The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 36

8D College Football Preview Big Ten Outlook I AtiTi '4 Wtf'l ill isconsin or Mien- Parity strikes conference aeainr ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP (First-place voles. 1993 record, points, final 1. Florida (15) (11-20) M6 2. NotreDame(13)(H-l-0) 3. Florida State (10) (12-1-0) 1.407 4.

Nebraska (18) (11-1-0) 1.398 5. Michigan (2) (8-4-0) 1.283 6. Miami (Fla.) (1) (9-3-0) 1.190 7. Arizona(2)(10-2-0) 1.070 8. Colorado (8-3-1) 1.057 9.

PennState(10-2-0) 1.012 10. Wisconsin (10-1-1) 932 11. Auburn (11-0-0) 924 12. without a victory over Michigan and nine seasons between Rose Bowl ap By CHRIS BALDWIN Lansing State Journal 1 fFT'A 1 hi 25 ranking) 5 2 1 3 21 15 10 16 8 6 4 14 13. Tennessee (9-2-1) 793 12 14.

UCLA (8-4-0) 661 18 15. TexasAiM(10-2-0) 603 9 16. Oklahoma (9-3-0) 560 17 17. Southern California (8-5-0) 557 18. Texas(5-5-l) 527 19.

North Carolina (10-3-0) 526 19 20. Ohio State (10-1-1) 320 11 21. Illinois (5-6-0) 249 22. Virginia Tech (9-3-0) 235 22 23. Washington (7-4-0) 181 24.

WestVirginia(ll-l-O) 121 7 25. Clemson (9-3-0) 113 23 Others receiving votes Stanford 111, Brigham Young 105, Georgia 99, Virginia 88, Boston College 63, Kansas State 47, Syracuse 36, Michigan State 33, California 30, Kansas 18, Mississippi State 14, Louisville 8, Arkansas 7, Arizona State 5, Georgia Tech 4, Fresno State 3, Baylor 2, Utah 2, Indiana 1, Kentucky Western Michigan 1. COACHES' TOP 25 (First-place votes, 1993 record, points, final ranking) 1. Florida(17)(ll-2) 1,416 4 2. Florida State (13) (12-1) 1,402 1 3.

Nebraska (12) (11-1) 1.375 3 4. NotreDame(12)(ll-l) 1,362 2 5. Michigan (3) (8-4) 1,302 19 6. Miami (Fla.) (2) (9-3) 1,148 15 7. Colorado (8-3-1) 1,097 16 8.

Arizona (2) (10-2) 1,037 9 9PennState(l)(10-2) 1,022 7 10. Alabama (9-3-1) ....964 13 II. Wisconsin(lO-l-l) 902 5 12. Tennessee (9-2-1) 878 11 13. Oklahoma (9-3) 746 14 14.

Southern California (8-5) 692 25 15. UCLA(8-4) 677 17 16. Ohio State (10-1-1) 644 10 17. North Carolina (10-3) 574 21 18. Texas (5-5-1) 466 19.

Virginia Tech (9-3) 301 20 20. Brigham Young (6-6) 281 21. Clemson 254 22 22. Illinois (5-6) 249 23. West Virginia (11-1) 209 6 24.

Georgia (5-6) 161 25. Virginia (8-4) 138 Others receiving votes California 128, Stanford 113, Boston College 112, Kansas State 92, Syracuse 51, Michigan State 36. Louisville 34, Georgia Tech 33, North Carolina State 31, Arkansas 30, Kansas 29, Arizona State 25, Indiana 19. Missouri 16, Oklahoma State 13, Kentucky 12, Mississippi State 12, Utah 12, Fresno State 11, South Carolina 9, Duke 8, Mississippi 7, Louisiana State 6, Washington State 6, Baylor 4, Colorado State 3, Louisiana Tech 1. 'V- i The arm of Wisconsin quarterback Darrell Bevell is one reason some feel the Badgers may repeat as Big Ten champions this season.

