Playboy's Pigskin Preview

"When the frost is on the pumpkin and the fodder's in the shock," to quote a high-camp poet named Riley, gin and tonic on the patio is replaced by bourbon in a flask, lap blankets and school blazers are unpacked, and several million otherwise sane people converge on football stadia all over the country to savor a hallowed Saturday ritual. Roast squab and champagne are served from the tail gates of station wagons, beer busts prevail at fraternity houses, and do-or-die alums in Tyrolean hats haggle with school-of-hard-knocks ticket scalpers. At half time, gaudily attired marching bands play infinite variations on 76 Trombones while long-legged blue-eyed blondes twirl batons. The prospect of a national ranking or a Bowl bid or even a delicious upset adds the tingle of anticipation to the scene, and if a favorite halfback gets away on an 80-yard run, tens of thousands of rabid partisans dutifully abandon themselves to mass hysteria.

It's all very exhilarating and soul-purging, and even if we don't beat them, there's always cocktails at the Racquet Club after the game. And everybody has a ball--everybody except the coach, that is. He watches the game with the emotions of a man who lays his entire fortune on one spin of the roulette wheel. An ill-timed referee's whistle or an intercepted pass can change the course of his career. If he loses, the long corridor leading back to the locker room is ulcer gulch. If he wins, he still faces a sleepless night worrying about next week's game.

But worst of all, he dreads the psychic abuse he takes from the public and the press. The irrepressible Red Sanders, known as much for his caustic wit as for his imaginative coaching, said to us one morning over bitter coffee, "There are four things every man in the country thinks he can do better than anybody else: build a fire, run a hotel, make it with a broad and coach a football team. I spend half my time listening to filling-station attendants and grocery clerks tell me how to beat Tennessee."

If football coaching is the subject of innumerable Walter Mitty dreams, the coach himself is the target of fierce hostility or cloying adulation from tens of thousands of alumni. His mastery of coaching techniques is not the most important of his talents. He must be a diplomat, psychologist, politician, after-dinner speaker, executive, father-confessor, disciplinarian and supersalesman. He must work 16 hours a day almost the year round and get almost no sleep at all during the season.

But what's most nerve-racking is that matter of the coach finding himself at the mercy of luck. A whole year's labor can go to pot when the ball bounces the wrong way or a halfback trips on a blade of grass.

And now the coaches have a new worry to help fill their sleepless nights: the draft. Redshirts, prime aces in the hole for many coaches, may turn into so many Achilles' heels, thanks to Uncle Sam. Redshirting, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the neat ploy of holding some good players out of action during their sophomore year, thereby gaining another year's maturity and training, while not using up one of the three years that's the prescribed limit for varsity play. After his class graduates, the redshirt comes back to school another year and continues on toward his degree in basket weaving and, of course, plays football. But now the Selective Service has decided that students who have finished four years of college are prime candidates for greetings from the President. If the Armed Forces get more demanding in the immediate future, star athletes will be disappearing from some squads in wholesale lots, game plans and line-ups will be readjusted, and pre-season power ratings will go haywire. Whatever happens, this season can hardly hold more surprises than the last, so let's take a look at how the teams shape up.

Any way you peel the Orange, it looks like Syracuse will again be tops in the East. With Floyd Little at halfback, any team would be formidable. This year, Little captains the Orangemen, and he is as persuasive a leader as he is a runner. He has already erased most of the Syracuse records set by Jim Brown and Ernie Davis, and this should be his biggest year. Floyd attributes much of his success to the vicious blocking of fullback Larry Csonka, who also carries the ball like an enraged rhino. With this running duo and a new passing game built around spectacular identical-twin sophomores Jim (the passer) and John (the catcher) Del Gaizo, Syracuse will provide miserable afternoons for several defensive platoons. Coach Schwartzwalder's only problems are rebuilding the offensive interior line and the defensive secondary.

If Syracuse slips, Boston College is the team most likely to supplant the Orangemen as the class of the East. Coach Jim Miller has been abuilding for several years, and all the hard work could pay off this fall. The Eagles will field a big, fast, deep line and a spectacular running game built around formidable fullback Brendan McCarthy. If promising new quarterback Dave Thomas matures rapidly enough to give the Eagles a potent passing offense, it will be a rosy year at Chestnut Hill.

Rip Engle, one of the greatest coaches of all time, has retired from the fray after 16 years at Penn State, during which he never had a losing season. He couldn't have picked a better time to retire, because this could be Penn State's first losing season since 1938. New coach Joe Paterno, Engle's longtime assistant, inherits a squad heavily dominated by talented but grass-green sophomores. These young cubs could suddenly and unexpectedly mature into carnivorous Nittany Lions before the year is out. However, the chances are that the early going will be rough. But beware in '67!

Bill Elias is in his second season as Navy coach, and the results of his unique football savvy should be even more abundantly evident than last year. Navy is shipshape at all battle stations. Elias is a defensive genius, and the Middies have much more offensive firepower than a year ago. A fresh weapon in the arsenal is field-goal kicker Tim Cocozza. It could be a big year at Annapolis.

Prospects aren't quite so bright at West Point. The ranks are thin and green, and no air support is in sight. As if this weren't enough, last year's Army head coach, Paul Dietzel, departed suddenly just before spring practice, taking almost his entire staff with him to South Carolina. Dietzel now has the distinction of being the only member of the ethics committee of the American Football Coaches Association to have walked out on two solemn contracts in five years. The Cadets were left high and dry until former plebe coach Tom Cahill took the reins. The Cadets are blessed with what was the best plebe team in years, which may help make the Army-Navy game on November 26 another tossup affair.

Pittsburgh is in bad shape. Almost everybody is missing from a team that won only three games last year. There are only a handful of unproven reserves and the smallest soph contingent in years to take up the slack. Add to this the difficulties of adjusting to new coach Dave Hart and top it all with a horrendous schedule, and you begin to get the idea--Valley Forge revisited.

The future looks bright at Buffalo, if for no other reason than the arrival of new head coach Doc Urich, who was Ara Parseghian's assistant for many years. This means that Buffalo is kissing goodbye the slogging attack and will dress out in a new pro-style offense with lots of passing. The change may be breath-taking. Two great new weapons in Urich's bag will be sophs Mike Murtha, a quarterback, and halfback Steve Svec who, says Doc, is one of the fastest runners in the country. In fact, Urich has such fine talent at critical positions that the Buffalo offensive should be spectacular.

The key man at Holy Cross this year, as last, is quarterback Jack Lentz. The pre-season injury that kept him benched last fall has healed, and if coach Massucco can get Lentz some support from an almost seniorless squad, the Crusaders could improve greatly on last year's disappointing record. The opposition is rough, though, and Holy Cross will be at a disadvantage against squads that are deeper and that have the advantage of spring practice.

