Playboy's Pigskin Preview

The rat race is on again. But this time the catcalls have turned to cheers. Back in the late Forties, when unlimited substitution revolutionized college football, anguished groans rose from conservatives. Overnight, football changed more than it had since the forward pass was legalized. "Football has become a rat race," insisted Tennessee Coach Bob Neyland to all who would listen. Neyland and others finally rallied enough support, and strictly limited substitution was reinstated in the early Fifties. And it's been a big mess ever since, with confusing, complex and often contradictory new substitution regulations being adopted nearly every year since, in a patently impossible attempt to satisfy everyone. Last year was the worst, the dead end. Chaos reigned in many games and the coaches spent much of their time keeping track of substitution legalities.

So the noble experiment has been scuttled, the purists have abandoned their hope of forcing coaches to teach all players every aspect of the game, and hordes of players will be streaming on and off the field every time the ball changes hands. The old axiom "If in doubt, punt," has been changed to "If in doubt, send in a new team."

Result: Many college teams will look for all the world like the pros; fast, skilled and elusive on offense, with a bunch of impregnable meat choppers playing defense. Because of this new look, we've selected a couple of specialists for our All-America Team this year in addition to the traditional 11: a flankerback whose specialized skills set him apart from other backs, and a linebacker whose defensive know-how makes him a key performer on any successful team.

Actually, unlimited substitution makes much more sense now than it did in 1948. High schools are turning out legions of good prospects and even the small colleges can have a dormitory full of behemoths if they're able to get them past the entrance exams. With more players than ever sharing the playing time there will be more action for the spectators and fewer injuries for the team.

Color, nostalgia and old loyalties are the ingredients that make college football games heady autumnal rites for most of us. And these elements, together with the faster and brighter game made possible by the rules changes, are the only things that will save college football from the rapacious inroads of professional football.

Pro ball, as everybody knows, is booming. Alarmists among college football buffs have been crying wolf in the fear that pro football, like pro baseball, would devour its own young. Bill Reed, Commissioner of the Big Ten, was nearer reality when he told us, "Let the pros work their side of the street and we will work ours, and let the crossings be well marked. The prime danger to college football is not the losses we may suffer at the gate, but that we will become so be-dazzled by the success of the pros that we let their values dictate the dilution of ours. After all, the two games are different institutions existing for different purposes. Pro ball is a part of the entertainment industry, purely and simply, and exists solely for the purpose of making money. College ball is a function of the educational system and exists ideally for the same basic purposes as other amateur athletics. It does make money, and it does entertain, but these are not its only reasons for existence."

But the days of lily-white amateurism are gone, and have been gone since the first university president discovered to his delight that proceeds from the sale of football tickets could not only build and maintain a fabulous athletic plant, but could finance a few new dormitories as well. They've been gone since the first alumni secretary discovered that alumni contributions rise and fall with the success of the football team. Let's face it, despite the preceding statement by Commissioner Reed, football is big business.

A good many years ago--when college football had a much larger streak of idealism than it has today, when football fans were a little easier to please, and when sportswriters were a great deal more poetic--Grantland Rice wrote a little poem that has become something of an American classic:

When the One Great Scorekeeper comes to write against your name--He marks--not that you won or lost--but how you played the game.

But things have changed. A 1964 version of that verse would read:

When the University Accounting Department compares gate receipts and cost--It matters--not how you played the game--but whether you won or lost.

And now let's take a look at the teams around the country. We'll start the fun at the beginning (continued on page 178)Pigskin Preview(continued from page 112) by making our annual out-on-a-limb picks. Each year we choose a recent door mat that we have a hunch is about to go on a rampage. We're often right. Last year our pick was Illinois and some people thought we were candidates for the funny farm. This time we have no less than five out-on-a-limb picks, but that's the kind of season it's going to be. So watch these teams: Indiana, Kentucky, Southern Methodist, UCLA and California. They're all going to raise a lot of unexpected hell.

Syracuse seems to be back on top. There is little, except a possibly thin interior line, to keep the Orange from being one of this year's best teams. In addition to the most impressive stable of backs in memory, Coach Schwartzwalder has newcomer Floyd Little, who may kick up more fuss in his sophomore year than any Orangeman since the magnificent Ernie Davis. If the line play can be kept from going sour, Syracuse has got it made in 1964.

The four other members of the East's perennial big five, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Army and Navy, all suffered grievous graduation losses. As a result, Eastern football may take a bit of a dip this season after its best year in a long while. All four of these schools have excellent first teams, but lack experience and potential on the bench. Consequently, the survivors of the fall campaign will be determined by the usual intangibles plus the excellence of newcomers. Up at Penn State, Rip Engle, having quarterback problems, will go with a rugged running game led by the remarkable Gary Klingensmith who has overcome deafness to become one of the flashiest halfbacks in the country. Gary lip-reads signals in the huddle, keys his movements to the line charge, and never busts a signal. Clearing the way for Gary will be Playboy All-America offensive center Glenn Ressler, a vicious blocker and tackier who Engle says is the best interior lineman he has ever coached.

Pittsburgh still has quarterback Fred Mazurek, tops in the school's history, but he will be surrounded by so many new faces that last year's excellent record may be impossible to duplicate. Still, the Pitt squad is always deep and the Panthers will probably finish strong.

Navy returns its biggest guns from last year. But, as Coach Wayne Hardin told us, a few key men do not make a team. The Middies are bilge-water thin after the first unit, and classy passer Roger Staubach has lost his best receivers. Fullback Pat Donnelly returns, backed up by Danny Wong, probably the country's only Chinese fullback. But he's a good one, and so is center Don Downing, Playboy's Sophomore Lineman of the Year, who is said to be the finest Navy soph lineman in many years. Still, the Middies have trouble because of the thin reserve team and a schedule that is much meatier than last year's.