1993 STAMPINGS ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE Conf. Overall W. 1. T. W.

I. T. Off, Def. Florida State 8 0 0 12 1 0 536 129 No, Carolina 6 2 0 10 3 0 431 253 Clemson 5 3 0 9 3 0 198 192 Virginia 5 3 0 7 5 0 317 217 Car. State 4 4 0 7 5 0 278 322 Georgia Tech 3 5 0 5 6 0 260 286 DUke 2 6 0 3 8 0 214 349 Maryland 2 6 0 2 9 0 243 479 Wake Forest 1 7 0 2 9 0 199 318 BIG EIGHT Conf.

Overall W. 1. T. W. L.

T. Off. Def. Nebraska 7 0 0 11 1 0 437 194 Colorado 5 1 1 8 3 1 368 250 Kansas State 4 2 1 9 2 1 340 227 Oklahoma 4 3 0 9 3 0 358 186 Kansas 3 4 0 5 7 0 242 256 Missouri 2 5 0 3 7 1 192 344 Iowa State 2 5 0 3 8 0 261 324 Okla. State 0 7 0 3 8 0 174 236 BIG TEN Conf.

Overall W. T. W. L. T.

Off. Def. Wisconsin 6 11 10 1 1 351 193 Ohio State 6 1 1 10 1 1 354 195 PennState 6 2 0 10 2 0 388 215 Indiana 5 3 0 8 4 0 259 197 Michigan 5 3 0 8 4 0 342 160 Illinois 5 3 0 5 6 0 204 210 Mich. State 4 4 0 6 6 0 277 289 Iowa 3 5 0 6 6 0 214 293 Minnesota 3 5 0 4 7 0 253 354 Northwestern 0 8 0 2 9 0 185 335 Purdue 0 8 0 1 10 0 221 326 GATEWAY Conf. Overall W.

L. T. W. L. T.

Off. Def. Northern Iowa 5 1 0 8 4 0 350 238 W.Missouri 4 2 0 7 4 0 271 249 Illinois 4 2 0 4 7 0 190 247 Illinois State 2 3 1 6 4 1 256 219 E. lhnois 2 3 1 3 7 1 240 310 Indiana State 2 4 0 4 7 0 234 267 SWtnois 1 5 0 2 9 0 252 373 PACIFIC-10 Conf. Overall W.

L. T. W. L. T.

Off. Def. Arizona 6 2 0 10 2 0 294 161 UCLA 6 2 0 8 4 0 368 230 So. California 6 2 0 8 5 0 348 252 Washington 5 3 0 7 4 0 288 198 California 4 4 0 9 4 0 411 303 toona State 4 4 0 6 5 0 282 248 Wajh. State 3 5 0 5 6 0 271 248 Oregon 2 6 0 5 6 0 278 276 Oregon State 2 6 0 4 7 0 224 294 Stanford 2 6 0 4 7 0 291 389 SOUTHEASTERN Conf.

Overall EAST W. L. T. W. L.

T. Off. Def. Florida 7 1 0 11 2 0 513 244 Tennessee 6 1 1 9 2 1 484 175 Kentucky 4 4 0 6 6 0 220 209 Georgia 2 6 0 5 6 0 328 289 So, Carolina 2 6 0 4 7 0 188 214 Vanderbilt 1 7 0 4 7 0 137 290 WEST W. 1.

T. W. L. T. Off.

Def. 8 0 0 11 0 0 353 192 Alabama 5 2 1 9 3 1 340 168 Arkansas 3 4 1 5 5 1 165 208 L'siana State 3 5 0 5 6 0 190 308 Mississippi 3 5 0 5 6 0 242 142 Miss. State 2 5 1 3 6 2 241 245 SOUTHWEST Conf. Overall W. L.

