Chasing Nebraska and Florida State

Chuck Amato gave an honest answer when asked how many of his new players at North Carolina State could start for his old team, the Florida State Seminoles.

“None,” he said. “But don’t think we’re the only ones with that answer.”

Well, how many players would make the three-deep roster for the defending national champions?

“Four,” said Amato, a Seminoles assistant for 18 years who took over the Wolfpack in January.

Not exactly an encouraging number for those North Carolina State fans wondering “Why not us?” a season after freshman whiz Michael Vick led Virginia Tech into the national title game; Marshall produced a perfect season; and Hawaii turned an 18-game losing streak into the greatest one-year turnaround in NCAA history.

The answer might be because Nebraska and Florida State, 1-2 in The Associated Press preseason poll, are once again loaded with talent and set for another charge to the national title game, at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.

So which team out there is ready for a surprising run at a championship?

While Amato says it will take at least three years to turn a mediocre Wolfpack team into a contender--”I didn’t come from Florida State to Nebraska,” he said--that’s not the case at Clemson, another ACC school trying to challenge Florida State. A bunch of others, including Illinois, Oklahoma and even TCU, might be ready, too.

*

At Clemson, the time is now--in Coach Tommy Bowden’s second season. The Tigers are No. 17 in the poll, their best start since 1992.

“There are high expectations for us,” Bowden said of a team returning 16 starters, including star linebacker Keith Adams, from last year’s 6-6 bowl squad.

In 1998, Clemson went 3-8 and fired Coach Tommy West.

“The kids have bought into our system and they believe they can compete with anyone,” Bowden added. “Now we have to see if we can take it to another level.”

Bowden has done it before. Before his arrival at Tulane in 1997, the Green Wave had five wins in the previous three years. In ‘98, Tulane went 11-0 in the regular season and wound up No. 10 in the final AP poll. Lofty heights, indeed.

“We believe in him, we want to play hard for him, and we know we can win with him,” Adams said.

jump starts here

“He has gotten us to believe in ourselves. I honestly think we can challenge for the ACC. We may have been 6-6, but we made progress every game.”

Even against the Seminoles, coached by Bowden’s father, Bobby.

“I don’t think the gap between us and them is that far,” Tommy Bowden said. “Two years ago, we lost, 48-0. Last year it was 17-14.”

*

Alabama, Miami and Texas, ranked third, fifth and seventh, respectively, are expected to be back in national title form, but others are poised for a few surprises.

In addition to Clemson, watch out for No. 15 USC in the Pac-10; No. 18 Mississippi in the SEC; No. 19 Oklahoma in the Big 12; No. 21 Illinois in the Big Ten; Pittsburgh in the Big East; and No. 20 TCU in the Western Athletic Conference.

Turnaround teams of the past have several common threads. Each had a sensational quarterback, a relatively new coach with a proven past, and players who were convinced they could beat anybody despite a history of losing. Staying healthy and favorable schedules helped, too.

“But it all starts at quarterback,” Amato said. “Look at Virginia Tech. It’s had a great defense and special teams for years and then Michael Vick put them over the top. You have to have someone to pull the trigger.”

Tulane had Shaun King in 1998, and Marshall had Chad Pennington in ’99.

*

At USC, where Coach Paul Hackett’s Trojans were a disappointing 6-6, quarterback Carson Palmer is back after missing the final nine games with a broken right collarbone. The defense has 10 of 11 starters back.

USC needs to open strong against Penn State in the Kickoff Classic on Aug. 27. Without league favorite Washington on the schedule, the Trojans have a good shot at the Rose Bowl.

David Cutcliffe, former quarterbacks coach at Tennessee, starts his second season at Mississippi with one of the nation’s best backfields: quarterback Romaro Miller and running backs Deuce McAllister and Joe Gunn.

The Rebels were 9-4 with a win over Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl. This year’s toughest games are at Alabama and Georgia--teams the Rebels nearly beat in 1999.

At Oklahoma, Coach Bob Stoops brought a pass-happy offense--and junior college transfer Josh Heupel--to Norman. Heupel is back after setting nine school and six Big 12 records while passing for 3,460 yards and 30 touchdowns. The defense--Stoops was Florida’s defensive coordinator--is sure to improve, but the Sooners must pass a rugged three-game test against Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska.

*

Illinois already pulled a surprise by winning eight games last season, including road victories at Michigan and Ohio State. With Kurt Kittner (2,702 yards and 24 TDs) among 10 offensive starters returning, the Illini could be even better. Michigan and Ohio State visit Champaign, with the toughest road games at Penn State and Michigan State.

Coach Ron Turner, former quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears, enters his fourth season. In his first two, the Illini won three games. Recruiting was the tough part for him.

“When you’re not having success, it does scare some kids away,” he said. “But our staff went out and found good guys. That’s a big help.”

Pittsburgh went 5-6 last season, just missing a bowl bid with a season-ending loss to West Virginia. But wide receiver Latef Grim insists the Panthers are ready for Big East powers Miami and Virginia Tech.

“We believe in ourselves and I think we’re ready to come together and have an exciting season,” said Grim, who caught 75 passes for 1,106 yards and four TDs. “There are a few teams like us out there, ready to break out and have a really good year. We want to be one of them.”

Coach Walt Harris, a former Ohio State assistant, enters his fourth season at Pittsburgh, and has 15 starters back. John Turman or David Priestly (both threw for more than 1,300 yards in ‘99) will start.

*

TCU not only boasts Heisman Trophy candidate LaDainian Tomlinson, who led the nation in rushing last season with 1,850 yards, but the Horned Frogs have a talented quarterback in Casey Painters, 8-2 as a freshman starter in 1999. Coach Dennis Franchione, who arrived in ‘98, has 19 starters back and his team should be favored in every game.

Nebraska and Florida State have superior quarterbacks, too. Not to mention many All-American candidates and decades worth of dominance.

Eric Crouch, who threw for 1,269 yards and ran for 889 yards for the Cornhuskers, directs the option, which also features I-backs Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter. Linebacker Carlos Polk leads the defense.

The 28-year-old Chris Weinke returns for a final season at Florida State and a run at a second straight national title.

He threw for 3,103 yards and 25 TDs, and will have Travis Minor returning in the backfield and a new crew of wide receivers led by Anquan Boldin. End Jamal Reynolds leads the defense.

Weinke is among the top Heisman contenders along with Vick, Crouch, Tomlinson and Purdue quarterback Drew Brees.

*

Vick, who led the nation in passing efficiency, threw for 1,840 yards and 12 TDs and ran for 585 yards and eight more scores; Brees threw for 3,909 yards and 25 TDs.

As for coaching milestones, Penn State’s Joe Paterno needs seven victories to pass Bear Bryant as the winningest coach in major college history. Bryant won 323 games.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, enters what could be coach Bob Davie’s final season unranked for the first time since 1986.

Who knows whether the Irish will stay that way. As Nebraska coach Frank Solich says, the 2000 season could be full of surprises.

“There are 12-15 teams that have the kind of athletes that if the ball bounces right, have a chance to end up No. 1,” he said.