Pigskin preview

THE TEAMS

AND

TALENTS

TO WATCH

THIS

COLLEGE

FOOTBALL

SEASON

OLLEGE FOOTBALL IS A GAME

| of numbers, in more ways than one. After the recent conference realignments, the PAC lOiiow has 12 teams (having added Colorado and Utah), the Big 12 has 10 teams (after subtracting Nebraska and Colorado) and the Big Ten, which already had 11 teams, now has 12 (after adding Nebraska). Now we understand why math-challenged college presidents and boards of regents have never been able to figure out a playoff for­mat to determine the college football national championship. The only pumbers these fellows comprehend

are the ones following the dollar sign in the next TV deal.

Fortunately for those with any sense of college football tradition, the Texas Longhorns put the brakes on what appeared to be a total stam­pede out of the Big 12 by politely turning down an invitation to the PAC10 megaconf erence in the mak­ing, evidently discovering a way to keep the coffers filled by staying put Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas. A&M also remained in the slimmed-down Big 12.

If any conference has 12 or more teanis,4t means two divisions and a*

conference championship—another chance for schools to put money in their pockets. However, it's also another opportunity to lose a game and be eliminated from consideration for the national title. In the Big 12's 14-year existence, four upsets in the conference championship have cost teams a chance to play for the BCS finale. That monkey will now ride the backs of the Big Ten and PAC10.

The conference realignments won't take effect until 2011 at the earliest, so this year it will be business as usuaL Now let's get to what really matters: gripping college football action.

PLAYBOY'S

TOP

ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS TOP OUR LIST OF PRESEASON COLLEGE

FOOTBALL AWESOMENESS. COULD THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FEATURE THE SAME TWO TEAMS AS LAST

YEAR? WE DONT THINK SO

1 OHIO STATE

LAST YEAR: 11-2 overall, 7-1 in con­ference. The Buckeyes beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl, 2G-17. COACH: Jim Tressel (career record 229-78-2).

IMPACT PLAYERS LOST FROM LAST SEASON: Defensive end Thaddeus Gib­son, safety Kurt Coleman. STUDS: Defensive end Cameron Hey-ward is a six-five, 288-pound menace to opposing quarterbacks. He has 24.5 career tackles for losses. Heyward is the son of NFL great Craig "Ironhead" Heyward. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, a six-six junior, was the Rose Bowl MVP last season.

OUTLOOK: Most of the pieces are back from last year's top five team, including excellent senior leadership. Pryor, who is extremely athletic and multidimensional, is a nightmare for defensive coordinators. Defensively the Buckeyes are mean up front and quick at the corners. SCHEDULE: Eight home games give the Buckeyes a good chance to run the table. PREDICTION: 12-0

2 TEXAS

LAST YEAR: 13-1 overall, 8-0 in con­ference. Lost 37-21 to Alabama in the BCS championship game. COACH: Mack Brown (214-101-1). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Quarterback Colt McCoy, wide receiver Jordan Ship­ley, offensive tackle Adam Ulatoski, defensive end Sergio Kindle, defensive tackle Lamarr Houston, placekicker Hunter Lawrence.

STUDS: Defensive end Sam Acho posted a team-high 10 sacks last season, along with four fumble recov­eries and 14 tackles for losses. Curtis Brown is a lockdown cornerback who

posted 15 pass breakups to go with 53 tackles. Offensive tackle Kyle Hix, who started 28 straight games at right tackle, will move to left tackle this season.

OUTLOOK: Sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who took over for Colt McCoy when he was injured on the fifth play of the national champion­ship game, is ready for prime time,

and Mack Brown has an abundance of talented young players eager to make their mark.

SCHEDULE: An off week between critical games against Oklahoma and Nebraska will be an advantage for the Longhorns. PREDICTION: 12-0

3 ALABAMA

LAST YEAR: National champions, 14-0 overall, 8-0 in conference. COACH: Nick Saban (124-50-1). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Offensive linemen Mike Johnson and Drew Davis, plus nine players from the defensive side.

STUDS: Start with Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram and quarterback Greg McElroy, who has won 30 straight games going back to his days at Southlake Carroll High School in Texas. Julio Jones is one of the best receivers in the nation, and Mark Barron excels at safety. Linebacker Dont'a Hightower will be dominant if he fully recovers from a torn ACL suffered last season. OUTLOOK: Can a talented bunch of top recruits grasp the complex defen­sive schemes Saban and his staff will throw at them? Offensively the Crim­son Tide will be difficult to stop. SCHEDULE: An early home test against Penn State should set the tone. Tough road games against Arkansas and LSU, plus a confron­tation at home with Florida, are also significant obstacles. PREDICTION: 11-1

4 BOISE STATE

LAST YEAR: 14-0 overall, 8-0 in con­ference. The Broncos defeated TCU in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. COACH: Chris Petersen (49-4).