In potential, Navy and Army are look-alikes, with quarterbacks representing the main difference between the two teams. Staubach is a brilliant passer and elusive scamperer, while Stichweh is an old-fashioned quarterback who does everything in a methodical but killingly effective way. When they met for a showdown at Philadelphia last year, Stichweh appeared to pick up most of the marbles. Despite its few lettermen, it must be remembered that Army has a recruiting system second only to that of the Kremlin, and Coach Paul Dietzel has been busy stockpiling for a couple of years. Since some of the new hands may turn out to be better than the departed ones, the West Pointers could be hell on wheels by the end of the season. If not this year, look out in 1965!

Three lesser independents who may be vastly improved are Boston College, Holy Cross and Rutgers. The Beantowners, especially, show promise of joining the Eastern power cartels. They have nearly everyone back, a dormitory full of bright new faces, and they are all bigger and speedier than ever.

The Ivy League is always a handicapper's nightmare, and the situation this year is wilder than ever. Last season's weak teams are all much stronger, and recent powers Dartmouth and Harvard have been decimated by graduation. Harvard has had two excellent freshman teams in a row and rumors around the Ivy circuit say the Crimson is loaded. But we doubt it. Green quarterbacking and line play will have to ripen in support of superior running if Harvard is to do better than break even. Princeton is the only team among last year's top three that looks as good as ever. The Tigers are the sole major team left in the country still using the original Cro-Magnon single wing offense, and with a juggernaught fullback like Cosmo Iacavazzi, they make the creaky old system work as though General Neyland had just invented it. We have a nostalgic affection for the single wing, so it would be real fun seeing the Tigers gather in the laurels this year. And they have a good chance.

Princeton's biggest threat seems to be Columbia. The Lions at last have some linemen to stack in front of one of the finest backfields ever seen at the Heights, Playboy All-America Archie Roberts is, we believe, the best of a dozen excellent quarterbacks around the country this year. Roberts is the nearest thing to a one-man team since Frank Merriwell graduated from Yale. Last year Archie led his team in passing, running, punting, punt returns, kickoff returns, interceptions and scoring, missing out only in receiving; that's something even a quarterback as great as Archie couldn't manage.

Delaware will continue to dominate the Middle Atlantic Conference, though not as overwhelmingly as last year when all the other teams, except Bucknell, lay down and died. Lafayette and Lehigh will be vastly improved, and both Lafayette and Gettysburg will field aerial circuses. Temple, with a limp schedule, will probably have its second winning season in a row, an almost unprecedented situation. Once more, Dave Nelson's Delaware Blue Hens should win most of their games by lopsided scores and cop the Lambert Cup for the third straight time. Bucknell has the best chance of being the spoiler.

Massachusetts will again be the terror of the Yankee Conference. The Red-men, who were undefeated in 1963, are back virtually intact with the additional blessing of a fine bunch of sophs. However, defending champions have recently found the going rough in the Yankee Conference. Maine took the crown in 1961, then hit bottom in 1962. New Hampshire was undefeated in 1962 and finished last the following year. This fall, Maine has the man power to unseat Massachusetts, and the new coaching staff at Connecticut may pull some surprises. Rhode Island finished fast last season and could be a real contender. Vermont was tough to handle in 1963 and if they can find someone to replace Ken Burton they'll be in the thick of the race. New Hampshire, suffering from graduation losses, will have a hard time climbing from the cellar.

The day Ara Parseghian arrived on the Notre Dame campus the university's seismograph registered 8.3 on the Richter Scale, and there have been reverberations ever since. All spring the air above the hallowed Irish practice fields was blue with Ara's commentary. Parseghian and his crew took charge like hijacking pirates and seldom have so many learned so much from so few. The hiring of Parseghian was in itself a monumental--and healthy--break with tradition, and all over South Bend there is the feeling that the Era of Ara has arrived and the elusive new days of glory are just ahead. It won't be this year, however, because the Irish ranks are still too thin for the murderous schedule. But since Parseghian is a master of the art of getting the most from limited material, Notre Dame fans can at least look forward to a few pleasant surprises.

Last year, as we mentioned earlier, Illinois was our annual out-on-a-limb pick, even though it had won only a total of two games the previous two seasons. The Illini took the Big Ten title and beat Washington in the Rose Bowl. However, the same forces that worked for Illinois in 1963 are arrayed against it for 1964. With the return of nearly all the best talent and the top-sergeant leadership of Playboy All-America linebacker Dick Butkus, Illinois will be the prime target of all its opponents. Still, we're persuaded to tab them for top place in the league, by virtue of their sheer talent. If they make it, they will be the first pre-season popular choice to take the Big Ten title in a generation.

If Illinois falters, the team likeliest to succeed is Michigan. The Wolverines have been just shy of greatness for two years now, and with an almost unprecedented wealth of material on hand, this could be the year for cohesiveness to set in. Watch for a prime crop of sophs at Ann Arbor, the slickest of whom is halfback Carl Ward. Altogether, it should be the year of the Elliott brothers in the Big Ten. Pete at Illinois will be trying to beat Bump at Michigan for the first time, and Bump will be trying to bump Pete from the championship.

Believe it or not, Ohio State football is going to be even duller this year than in the past. Wayne Woodrow Hayes, inventor and leading proponent of the Neanderthal-T offense, builds his whole team with tackles, fullbacks and one place kicker. This year Woody is shyer than ever of offensive talent, but his big bruising defensive stalwarts will be even more impregnable. Result: football circa 1913.