T. W. L. T. Off.

Def. TexasAtM 7 0 0 10 2 0 425 143 TexasTech 5 2 0 6 6 0 419 335 Texas 5 2 0 5 5 1 281 269 Rice 3 4 0 6 5 0 284 294 Baylor 3 4 0 5 6 0 265 331 Christian 2 5 0 4 7 0 201 313 So. Methodist 1 5 1 2 7 2 206 277 Houston 15 1 1 9 1 171 392 WESTERN ATHLETIC Conf. Overall W. T.

W. L. T. Off. Def.

Fresno State 6 2 0 8 4 0 467 350 Wyoming 6 2 0 8 4 0 357 329 Brig. Young 6 2 0 6 6 0 411 435 Utah 5 3 0 7 6 0 390 396 Colo. State 5 3 0 5 6 0 230 268 New Mexico 4 4 0 6 5 0 335 256 S.Diego St. 4 4 0 6 6 0 403 392 Hawaii 3 5 0 6 6 0 389 347 Air Force 1 7 0 4 8 0 296 291 Texas-El Paso 0 8 0 111 0 220 449 PRESEASON No. 1 TEAMS APPOLL to go on a Mormon mission.

He completed 68 percent of his passes last year when he wasn't handing off to the potent tailback tandem of Brent Moss and Terrell Fletcher, who rushed for a combined 2,633 yards and 25 touchdowns. They are all back for one final season together. So are six starters from a defense that held Michigan without Wheatley to 10 points, Ohio State to 14 and UCLA to 16. Perhaps more importantly, the Badgers still have a healthy-sized chip on their shoulders. "There's still not a lot of respect for us as a team," said Moss, who plays second fiddle to Wheatley in Heisman talk despite earning Big Ten MVP honors in 1993.

"Everyone's saying our schedule favored us last year and that we're not going to be able to beat Michigan and Ohio State on the road this year. "Right now we don't have the respect It's our job to go get that respect again." Penn State Joe Paterno already has everyone's respect. What the legendary Nittany Lion wants is Penn State's first Rose Bowl berth. "We were 10-2 last year with a big bowl win and we were ranked in the top 10," said Paterno, whose team crushed Tennessee, 31-13, in the Citrus Bowl. "But we finished third in the Big Ten.

I don't think anybody likes to finish third in their league. I don't call that a good season." All-purpose receiver Bobby En-gram, whose 13 touchdown catches last year set a Penn State record, and tailback Ki-Jana Carter, who rushed for 1,026 yards in only eight games, give the Nittany Lions the offense for a good season even by Paterno's pearances can do that in Columbus. His self-imposed mandate is to get wideout Joey Galloway the ball as often as possible. Galloway rebound ed from a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in 1992 to average a Big Ten-best 20.1 yards a catch last season. "We'll throw him the ball, have him return kicks, we'll use him at running back," Cooper said.

"Heck, we may even try him at quarterback, I've never seen a player like him who can run a 4.4 40 and bench-press 400 pounds. Minnesota Minnesota gave up 58 points to Michigan and 56 to Purdue last year, but amazingly the Gophers did beat the Boilermakers. The defense may not be much better this season, but Coach Jim Wacker likes what he sees on offense. Leading rusher Chris Darkins returns as does quarterback Scott Eckers, who completed 58 percent of his passes. And what about a bowl bid? "Shoot, we'll take the Peanut Butter Bowl," Wacker said.

"I don't give a rip. We'll play in Australia if we have to." Iowa Iowa returns eight offensive starters from the first team in Fry's 15 years with the Hawkeyes that averaged less than 300 yards total offense per game. The problem is, none of them are quarterbacks. Ryan Driscoll or Matt Sherman will have to step in, and the running game will have to improve to relieve some of the pressure for Iowa to make it back to a bowl game. Indiana Indiana lost most of its defense including all four defensive backs and star receiver Thomas Lewis from a surprising 8-3 team.

