Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 27

7b COLLEGE FOOTBALL COURIER-POST, Friday. September 5, 1980 ill 19 80 be uckeyeSo, Pitt the season of for well armec national title the hype? THE POLLS AP 1980 Top 20 1. Ohio State (36) 1,253 2. Alabama (24) 1.217 3. Pittsburgh (3) 4.

Southern Cal (2) 1,030 5. Oklahoma (1) 1.009 6. Arkansas 850 7. Nebraska 812 8. Houston 774 9.

Purdue 654 10. Texas 580 11. Notre Dame 556 12. Michigan 441 13 Florida State 439 14. North Carolina 393 15.

Stanford 337 16. Georgia 333 17. Missouri 308 18. Penn State 280 19. Auburn 261 20.

Washington 200 AP FINAL 1979 1. Alabama (12-0) 2. Southern Cal (11-0-1) 3. Oklahoma (11-1) 4. Ohio State (11-1) 5.

Houston (11-1) 6. Florida State (11-1) 7. Pittsburgh (11-1) 8. Arkansas (10-2) 9. Nebraska (10-2) 10.

Purdue (10-2) 11. Washington (10-2) 12. Texas (9-3) 13. Brigham Young' (11-1) 14. Baylor (8-4) 15.

North Carolina (8-3-1) 16. Auburn (8-3) 17. Temple (10-2) 18. Michigan (8-4) 19. Indiana (8-4) 20.

Penn State (8-4) UPI FINAL 1979 1. Alabama (12-0) 2. Southern Cal (11-0-1) 3. Oklahoma (11-1) 4. Ohio State (11-1) 5.

Houston (11-1) 6. Pittsburgh (11-1) 7., Nebraska (10-2) 8. Florida State (11-1) 9. Arkansas (10-2) 10. Purdue (10-2) 11.

Washington (10-2) 12. Brigham Young (11-1) 13. Texas (9-3) 14. North Carolina (8-3-1) 15. Baylor (8-4) 16.

Indiana (8-4) 17. Temple (10-2) 18. Penn State (8-4) 19. Michigan (8-4) 20. Missouri (7-5) fJlM fa A.

-ft. fU '7 wide receiver Bart Burrell will continue to be top targets. NOTRE DAME: Should be good battle for quarterback spot among Tim Koegel, Mike Courey and Greg Knafelc. Senior Jim Stone will get shot at replacing Vagas Ferguson at running back. Defense is in good shape, but there's too much rebuilding on offense to rate Irish a crack at the national title.

NORTH CAROLINA: Tar Heels have one of the most exciting running backs in the country in "Famous" Amos Lawrence, who will be gunning for his fourth straight season. Only other collegian to do that was Tony Dorsett. STANFORD: Former pro star and coach Paul Wiggin has taken his crewcut to the college ranks, and he inherits a team with 18 starters back from a 5-5-1 club. TEXAS: The last of the Jones boys, A.J. "Jam" Jones, just could be the best.

He ran for 918 yards in 188 carries and scored 10 touchdowns last year. Junior quarterback-Donnie Little will lead the veer attack. PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions have 10 defensive starters back from last year's 8-4 team. But, with Pittsburgh being so strong, they won't be the best team in the East, much less the nation. BRIGHAM YOUNG: Record-setting quarterback Marc Wilson is gone, but McMahon had been the starter in 1978 and was all-WAC before being red-shirted last year with knee injury.

ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils won make any noise in the polls, but it will be interesting to see what new coach Darryl Rogers can do with the mess he inherited from the Frank Rush era. MICHIGAN: Bo Schembechler has problems at quarterback and may wind up using freshman Steve Smith. He did that five years ago with freshman Rich Leach, and had pretty fair results. And, if you're looking for a very early look at a possible top 20, try this one: 1. Ohio State; 2.

Alabama; 3. Pittsburgh; 4. Arkansas; 5. Oklahoma; 6. USC; 7.

Purdue; 8. Missouri; 9. Auburn; 10. Houston; 11. Texas; I 12.

Nebraska; 13. Brigham Young; 14. Michigan; 15. Indiana; 16. Southern Methodist; 17.

Notre Dame; 18. Florida State; 19. Penn State; 20. North Carolina. By JOEL BUCHSBAUM Gannett News Service College football tends to run in cycles.

The 1970s gave us a decade of the great runner and the option (Wishbone and Veer) offense. The 1980s signal the return of the pass and the great pro-style quarterback. That's why Ohio State and Pittsburgh should battle it out for the top spot, while schools like Brigham Young also could be in the running. Here's the way we see them: 1. Ohio State How good is Art Schlichter? If he had been eligible for last year's pro draft, he would have gone 10 minutes before the first round.