Likeliest team to pull the annual big surprise in the Big Ten is Indiana, with Purdue not far behind. The Hoosiers have been on the threshold for three years, but tough breaks, probation and fourth-quarter exhaustion have dogged them. Indiana may have as good a first team as any school in the country, and if Coach Dickens can mold some reserves to spell his first stringers, the squad could enjoy its best season in decades. Purdue, with better depth, will have good defensive and offensive units. Quarterback Doug Holcomb will take over this year and with great receivers on hand, Purdue may surprise everyone by fielding a strong passing team.

Northwestern and Wisconsin, having succumbed in 1963 to the usual hex visited upon Conference favorites, find themselves shorn of vast quantities of speed, beef and plain cannon fodder. Northwestern, with fewer returning lettermen than it's had in years, is well set in the backfield but is hurting up front. However, if anyone can mold a Big Ten line out of last year's leftovers and raw sophs, new Coach Alex Agase is the man. A cynical pro scout once told us, "If you have a bad quarterback, you lose. If you have a good quarterback, you probably lose. If you have a brilliant quarterback, you win." If this were always true, Northwestern would take every game, but even Tom Myers can't throw bombs behind a leaky line. Still, the Wildcats bear watching this year. No one expects much from them because of the large number of graduation losses. But the top dozen men are back and Agase & Co. are in perfect position to bushwhack some teams that will be looking the other way. Strange as it may seem, we may look back at the end of the season to find that the Northwestern-Indiana game on September 26th was decisive.

Wisconsin, pruned of much speed, will field a top-notch passing attack. A brace of new quarterbacks with advance rave notices will help launch the Badgers' new look.

All teams seem to go through power cycles with some degree of regularity, and Michigan State, Iowa and Minnesota seem to be hitting bottom this year. Iowa's traditional supply of blazing speedsters is at low ebb, due in no small part to recruiting difficulties brought on by stricter academic demands. Michigan State will be slower and greener than anyone can remember. Duffy Daugherty always has plenty of unproven man power in the wings, however, and some of it is sure to be excellent. So the Spartans could surprise us like they did last year.

Alas, weep for Minnesota. Murray Warmath, one of the top five coaches in the land, has knottier problems than even he can solve. A couple of bad recruiting years, a number of academic and medical casualties, and the dearth of good high school football players in the north country have all combined to leave Murray with less material to work with than he's ever had. The knuckle-headed scalp seeker, a species that thrives in the cold country, will be howling before the year is out and Warmath will probably again be subjected to that special brand of verbal barbarism peculiar to Minnesota.

There is a group of teams playing in the Midlands that gets far less attention from the national press than it deserves. Playing in the shadow of the Big Ten, each year they field teams that could hold their own in most of the country's major conferences. The Mid-American Conference plus independents Detroit and Xavier are growing in power and prestige every year with Dayton not far behind. Each of these teams will be much stronger this year and some of the country's prime gridders are in this circuit. Jim Gray of Toledo, Walt Mainer of Xavier, Willy Asbury of Kent, Ernie Kellermann of Miami, Stew Williams and Joe Siesel of Bowling Green, Fred Beier of Detroit, and Mickey Bitsko of Dayton will all have pro scouts panting after them. Detroit, reaping the benefits of a fabulous recruiting drive that provided it with 50 sophomores, will take on an impressive national schedule and should be a major power in a couple of years. Although Ohio rates as top dog in the Mid-American circuit on sheer momentum from last year, don't be surprised if either Bowling Green, Miami, or even Western Michigan, all of them loaded, winds up on top. Kent and Western Michigan have new coaches with impeccable references, and Toledo has a group of West Point transfers who got sick of the military life and followed new Coach Lauterbur to greener pastures.

An event of more than apparent importance took place on July 31st when Georgia Tech withdrew from the Southeastern Conference. Tech had long been at odds with several of the other schools over administrative fundamentals. The SEC appears to be run not by Commissioner Bernie Moore or the university presidents, but by a few all-powerful coaches who don't give a damn about anything but football. These coaches have for years engaged in the seamy practice of recruiting far more players than their Conference-imposed limit of athletic scholarships can support, and then literally drumming out the boys who don't make it athletically. Sometimes they even run sophs and juniors out of school in order to vacate scholarships. Tech's Bobby Dodd, on the other hand, harbors the quaint idea that educational values have some importance and that once having awarded a scholarship to a student, the school has an obligation to see him through. With a strict interpretation of entrance requirements and an efficient tutorial system, Tech keeps nearly all its boys in school, even those who flunk football. Dodd demanded reform along the lines of Big Ten recruiting rules, was voted down, and walked out. The Southeastern Conference was the heavy loser in this divorce. It lost a lot of class.

With 12 schools in the Southeastern Conference, anything resembling a round-robin schedule has been impossible. Year after year, December arrives and we are still wondering who is really the Conference champion. When it's possible for two or even three teams to finish undefeated, the championship is a joke. A few of the strongest teams carefully avoid playing one another. The cream-puff schedules Ole Miss has been enjoying have been due in part to an undisguised freeze-out by some other Conference schools. Georgia Tech flatly refuses to play the Rebels, having scheduled them last in 1926. That's ridiculous. The SEC should do what the Southern Conference did a few years ago: split itself in half. Then each new league could take on a couple of deserving new teams. A logical arrangement, both for geographical and scheduling reasons, would be Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida in one league with Florida State and Miami as new members. Perhaps even Georgia Tech could be prevailed upon to return to the fold. The other group would consist of Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, LSU and Tulane, with Southern Mississippi and Memphis State providing new blood.

