WHAT COULD BE THE TOP GAMES OF 1989

THURSDAY Notre Dame vs. Virginia at Meadowlands--The Irish, despite some key personnel losses before preseason practice even started, should have little trouble opening defense of their national championship in the Kickoff Classic against Coach George Welsh’s Cavaliers, 7-4 last season. SEPT. 4 Illinois at USC--The Trojans, ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press preseason poll, have lost projected starting quarterback Pat O’Hara for the season with a knee injury and will hand the ball over to freshman redshirt Todd Marinovich in their opener against the No. 22 Illini, led by QB Jeff George. SEPT. 9 Clemson at Florida State--The No. 6 Seminoles, 22-2 over the last two seasons--losing to Miami twice--are loaded again but may have a tough time going 11-1 again because of a killer schedule that opens with the No. 12 Tigers, who open the season under the shadow of an NCAA investigation. SEPT. 16 Notre Dame at Michigan--The No. 1 Wolverines and 100,000 in Michigan Stadium will be laying in wait for Lou Holtz and the No. 2 Irish, who used a 19-17 victory over Michigan as a springboard to an undefeated season in 1989. Michigan’s Mike Gillette, who made a 49-yard field goal earlier in the game, hooked a 48-yarder as time ran out. SEPT. 23 Ohio State at USC, Michigan at UCLA--Watch these games closely and you may be able to determine the Rose Bowl matchup. The Bruins, who couldn’t get to the Rose Bowl with Troy Aikman, will try to do it with Jimmy Bonds or Bret Johnson. Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines may finally have leared how to win in Pasadena. John Cooper feels Ohio State is ready to again contend for the Big Ten title and the Trojans should be a good barometer. SEPT. 30 Pitt at West Virginia--The Lambert Trophy won’t hinge on this game, but quarterback quarterback Major Harris and the No. 17 Mountaineers at Morgantown can get a good start toward a repeat against the No. 20 Panthers, rebounding from a subpar 6-5 season. OCT. 7 Florida State at Syracuse--The Seminoles will be trying to end Syracuse’s home winning streak, which was at 15 entering the season. A key to the game for Florida State will be keeping defensive tackle Rob Burnett, a candidate for the Lombardi Trophy, out of the backfield. Burnett has 16 career sacks. OCT. 14 LSU at Auburn--Auburn defensive tackle David Rocker, whose brother, Tracy, won the Outland and Lombardi Trophy, has some big shoes to fill. He’ll anchor the defense, which returns just three starters. LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson will be trying to break Kerwin Bell’s SEC passing records this season. Texas vs. Oklahoma at Dallas--The troubled Sooners must find a quarterback to replace Charles Thompson. But new Coach Gary Gibbs has a good tailback in Mike Gaddis. The Longhorns have won just three games against Oklahoma in the 1980s. Penn State at Syracuse--The Nittany Lions will be playing at Syracuse for the first time in 67 years. Penn State running back Blair Thomas returns after missing the 1988 season with a knee injury. OCT. 21 USC at Notre Dame--Quarterback Tony Rice almost singlehandedly beat USC at the Coliseum and he figures to play an even more vital role this season because of the loss of key personnel. The Trojans, who have lost six straight games to the Fighting Irish, haven’t won at South Bend since 1981. Auburn at Florida State--Florida State quarterback Peter Tom Willis has one of the best receiving corps in college football. Auburn, which has had 41 players drafted by the NFL in the last six years, may have another future NFL star in quarterback Reggie Slack. OCT. 28 Miami at Florida State--New Miami Coach Dennis Erickson has 12 starters back from last year’s team. Quarterback Craig Erickson replaces Steve Walsh, who led the Hurricanes to a 23-1 record. Florida State will be trying to snap a four-game losing streak against Miami. Colorado at Oklahoma--Sophomore Darian Hagan will replace Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese, who has cancer. The Buffaloes will be in the toughest part of their schedule, facing Nebraska the following week. The Sooners, who hope to continue their switch from the wishbone to the I-formation, struggled to win at Colorado last season. NOV. 4 West Virginia at Penn State--This game could decide who is the Beast of the East. Penn State, which had its first losing season since 1938, will be trying to rebuild from last season’s 5-6 record. NOV. 11 USC at Arizona--The Wildcats return 15 starters, including quarterback Ronald Veal. USC’s pass defense is led by defensive backs Cleveland Colter and Mark Carrier. Pitt at Miami--Pitt’s offense is built around tailback Curvin Richards, who rushed for 1,228 yards as a freshman, but the yardage comes tough against the Hurricanes. Alabama at LSU--The pro scouts will be focusing on the defenses. Linebacker Keith McCants is the top returnee for Alabama, which has 12 starters back. LSU’s Karl Dunbar is among the best defensive linemen in college football. NOV. 18 Oklahoma at Nebraska--Running back Ken Clark, who rushed for 1,497 yards last season, leads the Cornhuskers in the game that always decides the Big Eight title. UCLA at USC--After losing to the Trojans for the last two seasons and missing trips to the Rose Bowl, the Bruins will be out for revenge at the Coliseum. Notre Dame at Penn State--Penn State comes off a 5-6 season, and the last time Joe Paterno had a mediocre season, the Nittany Lions won 23 of 24 games. NOV. 23 Syracuse at West Virginia--The Orangemen hope to improve on last year’s 10-2 season. West Virginia was accused of padding its 12-1 record with a weak schedule, but this was one game in which the Mountaineers were challenged--and it should happen again. NOV. 24 Arkansas at Texas A&M--Darren; Lewis, who rushed for 1,692 yards and seven touchdowns last season, returns for the Aggies. Arkansas, undefeated in the SWC last season, may be hard pressed to repeat, losing eight defensive starters. NOV. 25 Notre Dame at Miami--Although they weren’t officially crown until much later, the Irish dethroned the Hurricanes last season when they stopped Miami’s two-point conversion attempt. Both teams must survive some early tests, but they could get here undefeated again. Ohio State at Michigan--Still one of college football biggest rivalries, if these teams can surpass the Little Eight again, the winner goes to Pasadena. DEC. 2 Alabama at Auburn --For the first time since 1900, Alabama plays at Auburn in a game that could decide the SEC title. DEC. 9 Army vs. Navy at Meadowlands-- Army has won four of the last five, and the winner of the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy (Air Force is in there, too) automatically goes to the Liberty Bowl.