A sudden and unexpected revival is going on at Boston University, a school that made noises about de-emphasizing football just a few years ago. BU has the beefiest, most numerous and speediest squad in years, and the Terriers are quite optimistic.

Rutgers celebrates its bicentennial this year, but unfortunately the football team doesn't seem equipped to add much to the celebration. The ranks are thin, and no outstanding quarterback is in sight. Villanova, however, seems primed for a sudden revival of power, the pay-off from last year's rebuilding efforts. Colgate has its traditional stalwart defense, this year built around great linebacker Ray Ilg, and the Red Raiders will be better on the attack, thanks partly to the presence of a nifty new quarterback, Ron Burton.

Dartmouth seems to be on top of the Ivy heap again, perhaps with even less disputation from the ranks than before. The Indians came out of their season's-end showdown with Princeton the (continued on page 232) Pigskin Preview (cont. from page 156) winners not only on the scoreboard but in the futures market. Dartmouth returns its collection of splendidly endowed backfield talent virtually intact, and the offensive line contains center Chuck Matuszak and ends Bill Calhoun and Bob MacLeod, all of whom coach Bob Blackman says are peerless. Blackman has lost six All Ivy players via graduation, but his opponents won't notice much difference.

Princeton, however, will feel the graduation pinch rather severely, especially in the offensive line, where a lot of bone and muscle is needed to make the old single-wing power system work effectively. The bright side of the picture includes the presence of much good talent at the vital tailback spot and the arrival of a new field-goal kicker, Ted Garcia, a bigger, left-footed version of Charlie Gogolak. Garcia may turn out to be as good as his celebrated predecessor.

Graduation took a heavy toll at Harvard also, and depth appears to be a real problem everywhere on the Crimson squad. Except for snazzy halfback Vic Gatto, there will be precious little help from last year's freshman squad.

Yale is our choice for the dark horse of the Ivy League. Although coach Carm Cozza will have to find some new offensive linemen, the Yale squad is deeper, with more game-breaking talent than a year ago. The sophomore contingent is a humdinger; the new men may take over before midseason. Brightest hopes are placed in Brian Dowling, who enters the scene with more enthusiastic advance billing than any Eli quarterback in history. Yale fans insist he is the best quarterback in the country, even before he has played a game of varsity ball. Dowling brings along his own brilliant receivers from last year's freshman squad--Bruce Weinstein and Bernie Madden--and a thundering new fullback, Calvin Hill. Look for the Yalies to be invincible by the end of the season.

Cornell has a new coach, Jack Musick, and an exciting new halfback, Ed Zak, to go with a squad that has good size and speed but a very weak passing attack. If Musick can find a good quarterback to take the pressure off his swift halfbacks, Cornell could be much improved. Pennsylvania is steadily building, and the Quakers could have their first winning season since they won the Ivy title in 1959. The squad is small but skilled and has good momentum from last year. Both Brown and Columbia will field somewhat stronger teams if they can get some badly needed help from their sophomore contingents.

In the Yankee Conference, Massachusetts and Maine are again the reigning powers, but the increased rigors of Massachusetts' schedule will probably prevent them from repeating last year's 7--2 record. Maine took a severe physical beating in the Tangerine Bowl game with East Carolina, and several players still haven't recovered from their injuries, a factor that could affect title hopes. Vermont is the dark horse. The Catamounts are young, but big and eager.

Everybody in the Middle Atlantic Conference is tabbing Hofstra as the team to beat. The Long Islanders are assembling a juggernaut and are making no secret of it. Hofstra hopes to bring topflight college football to the New York City area for the first time since Fordham dropped the sport 12 years ago. This year's team will be built around ace quarterback Don Gault and halfbacks Fran Lynch and Wandy Williams, who will form one of the most exciting running duos in the East. Williams is a transfer from the University of Kansas, where he reminded coaches of Gayle Sayers.

Bucknell and Temple will be the biggest threats to Hofstra. Although Bucknell suffered heavy offensive losses from last year's championship team, nobody is going to run up much of a score on the Thundering Herd. If Temple can build a defense to supplement an explosive attack, they can have a great season. A talented group of newcomers will make them hard to handle by November, and the final game with Bowling Green will give us some idea of the comparative strengths of the Middle Atlantic and Mid-American Conferences.

It will probably be an off season for Delaware. Coach Dave Nelson chose a good year to retire to the relative peace and security of the athletic directorship. His successor, Tubby Raymond, inherits a squad decimated by graduation. Herb Slattery is one of the best linebackers in the country, but he has little seasoned help. Gettysburg will still have trouble with the leaky defense that was its nemesis last year, but a good running attack will help keep it in most of the games. Lafayette should be much improved and will probably field its best team in five years. There is plenty of experienced depth on hand and a stable full of big, speedy runners. Lehigh is steadily rebuilding toward the kind of excellence that won the Lambert Cup in 1961, but the Engineers have a long way to go.

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We keep hoping that some strain of logic will enter the annual Big Ten scenario. Like everyone else last year, we figured Michigan was a shoo-in, but somehow they fell apart. The year before, it happened to Illinois. And we have a similar setup this fall. On paper, and in nearly everyone's considered estimation, Michigan State seems way out in front of the rest of the pack. But this time we're going to abandon our cherished belief that logic will somehow triumph, and instead predict that history will repeat itself. For the past 15 years, the Big Ten teams that have gone to the Rose Bowl have averaged a fifth-place Conference finish the next season. The reason, of course, is more than metaphysical; everybody is out to beat last year's champs, and that spells trouble in the Big Ten. Michigan State, alas, has even more concrete problems, problems that may not be immediately apparent to the East Lansing fans, who expect another championship as a matter of course. First, and most important, the Spartans are in a precarious psychological situation. Any squad composed of five superstars (Clinton Jones, Bob Apisa, Bubba Smith, Gene Washington and George Webster) and 75 other good but unworshiped players is vulnerable to the morale problems of the star system that demolishes a few teams every year. Secondly, Duffy Daugherty must replace his entire defensive line, a group that, more than any other, kept the '65 Spartans undefeated during the regular season. Duffy must also find a replacement for quarterback Steve Juday, who couldn't do anything brilliantly except win games. If fullback Bob Apisa's leg heals, the Spartans may run like a herd of buffaloes and simply trample their opposition into defeat.

Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois all look about equally potent as the season is about to leave the launching pad. The champion will probably be the team with the best on-field luck. Purdue seems to be the team most likely to make its own breaks, however. Quarterback Bob Griese returns and is blessed with an even better collection of receivers than last year. In fact, he may have the finest passel of pass catchers in the country to help him sew up his second set of All-America laurels. The pressure will be taken off Griese by Purdue's best assortment of breakaway speedsters since 1943, in the persons of sophs Perry Williams and Pete Jilleba. The only problem for coach Jack Mollenkopf is finding replacements for graduated offensive linemen to give Griese and his slippery sidekicks some protection. That shouldn't be an insurmountable problem at Purdue, where tons of beefy linemen are traditional.