Still, Coach Bill Mallory's most pressing concern may finding a consistent tailback and restoring the once-proud running game. Redshirt freshman Alex Smith won the job from 1993 starter Jermaine Chaney in spring drills. Northwestern The Wildcats started impressively last year, staying close to Notre Dame and then beating Boston College and Wake Forest. But the Big Ten season was a wash, and the team finished 2-9. Coach Gary Barnett returns 19 of his 24 starters this fall, but two of those that won't be back were the keys to the offense receiver Lee Gissendaner and quarterback Len Williams.

Purdue The Boilermakers also were winless in Big Ten play last year. Coach Jim Colletto, 9-24 in three seasons at Purdue, likely needs more than one victory this year to keep his job. He has 17 returning starters, including fullback Mike Alstott, who rushed for 816 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. Also back is a pair of quarterbacks Rick Trefzger and Matt Pike who split time. Division I-A last season, ran for 327 yards and passed for 185.

He'll direct an offense that should be able to move the ball consistently. Calvin Branch, a junior, led the team in rushing with 478 yards and in pass receiving with 350 last season. He'll be joined by a group of short, quick rimning backs. Senior Ty Stewart was the Big Eight's top place-kicker in 1993. Nose guard Troy Peterson anchors the defense, and strong safety Kevin Fulton is another top returnee.

Oklahoma State Pat Jones' Cowboys didn't win a conference game last year. But, with four losses by seven points or less, they were 17 points away from a bowl bid. Hopes are high with 14 starters back, including big-play threats Tone Jones at quarterback, David Thompson at tailback and Rafael Denson at flanker. Like the Cyclones' Doxzon, Jones was one of the handful of freshman starting at quarterback last season. He struggled after separating a shoulder against Missouri.

Thompson also was a freshman; he rushed for 155 yards against Kansas. Missouri Larry Smith's club has a major rebuilding job to do on offense with only four starters back. Quarterback Jeff passing yards) is a good start, and senior Joe Freeman returns as the top tailback. On defense, eight starters return. But those eight were part of a Missouri defense that ranked 105th nationally last year.

Smith, though, is certainly capable of reviving the Tigers he's performed similar tricks at Tulane, Arizona and Southern Cal. The 1994 Big Ten season could have more twists and turns than the average soap opera. Let's see. There's the defending champion with a Rodney Danger-field complex. The Heisman Trophy favorite who said thanks, but no thanks to early riches of the NFL.

The legend revitalized by a new challenge. The dominating defense. The near ultimatum. The co-champion on the hot seat. Whatever happened to the boring, placid Big Ten? Just two years ago the conference was Michigan and little else.

The Wolverines coasted to their fifth consecutive Big Ten title, as only two other conference teams earned bowl berths in 1992. Now, after Wisconsin's brilliant 1993 season that saw seven Big Ten teams in postseason play, capped by the Badgers winning the Rose Bowl, parity is the new buzzword around the conference. "I've never been in a league that looks this strong," Iowa Coach Hay-den Fry said. "I think you're going to see seven Big Ten teams in the top 25, including three in the top 10, this year." But who's going to Pasadena? Big Ten coaches and reporters picked Michigan at the annual preseason meetings. Michigan The Wolverines stumbled through the first two months of last season, going 4-4.

But they rebounded to outscore their last four opponents, 153-24, including a 28-0 thrashing of previously unbeaten Ohio State. Michigan, injury-plagued in '93, returns eight offensive starters, including the backfield of explosive tailback Tyrone Wheatley and quarterback Todd Collins. "The NFL people told me I'd be between the fifth and eighth pick in the draft last April," said Wheatley, a senior who rushed for 1,129 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 10 games last year. "I figured why shortchange myself? It's like a bottle of wine. If you keep it for a year, it's worth this much.

But if you save it for five years, it's worth this much more." Michigan Coach Gary Moeller is trying to deflect attention from the Wolverines and put it on Wisconsin. "Any team that won the championship and has its quarterback returning has to be the favorite," said Moeller, who has quietly built a 36-9-3 record in four years after taking over for Bo Schembechler. The nonconference schedule is rough: vs. Boston College, at Notre Dame, vs. Colorado.

But Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State have to play at Michigan Stadium. Wisconsin Wisconsin surprised almost everyone except Coach Barry Alvarez with last season's 10-1-1 run. The returning quarterback is Darrell Bevell, a 24-year-old junior who took two years off from football Big Eight Outlook The line By JOHN COOPER uskogee Daily Phoenix With new-found respect, Nebraska is the overwhelming favorite to win the Big Eight Conference championship for the fourth consecutive year. To do that, the Cornhuskers will have to get through a rugged Big Eight road schedule. Colorado (in Lincoln, Oct.

29) and Oklahoma (in Norman, Nov. 25) will join the usual posse in hunt for the conference title. Then there's upstart Kansas State, which won nine games last year and has 13 starters back. Nebraska Tom Osborne's championship hopes begin on the offensive side where seven starters return. Junior quarterback Tommie Frazier's ability to run (704 yards last year) and pass (1.159 vards.

12 touchdowns) is well-documented. I he Cornhuskers will have to replace I-back Calvin Jones, but as always, they appear to have someone waiting in the wings sophomores Lawrence Phillips and Damon Benning. Fullback Cory Schlesinger is back, along with an experienced line four of five starters return. Wingback Abdul Muhammad is the top returning receiver with 25 catcnes iorasa yards. Defensively, a switch to the 4-3 proved successful last year.

But only two starters tackle Terry Connea-ly and linebacker Donta Jones return up front, and only one, all-conference cornerback Barron Miles, is back in the secondary. But four other defensive hacks and three linebackers had extensive playing time last year. standards. But defense usually wins in the Big Ten. And Penn State returns just three defensive starters from last year.

Illinois Illinois has no such problem. The Fighting Illini return all 11 starters from a defense that ranked second overall (309.3 yards per game) in the conference. Many experts consider the linebacking corps of Dana Howard, John Hole-cek, Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice the nation's best. "I'm more excited about our offense," Illinois Coach Lou Tepper demurred of a unit led by quarterback Johnny Johnson, who threw for 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in a roller-coaster sophomore season. Michigan State Most of the excitement in East Lansing centers around 6-foot 6-inch junior college transfer Tony Banks at quarterback, an experienced mammoth offensive line that averages almost 300 pounds and new defensive coordinator Hank Bullough.

Well, at least the excitement on the field. Michigan State President Peter McPherson announced that George Perles must have an "outstanding" season. But he refuses to reveal what "outstanding" means to him. "My skin is so thick right now, I'm not sure you could take a fork to it," said Perles, whose Spartans are an anything-but-outstanding 14-20 in the last three seasons. "You'd have to go for the belly.

Come on, bring them on!" Ohio State Despite last year's 10-1-1 tie for the Big Ten title, Ohio State Coach John Cooper also may be in a precarious position. Six years man and cornerback Darrius Johnson. Kansas State The former league doormat has been turned around by Coach Bill Snyder. The Wildcats already have won more games in the 1990s than in the entire 1980s. Senior quarterback Chad May gets much of the credit.

He passed for 2,682 yards and 16 touchdowns last year and led the Wildcats on late marches to tie Colorado and beat Oklahoma State. Running back J.J. Smith, who rushed for 758 yards, and wide receiver Kevin Lockett, who caught 50 passes for 770 yards, return. The problem area may be the line, where only tackles Barrett Brooks and Jim Hmielewski return. Defensively, five of the six returning starters are in the front seven.

Particularly missed will be all-conference defensive backs Thomas Randolph and Jaime Mendez. Kansas Glen Mason's team dipped to 5-7 last year after consecutive winning seasons. One of those losses was a 21-20 setback to Nebraska in which he opted to go for the two-point conversion instead of the tie at the end of the game. The Jayhawks could contend for a bowl game with its backfield quarterback Asheiki Preston, fullback Chris Powell and running back June Henley returning intact. Defense, though, could be a problem, as the entire front four is gone.