AN ASSISTANT at 10 schools before being named head coach at TCU in 2000, Gary Patterson has rung up 85 wins, failed to reach a bowl game only once and led the Horned Frogs to a 12-0 regular season last year. Patterson quashed rumors he might be available for other jobs by signing a new contract with TCU that runs through 2016.

ANSON MOUIfl SCHOLAR/ ATHLETE

GREG MCELROY

Each year platbot selects one player who has shined both on the football field and in the classroom. We give a $5,000 scholarship to the general schol-arehip fund of the winner's school. The award this year goes 1 - to Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy. A major in business , marketing, JScEUpy has an over­all 3.86 GPA with a perfect 4.0 last year. He also led his Crim­son Tide team to the national • championship while finishing • with the lowest interception percentage in school history.

IMPACT PLAYERS LOST:

Four-year starting corner-back Kyle Wilson is the only significant loss. STUDS: Junior quarterback Kellen Moore is 26-1 as a starter. Last year he completed 39 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. He has two excellent receivers in Titus Young (79 receptions) and Austin Pettis (63 receptions). Young is also an explosive kick returner. Defensive end Ryan Winterswyk led the team in tackles for losses (17) and sacks (nine).

OUTLOOK: With 23 starters returning from last year's unde­feated squad plus the usual blue turf psychological advan­tage, BSU will most likely go undefeated again. If no other team with a tougher schedule goes unbeaten, BSU could get a shot at the national title. SCHEDULE: The two most sig­nificant opponents are Virginia Tech and Oregon State. PREDICTION: 12-0

5 IOWA

LAST YEAR: 11-2 overall, 6-2 in conference. The Hawkeyes beat Georgia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl.

COACH: Kirk Ferentz (93-76). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Offen­sive lineman Bryan Bulaga, tight end Tony Moeaki, line­backer Pat Angerer, defensive back Amari Spievey linebacker A.J. Edds.

STUDS: Defensive end Adrian Clayborn is the Hawkeyes' best player and a surefire future NFL star. Junior Tyler Sash is likely the conference's best safety. Punter Ryan Donahue will give Iowa good field posi­tion even when the offense falters. Ricky Stanzi is consis­tent and cool under pressure at the quarterback slot. OUTLOOK: Lots of talent and experience on both sides of the ball give Iowa a shot at the Big Ten title.

SCHEDULE: Good news for the Hawkeyes—the Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State games are all at home. PREDICTION: 11-1

6TCU

LAST YEAR: 12-1, the only loss was at the hands of Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, 8-0 in conference.

COACH: Playboy Coach of the

Year Gary Patterson (85-28). He

has put all the pieces together

in the nine seasons since he

(continued on page 116)

4

PLAYBOY'S

ALL AMERICA

TEAM

OUR SOURCES? NFL SCOUTS, COLLEGE COACHES AND OUR

OWN KEEN EYES.

HERE WE PRESENT OUR PICKS

FOR THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE

COLLEGE GAME

COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson

TCU

QUARTERBACK Jake Locker Washington

RUNNING BACKS Mark Ingram

Alabama

John Clay

Wisconsin

Stanley Havili

use

WIDE RECEIVERS AJ. Green

Georgia

Julio Jones

Alabama

TIGHT END Kyle Rudolph

Notre Dame

OFFENSIVE LINE

Nate Solder

Colorado

Kristofer O'Dowd

use

Matt Reynolds Brigham Young Marcus Cannon

TCU

Anthony Castonzo Boston College

RETURN SPECIALIST Chris Owusu

Stanford

DEFENSIVE LINE

Cameron Heyward

Ohio State

Adrian Claybom

Iowa Sam Acho

Texas Robert Quinn

North Carolina

LINEBACKERS Von Miller

Texas A&M

Greg Jones

Michigan State

Michael Mohamed

California

DEFENSIVE BACKS

DeAndre McDaniel

Clemson

Prince

Amukamara

Nebraska

Patrick Peterson

LSU

Ras-I Dowling Virginia

LONG SNAPPER

Christian Yount

UCLA

KICKER Kai Forbath

UCLA

PUNTER

Drew Butler

Georgia

ANSON MOUNT

SCHOLAR/

ATHLETE

Greg McElroy

Alabama

GO TO PLAYBOY.COM/COLLEGEFOOTBALL

FOR BIOS AND STATS ON THE PLAYBOY

ALL AMERICAS.