If any one team dominates the circuit despite the present unwieldy setup, it should be either Ole Miss or Auburn. As usual, they won't play each other. Ole Miss has to get top pre-season billing from sheer weight of material. The Rebs' schedule is a bit more respectable this season, largely because yesteryear's pushovers are showing muscle. Coach Johnny Vaught is surrounded by a small army of blue-chip players. His third team is probably better than half the first teams in the country. How Ole Miss, with an enrollment of 3800 men--most of them from the home state--gets this kind of material year after year is amazing. Leading a line that would command respect in the pro leagues are Playboy All-Americas Stan Hindman and Allen Brown. With this kind of beef up front, Ole Miss will field what is primarily an infantry attack despite the presence of passer Jim Weatherly. Coach Vaught, now the winningest mentor in the nation, is due for national honors this season; we tab him Coach of the Year.

Only we saw Auburn coming in 1963, but this year no one will be surprised by the Tigers. Jimmy Sidle is the only quarterback ever to lead the nation in rushing, and he has a whole herd of superb backs running with him, including Tucker Frederickson, who seems to do almost everything better than anyone else. The line, last year's vulnerable area, is this year's strong suit. So the Tigers should be tougher than ever.

Alabama should be only a little less potent, even though this is the youngest edition of the Crimson Tide in five years. Coach Bear Bryant insists that Joe Namath is the best quarterback in the country, but Joe won't have much help in the running department. The Bear always erects a lethal defense, so nobody is going to run up much of a score on the Tide.

The LSU line was gutted at graduation, but, like Alabama, the Bengals are so deep in reserves the difference won't be noticed by the end of the season. If quarterback Pat Screen regains his health and the injury jinx takes a recess, LSU should match last year's remarkable performance. Mississippi State, unaccustomed to such riches, is wallowing in agile, aggressive and versatile combatants. However, the Bulldogs must run a murderous end-of-the-season gantlet against Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss, which no team in the country could survive. Since Florida has most of its 1963 running backs in tow, including tremendous fullback Larry Dupree, maybe the Gators will jell this season, a feat they failed to accomplish during most of last year.

Tennessee and Georgia have reached a talent nadir, so their fans will have to tighten belts and regard 1964 as a rebuilding year. Both schools are starting over fresh with energetic young coaches. Vince Dooley at Georgia must pick up the pieces of the Bryant-Butts imbroglio, rebuild morale, and try to win some recruiting battles. Both he and new Coach Doug Dickey at Tennessee inherit lean squads, and Dickey has the additional problem of installing the T formation at a school where the single wing has been sacrosanct for 30 years. This is the sad end of a magnificent--but outdated--era. Yet it holds hope for future glory. A rare bright spot this year is the return of Playboy All-America guard Steve DeLong, an exceptional lineman who may lead the Vols to a few unexpected victories. Vanderbilt and Tulane, both having scraped bottom the last two seasons, are now well on the way back to distinction. Teams that take either of them too lightly this fall are likely to be ambushed. Tulane, especially, will show some new muscle in 1964, but the Greenies don't have much of a chance against a schedule that reads like a Kafka nightmare. Give Coach Tommy O'Boyle one more season, then watch out. At Vanderbilt, Coach Jack Green has been conducting recruiting raids up in Yankee country, and the results will begin to show this fall. For what it's worth, the Commodores should have the most spectacular kicking game in the country.

The team to keep your eye on, if you like surprises, is Kentucky. Coach Charlie Bradshaw has been training this outfit like a Marine combat platoon. His recruiting patrols have made a series of successful forays into Pennsylvania, and the Wildcats promise to be not only tough as leathernecks, but there are quite a few of them for a change. Kentucky will have two of the finest halfbacks in the country in Rodger Bird and Frank Antonini, Playboy's Sophomore Back of the Year. In short, look for Bradshaw's band of brigands to rip into some of the complacent glamor teams that have been victimizing the Wildcats in recent years.

North Carolina is the team to beat in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Most of the muscle is back from the squad that engineered the impressive Gator Bowl trouncing of Air Force, and the Tarheels look bigger and faster than ever. Top player on Coach Jim Hickey's team is Playboy All-America halfback Ken Willard who weighs in at 225 and runs like an antelope. If the Tarheels don't crumple before Michigan State, as they did last year, they will have their best season in 15 years.

North Carolina State, which shared honors with its state cousin last year, has been hurt by graduation and will have a tough time in 1964. Clemson has similar problems. The Tigers flubbed last year's opportunity for greatness and now look rather toothless. Veteran Coach Frank Howard, long known for his potent lines, will have to depend mostly on backfield talent. Fullback Pat Crain will be one of the best in the country if he can find any holes to run through.

The folks at Duke are exuding confidence, and perhaps it is justified. The Blue Devils are much stronger than last year, but will be vulnerable to injuries. The loss of one or two key men in the backfield could wreck their season. South Carolina should recover some prominence after a disastrous 1963 campaign, with the help of a phalanx of excellent new men. Virginia and Maryland both look much improved, so look for each of them to engineer some big upsets. Virginia has prospects for a happy future with a flock of good sophomores, a new offensive system and blossoming morale. Wake Forest, weary of losing games, is embarking on a major rebuilding program, headed by new Coach Bill Tate, late of Illinois. First step was to break the color barrier, and the first Negroes have been recruited, with more to come. It will be a couple of years before Tate's new regime begins to show results, but the Deacons are definitely on their way up.