There will be a wholesale change at Ohio State from quality with experience to quality with greenness. The Buckeyes graduated the finest senior class in 15 years, but the vets have been replaced with the biggest (47) and best collection of sophomores in the school's history. The difference between '65 and '66 won't be too noticeable by midseason. If Woody Hayes is anything, he is a good teacher, and the familiar Buckeye dreadnought will be functioning faultlessly by November. Principal new horses in Woody's stable will be halfback Joe Jenkins and fullback Terry Lee Ervin.

The best prospect for the sleeper team of the year in the Big Ten is Illinois. The Illini may be vulnerable on defense, because the great linebackers that have become traditional in Champaign are missing this season. Even so, the Illini could simply outscore their opponents. Cyril Pinder and Ron Bess are probably the best pair of halfbacks in the league, and soph fullback Rich Johnson looks good enough to fill even Jim Grabowski's shoes. Best of all, coach Pete Elliott is grooming a new quarterback, Bob Naponic, who seems destined for greatness. If Elliott can solve his defensive problems, Illinois could go all the way.

Michigan was expected to be invulnerable in '65, but, in true Big Ten fashion, it fell apart. Now the pressure is off and the Wolverines still have a large part of the talent that was supposed to spell a winner last year. Carl Ward and Jim Detwiler are a fabulous pair of runners, and quarterback Dick Vidmer may mature into greatness in his senior year. The Wolverines will be lighter and faster this time, and if Bump Elliott can find some good new interior linemen, Michigan may atone for last year's disappointment.

Coach John Pont appears to have things on the move at Indiana, at last. Pont's incurable optimism should bear fruit this season. The Hoosiers came on strong last November, giving the Big Ten's top three teams a bloody scrap before succumbing to greater squad depth. Pont's system will be more familiar to his players this year, and Indiana should have an awesome offense, largely due to the presence of Terry Cole, probably the greatest unheralded (until now) halfback in college football. Only a sophomore last season, Cole was almost a one-man team, playing several different positions as the need arose. This year, he could be the best back in the Big Ten. Look for the Hoosiers to pull some spectacular upsets this fall.

Coach Alex Agase, the jolly Syrian raconteur, faces the traditional dilemma at Northwestern: how to fashion a team out of a stable full of splendid backs and a dismal dearth of dependable linemen. If he can solve this problem as well as he did last year, Northwestern will be a real factor in the Big Ten race. Otherwise, the Wildcats will have to utilize all that backfield talent to go around and throw above the opposition. Agase is still looking for his first winning season in Evanston, but it won't be this year, we're afraid.

Minnesota and Iowa have problems, bad problems. Graduation took such a drastic toll at Minneapolis that Murray Warmath is left with little but the water boy and a field full of novices. Fortunately, Murray is a master at making the most with whatever there is to work with, so the Gopher season shouldn't be a total loss. Minnesota fans will be interested in new quarterback Ray Stephens (the great Sandy's younger brother) and promising soph fullbacks Mike Danielson and Dennis Cornell.

At Iowa, new coach Ray Nagel is starting from scratch after last year's catastrophic season. It looks as though it will be a long, difficult road back to Big Ten prestige. Nagel is a defense-oriented coach who stresses fundamentals, so the Hawkeyes will at least give everybody a good tussle.

Prospects are a little brighter at Wisconsin this year, but not much. Coach Milt Bruhn has hired a new staff of assistants, which will help, and the Badgers have an unusually good crop of yearlings to give some help to the returnees from last year's undistinguished squad. The ranks are still thin, however, and injuries to key personnel would be disastrous.

Notre Dame will look much like the 1964 team that made Ara Parseghian's South Bend debut so spectacular. The presence of two new talented and appropriately named quarterbacks, Terry Hanratty and Coley O'Brien, will enable Parseghian to abandon last season's slogging attack and revert to the wide-open pro-style offense he prefers. Like two years ago, the Savage Celts will be largely young but able, with most of the wise old vets on the defensive platoon. Most of last year's formidable infantry returns in the persons of Nick Eddy and Larry Conjar; and if Parseghian can locate some good offensive linemen among a squad that numbers 111, Notre Dame will stay near the top of the national ratings. One thing is for sure: The Irish will be an exciting team, one that can explode in any game. The opening Donnybrook with Purdue should be a gasser.

Last year, the Mid-American Conference was predominantly a league of lowerclassmen. This fall, with hosts of returning lettermen on all squads, the league from top to bottom will be the strongest in its history, with any team capable of winning it all. Miami of Ohio looks like the best bet. The Redskins have all their offensive aces back from the pyrotechnic team that spent most of last season on a scoring binge. Kent State, one of the beefiest teams in the country, with 27 men on the roster who weigh more than 225 pounds, may just grind everybody else underfoot. Bowling Green is also rich in returning talent; but on a senior-dominated squad, ennui is always a threat. Coach Bill Doolittle is doing a lot at Western Michigan, moving his team from mediocrity to championship contention in only two years. Now that the Broncos have arrived, they will be sharing the Conference dark-horse role with Marshall, whose first two teams return practically intact.

Ohio University is an enigma. After the unexpected disaster of a winless season, which saw the university administration rally behind the coaching staff, the Bobcats could bounce right back to their former potency. The squad is as experienced and determined this season as it was green and discouraged last year, and vicious fullback Wash Lyons is healthy again. The only roadblock is a toughened schedule that includes Purdue and Boston College as the first two opponents.

Xavier fans are jumping with joy, and with good reason. There were few losses from a squad that posted an 8-2 record in '65. Best of all, quarterback Carroll Williams returns. Not a few pro scouts insist Williams is the best passer in college football. With a good group of receivers on hand and a big and experienced line in front of him, Williams will have a chance to prove it this year. An undefeated season is a distinct possibility.

• • •

This year, for a welcome change, we will probably know by the end of the season just who is top dog in the land of gravy and grits. For the first time in memory, nearly all the powerhouses are playing each other. This departure from the traditional Dixie tactic of fattening schedules with pushovers while avoiding showdowns will certainly improve the dramaturgical content of the season, not to mention the average Yankee's respect for Southern football.