Iowa State The Cyclones have a chance to improve on their 3-8 record. Todd Doxzon, one of only six true freshman quarterbacks to start in 1 forms behind Nebraska TV SCHEDULES ABC Aug. 28 Nebraska vs. West Virginia at East Rutherford, N.J. (1:00) Sept 3 Virginia at Florida State, Boston College at Michigan, Washington at Southern California Tennessee at UCLA, Notre Dame at Northwestern (7:00) Sept.

10 Southern California at Penn State, Louisville at Texas, Kentucky at Florida, Brigham Young at Air Force, Ohio State at Washington (2:30) Sept. 17 UCLA at Nebraska, Alabama at Arkansas, Notre Dame at Michigan State (2:30) Nov. 19 Michigan at Ohio State (11:00) Nov. 24 Texas at Baylor 1 0:00) Nov. 25 North Carolina State at Virginia, Texas Tech at Texas Christian Nebraska at Oklahoma 130), Arizona State at Arizona (5:00) Nov.

26 Notre Dame at Southern California (7.00) Dec. 3 Army vs. Navy Southeastern Conference championship (2:30) NBC Sept 10 Michigan at Notre Dame (1 :30) Sept 24 Purdue at Notre Dame 1 .30) Oct 1 Stanford at Notre Dame (1:30) Oct. 15 Brigham Young at Notre Dame (12:30) Oct. 29 Navy at Notre Dame (12:30) Nov.

19 Air Force at Notre Dame (12:30) Nov. 26 Grambling vs. Southern 1 :00) ESPN Sept 1 Arizona at Georgia Tech (7:00) Sept. 3 Cincinnati at Indiana Okla homa at Syracuse (6:30) Sept. 8 Nebraska at Texas Tech (7:00) Sept.

10 Stanford at Northwestern Tennessee at Georgia Miami (Fla.) at Arizona State (9:00) Sept. 15 Army at Duke (7:00) Sept. 17 Pittsburgh at Ohio State Honoa at lennessee Wisconsin at Colorado (8:30) Sept 22 West Virginia at Virginia Tech (7:00) Sept 29 Kentucky at Auburn (7:00) Oct 6 Kansas State at Kansas (7:00) Nov. 3 Boston College at Louisville (7:00) Nov. 10 San Diego State at Brigham Young (7:00) Nov.

24 Syracuse at West Virginia (7:00) Nov. 25 Georgia at Georgia Tech (3:00) PRIME NETWORK Sept 3 Auburn at Mississippi (1 Oregon State at Arizona State (9 00) Sept 10 Florida State at Maryland (1 1 :00) Sept 17 Louisiana State at Auburn Louisville at Arizona State (9 00) Sept 24 Tennessee at Mississippi State (11:30) Oct 1 South Carolina at Louisiana State (11:30) Oct 8 Louisiana State at Florida (1 1:30) Oct 15 Vanderbilt at Oct 22 Clemson at Florida State 1 1 :00) Nov. 5 Alabama at Louisiana State (1 1 30) Nov. 12 Alabama at Mississippi State (1 1:30) Nov. 26 Louisiana State at Arkansas (1 1:30) BOWL SCHEDULE SATURDAY, DEC.

17 8:00 Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas (ESPN) SUNDAY, DEC. 25 2:30 Aloha Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii (ABC) TUESDAY, DEC. 27 7:00 Independence Bowl, Shreveport, La. (ESPN) THURSDAY, DEC. 29 7:00 Copper Bowl, Tucson, Ariz.

(ESPN) 8:00 Freedom Bowl, Calif. (Ray. com) FRIDAY, DEC. 30 1:30 John Hancock Bowl, El Paso, Texas (CBS) 7:00 Holiday Bowl, San Diego, Calif. (ESPN) SATURDAY, DEC.