Virginia Tech could be the class of the Southern Conference again this year. Quarterback Bob Schweickert is one of the best in the land. Although West Virginia suffered from complacency last year, it does not plan a repeat performance. With enough raw material on hand, the Mountaineers should be much improved. The rest of the Southern Conference looks weak. Citadel and George Washington, however, could become formidable by the end of the season. Richmond, with a more realistic schedule, should better last year's record.

Memphis State achieved major college status in 1960 and has lost only five games since that time. Last year, the Tigers were probably one of the ten strongest teams in the country, but the myopic post-season pollsters, who have a hard time seeing any but the traditional glamor teams, ignored them. The Tigers will be just as lethal this year. The Memphis State line, led by Playboy All-America tackle Harry Schuh and end Chuck Brooks, looks like a pro forward wall. The only problem Coach Spook Murphy has had in recent years is finding other teams to play against his fearsome aggregation. This season the Tigers are forced to play against Southern Mississippi twice in order to fill their slate. But Memphis State is here to stay as a national power and the other Southern teams can no longer look in the other direction and hope the Tigers will go away.

Florida State will be vastly improved and is expected to compete with Memphis State and Georgia Tech for top honors among Southern independents. The Sunshine State's Seminoles have two quarterbacks, Steve Tensi and Ed Pritchett, who should pass opponents dizzy this year. The rest of the squad is bigger, faster and meaner than ever. Everyone will be watching to see how Georgia Tech does in its first season as an independent. The Yellow Jackets lost several star performers, but the sophomore crop is the best in years and during spring drills the Jackets looked very good. Miami, on the other hand, has encountered lean days, and no one will be surprised by a repeat of last year's disappointingly dismal record. The ranks are thin and the immediate prospects for new Coach Charlie Tate are dim indeed.

It's almost like old times in the Big Eight. The team to beat is Oklahoma, but the Sooners' dominance won't be as easy to maintain as it once was. The Big Eight is bulging with power and any one of the four top teams could wind up number one. Oklahoma is literally loaded in every sense of the word, but unfortunately it is also top heavy with seniors. Senioritis is a tricky and unpredictable disease that strikes a few death blows to otherwise affluent aggregations every season. New Coach Gomer Jones will make his take-over year a prosperous one if he can maintain good team morale. The Sooner line is anchored by Playboy All-America tackle Ralph Neely, with the rest of the veteran line nearly as good. Playboy All-America fullback Jim Grisham will provide most of the offensive punch, and quarterback Mike Ringer has regained his health after backing into an electric fan.

Main threat to the Sooners will be Kansas, which has its usual quota of blazing speed, mostly in the person of halfback Gale Sayers. Nebraska will probably fall short of last season's remarkable performance due to graduation losses. But the Cornhuskers are so deep in reserves, especially classy backs, that they'll be as good as ever by the end of fall. Nebraska football has been sensational since Coach Bob Devaney arrived two years ago, and judging from the new talent on hand, it will be that way for quite a while. If Missouri can find some new beef for the line to go with a superb backfield, it will be another happy autumn in Columbia after a slight letdown last year. Since the Tigers are nearly always better than anyone expects, look for them to hold true to form. Snazzy speedster Johnny Roland is back, and passer Gary Lane looks better than ever.

Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Colorado have embarked on intensive rebuilding programs and the first results are likely to show this year. But the competition is so strong from the top teams in the circuit that it will be a major accomplishment for any of the three to have a winning season. By 1965, however, the league should be so well balanced that anyone might finish on top.

The Missouri Valley Conference will feature two of the flashiest passing teams in the country. Tulsa will build almost its entire offense around brilliant quarterback Jerry Rhome in an effort to capture its third straight national passing title. Cincinnati, on the other hand, has a good running game to go with the passing of quarterback Brig Owens. So, with a surfeit of speed and experience, the Bobcats should cop the championship. Wichita has so many talented transfers from other schools to replace losses from last year's cochampionship team that the Shockers could be as good as ever, but the tough schedule will probably preclude a good won-lost record. North Texas State still hasn't recovered its recent eminence, although it's much improved and should be hard to score on. So will Louisville's Cardinals, despite Charlie Mudd's tragic death last February. Having a strong emotional impetus, they could erase last year's dismal performance.

The Southwest Conference race will be the usual dogfight. Last season's heavy losers have grown new fangs, making the scrap more fun to watch than ever. Top team at season's end should be Rice, but don't bet money on it. Arkansas has the offense that was missing last year and the Razorbacks are always brutal on defense. Ronnie Caveness is a superb linebacker and Playboy All-America end Jerry Lamb should make the passing game successful. With a talented bunch of sophs joining 17 of last season's top 22 players, depth will be a major strong point of the Razorbacks. The Rice Owls are loaded, too, and if Coach Jess Neely can find some tackles and a speedster or two to go with all that power running, they will be nearly unstoppable. Neely, having more talent than he's had in years, should celebrate his 25th season as head coach in style.

Southern Methodist is the team to watch. The Mustangs have been abuilding for three years now and all the hard work could pay off in a big way in 1964. With NCAA probation serving to make the Mustangs angrier and more upset-minded than ever, they could become one of the big surprise teams of the year. Keep an eye on the Ohio State game September 26th.

Baylor lost brilliant passer Don Trull, so most observers will consign the Bears to the lower ranks this season. But new quarterback Mike Marshall looks nearly as good and the Bears still have Playboy All-America flankerback Lawrence Elkins to do the catching. Baylor's colorful defensive unit, the "Chinese Baptists," is a holy terror to opponents, so the Bears will be hard to score on. Despite the schedule, Baylor should be nearly as hot as it was last year.