Of the most promising combatants, Alabama stands a full head (Bear Bryant's head) above the rest. If the Bear's '65 aggregation was the product of a rebuilding year, we can anticipate what the Crimson will be like at full Tide. It was abundantly apparent to intrepid Bowl watchers last January that Alabama, by shackling Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, deserved the mythical national championship, though it had been awarded a month earlier by general consent to Michigan State. Bear Bryant has a strong affinity for what he calls "winning players," which, translated, means young men with the speed and agility of an antelope and the combative instincts of a Tasmanian devil. He had a bumper crop of them last year, mostly underclassmen, and nearly all of them return, older, wiser and presumably more invincible. Bryant has no particular preference for the outsized linemen so prized by other coaches, so the Tidemen, like Cassius, have that lean and hungry look. On defense, they strike like so many rattlesnakes. The offense may be a little less talented right down the middle this year (center, quarterback and fullback), but opponents won't notice the difference much. Ken "Snake" Stabler may mature into as good a quarterback as predecessor Steve Sloan. Look for the Bear to field the best team of his career. For this, we vote him Coach of the Year.

Alabama gets its mettle tested October 1 against Ole Miss, the team most likely to dethrone the Tide. Last year, coach Johnny Vaught had the greenest team he's ever handled at Ole Miss, but they learned quickly and were fearsome by season's end. All those youngsters have returned with a year's growth and added experience, and Vaught should field the kind of powerhouse Rebel fans used to take for granted. With tackles Jim Urbanek and Dan Sartin and middle guard Jimmy Keyes, the defensive line should be nearly impregnable. The '66 Rebels, however, lack a couple of advantages that were once perennial features of Ole Miss teams: an All-America quarterback and a ludicrous schedule. In fact, the Rebs face the four other top teams in their Conference, and the schedule should be more of a stumbling block than the lack of a brilliant passer.

Georgia has that catalytic mixture of solid veterans and brilliant sophomores that can explode when least expected. The Bulldogs were a much better team than anyone thought possible during coach Vince Dooley's first two campaigns, and his third edition could be the most surprising of all. A brilliant new runner, Kent Lawrence, is in the fold. Lynn Hughes, the best defensive safety in the country, may also turn out to be the best relief quarterback anywhere.

Like Georgia, Tennessee has a much heralded soph runner, track star Richmond Flowers, who enters a backfield already loaded with experienced talent. The Vols claim to have the best set of alternating quarterbacks in the country in Dewey Warren and Charlie Fulton. Tennessee will feature a potent offense, but the defensive forces have been badly crippled. Any team that loses two All-America linebackers the same year is in trouble. Still, the talent bag is full enough, and if the Vols can have a little luck until all those able newcomers get smart, Tennessee may approach the glory of 30 years ago.

Graduation wiped out most of LSU's starting cast, including the entire offensive line, but nobody is feeling sorry for the Bengals. The sophomore crop is the best in years, though the new men, potentially the best players on the squad, may see very little action, because the reserves left over from last year are so good. In short, although this will be classed as a rebuilding year at Baton Rouge, the reconstruction job should be a short one, and the Bengals should be the same old familiar powerhouse by midseason. The opening game with South Carolina on September 17 should be the nearest thing to a Roman circus since those ancients stopped throwing Christians to the lions. On that night, Preacher Paul Dietzel brings his Gamecocks into Bengal stadium for his first visit since he walked out on his LSU coaching contract five years ago.

Auburn should be about as strong as last year, but the problems are reversed. Last year, coach Jordan had to worry about building some kind of offense. He succeeded beautifully, but the defense, which was supposed to be impregnable, fell apart on him. Now he has to shore up a green defense and try to find a starting quarterback from among nine soso candidates. By the end of the year, fullback Tom Bryan should be one of the best in the country.

Florida enters the season with some discouraging problems. Not only did graduation take a serious toll, but the Gator squad suffered an unprecedented rash of injuries to key veterans during spring practice. Just who will be healthy enough to play is still problematical, but one certain disadvantage is the fact that the Gators lost their top three pass receivers. Quarterback Steve Spurrier is one of the best passers in the land, but it takes two to tango, so coach Graves must find someone to catch his tosses. Ergo, unless the Gators' luck takes a sudden dramatic turn, this will be an off season in Gainesville.

Like Florida, Mississippi State and Kentucky had their offensive teams decimated by graduation. Mississippi State retains a potentially great passer in Don Saget, and Marcus Rhoden is probably the most dangerous runner in the South. Kentucky has Larry Seiple, a do-everything runner, but little else from last year's star-studded offense that sent a million dollars' (literally) worth of talent to the pros. The Wildcats will probably be underrated by opponents this year (a welcome change). But look out for action from the best collection of sophomores in the nation. The new faces include 10 high school All-Americas, 33 All-Staters and 5 of Pennsylvania's "Big 33" high schoolers of '64. Kentucky, with an improved defense, could be the South's big sleeper.

Vanderbilt's offensive impotence should be partly cured with the arrival of dandy new quarterback Gary Davis, a junior college transfer. With some of the pressure taken off, fullback Jim Whiteside may be one of the best in Dixie. The Commodores will still be a top defensive club, and the long-delayed fruition of coach Jack Green's rebuilding project may begin to show this year.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has suffered a power failure the last few years, but a new day is dawning. All six Carolina teams are burgeoning, and this year's championship race should be a mad scramble among North Carolina, North Carolina State, Clemson, Duke and South Carolina. North Carolina and North Carolina State look particularly virulent. Both squads are deep, big, experienced and well-balanced. The Tar Heels have superb triple-threat quarterback Danny Talbott and a noteworthy new halfback, Dick Wesolowski. The Wolfpack, which dedicates its new stadium this year, should be a real sleeper team. The opening game, against Michigan State, may be a more interesting event than the Spartans expect.

Tom Harp, former Cornell coach, has taken over at Duke and, unless adjustment problems arise, the Blue Devils should be stronger. Though Harp won fame at Cornell primarily for producing teams with a strong ground attack, he may switch tactics at Durham because of the presence of a good passer and a bevy of fine receivers. Harp also inherits fully accredited fullback Jay Calabrese.

Clemson was a much stronger team in '65 than the 5--5 record indicated. The Tigers should be even tougher this year, but much of the improvement may be canceled out by a severe schedule. Coach Frank Howard, a colorful, tobacco-chewing, back-country pundit, specializes in hard-nosed football, and this year he has plenty of material to work with. The offense should be improved, with the line anchored by massive Wayne Mass and the backfield souped up with soph tailback Buddy Gore, the fastest runner at Clemson in a generation.

On the surface, South Carolina would seem to have an inside track in the Conference championship race. The Gamecocks were mostly a team of big, tough and talented sophs last season, and all that returning manpower would seem to give them their best chance for greatness in many years. There are two complicating factors, however: a backbreaking schedule and a badly timed coaching change. Paul Dietzel took over from departing Marvin Bass midway through spring practice, bringing almost an entirely new coaching staff with him from West Point. Installing new playing systems before the first game will be difficult, and adjustment problems may scuttle the Gamecocks. Dietzel should be far more effective as coach and recruiter in the Bible Belt, where his sermons against the evils of drink and tobacco ("You there in the third row, put that cigarette out!") will make a bigger splash than they did in sinful Yankee-land. Also, the Preacher's football savvy is a good deal more sophisticated than his theology, so the Gamecocks may reach full potential by the end of the season. But we doubt it.

