A KICK-START

By CHRIS DUFRESNE

Aug. 28, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

If you can’t get into college football this weekend, synchronized swimming must be your sport.

It’s hard to believe there could be this many watchable games before Jerry Lewis’ annual telethon, yet there it is plain as day, just like Penn State’s uniforms.

In five games spanning two days, seven of the nation’s top 18 ranked schools play--the first time five teams ranked in the top 12 have started so soon.

Four of the games are so-called “classics,” most years a gross misnomer--we remember Northwestern-Oklahoma two seasons ago in the Pigskin before a crowd of 37,000 at Soldier Field.

With the NCAA opting to end these early games in 2002 in favor of allowing all schools a chance to play a 12th game when there is an extra Saturday on the fall calendar, give “classics” collaborators credit for going out with panache.

The best game is the first, No. 4 Arizona against No. 3 Penn State today at Happy Valley in the Pigskin Classic. That’s followed by Kansas at No. 18 Notre Dame in the Eddie Robinson Classic, Louisiana Tech at No. 1 Florida State and North Carolina State at No. 17 Texas in the Black Coaches Assn. Classic.

Sunday, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 12 Miami play in the Kickoff Classic at the Meadowlands.

All the games are available via network or cable television, and all have at least some intrigue. In total, the weekend features a possible national title preview in Arizona-Penn State, the most celebrated football school of all time (Notre Dame), the winningest active major college coach (Joe Paterno), the best team of the last 12 years (Florida State), arguably the nation’s best player in Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington, and three legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates in Arizona tailback Trung Canidate and quarterbacks Chris Weinke (Florida State) and Tim Rattay (Louisiana Tech).

Here’s a quick look at the games, in order of appearance:

* Arizona at Penn State (10 a.m. PDT, Channel 7): Arizona has two terrific quarterbacks in Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins; Penn State has two, um, quarterbacks. Paterno’s handling of his situation is the key to the Nittany Lions’ national title hopes. Despite protestations from the student body, Paterno for now is going with senior Kevin Thompson over junior Rashard Casey.

“Kevin Thompson is the starter and Rashard Casey is going to play,” Paterno, deferring to his 50 years of experience at the university, said. Thompson has been booed at school functions, but his spirits were lifted recently when he was named a team captain.

A key matchup: Canidate, defending Pacific 10 rushing champion, against Penn State’s defense, led by the linebacking trio of Arrington, Mac Morrison and Brandon Short.

Wildcat Coach Dick Tomey says the defense “may be the best one we have ever played against.”

Something’s got to give: Canidate averaged 7.3 yards a carry last year and has averaged 51 yards in his 15 touchdown runs.

Fat chance of that happening against Arrington and Co. “They have a frightening defense that is coming out to hit,” Canidate said.

Every week can’t be UCLA, Trung.

* Kansas at Notre Dame (12:30 p.m.) Channel 4: NBC unleashes another half-dozen episodes of “The Irish” hoping for a Notre Dame resurgence and ratings. The teams haven’t met since 1938, with no complaints, yet both schools have their reasons for playing. Notre Dame grad Regis Philbin posed the question, “Who wants to be a millionaire?” and Kansas happily agreed to play this game for that amount.

Notre Dame is looking to do a little fly-fishing before dropping the big hook Sept. 4 at Michigan. Wolverine Coach Lloyd Carr is miffed the Irish finagled this practice game before the big showdown in Ann Arbor, but hasn’t Notre Dame always been teacher’s pet?

* Louisiana Tech at No. 1 Florida State (2 p.m.), ESPN2: With Terry Bowden out as coach, Auburn paid its way out of this game against Florida State so Louisiana Tech, like the good-sport puncher willing to fill out a fight card, stepped into the breach.

“Ding . . . fight’s over.”

You say what about last year? Last year, Louisiana Tech quarterback Tim Rattay passed for 590 yards and four touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ opener at Nebraska. Rattay returns and is a splendid talent, but receiver Troy Edwards, who accounted for 403 receiving yards in that game, is now a Pittsburgh Steeler. One other thing. Nebraska won, 56-27.

* North Carolina State at No. 17 Texas (5:30 p.m., ESPN2): Texas lost Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, but better days are ahead under second-year Coach Mack Brown. The Longhorns had the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class this year but probably won’t be a player on the national scene until next year, when Texas ushers in the era of quarterback Chris Simms and linebacker Cory Redding.

SUNDAY

* No. 9 Ohio State vs No. 12 Miami, Giants Stadium (11:30 a.m. Channel 7): Ohio State is down a peg after pressing for the national titles the last few years, but the Buckeyes reload faster than any team in America. The question is at quarterback, where Capistrano Valley High’s Austin Moherman has won the job for now over Steve Bellisari. Experience? Moherman’s first pass Sunday will be the second of his career.

Miami sophomore quarterback Kenny Kelly (no relation to Jim) hasn’t started a game since high school but is highly touted and talented. This could be a breakthrough season for the Hurricanes, who have nearly recovered from mid-decade NCAA sanctions that stripped the program of stature and scholarships.

COMING THURSDAY: A 16-page special section previewing the 1999 college football and NFL seasons.

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CHRIS DUFRESNE’S TOP 25

No. College: 1998

1. Florida State 11-2

2. Florida 10-2

3. Penn State 9-3

4. Arizona 12-1

5. Ohio State 11-1

6. Tennessee 13-0

7. Nebraska 9-4

8. Michigan 10-3