams. They're going to field two separate teams this year with entirely different offensive plays. One group will be a heavy, churning, grind-it-out team; the other will be fast and elusive. In case of emergency, so to speak, each group will learn a third set of plays, in the event they have to mix the two teams on occasion.

All this adds up to one more symptom of the vital change taking place in American Sports. Football -- professional and collegiate -- has become the national sport. And this will become increasingly evident in the next decade. Baseball -- once undisputed as The Game -- is losing its minor-league farm system and dying at the roots. Football, on the other hand, is irrevocably identified with alma mater and campus life -- fraternity dances and homecoming festivities -- and college graduates, fast becoming a major segment of the population, remain football fans. A trip to the stadium on a brisk and fragrant autumn afternoon is a pilgrimage as well as a sporting event.

Football has become big business, and it's getting bigger. In most universities, (continued on page 198) Pigskin Preview (continued from page 88) football gate receipts pay the bills for the entire physical education department, including scores of scholarships. Physical fitness -- thanks to the New Frontier -- has suddenly become respectable. But the competition for admission to college has become so intense that it is next to impossible to get into any college on the merits of athletic ability alone.

It seems to be currently fashionable for ivory tower academicians to take verbal cuts at college athletics. The favorite thesis at faculty teas is that football players no longer are the big campus heroes, that in fact they are actually held in contempt by the rest of the student body. But show us a school with a winning football team -- be it Princeton or Panhandle A&M -- and we'll show you a jam-packed bandwagon.

Football players are neither heroes nor bums. They're just lads who happen to have the physical ability to play a tough game. They have to pass Chem just like everybody else; the only difference is that in most cases they have to make a C in order to stay on the team, while the rest of the student body has to make only a D in order to stay in school.

So, when you're sitting in the stands this fall with flask and filly in cozy proximity, remember that the players butting heads down on the field are working their way through school -- the hard way. Here's how the teams stack up:

According to last season's developments, Penn State would seem to be the Lion of the East this year. The Nittanies were terrors last November, and capped the carnage by dismantling Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl. With a first 11 on a par with any in the East, and players like Robinson, Kochman and Sieminski on hand, Penn State would appear to be well equipped to defend the Lambert Trophy. But Galen Hall is gone and no one has shown up to take over his quarterback post, and the reserves aren't likely to survive the attrition of a rough campaign. So it looks from here as if Navy will knock off Penn State in the season's opener, and go on from there to a superb year. The Middies have lots of everything: depth, speed, experience, good passing and a favorable schedule. With speedster John Sai and fabulous soph fullback Bill Donnelly, the Middies should swamp just about everybody.

Army's attempt at solving its problems by enlisting the services of Coach Paul Dietzel is doomed to spectacular failure -- for this year, at least. The basis of Dietzel's legendary success at LSU was his now almost universal three-team system, which requires hordes of good material. Depth is something Army hasn't had since the salad days of Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard. But that's a shortcoming Dietzel will soon correct; Army is now engaged in a sweeping nationwide recruiting campaign. For the present, Dietzel has scrapped Army's lonely end offense and, because of his limited material, will make Army a defense-oriented team. Says Dietzel, "We much prefer a dull victory to a spectacular loss." However, look for Army to provide several dull losses this year.

After living on the fat of the land for several seasons, the boys from Syracuse are in for a mild recession in '62. Graduation losses were severe, and although the replacements look great -- especially soph fullback Jim Nance -- the Orange will be green in the early games.

Pittsburgh could look great playing the soft-cushioned schedules of at least two dozen higher-rated teams in the country. But with the masochistic itinerary they've set for themselves, the Panthers will be lucky to break even.

Boston College should be a very exciting team to watch. With a wealth of experience, a new coach, a deep and fast backfield and a far less cumbersome line (last year's Achilles' heel), the Eagles could gain national prominence before November. The same is true of Holy Cross. Every year the Crusaders seem to look better, a testimonial to Dr. Eddie Anderson who, in the final analysis, may be the craftiest coach in the country. With McCarthy throwing and Hennessy running, the opposition may be dazzled into defeat. Hal Lahar has returned to coach at Colgate, and will convert the Red Raiders into a defense-oriented crew. Lahar's Colgate teams enjoy upending Ivy League teams, evidently spurred on by the axiom: "if you can't join 'em, beat 'em."

Villanova will have a hard time living up to the spectacular success of last year. Buffalo, on the other hand, seems to look better with each new edition. The Buffs, joining the ranks of the "majors" this time, should be right at home.