Bill Tate has done one of the most difficult but successful rebuilding jobs in memory at Wake Forest. In only two years, the change in prospects for the Deacons has been fantastic. There are more good players on hand this season than anyone can remember, but experienced depth is still lacking. Wake Forest will play the role of spoiler in '66, and if coach Tate comes up with one more good recruiting year, the Deacons could be on top in a couple of seasons.

Lou Saban, late of the pro Buffalo Bills, takes over the coaching reins at Maryland and will try to pick up the pieces from last year's disappointing performance. Saban inherits a deep and talented squad, and if he can find a good quarterback to go with some excellent running backs and good receivers, the Terps may surprise us.

Virginia has a splendid offensive backfield, and if they can stay physically sound, the Cavaliers could have a respectable season. The Virginians will field a good 22-man team, but there is no depth, so injuries would finish them off.

Look for Miami to be hell on wheels. The Hurricanes were mostly sophs in '65, but they ripened early and came on like Gang Busters in the last half of the schedule, beating Florida's Sugar Bowl team and tying Notre Dame. The entire backfield returns, including spectacular quarterback Bill Miller, who will have to fight to keep his job from equally spectacular new slinger David Teal. The Hurricanes could easily be one of the big surprises of the year and, as fate would have it, their first game is against Colorado, another candidate for comeback team of '66.

The one thing that kept Georgia Tech from reaching the heights last season was a porous defense. That problem seems to have been solved via the importation of an entirely new defensive coaching staff and the introduction of a new "wrecker" defense. The all-soph backfield of '65 has matured and the Yellow Jackets should be as robust as ever on the attack. Since the schedule seems relatively mild, the Jackets should enjoy a big year.

Tulane has departed the Southeastern Conference and has set out to seek its own football destiny. While they were at it, the Greenies got a new coach, Jim Pittman, and abandoned their once-perennial proclivity for masochistic schedules. The morale, like the schedule, is better, but the Tulane squad still lacks depth and speed. The Green Wave hasn't enjoyed a .500 season since 1956, and Pittman would be working a minor miracle to produce one his first year.

Florida State won't have to fret about the senioritis that plagued them last fall. The Seminoles will be green but eager. The vaunted defense of the past two years is gone, but two of the new men, quarterback Gary Pajcic and flanker Ron Sellers, form a great future passing combination and may help the Seminoles field an explosive offense before the end of the year. Everything depends on how soon a large group of promising youngsters win their spurs.

Two potent powers in Southern football who get less than their fair share of press attention are Memphis State and Southern Mississippi. We saw Memphis State scrimmage during spring practice, and the defense looked like that of a pro team. The offense, however, will suffer unless coach Spook Murphy can find a quarterback to go with scads of good running backs. Southern Miss was the number-one defensive team in the nation last year, and it will be just as hard-nosed this time around. But with the toughest schedule in their history, the Southerners will be hard-pressed to break even. Look for coach Pie Vann to reverse form and mount a spectacular aerial game.

Virginia Tech is loaded. Nearly everybody returns from a successful year, and if the Gobblers can find a good quarterback and can avoid the psychological letdown that sometimes besets a veteran-loaded team, they should have their best season in many years.

A major shift is occurring in the Southern Conference. Perennial power West Virginia was nearly wiped out by graduation, while William & Mary and newcomer East Carolina are stronger than ever. At West Virginia, new coach Jim Carlen inherits little but halfback Garrett Ford, who Mountaineer supporters insist was the best sophomore runner in the country last year. Marv Levy has been Conference Coach of the Year in his first two seasons at the William & Mary helm, and he might make it again in '66. The Indians are deeper in good players than they've been in years. The Conference championship could be decided during the first game of the season, with East Carolina, which will be as strong as ever. The Pirates have joined the big boys, however, and their new major college schedule will preclude a repeat of the last two 9--1 years. With a revved-up version of the old single wing, the Carolinians may beat a few teams by simply confusing them. VMI, George Washington and Richmond lost heavily from graduation after disappointing seasons in '65 and don't have the wherewithal to show much improvement this year.

• • •

Nebraska still has the inside track in the Big Eight race. When the Cornhuskers won the title in 1963, coach Bob Devaney prophesied that never again would one team dominate the Conference. He has since proved himself a splendid coach but a lousy prophet. The Huskers have won three Conference championships in a row, and this year they look stronger than ever, with ace quarterback Bobby Churchich and "Lighthorse" Harry Wilson among a flock of veteran backs who boast size, speed and power. In fact, the only worry Devaney has is finding a pair of ends to replace All-Americas Freeman White and Tony Jeter. If the end problem can be solved, and if the Huskers don't get booby-trapped by overconfidence, this season will be a replay of the last three.

Colorado has the best chance to dethrone Nebraska. Coach Eddie Crowder has done a monumental rebuilding job in Boulder, and his team is making an impressive comeback. The Buffaloes finished the '65 season bursting with power, and virtually the entire squad is back, hungrier than ever to regain past glories. The Buffs will get an added lift from a group of big linemen coming up from the freshman ranks. The running game will be more explosive than ever. An opposing Big Eight coach, speaking of Colorado with awe in his voice, told us, "They have some folks in their backfield who run like they have been scared by a lynch mob."

Oklahoma's great expectations of 1965 fizzled, but the Sooners are back with most of their horses still in the stable. They also have a superb new coaching staff, headed by Jim Mackenzie, who is starting from scratch with basics. If he gets his teaching job done in time, Oklahoma will also have a shot at unseating Nebraska. Middle guard Granville Liggins, one of the best defensive linemen in the country last year as a sophomore, anchors a defensive line that may be nearly impenetrable.

On paper, Missouri would seem to be much weaker than a year ago, but don't you believe it. Although coach Devine shot the works last year by playing a large group of talented seniors nearly full time, thus leaving little experienced depth for this season, opponents are quick to point out that Missouri had a team of redshirts last year that could have won some of the games by itself. One of the gold-plated holdovers is quarterback Conrad Deneault, who, unlike the best Tiger quarterbacks of recent history, is primarily a skilled passer. Consequently, with halfbacks Charlie Brown and Earl Denny returning, the Missouri offense should be wonderfully versatile. If coach Devine can find some antisocial linemen among his redshirts, the Tigers will be as good as ever.

Let us give warning right now that Iowa State could be the big sleeper of the year in the flatlands. The Cyclones have the most experienced squad in the history of the school to give support to a good passing game and better-than-average runners. Look for some big surprises in Ames this fall.

Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State are all in the throes of rebuilding campaigns. Best bet to show some marked improvement this season is Kansas, where quarterback Bob Skahan could make the winning difference in some games. Coach Jack Mitchell is returning to old-fashioned fundamentals as the Jayhawks try to pick up the pieces from the worst season since Mitchell went to Lawrence.

One Southwest Conference coach, discussing the upcoming season, told us, "Anybody who picks any team besides Arkansas has got to be some kind of a nut." Not being a candidate for the funny farm, we feel constrained to agree with him--with a few cautious reservations, of course. During an amazing eight-year tenure at Arkansas, coach Frank Broyles has fielded teams that have won or shared five Conference championships and received six Bowl invitations. Broyles has the wherewithal to rack up his third undefeated season in a row. Passer Jon Brittenum and runner Harry Jones give the Razorbacks a one-two offensive punch that is almost unstoppable; and the defense, led by tackle Loyd Phillips, who Broyles says is the best defensive lineman in the country, should be as stubborn as ever. Add to this a soft non-Conference schedule, and you get the makings of another Bowl-bound team.

Darrell Royal had a couple of bad recruiting years at Texas (bad by Royal's standards, that is), and the results showed last year when the Longhorns won only six games, a season that is comparable with the battle of the Alamo in Austin. The returning troops will be rather thin this year, but they will be fleshed out with a conspicuous collection of yearlings. New quarterback Bill Bradley arrives on the scene with so much advance hoopla that many Texas fans expect him to win All America laurels his first season. Soph tailback Chris Gilbert will add a new dimension to the running game. There will be 11 sophomores on the first two starting teams, which may cause some trouble in early games; but after all those new Longhorns get some game experience, Texas will be the same old powerhouse.

Best chance to break the perennial Arkansas-Texas domination of the league is given to Texas Christian, which also has an impressive horde of new talent to go along with a deep squad of veterans. Rookies Norman Bulaich and Ross Montgomery will give the Horned Toads the best running attack in years. If coach Abe Martin can build a good offensive line, both Nebraska and Ohio State may be in for a surprise in the first two games of the season.

There is reason for much optimism at Baylor, also. The Bears will field a scorching pro-type offense built around brilliant passer Terry Southall. The picture is further brightened by the debuts of flanker Jackie Allen and fullback Pinky Palmer. With a weak pass defense, however, the Bears could be allergic to their own brand of medicine. If the incredible rash of injuries that decimated last year's team can be avoided, Baylor will be a contender.

Texas Tech has lost halfback Donny Anderson and quarterback Tom Wilson, who were the league's best in their specialties, and few of their opponents expect the Red Raiders to approach last year's success. But this could be a grave miscalculation. The Tech squad is stronger than ever, though much of the beef is fresh.

Southern Methodist whomped Texas last year, an event of epic proportions, and the resulting self-confidence has helped the Mustangs immeasurably. Nearly all the defensive platoon, which led the Conference in '65, has returned, so nobody is going to tally appreciably against SMU. If some offense can be generated, the Mustangs could have a good year.

Jess Neely, the current dean of college coaches, plans to retire at the end of this season, after 40 years as a head coach. His Rice Owls would naturally like to give him a good send-off with a winning season, but the prospects are dim. Little good talent returns from the '65 team that won only two games. One bright spot will be the debut of rookie tailback L. V. Benningfield.

If there is a big surprise in the Southwest Conference this year, chances are it will be sprung by Texas A&M. Dynamic young coach Gene Stallings is destined to become one of the greats, and his expertise may show up in unexpected proportions this season. Last year, the Aggies won only three games, but they led Texas, TCU and Texas Tech at half time, although they didn't have the manpower to make it stick. It will be different this time out. Look for new tackle Maurice Moorman to be one of the best in the country his first season.

The Missouri Valley Conference, with only five member teams, shows signs of becoming one of the most power-laden circuits in the land. Within the next couple of years, two or three of these five teams could wind up among the top 20 in the country. Prospects at Tulsa are especially bright. Although graduation nearly wiped out last year's team that went to the Bluebonnet Bowl, the replacements look better than the departed seniors. In fact, Tulsa will look more like a pro team than a college team. Both lines will average over 250 pounds per man. New tackle Joe Blake tips the scales at 318 and runs the 50-yard dash in six seconds. The Hurricanes have five new quarterbacks with dazzling credentials and a field full of good pass catchers. If the Hurricanes don't tear up the countryside this year, just wait until 1967.

Wichita State gets a needed injection of backfield speed via soph Tom Snodgrass and transfer Charlie Brown, so the Shockers have a good shot at the conference title. Cincinnati will field a relatively green team, but if a group of promising sophs lives up to its promise, the Bearcats will have an explosive offense. Hopes at North Texas State lie mostly in the throwing arm of Vidal Carlin, a previously unheralded quarterback who was a sensation in '65. State will continue to emphasize its passing attack, a strange situation at a school that has built a national reputation for great runners. If a sick defense can be healed, the Eagles could be vastly improved.

There will be fireworks in the Astrodome. Houston plays seven games at home, and if speedsters Dick Post and Warren McVea can get acclimated to the Astroturf, this could be a distinct advantage. Even though Post and McVea are perhaps the best pair of runners in the Southwest, the Cougars will emphasize the air game with record-breaking passer Bo Burris and a flock of good receivers.

Two other cow-country independents will return with aerial circuses intact. Optimism is boiling over in El Paso, where coach Bobby Dobbs in his first year turned a winless and lethargic Texas Western squad into a fiery scoring machine that had spectators rubbing their eyes in disbelief. After beating Texas Christian in the Sun Bowl, what can the Miners do for an encore? More of the same, says Dobbs. All the offensive guns are back, including superslinger Billy Stevens. West Texas State's air attack is built around Hank Washington, who will throw even more often this year than in '65, when he broke nearly all the school passing records.

Sizing up the West Coast teams this year is a job for a computer. We've seldom seen a Conference with such an apparently even distribution of power. Last year's kingpins, UCLA and Southern Cal, have both suffered crippling personnel losses, while all the also-rans look stronger.

UCLA is in a particularly interesting position. Since last year's offensive superstars (halfback Mel Farr and quarterback Gary Beban) return, Los Angeles fans will expect the Uclans to encore their '65 act. Most of the other offensive stalwarts are missing, however, and among the departed are Beban's three favorite receivers. The Bruins' colorful defense, led by enormous guard John Richardson, should be adequate, but filling the offensive gaps will be difficult. Another lost advantage is the surprise factor. Last year, coach Tommy Prothro took a young team that almost nobody had any hopes for and engineered a storybook season, including the dismantling of Michigan State's elephantine juggernaut in the Rose Bowl. This must certainly be listed as the neatest coaching trick of the decade. But this year, the Uclans can't bushwhack unsuspecting opponents. Prothro is a wonderfully resourceful coach, though, so look for another fine Uclan team.