Both Texas Tech and Texas A&M will be stronger, but fans won't notice much difference because the opposition will also be tougher.

Which brings us to Texas, and therein lies a quandary. On paper the Longhorns seem a good deal weaker than last year's National Champions. But games aren't played with scouting reports. There is a legend in the oil country that Coach Darrell Royal recruits outstanding high school players he can't hope to use, just to keep the other teams from getting them. At any rate, Royal has so much unprobed depth on hand that no one can guess where he'll land, although it isn't likely to be in the second division. Royal must produce some good new linemen, and he probably will. The backfield looks more potent than ever except at quarterback. Texas probably won't win the Conference championship this year, but it will have much to say about who does.

Whoever arranged Houston's masochistic schedule must have been an incorrigible optimist. The Cougars will be better than last year, especially if all the lame and halt from the 1963 nightmare return, but they won't achieve much upgrading in the won-lost columns. Texas Western should give El Paso fans a happy autumn with the best team in years.

Pacific Coast football has been growing steadily in power and prestige for a decade, and this year a lion's share of football's spectacular events should occur on the West Coast. For one thing, two teams (Washington and Southern California) will no longer dominate the scene as they have in the recent past. Power will be more evenly spread from top to bottom, and only one team, Washington State, may be counted out of the championship race. Two of the most impressive power explosions in the country this year should occur at UCLA and California, with Stanford not far behind. Look for West Coast teams to bump off intersectional rivals in unprecedented numbers.

As if to celebrate this renaissance, a reformation has been decreed. The quarreling faculty fathers have forgiven if not forgotten, and the hallowed Pacific Coast Conference has been remade.

Washington gets the nod this year because of momentum and man power. The Huskies wound up on top of the totem pole in 1963, despite crippling injuries and a disastrous start. With a much deeper, more experienced and presumably healthier squad, they should be even harder to handle this season. Quarterback Bill Douglas and fullback Junior League Coffey--when well--are peerless performers, and the Huskies' line, led by Rick Redman and the Knoll twins, is one of the best in the land. Still, the perennial favorite's hex will be following Washington this year. Most likely to apply the whammy are UCLA, California and Stanford. UCLA, which administered a poetic coup de grâce to Washington toward the end of last season, has suffered few casualties by either combat or graduation, and is now ready to take on the whole league. The Bruins have high-velocity running in Byron Nelson and Mike Haffner as well as a superb passing game in Larry Zeno and Steve Sindell. A deep and rugged line, something new at UCLA, completes the happy picture. So, despite the schedule, look for spectacular improvement on last year's 2-8 record.

California is an almost identical twin. The Golden Bears also have nearly all belligerents back from last year, plus a new coach and an excellent quarterback. If head man Ray Willsey can make his take-over a smooth one, and if team morale can be maintained, California could clobber a few of the impressive Eastern powers on the schedule. Watch the Illinois game on September 26th.

If Stanford can find a quarterback and a few runners among a fine crop of sophs, the Indians will also improve much over last year's series of narrow defeats. The line is tough and defense will be stalwart. There is a plethora of man power in the Indian camp, so perhaps this will be the year when Coach John Ralston can put together the right combination.

Southern California may be as strong as last year, but, like Washington, the Trojans face fierce opposition from former patsies. Playboy All-America halfback Mike Garrett is a mercurial and elusive runner, while flashy new quarterback Rod Sherman will help Craig Fertig run the attack. New halfback Ray Cahill adds even more speed, but the center of the line must be rebuilt to spring all these runners loose.

Despite the return of quarterback Bob Berry, Oregon will have a tough time celebrating readmission to the Pacific Coast league. The Webfeet have little depth beyond the first unit and will be easily weakened by injuries. Oregon State has two sharp new quarterbacks, Bob Grim and Paul Brothers, who threaten to displace veteran Gordon Queen. The Beavers will also be bigger and faster than they were last year, but will have a tough time posting a winning record against a rugged nationwide schedule. Washington State will have to start all over from the bottom after losing 22 lettermen from last season's disappointing squad. New Coach Bert Clark faces a monumental task.

Wyoming will be the heavy favorite in the Western Conference A herd of experienced veterans is returning, aided by outstanding talent up from Wyoming's best-ever freshman team. The Cowpokes have had three years to master Coach Lloyd Eaton's flip-flop offense, and the big payoff should come this fall. Arizona State, although unaccustomed to losing, will have a hard time maintaining mastery in the cactus country, mainly because such teams as Utah and Arizona are getting stronger. Arizona, in particular, may fool us all this year. The required elements are present, and if the Wildcats get off to a good start they could have a big year. The brightest star at Utah is end Roy Jefferson, said to be the best all-around football player in Utah's history. From here, Brigham Young still looks out of the race with 22 lettermen missing from a team that posted a 2-8 record last year.

Air Force will have a rough time fielding an offense as potent as the one operated by now-departed Terry Isaacson. The Falcons will have a strong ground game, but the passing department will be limp. Also, Air Force is getting into the real big time and the schedule is more ambitious than ever. If the Falcons win half their games it will be a great year. Both Idaho and Colorado State are on the way up. Last fall, Idaho posted the first winning season in a quarter of a century, and the Vandals look just as good this fall. Utah State won most of its games last season by outlandish scores and seems to be just as potent this year, despite the loss of quarterback Bill Munson. The 1964 Utags will feature a herd of stampeding runners to replace last year's aerial circus. San Jose State and Pacific are sharing the West Coast football revival. San Jose, especially, shows signs of becoming a major factor on the West Coast scene.