Rutgers has resigned from the Middle Atlantic Conference, which it has dominated for years, to seek classier company. They may be politicking to join the Ivy League -- a logical move -- but their ingrained habit of winning games may hurt them. This year -- incredibly -- they look just as good as last year's undefeated crew. But it will be hard to keep the boys hungry after so much success.

With Rutgers gone, someone else will have a chance in the Middle Atlantic Conference this year. It probably will be Dave Nelson's always first-rate Delaware Hens, with Bucknell and Lehigh close behind. Temple will be unexpectedly strong, however, and the Owls' extraconference schedule will be such that they will probably wind up with the best record in many years.

The Ivy League is always the most unpredictable circuit in the country. The mysterious Order of the Ancient Eight is just as baffling this year, with no really outstanding favorite. Probably Princeton will gather most of the tiddlywinks if it can avoid the usual spirit-depressing first-game drubbing by Rutgers. Yale and Harvard are the likely runners-up, with Dartmouth a dark horse. Cornell could get in there somewhere, but the Big Red has been so unstable in recent seasons that the Cayuga fans can only sit and wait. Oddly enough, Brown could also be a sleeper if the breaks fall its way. The Bears, deep in experience, are ravenous for victories. Columbia lost nearly everybody from last year's great squad. The Lions have a tremendous group of sophs, however, led by Archie Roberts who may become the finest quarterback in Columbia's history.

Last year was supposed to be the big breakthrough at Notre Dame. It didn't quite materialize, and the Irish are right back where they started -- building from the ground up. Graduation decimated the starting line, and the replacements aren't exactly earth-shattering. The back-field will be in fine shape, although somewhat hefty and missing much of the speed of yore. Overall, the Irish will give a respectable account of themselves in the first half of their games, but they'll have a tough time avoiding exhaustion against the deeper squads on their schedule. Toward the end of the season, they could clobber a few of the toughies. Look for backs Costa and Snowden to bloom this year.

Peculiarly enough, there are five -- count 'em -- five Big Ten teams that look like excellent bets to take the championship. Mathematically, of course, that can't be so, but it gives you a good idea of how things are going in the flatlands these days. At Northwestern, Coach Ara Parseghian is knee-deep in material with nearly all of last year's horses back, and some fine young prospects up from the freshman ranks. For a change, the Wild-cats have a deep and talented bench to help them avoid the late-season exhaustion that has plagued them in recent years. Iowa and Ohio State have virtually the same squads which were tabbed as co-favorites before last year's hostilities began. The Buckeyes made it, but Iowa collapsed in midseason from a rash of key injuries. This year everybody -- except us -- will be betting Ohio State takes it again. But it isn't likely, not only because the opposition is better, but because the Buckeyes will be tabbed the team to beat -- a most precarious honor.

Iowa, on the other hand, will have an invaluable psychological advantage. The Hawkeyes will be hungry and eager to atone for last season, when the campus wolves were baying because Coach Jerry Burns didn't produce a national championship for Iowa in his first season.

Purdue, too, has an excellent set of credentials for its claim to Big Ten preeminence. Always hard-nosed up front, the Boilermakers this time have good journeyman backs and a great passer in Ron DiGravio. Purdue, unfortunately, has a legendary proclivity for winning the big ones and then folding up unexpectedly.

So, all things considered, we'll put our cash on Michigan State. It's a bit of a long shot, but we're great ones for playing hunches (we tabbed otherwise unheralded Minnesota a couple of years ago). On the plus side, the Spartans have probably the finest first team in the country, and the superb leadership of Duffy Daugherty, Playboy's Coach of the Year, and our all-time favorite storyteller. On the field Duffy has one major problem and a big one: After those first 11 players, the quality of the Spartan squad falls off precipitously. Injuries to key men such as Playboy All-Americans George Saimes and Dave Behrman would be crippling. But if Duffy's chargers can stay healthy, they'll wreak desolation across the Midwest.

Just for the hell of it, we're going to take a flyer on Illinois. Relegated to insignificance by everyone, the Illini are certain to be aggressive, and a host of good talent lost last season via injuries and academic crises will be on hand. They'll cream somebody, and it just could be Ohio State at the homecoming game in Champaign.