Southern Cal lost irreplaceable Mike Garrett, and that alone would make the Trojans' prospects dimmer. But almost the entire offensive line has graduated also, and coach John McKay will have to weld a new attack squadron around his two best veterans, Troy Winslow and Rod Sherman. The Trojans' defense should be better than ever, though, so a winning season is still probable.

Stanford will have so many new faces in skilled positions that fans may not recognize the team. Both backfields, including incomparable Ray Handley, nearly vanished with graduation. The linebacking corps must also be rebuilt. The one familiar returning face, Dave Lewis, may be shifted to a running back slot to make way for new quarterbacking talent.

They're having a Happening in Berkeley. It's a refreshing change, too, because it has been years since California was an important factor in the Pacific Coast title race. Coach Ray Willsey has a regiment of new faces in camp (54 of the 81-man squad are rookies), and the Bears have general team depth for the first time in years. The recruits are raw, to be sure, but they are laden with aptitude. There are five neophyte halfbacks, for example, who can be game breakers. Everything depends on how quickly Willsey molds all this new material into a cohesive unit. By the end of the season, there should be plenty of excitement in Berkeley.

Coach Len Casanova was so displeased with last year's losing season that he is completely dismantling his Oregon grid machine and rebuilding it from the ground up. Although 27 lettermen return, most of them may wind up in new positions or on the bench. Best hope for a revival of Webfoot prowess rests in halfback Jim Smith and end Steve Bunker, who Casanova insists is as outstanding a receiver as the recently departed Ray Palm.

Oregon State's hope for a profitable season centers mostly around fullback Pete Pifer, who charges into the line like a bellicose bull. We saw him batter the Northwestern line to a pulp last year, and his coaches say he gets meaner with every game. Pifer, along with Paul Brothers and Bob Grim, will give the Beavers an imposing offense.

Washington switched from a defense-oriented club to an offense-oriented one last year, and the results were less fruitful than expected. The attack should cohere this season, though, and with Don Moore carrying the ball and Dave Williams catching passes, the offense could be terrorizing. In fact, if a quarterback can be found to throw to Williams, he could turn out to be the best end in the country. A green defensive squad, however, may keep the Huskies from bettering last year's break-even record.

Washington State, like UCLA, had a great season in '65 after being generally picked to finish near the bottom of the Conference. But nobody will overlook the Cougars this fall. Coach Bert Clark will field a better offense than ever. The only problems are finding a good fullback and rebuilding the defensive secondary. The Cougars are stronger, so now we can see how well they adapt to the unaccustomed role of being favored in most of their games.

Brigham Young stunned everyone last year by winning the Western Athletic Conference Championship, a feat it could very well repeat if it can find some new offensive linemen to give fabulous quarterback Virgil Carter some protection. The surprise factor will be missing, though, and with WAC opponents bent on revenge, BYU could turn out to be just a paper Cougar.

Wyoming seems to have the best chance to unseat Brigham Young. The Cowboys are a strange phenomenon in the mountain and cactus country--a running team. Arizona State will be the dark horse in the WAC. The Sun Devils have been blessed with two excellent crops of sophomores in a row. Coach Frank Kush says that if the new men jell soon enough, his team will be "tougher 'n hell." If State wins those first two games against Texas Western and Wyoming, the Sun Devils will be unstoppable.

Arizona had a disappointing year in '65, probably because too much of the offensive burden was placed on the running of Brad Hubbert. Coach Jim LaRue has gone out and lassoed a couple of good junior college transfer quarterbacks to take some of the load off Hubbert. If they come through, the Wildcats will be a good team again. Otherwise, it will be another long winter in Tucson. Utah could be much improved if new coach Mike Giddings succeeds in teaching his players an entirely new style of football by September. The Utes are loaded with experience, but a tough schedule may preclude a winning season. New Mexico will go to two platoons this year, and it will be difficult finding enough good linemen to go around. New quarterback Rick Beitler may take up where graduated Stan Quintana left off.

Idaho could be one of the big surprises of the year. Many observers characterize the Vandals as "Ray McDonald and a crew of spear carriers." But Idaho also has skilled depth at quarterback, plus flashy new wingback Ken Dotson. The line is big and mean, and the blocking should be better than ever. McDonald is a once-in-a-lifetime fullback. At 250 pounds, he runs like a cheetah. Over the breakfast table one morning this spring, he told us, "I keep trying and trying, but I just can't run the hundred-yard dash in less than ten seconds." Many pro scouts feel he is already a better fullback than Jim Brown, which is rather like being a better singer than Caruso. Now that Idaho has other offensive guns to take some of the load off McDonald, the Vandals may have their best season in history.

Among pro scouts, Utah State has come to be known as "Tackle U." The tradition is certainly being upheld this year, with a collection of the most awesome linemen tackles Bill Staley and Spain musgrove. Utah State lost only five seniors from last year's squad that won eight games, so the Utags look more fearsome than ever. They will probably give Nebraska more than it bargained for on September 24.

New Mexico State is optimistic because of the arrival of 15 junior college transfers ("real horses," say the coaches) to supplement the returning bulk of last year's very successful team. State fans are confident their team is on the verge of big-rank football, and they could be right.

San Jose State also has a fine group of transfers and should be much stronger. But so is the schedule, and thus the Spartans will have a hard time posting a winning record. University of the Pacific has decided to return to the big time, and new coach Doug Scovil has been given command of the reconstruction job. Results won't show for a while, partly because Pacific is in the unique predicament of having no sophomores, because there was no freshman team last year.

Finally, and appropriately, we wrap up our wrap-up with our Out-on-a-Limb pick for 1966--the Air Force Academy. Coach Ben Martin appears to have brought his team's fortunes to full circle since the disastrous cheating scandal that left his '65 squad skeleton-bare. Last year's leftovers were loaded with ability, though, and they ran the gantlet of the '65 schedule in fine shape, finishing strong and confident. Two good rookie squadrons in a row have given the Falcons depth. The defense is peerless, and if coach Martin can inject a little more fizz into the offense, the Falcons will fly high. Biggest new weapon in the arsenal is field-goal kicker Dick Hall, who converts consistently from 50 yards out. With that kind of kicking and a rock-ribbed defense, Air Force could be the top sleeper in the country.

Possible Breakthroughs: Louisiana State 6-4; Texas 6-4; Washington State 6-4; Southern Methodist 6-4; Michigan 6-4; Ohio state 5-4; Boston College 8-2; Virginia Tech 7-3; Houston 8-2; New Mexico State 8-2; Texas Western 7-3.