So now that we--and all the other preseason prognosticators--have told you what is going to happen, how come the teams even bother to play their games? Because, as always, we will be right in some cases (most, we hope) and wrong in others. After all, it's the unexpected, the improbable and the unbelievable that make football such a great game. Before this season is over, a few unheralded teams will rise and smite the mighty, and a few gridiron Goliaths will fall with resounding thuds. And then what will happen? Twenty thousand Monday-morning quarterbacks will write us letters saying "I knew it all along." Nevertheless, we haven't met a man yet who got rich playing the weekly football-parlay cards. So don't try it.

The All-America Squad

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

Ends: Altenberg (UCLA), Jefferson (Utah), Thomas (Southern Cal), Jones (Wisconsin), Shinn (Kansas), Sands (Texas), Cripps (Syracuse), Stephens (Alabama)

Tackles: Yearby (Michigan), Kearley (Alabama), Schwager (Northwestern), Shay (Purdue), Rissmiller (Georgia), Harvey (Mississippi), Neville (Mississippi St.), Lawrence (Yale)

Guards: Burton and McQuarters (Oklahoma), Prudhomme (LSU), Branch and Croftcheck (Indiana), Pickens (Wisconsin), Hansen (III.)

Centers: Kelley (Ohio St.), Curry (Georgia Tech), Briscoe (Arizona), Henson (TCU), Watson (Mississippi St.), Hanburger (N. Carolina)

Backs: Staubach (Navy), Sidle (Auburn), Mazurek (Pitt), Namath (Alabama), Schweickert (Virginia Tech), Stichweh (Army), Rhome (Tulsa), Morton (California), Timberlake (Michigan), Barrington (Ohio St.), Grabowski and Price (Illinois), Glacken, Curtis, Bracy (Duke), Roland (Missouri), Anderson (Texas Tech), Piper and Walker (Rice), Davis (Georgia Tech), Dupree (Florida), Bird (Kentucky), Granger (Miss. St.), Iacavazzi (Princeton), Vaughn (Iowa St.), Nance (Syracuse), Douglas and Coffey (Washington), Crain (Clemson), Murphy (Northwestern)

Alternate All-America Team

Ends: Bob Hadrick (Purdue), John Parry (Brown)

Tackles: Larry Kramer (Nebraska), Archie Sutton (Illinois)

Guards: Rick Redman (Washington), Tommy Nobis (Texas)

Center: Malcolm Walker (Rice)

Quarterback: Tom Myers (Northwestern)

Halfbacks: Gale Sayers (Kansas), Tucker Frederickson (Auburn)

Fullback: Tom Nowatzke (Indiana)

Flankerback: Fred Biletnikoff (Florida State)

Linebacker: Ronnie Caveness (Arkansas)

Sophomore back of the Year: Halfback Frank Antonini (Kentucky)

Sophomore Lineman of the Year: Center Don Downing (Navy)

Top Twenty Teams

National Champion: Mississippi 9-1

2. Oklahoma.....9-1

3. Syracuse.....9-1

4. Washington.....8-2

5. Rice.....8-2

6. Auburn.....8-2

7. Arkansas.....8-2

8. North Carolina.....8-2

9. Nebraska.....8-2

10. Illinois.....7-2

11. Kansas.....7-3

12. Alabama.....7-3

13. Duke.....7-3

14. Kentucky.....7-3

15. Georgia Tech.....7-3

16. Indiana.....6-3

17. Michigan.....6-3

18. UCLA.....6-4

19. California.....6-4

20. Texas.....6-4

Possible Breakthroughs: Wyoming, Southern Methodist, Memphis State, Florida State, Penn State, Boston College, Delaware, Ohio U., Ohio State, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Utah State.

The East

Independents

Syracuse 9-1

Penn State 6-4

Pittsburgh 6-4

Navy 5-5

Army 5-5

Boston College 7-2

Holy Cross 7-3

Buffalo 7-3

Rutgers 6-3

Villanova 4-5

Colgate 3-6

IVY League

Princeton 7-2

Columbia 7-2

Yale 6-3

Cornell 6-3

Brown 5-4

Dartmouth 4-5

Harvard 4-5

Pennsylvania 3-6

Yankee Conference

Massachusetts 7-2

Maine 6-2

Vermont 5-3

Rhode Island 5-5

New Hampshire 3-5

Connecticut 2-6

Middle Atlantic Conference

Delaware 8-1

Bucknell 7-2

Temple 6-3

Gettysburg 5-4

Lehigh 3-6

Lafayette 3-6

Top Players: Mahle, Little, Nance, Cripps (Syracuse); Klingensmith, Ressler (Penn St.); Staubach, Donnelly, Freeman, Downing (Navy); Stichweh, Zadel (Army); Mazurek, Popp (Pitt); Whalen (Boston C); Lilly, Kavanaugh (Holy Cross); Ward, Brendel (Rutgers); Holly (Buffalo); Atkinson (Villanova); Roberts, Malmstrom (Columbia); Iacavazzi (Princeton); Parry (Brown); Molloy (Penn); Boyda, Grant (Harvard); Lawrence (Yale); Clarke, Klungness (Dartmouth); Whelchel, Meers (Mass.); DeVarney, Smith (Maine); Bianco (Delaware); Mitchell (Bucknell); Ward, Boyd (Gettysburg); Kish, Noel (Lehigh); Petro, Speers (Temple).