PIGSKIN

(continued, from page 83) took over for Dennis Franchione, with three top 10 finishes in the past live seasons. IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Defensive end Jerry Hughes, linebacker Daiyl Washington, offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse, corner-back Rafael Priest, cornerback Nick Sanders and tailback Joseph Turner. STUDS: Quarterback Andy Dalton returns after being named last season's Moun­tain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Marcus Cannon (six-five, 350 pounds) is a monster at offensive tackle. Jake Kirkpatrick is one of the best cen­ters in the nation. Return specialist Jeremy Kerley is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.

OUTLOOK: Despite heavy losses to grad­uation, Patterson has TCU gunning for another top 10 season. SCHEDULE: The Frogs' toughest test may be their opening game against Oregon State in Arlington, Texas on September 4. PREDICTION: 11-1

7 FLORIDA

LAST YEAR: 13-1 overall, 8-0 in con­ference. The Gators defeated Cincinnati (51-24) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. COACH: Urban Meyer (96-18). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Much-publicized quarterback Tim Tebow may seem to be the most significant loss. How­ever, the Gators will have a tougher time replacing linebacker Brandon Spikes and center Maurkice Pouncey. STUDS: Junior quarterback John lirantlcy may not get as much press as Tebow did, but he's more likely to become a Sunday starter in the NFL. Mike Pouncey (twin brother of Maurkice) and Marcus Gilbert will anchor the offensive line. Ahmad Black, Janoris Jenkins and Will Hill are the best defensive backfield combination in the conference.

OUTLOOK: Urban Meyer flirted with retirement in the off-season, but he's back, and he'll have Florida in the hunt for the SEC; and BCS championship once again. SCHEDULE: Back-to-back games at Ala­bama (October 2) and at home a week later against LSU will tell the tale. PREDICTION: 10-2

8 WISCONSIN

LAST YEAR: 10-3 overall, 5-3 in confer­ence. The Badgers beat Miami (20-14) in the Champs Sports Bowl. COACH: Bret Bielema (38-14). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Tight end Garrett Graham, defensive end O'Brien Schofield, linebacker Jaevery McFadden, free safety Chris Maragos. STUDS: Running back John Clay was last season's Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, totaling 1,517 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns. Talented receiver Nick 'Toon is the son of Playboy All America and NFL star Al Toon. Left tackle Gabe Gariini and center John Moffitt anchor the offensive line, while defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Chris Borland high­light the defense.

OUTLOOK: Wisconsin returns 18 starters from last year's team, including experi­enced quarterback Scott Tolzien. With power running and a downfield threat, the Badgers are likely to control both time of possession and the Scoreboard against most opponents.

SCHEDULE: No significant opposition until back-to-back games against Ohio State and Iowa in mid-October. PREDICTION: 10-2

9 OKLAHOMA

LAST YEAR: 8-5 overall, 5-3 in conference. 1 he Sooners defeated Stanford (31-27) in the Sun Bowl.

COACH: Bob Stoops (117-29). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Quarterback Sam Bradford, the first player taken in this year's NFL draft. Also running back Chris Brown, offensive tackle Trent Williams, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, offensive guard Brian Simmons and two veiy go<xi cornerbacks, Brian Jackson and Dominique Franks. STUDS: Running back DeMarco Murray may be ready to have his breakout season. Oklahoma also has an explosive kick and punt returner in Ryan Broyles and one of the nation's best punters in Tress Way. OUTLOOK: Five losses in Norman is consid­ered a monumental disaster. Don't expect the team to repeat that performance this year. The Sooners will be dominating inside, which should take some of the pressure off sophomore quarterback Landry Jones. SCHEDULE: The big one is always Texas, this year on October 2. The Sooners get a break as Nebraska is not on this year's regular-season slate. PREDICTION: 10-2

10LSU

LAST YEAR: 9-4 overall, 5-3 in confer­ence. The Tigers lost to Penn State (19-17) in the Capital One Bowl. COACH: Les Miles (79-36). IMPACT PLAYERS LOST: Twelve start­ers from last season, but Miles has talented replacements ready to step in. STUDS: Kelvin Sheppard led LSU in tackles (110) from his linebacker spot. Cornerback Patrick Peterson is one of the best in the nation.

OUTLOOK: I,SU has two or three talented players at most positions on both sides of the ball. Other than Sheppard and Peter­son, there are no marquee names, but that will change as the season progresses. As is always the cast;, solid play at quarterback, where junior Jordan Jefferson has the reins, will be critical.

SCHEDULE: The Tigers should be waiy of their opening-day opponent: North Car­olina on September 4. Tough road games against Florida and Arkansas and a home confrontation with Alabama in early Novem­ber could make for a bumpy ride. PREDICTION: 10-2