With loads of veterans, and superb sophs to back them up, Wisconsin could be tough to tangle with. But without a proven quarterback at the controls, a lot of good material could go to waste. Minnesota and Michigan will probably be slim shadows of their former selves. Like Wisconsin, Minnesota has nearly enough of everything except quarterbacks. Michigan, on the other hand, has a surplus of quarterback talent, but not much else except a number of gifted -- though green -- youngsters. The Wolverines will return to the three-team system, and they may simply wear down some of their opponents. Look for a wild and woolly aerial display at Ann Arbor, with Evashevski and Timberlake doing most of the tossing.

Indiana has been rebuilding for as long as we can remember, and this year is no exception. The Hoosiers were a better club last year than the 2-7 record indicated, and they may prove it before this season's campaign is over.

Ohio University should return to the top of the Mid-American Conference after a year's absence, with Western Michigan and Bowling Green close behind. Among the independents, Detroit could be one of the most exciting teams in the country to watch this season, with a wide geographical range on its schedule and one of the country's great quarterbacks in Jerry Gross. Dayton and Louisville are also on their way up.

On an analysis based solely on the physical, LSU should dominate the entire South. There is an abundance of top talent in Baton Rouge, but the Tigers are walking a psychological high wire. They could tumble with that most virulent of football diseases, senioritis, and it may be difficult to adjust to a new coach. An every-Saturday-Armageddon schedule won't help matters. This brings up another point: The most disturbing thing about the Southeastern Conference is the inequity of the scheduling. Many of the top teams do a masterful job of avoiding each other year after year, and the championship usually winds up in the meaty hands of the team that does the best job of flaying the patsies. If Ole Miss and Alabama played the grinding schedules of Georgia Tech and LSU, we might get a better idea of who's who in the boll weevil belt.

Ole Miss will probably come up with another hard-driving contingent of contentious young Southern gentlemen, led by Playboy All-American Jim Dunaway; with only two tough opponents, LSU and Tennessee, they could easily go undefeated. But they will have a rough time convincing anyone outside their domain of the legitimacy of their claim to national honors.

Alabama looks just as good as last year, when it copped the National Championship, but even the forceful personality of Bear Bryant may not prevent a letdown. It could lose a couple.

With the foregoing in mind, we're going to pick Florida as the big surprise for '62. Diminutive Larry Libertore (138 lbs.) is the greatest offensive threat in Florida history, and Richard Skelly could be one of the most powerful runners in the country. Virtually everybody is back from last year, and the Gators smell fresh meat.

Tennessee could share the role of spoiler with Florida. Nearly everything depends on Mallon Faircloth. No other position in football demands as much as single-wing tailback, and this fellow has more than enough of all the required talents. The Vols should be reaching the top of their rebuilding cycle this fall. If so, both Alabama and Ole Miss will meet their match when they invade Neyland Stadium.

Georgia Tech will be as formidable as last year, but attrition will take its toll, as usual, during a meat-grinding schedule. The Yellow Jackets, however, will be primed to an exploding point when they tackle Alabama before a howling mob in Atlanta.

It should be an off year for Auburn, although the Tigers have perhaps the finest fresh troops in the South. Tucker Frederickson, Playboy's Sophomore Back of the Year, will be ripping lines apart before the season is out, and Auburn could be a juggernaut by November.

Georgia and Vanderbilt both look better than a year ago. Vandy, especially, has a way of fielding a better team than anyone expects, and they'll probably surprise everyone again this year. Kentucky starts over again, with a new coach and little else except a fabulous passing combo of Jerry Wollum to Tom Hutchinson, perhaps the greatest end since Don Hutson.

Duke should be all alone at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference. With so many great performers that no one can be singled out as the star, the Blue Devils will probably overwhelm most of the opposition. Maryland and North Carolina are best bets for stopping Duke; both have a clutch of brilliant sophomore backs. If the Tarheels can survive their early encounters with Ohio State and Michigan State without injuries, they'll be difficult to handle in their own conference.

Virginia, after eons in athletic purgatory, could be the big surprise in the Tidewater country. West Virginia, after a long hiatus, should once more dominate the Southern Conference.

Miami will again field a fine crew, led by flashy quarterback George Mira, but the opposition will be much stronger. If the Hurricanes are to do more than break even, they'll have to be at the top of their form.

Memphis State, Florida State and Southern Mississippi all could have their best teams in history. Southern Mississippi is trying to break into the major college ranks, but none of the big schools will give it a tumble. Memphis State may be a big sleeper this year.