The Midwest

Big Ten

Illinois 7-2

Indiana 6-3

Michigan 6-3

Ohio State 6-3

Purdue 5-4

Wisconsin 5-4

Northwestern 5-4

Michigan State 3-6

Iowa 2-7

Minnesota 1-9

Mid-American Conference

Ohio U. 8-2

Bowling Green 7-3

Miami 6-4

Marshall 5-5

Kent State 5-4

Western Mich. 5-4

Toledo 2-7

Independents

Notre Dame 5-5

Xavier 5-5

Detroit 5-5

Dayton 3-7

Top Players: Butkus, Price, Hansen, Grabowski, Custardo, Sutton (Illinois); Nowatzke, Branch, Croftcheck (Indiana); Timberlake, Ward, Yearby (Michigan); Shay, Kuzniewski, Hadrick (Purdue); Barrington, Kelley (Ohio State); Pickens, Jones (Wisconsin); Schwager, Myers, Murphy, Banaszek (Northwestern); Juday (Mich. St.); Snook, Giacobazzi (Iowa); Hoovler (Ohio U.); Cunningham, Williams (Bowling Green); Kellermann (Miami); Cure, Mahone (Marshall); Asbury (Kent); Gray (Toledo); Mainer (Xavier); Beier (Detroit); Bitsko (Dayton); Costa, Snowden, Wolski (Notre Dame).

The South

Independents

Memphis State 9-1

Georgia Tech 7-3

Florida State 7-3

Miami 1-9

Southern Miss. 3-6

Southeastern Conference

Mississippi 9-1

Auburn 8-2

Alabama 7-3

Kentucky 7-3

Louisiana State 6-4

Mississippi State 6-4

Florida 5-5

Vanderbilt 4-6

Georgia 3-7

Tennessee 2-8

Tulane 2-8

Atlantic Coast Conference

North Carolina 8-2

Duke 7-3

Clemson 5-5

Virginia 5-5

South Carolina 5-5

Maryland 5-5

N. C. State 3-7

Wake Forest 1-9

Southern Conference

Virginia Tech 7-3

West Virginia 6-4

Richmond 5-5

The Citadel 5-5

G. Washington 5-5

Furman 5-5

Virginia Military 4-6

William & Mary 3-7

Davidson 3-6

Top Players: Davis, Gresham, Curry (Georgia Tech); Schuh, Brooks (Memphis State); Biletnikoff, Hermann (Florida State); Brown, Hindman, Harvey (Mississippi); Sidle, Frederickson (Auburn); Dupree (Florida); Stephens, Kearley, Namath, Bowman (Alabama); LaBruzzo, Schwab, Screen, Prudhomme (Louisiana State); Bird, Antonini (Kentucky); Watson, Neville, Granger (Miss. St.); De-Long (Tennessee); Rissmiller (Georgia); Willard, Hanburger (North Carolina); Barlow (N. Carolina St.); Glacken, Curtis, Bracy (Duke); Reeves (S. Carolina); Kowalkowski (Virginia); Crane (Clemson); Schweickert (Virginia Tech); Leftridge (West Virginia); McNeil (George Washington); Murphy (Citadel); Stoudt (Richmond).

The Near West

Big Eight

Oklahoma 9-1

Nebraska 8-2

Kansas 7-3

Missouri 6-4

Iowa State 5-5

Colorado 3-7

Kansas State 3-7

Oklahoma State 3-7

Southwest Conference

Rice 8-2

Arkansas 8-2

Texas 6-4

SMU 6-4

Baylor 5-5

Texas Tech 4-6

Texas A&M 3-7

Texas Christian 3-7

Missouri Valley Conference

Cincinnati 8-2

Wichita 5-5

Tulsa 5-5

Louisville 5-5

North Texas St. 4-6

Independents

Texas Western 6-4

Houston 3-7

West Texas St. 3-7

Top Players: Grisham, Neely, Burton, McQuarters (Oklahoma); Sayers, Shinn, Schweda (Kansas); Kramer, Hohn (Nebraska); Vaughn, Berrington (Iowa St.); Roland, Lane, Otto (Missouri); Mitts, Dusenbury (Kansas St.); Harper, Ward (Oklahoma St.); Reese, Lewark (Colorado); Lamb, Caveness (Arkansas); McReynolds, Walker, Piper, Wayt (Rice); Sands, Nobis, Koy, Harris (Texas); White, Roderick, Knee (SMU); Elkins, Maples, Marshall (Baylor); Anderson, Willis (Texas Tech); Henson (TCU); Owens, Nelson (Cincinnati); Rhome (Tulsa); Waskiewicz, Farr (Wichita); Buffone, LaFramboise (Louisville); Moore (N. Texas St.).

The Far West

Pacific Coast

Washington 8-2

California 6-4

UCLA 6-4

Southern Cal 5-5

Stanford 5-5

Oregon State 5-5

Oregon 4-6

Washington St. 2-8

Western Conference

Wyoming 8-2

Arizona State 6-4

Arizona 5-5

New Mexico 5-5

Utah 4-6

Brigham Young 2-8

Independents

Utah State 7-3

San Jose St. 7-3

New Mexico St. 6-4

Idaho 5-5

Colorado St. 4-7

Pacific 4-6

Air Force 4-6

Top Players: Coffey, Douglas, Redman (Washington); Morton, Schraub (Cal.); Nelson, Haffner, Zeno, Altenberg (UCLA); Garrett, Fertig, Thomas (USC); Ragsdale, Chapple (Stanford); Washington (Oregon St.); Berry (Oregon); Williams (Wash. St.); Levine, Wilkinson (Wyoming); Briscoe, Hudlow (Arizona); Jefferson (Utah); Murray, Smith, Zecher (Utah St.); Puster, Czarnota (Air Force); Leetzow, Litzinger (Idaho); Kroll (San Jose St.); Burkett (Colorado St.).