31 2:00 Liberty Bowl, Memphis. Tenn. (ESPN) 7:00 Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, Texas (ESPN) SUNDAY, JAN. 1 6:30 Gator Bowl, Gainesville, Fla (TBS) 70 Peach Bowl, Atlanta, Ga. (ESPN) 7:00 Orange Bowl, Miami, Fla.

(NBC) MONDAY, JAN. 2 10:00 a.m. Hall of Fame Bowl, Tampa, Fla. (tSKN) Noon Citrus Bowl, Orlando. Fla.

(ABC) Noon Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas (NBC) 12:30 Carquest Bowl, Miami, Fla. (CBS) 3:30 Fiesta Bowl, Tempe, Ariz. (NBC) 4:00 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif. (ABC) 7:30 Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, La. (ABC) Colorado Experience, experience, experience.

Colorado has plenty returning from last year's 8-3-1 club that won the Aloha Bowl. Like Nebraska, Colorado's success is in the hands of a proven quarterback. Senior Kordell Stewart passed for 2,299 yards and 11 touchdowns. Leading rusher Rashaan Salaam (844 yards, eight touchdowns) also returns in the one-back attack. And there's wide receiver Michael Westbrook, who hauled in 33 passes for 490 yards and two touchdowns.

Four of the five linemen return, led by junior center Bryan Stolten-berg; and tight end Christian Fauria is back for his senior season. The defense is almost as experienced. Senior linebacker Ted Johnson (131 tackles) is back; he joins inside linebacker Matt Russell, who had four sacks last year. The tackles Shannon Clavelle, Kerry Hicks and Darius Holland return, as do cornerbacks Chris Hudson and Dalton Simmons. The other four holes have either experienced backups or solid newcomers ready.

Oklahoma Gary Gibbs is the only coach of the top four teams who must go hunting for a quarterback. Cale Gundy is gone after starting much of four seasons and setting many school passing records. Gibbs may have a strong contender in junior college transfer Garrick McGee. If he clicks, the Sooners could be Orange Bowl bound. The rest of the offense is in place; tailback James Allen (739 yards), fullback Terry Collier, split end Albert Hall (21 catches, 366 yards) and four of five linemen return.

Eight defensive starters also are back, led by linebacker Mario Free 1994 Florida 1993 Florida State-x 1992 Miami (Fla.) 1991 Florida State 1990 Miami (Fla.) 1989 Michigan 1988 Florida State 1987 Oklahoma 198 Oklahoma 1985 Oklahoma-x 1984 Auburn 1983 Nebraska 1982 Pittsburgh 1981 Michigan 1980 Ohio State 1979 So. California 1978 AJabama-x 1977 Oklahoma 1976 Nebraska 1975 Oklahoma-x 1974 Oklahoma-x 1973 So. California x-No. 1 in final poll 1972 Nebraska 1971 Notre Dame 1970 Ohio State 1969 Ohio State 1968 Purdue 1967 Notre Dame 1966 Alabama 1965 Nebraska 1964 Mississippi 1963 So. California 1962 Ohio State 1961 Iowa 1960 Syracuse 1959 L'siana State 1958 Ohio State 1957 Oklahoma 1956 Oklahoma-x 1955 UCLA 1954 Notre Dame 1953 Notre Dame 1952 Mich.

State-x 1951 Tennessee-x 1950 Notre Dame FINAL No. 1 FINISHES A POLL Notre Dame Alabama Oklahoma Minnesota Miami (Fla.) Ohio State So. California Army Nebraska Penn State Pittsburgh Texas Auburn ...8 Brigham Young 1 ...6 Clemson 1 ...6 Colorado 1 ...4 Florida State 1 ...3 Georgia 1 ...3 Louisiana State 1 3 Maryland 1 ...2 Michigan 1 2 Michigan State 1 .2 Syracuse 1 ...2 Tennessee 1 .2 1 .1 Texas Christian 1.