The All-America Squad

(Any one of whom has a good chance of making someone's All-America team)

Ends: Cas Banoszek (Northwestern), Jim Beirne (Purdue), Steve Bunker (Oregon), Dave Williams (Washington), Bubba Smith (Michigan St.), Jack Clancy (Michigan), John Wright (Illinois), Rich Sheron (Washington St.), Dick Absher (Maryland), Rich O'Hara (Iowa), Royce Berry (Houston), Austin Denney (Tennessee)

Tackles: Bill Staley and Spain Musgrove (Utah St.), Jim Urbanek and Dan Sartin (Mississippi), Maurice Moorman (Texas A&M), Lynn Nesbitt (Wake Forest), Wayne Melyon (Nebraska), Dennis Byrd (North Carolina St.), Pete Duranko (Notre Dame)

Guards: John Stec (North carolina St.), Jimmy Keyes (Mississippi), Granville Liggins (Oklahoma), John LaGrone (SMU), Greg Pipes (Baylor), Paul Smith (New Mexico)

Centers: Chuck Matuszak (Dartmouth), Ray Pryor (Ohio St.), Harry Dittmann (Navy), Jim Breland (Georgia Tech), Cal Withrow (Kentucky), Chuck Hinton (Mississippi)

Linebackers: Townsend Clarke (Army), D. D. Lewis (Mississippi St.), Pat McKissick (Utah), Herb Slattery (Delaware), Ray llg (Colgate)

Backs: Steve Spurrier (Florida), Gary Beban and Mel Farr (ULCA), Terry Southall (Baylor), Danny Talbott (North Carolina), Carroll Williams (Xavier), Bob Skahan (Kansas), Jon Brittenum and Harry Jones (Arkansas), Les Kelly (Alabama), Harry Wilson (Nebraska), Terry Cole (Indiana), Garrett Ford (West Virginia), Dick Post and Warren McVea (Houston), Marcus Rhoden (Mississippi St.), Carl Ward (Michigan), Bo Hickey (Maryland), Rod Sherman (South California), Clinton Jones and Bob Apisa (Michigan St.), Pete Pifer (Oregon St.), Larry Csonka (Syracuse), Brendan McCarthy (Boston College), Tom Bryan (Auburn), Jay Calabrese (Duke), Stew Williams (Bowling Green)

Sophomore of the Year: Quarterback Bill Bradley (Texas)

Top Players: Little, Csonka, Bugenhagen (Syracuse); McCarthy (Boston C.); Dittman, Dow (Navy); Clarke (Army); Runnells, Lenkaitis (Penn St.); Norton, Campbell (Boston U.); Burton, Ilg (Colgate); Flanigan (Pitt); Ashley, Hurd (Buffalo); Lentz (Holy Cross); Fry, Schunke (Villanova); Matuszak, Ryzewicz, Calhoun (Dartmouth); Bowers (Princeton); Dowling, Greenlee (Yale); Gatto, Hughes (Harvard); Zak (Cornell); Creeden (Penn); Flory (Columbia); McMahon (Brown); Huard (Maine); Landry, Toner, Ellis (Massachusetts); Gault, Williams, Lynch (Hofstra); Marks (Bucknell); Fonash (Temple); Slattery (Delaware); Egresitz, Brewer (Gettysburg); Marshall (Lafayette); Rushatz (Lehigh).

Top Players: Griese, Beirne (Purdue); Jones, Washington, Apisa, West, Smith, Webster (Michigan St.); Rein, Pryor (Ohio St.); Ward, Clancy, Detwiler (Michigan); Batchelder, Wright, Naponic (Illinois); Ginter, Stavroff, Cole (Indiana); Banaszek, McKelvey, Campbell (Northwestern); Sobocinski, McCauley (Wisconsin); Last (Minnesota); O'Hara (Iowa); Eddy, Lynch, Regner, Duranko, Goeddeke (Notre Dame); Williams (Xavier); Weger, Williams, Rivers (Bowling Green); Matte, Philpott (Miami); Brooks, Ames, Tennebar (Kent St.); Biggs, Lyons (Ohio U.); Rowe (Western Mich.); Burch (Toledo); Wilkinson, Jackson (Marshall).

Top Players: Dowdy, Perkins, Kelley (Alabama); Sartin, Urbanek, Keyes, Hinton (Mississippi); Patton, Hughes, Richter (Georgia); Masters, Stokley, Garlington, Robichaux (LSU); Warren, Fulton, Naumoff, Denney (Tennessee); Seiple, Withrow, McGraw (Kentucky); Davis, Hall, Whiteside (Vanderbilt); Lewis, Rhoden (Mississippi St.); Bryan, Blue (Auburn); Spurrier, Carr (Florida); Hickey, Absher (Maryland); Calabrese, Matheson (Duke); Mass, Gore (Clemson); Byrd, Stec, Sokalsky (North Carolina St.); Talbott, Wesolowski (North Carolina); Galloway, Hunter (South Carolina); Nesbitt, Oplinger (Wake Forest); Davis, Carrington, Parker (Virginia); Moran (East Carolina); Ford (West Virginia); Albertson, Gadkowski (William & Mary); Metz (George Washington); Schmalzreidt (Virginia Military); Beier, Trosch (Miami); King, Snow, Breland (Georgia Tech); Fisher (Virginia Tech); DeVliegher, Duck (Memphis St.); Avery, Devrow (Southern Miss.); Campbell, Pennie (Florida St.); Colquette, Bankston (Tulane).

Top Players: Allers, Wilson, Churchich, Meylan (Nebraska); Harris, Harris (Colorado); Brown, Powell (Missouri); Liggins, Hart, Riley (Oklahoma); Skahan (Kansas); Van Galder (Iowa St.); Phillips, Jones, Brittenum (Arkansas); Horak, Bulaich (Texas Christian); Talbert, Bradley, Gilbert (Texas); LaGrone, Stewart (Southern Methodist); Moorman (Texas A&M); Southall, Hood, Pipes (Baylor); Tucker, Leinert (Texas Tech); Davis, Benningfield (Rice); Sweeney, Blake (Tulsa); Carlin (North Texas St.); Edwards (Wichita St.); McVew, Post, Berry (Houston); Stevens, Hughes (Texas Western); Washington (West Texas).

Top Players: Richardson, Beban, Farr (UCLA); Sherman, Yary (Southern Cal); Goich, Berry, Bennett, Sheridan (California); Sher-on, Cadigan (Washington St.); Pifer, Brothers, Grim (Oregon St.); Lewis (Stanford); Williams, Moore (Washington); Bunker, Smith (Oregon); Kiick (Wyoming); Carter (Brigham Young); Williams, Pitts (Arizona St.); Hubbert (Arizona); McKissick, Stipech (Utah); Smith, Jackson (New Mexico); Staley, Musgrove (Utah St.); McDonald, Dotson (Idaho); Bohl, Miller (New Mexico St.); Starkey, Duncan, Zyroll, Roseman (Air Force); Tom (San Jose St.); Reed (Colorado St.).