The fine thing about the Southwestern Conference is that all the teams play each other every season. As a result, it's survival of the fittest, and the herds of raw beef fed to the colleges by the prep schools in the cactus country are always so evenly distributed that the championship is generally in doubt until the final Saturday. Texas again looks like the best of the bunch. The Longhorns lost some good men from last year, but there are superb replacements. The main danger, however, is the unlikelihood that Coach Royal's crew can sustain last year's luck when crippling injuries were almost nonexistent. The Longhorns should be rock-ribbed defensively, but the offense will lack much of last year's spark, and a psychological letdown may be tough to avoid.

TCU and Texas A&M look primed to usurp the championship. Abe Martin's Horned Frogs appear especially eager, with Playboy All-American Sonny Gibbs at the controls and two terrific backfield broncs in soph Larry Bulaich and fullback Tommy Crutcher. The Aggies were much better than their record last year, and they will prove it if they can adjust to new coach Hank Foldberg. Arkansas would be an excellent dark-horse selection if all their best offensive guns hadn't graduated. Quarterback Billy Moore is a fine one, but the rest of the offense may fizzle, in which case the Razorbacks will have to concentrate on defense.

Both Rice and Baylor are suffering badly from the inroads of graduation, but Baylor, at least, can't possibly be as inundated with bad breaks -- in both bones and fortune -- as last year. If fate is kind, Baylor could be the big surprise. Texas Tech will be improved, but SMU is still fighting to get off the cellar floor. If the Mustangs have another group of sophs like this one next year, they'll make it by 1964.

It won't be a vintage year in either the Big Eight or the Missouri Valley Conference. Colorado, last year's Big Eight champion, was decimated by an NCAA ruling this spring that deprived it of most of its returning talent. The replacements are only fair and a bright shade of green. In addition, the Buffaloes will have to get with new coach Bud Davis and a new system. Both Oklahoma and Kansas will have to start rebuilding. Missouri looks like the class of the conference, with the niftiest set of backs in many years. But don't rule out Iowa State or Nebraska. The Cyclones have been on the verge of greatness for three years now, and this could be the year. Nebraska retains all of last year's backfield, including fabulous Thunder Thornton, plus spectacular new halfback Kent McCloughan.

Either Nebraska or Iowa State might knock off favorite Missouri, and therein will probably lie a bowl bid. Kansas State is well on the way toward that happy time when the Wildcats will be able to turn on their tormentors. They could furnish the unexpected in the midlands.

The hopefuls of Houston, with all their Texas-sized ambitions, may have gotten themselves a schedule that's over their heads. They'll be a better team than last year if they can warm up to new coach Bill Yeoman, but they'll be the wonders of the Southwest if they win more than they lose. West Texas will have the best backfield in the school's history, led by already legendary Pistol Pete Pedro, but the thin line up front will probably preclude a winning season.

If only Washington had a good quarterback, everything in the Big Five would be all settled before the season opens. As it is, the outlook in Seattle is considerably dimmed by the lack of a take-charge guy. The Huskies, therefore, are somewhat like a thundering machine all ready to go, but without a driver to push it to peak performance. Unless Coach Jim Owens finds the right pilot before the opener with Purdue, a lot of fine material could go to waste. Still, the odds favor Washington, and so do we.

Southern Cal. and Stanford should run a dead heat for second place. The Indians will have their best edition since Chuck Taylor held the reins, and Southern Cal. could take on just about everybody if a host of fine junior-college line transfers come through. The Trojans will be well set in the backfield with the power of fullback Ben Wilson and two top-notch quarterbacks in Pete Beathard and Bill Nelsen, but the line question won't be settled until the opener with Duke.

UCLA will be interesting to watch this year, with the abandonment of their beloved and successful Single Wing offense. Personnel problems dictate the shift to the Split-T. The Bruins are thin in the line and they'll have a hard time staying with the rugged competition. Things are beginning to look up at California, but the Golden Bears still have a long way to go. A sophomore-dominated squad may get rambunctious by the final few games, however.

The most fascinating development west of the Mississippi is the launching of a new major football circuit, the Western Athletic Conference. Made up of the top teams from the Border and Skyline Conferences, this promises to become one of the tougher loops in the land. Neither the Border nor Skyline Conference has officially disbanded: they have simply died on the vine. The new group has taken over the offices and officials of the Skyline Conference, and the teams that weren't invited to the party were left to reshuffle schedules among themselves. The first year of operation for the new conference promises to be attention-getting, with Wyoming. Utah and New Mexico in a three-way fracas. The survivor will probably wind up with a bowl bid. Arizona, showing all the signs of overconfidence, will likely fall short of last year's success.