How strong is the Buckeye defense? The linebackers run 4.7 40s and weigh 230, while the pass defenders clock 9.6-9.7 in the 100, and hit like linebackers. Where the Buckeyes finish? No. 1. 2. Pittsburgh Sophomore quarterback Dan Marino may ultimately be even better than Schlichter.

Fullback Randy McMillan, tackle Mark May and tight-end Benjie Pryor are first round talents, too. The Hugh Green-led defensive line may be the best in a city that houses the Steelers, and the rest of the defense is ironclad. 3. USC Nobody has more horses than the Trojans, who are banned from the Rose Bowl. However, all the studs in the world aren't going to win John Robinson the national crown unless he finds a superior quarterback.

4. Texas One quarterback, Donnie Little, runs like Thomas Lott, while the other. Rick Mclvor, throws like Joe Namath. Thus, Fred Ackers has the best of both worlds to choose from. More than half his defense graduated to the pros, but what's left was good enough to stifle Arkansas.

5. Alabama The schedule is soft as a pillow and the defense is solid as a rock. 6. Brigham Young Jim McMahon is a better all-around quarterback than Marc Wilson. He has seven outstanding receivers.

5 By GARY STEIN Gannett News Service Whether or not 1980 will be the year of the quarterback in college football remains to be seen. But it can already be safely said that it will be the season of the quarterback hype. Just listen to what is being said about some of the top college signal-callers in the land: Pittsburgh coach Jackie Sherrill, taking about Panther sophomore quarterback Danny Marino: "He's better than (Joe) Namath was at this stage." California Coach Roger Theder, on his 6-5 quarterback, Rich Campbell: "Very few are blessed with Rich's God-given ability to throw the football. He may be smoother than anyone we've ever had here." INDIANA COACH Lee Corso, discussing Hoosier quarterback and BigTen most valuable player Tim Clifford: "He gives us what (Roger) Staubach gave the And Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann, who, sometime near the end of this season, will probably break the all-time collegiate career passing yardage record: "I try to pattern myself after Bob Griese." There will be others to watch, like Joe Adams at Tennessee State, John Elway at Stanford. Phil Bradley at Missouri, Mike Ford at SMU and Jim McMahon at Brigham Young.

And perhaps the best quarterback in the country Art Schlicter will be playing for perhaps the No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State. AS A SOPHOMORE in 1979, he led Earle Bruce's first Buckeye team to within an eyelash of the national championship. They could be even better this season. He is one of several quarterbacks including Herrmann and Clifford who are helping the once-plodding Big Ten change its image.

It hasn't helped the Big Ten in bowl games in recent years, but at least the games are a little more fun to watch. Schlichter completed 105 of 200 passes for 1.816 yards, and ran for another 430 yards last fall as the Buckeyes went 11-0 during the regular season and then lost to USC in the Rose Bowl, 17-16. The Buckeyes have 14 starteers back from that squad, which should be more than enough to capture the Big Ten title again and put Ohio State in a spot to win the national title. THERE WILL BE other familiar names battling Ohio State for the mythical national title. Alabama will be gonning for its third straight crown, and, as usual, the Tide is loaded.

Pittsburgh's defense may be the second-best in country, second only to the other team that plays football in Pittsburgh. Oklahoma, even without Billy Sims, will be explosive. California may have the best passing attack in the country. Houston may be the best in the underrated Southwest Conference. And Brigham Young has 15 starters back from a team that went undefeated through the regular season last year.

Here's a quick look at some teams you'll be hearing a lot more about come September: ALABAMA: The Tide was 12-0 last year, and with eight defensive starters back they'll be as tough to score on as ever. Running backs Major Ogilive and Billy Jackson combined for 1,000 yards last year, and they'll carry the major load this season as Paul (Bear) Bryant tries to become the first college coach ever to win three straight national titles. OKLAHOMA: Halfback David Overstreet is no Sims, but he's plenty dangerous. Quarterback J.C. Watts will lead the attack, and he has eight returning offensive starters to work with.

USC: The Trojans may have a tough time matching last year's 11-0-1 mark, simply because you cannot quickly replace people like Heisman Trophy winner Charles White and quarterback Paul McDonald. And no one knows what the effect of the Pacific 10 in declaring USC ineligible for the conference crown and the Rose Bowl will have. CALIFORNIA: Campbell is a 67 percent passer (241 of 360 last year), and he may have the best receivers in the country in Matt Bouza (59 for 831), Michael Buggs (37 for 575) and Greg Woodward (29.8 yards per catch). If they can stop other teams at all, the Golden Bears should be a fun team to watch. PITTSBURGH: The entire Panther defensive line is made up of Ail-American candidates, led by spectacular end Hugh Green (6-2, 235).