Top independent in the West is definitely Oregon. The Webfoots, in fact, look well-nigh unstoppable. The Oregon line, agile, hostile and mobile, will terrorize most opponents, and a covey of fleet backs led by Mel Renfro will be decidedly unweb-footed. Look for Oregon to wind up high in the national rankings. Oregon State will have many-talented Terry Baker at the controls, but little in the way of a line up front.

Washington State will have Playboy All-American Hugh Campbell at end, but not much else. Give the Cougars just two more years, however, and Coach Sutherland will have a powerhouse. Utah State looks nearly as good as last year and will undoubtedly wallop some teams of the Western Athletic Conference who didn't invite the Aggies to join the new fraternity. The Air Force gets welcome help from the best bunch of yearlings in the short history of the academy, and with leadership from quarterback Terry Isaacson, the Falcons should begin to regain some of their lost prestige.

If the Air Force gets shot down in flames, however, it should have plenty of company; the upcoming season looks to be filled with major gridiron debacles. Just keep your eyes open and watch out for exploding bowl hopes.

Alternate All-America Team

(Since most major teams are using a two platoon system, with both units of nearly equal ability, here is our alternate team.)

Ends: Robinson (Penn State)Richter (Wisconsin)

Tackles: Barnett (Oregon)Vogel (Ohio State)

Guards: Cvercko (Northwestern)Breinig (Arizona)

Center: Craver (North Carolina)

Quarterback: Griffing (Mississippi)

Halfbacks: Ferguson (Iowa)Faircloth (Tennessee)

Fullback: Poage (Texas)

Sophomore Back of the Year: Halfback Tucker Frederickson (Auburn)

Sophomore Lineman of the year: Center Malcolm Walker (Rice)

The All-America Squad

(All of whom are likely to make someone's All-America eleven)

Ends: Mackey (Syracuse); Ellerton (Army); Webb (Iowa); Hitchler (Mo.); Raesz (Rice); Profit (UCLA).

Tackles: Testa (Navy); Brumm (Purdue); Appleton (Texas); Nomina (Miami U); Estes (LSU); Kortas (Louisville); Gregory (Duke).

Guards: Deller (Ill.); Simmons (Cincinnati); Berry (Duke); Day (Columbia).

Centers: Hopkins (Texas A&M); Bowman (Wis.); Mansfield (Wash.); McKinnon (Dartmouth).

Backs: Mira (Miami); Baker (Ore. St.); Gross (Detroit); DiGravio (Purdue); Libertore (Fla.); Szykowny (Iowa); Rakestraw (Ga.); Shiner (Md.); Hoppman (Iowa St.); Isaacson (Air Force); Glinka (Mich.); Moore (Ark.); Warfield (Ohio St.); Woodson (Ind.); Timura (Dayton); Wilson (Ala.); Hennessey (Holy Croos); Kochman (Penn St.); Skelly (Fla.); Leggett, Futrell & Wilkinson (Duke); Taylor (Ariz. St.); Goodwin (Baylor); Gambrell (S.C.); Moss (W. Va.); Fracchia (Ala.); Crutcher (TCU); Thornton (Neb.); Wilson (Southern Cal.); Lind (Notre Dame); Crump (Boston Col.); Meadows (Boston U.)

Top Twenty Teams

National Champion: Michigan State 8-1

2. Mississippi .......... 9-1

3. Duke ................. 9-1

4. Iowa ................. 8-1

5. Texas ................ 9-1

6. Ohio State ........... 7-2

7. Navy ................. 9-1

8. Alabama .............. 8-2

9. Washington ........... 8-2

10. LSU ................. 8-2

11. Purdue .............. 7-2

12. TCU ................. 8-2

13. Oregon .............. 8-2

14. Northwestern ........ 7-2

15. Maryland ............ 8-2

16. Penn State .......... 8-2

17. Florida ............. 8-2

18. Tennessee ........... 8-2

19. Missouri ............ 8-2

20. Texas A&M ....... 7-3

Possible Breakthroughs: Ga. Tech; Syracuse; Iowa St.; Wyoming; Rutgers; Miami; Utah St.; Utah; Holy Cross; Arkansas; Nebraska; Stanford; Boston Col.; USC; N. Carolina.