He has been All-America three straight years. Marino leads a well-balanced attack, and the Panther schedule is such that an unbeaten season is quite possible. NEBRASKA: Cornhuskers will grind it out again, led by tailabck Jarvis Redwine (1,042 yards last year and a 7.0 average per carry) and fullback Andra Franklin, called "the best I ever coached," by boss Tom Osborne. ARKANSAS: Ten defensive starters return from 10-2 squad, led by tackle Billy Rav Smith. PURDUE: Tight end Dave Young and Jf Associated Press Pitt quarterback Dan Marino (right) and tight end Benjie Pryor form a potent one-two punch for the Panthers.

good blockers and a solid defense to support him. Need more be said? 7. Nebraska This is the best-coached team in college football. The defense looks like it was put together by York Barbell, and the schedule has Oklahoma and Missouri coming to Lincoln. 8.

Stanford Super sophomore quarterback John Elway is in the John Brodie-Jim Plunket class already. Wide receiver Ken Mangerum can be compared to Gene Washington, James Lofton and Tony Hill, while Darrin Nelson is such a superb runner you can't compare him to anyone because he's the best back Stanford ever had. If Paul Wiggins can do something with the Cardinal defense, Stanford will be in the Rose Bowl. 9. Purdue Mark Herrmann passing to tight end Dave Young and to split end Bart Burrell are quite a pair of combinations.

However, if the Boilermakers are to steam into Pasadena, they must toughen up on defense and tighten their blocking. 10. Michigan Great blocking and coaching make the always ferocious Wolverines a darkhorse for the Rose Bowl. Michigan, however, must find a quarterback who can compare with Schlichter and Herrmann if it's to take the top spot. 11.

Houston Defensive tackle Leonard Mitchell epitomizes this team and, to quote one report, "He can be an unholy terror or he can be the world's largest pussycat." He is 6-6'2, 265 pounds, fast and agile, but at times he's hostile and at others he's gentle. 12. Oklahoma The Sooners must replace the Big Eight's finest ever, Billy Sims, and seven defensive starters, including the Big Eight defensive player of the year, George Cumby. That means they might lose two or three games (Texas, Nebraska, and Missouri). 13.

North Carolina Amos Lawrence is a fantastic runner and Lawrence Taylor leads a Tarheel defense that is tougher than flint. 14. Arkansas The receivers can run like deer and jump like kangeroos. And Bert Jones' little brother, Tom, will be throwing to them. The kicking is great and the short squaf quick defense eventually will jell after being overpowered by Texas.

15. Missouri On paper the Tigers should be very hard to tame. Resourceful Phil Bradley is the Big Eight's finest quarterbacks and every member of the cat-quick defense runs the 40 in 4.95 or better. However, in the past Missouri has often folded up like paper tigers in lesser games. 16.

Notre Dame The offensive line is fine and the receivers are Devine, but having to replace Rusty Lisch and Vagas Ferguson in the same year can break your spine. And who knows what the effect of playing for a lame-duck coach will be? 17. Auburn The Tigers have quality blockers, a super runner (James Brooks) and an outstanding defensive front. However, they need kickers and a quarterback. 18.

Tennessee Johnny Majors has the Vols on the path to victory. However, when you must replace a blue-chip quarterback and you face USC, Pittsburgh and Alabama, how can you win 'em all? 19. SMU If Eric Dickerson is ready to run and Mike Ford is in passing shape, the Mustangs are going to be in the running. 20. Washington The Huskies' defense is tight and tough, but the offense must rely on a frail though talented quarterback, Tom Flick, and an enigmatic Chuck Muncie-type running back, Toussaint Tyler.

1 VIA Mf Quarterback's VieW Associated Press Ohio State' quarterback Art Schlichter displays tosses downfield to Paul Campbell during Michi- the arm that will help make the Buckeyes a threat gan game last year. Schlichter threw for 196 for the national championship in 1980 as he yards in Ohio State's 18-15 triumph. Purdue, Irish clash in bow COLLEGE SCHEDULE Purdue at Notre Oame E. Michigan at w. Michigan Southern Illinois at Wichita State SOUTHWEST Tenn-Martm at Arkansas St.

N. Teias St at Texas-Arlington Lamar at Texas Southern Teias-Ei Paso at Texas Tech McNeese St. at w. Texas St. FAR WEST Air Force at Colorado State Fresno State at Fullerton St.

Brigham Young at New Mexico Stanford at Oregon Santa Clara at San Jose State Boise State at Utah Texas at Mississippi Marshall at Morehead State Furman at North Carolina William Mary at NC St. Bowling Green at Richmond Pacific at South Carolina Mexico St. at Southwestern La. Georgia at Tennessee Southern Mississippi at Tulane Virginia Tech at Wake Forest VMI at Western Carolina MIDWEST Ball State at Central Michigan Indiana State at Drake Northwestern at Illinois Ntcholls State at Illinois State EAST Rhode Island at Holy Cross Colgate at Penn State Cincinnati at West Virginia SOUTH Georgia Tech at Alabama Presbyterian at The Citadel East Carolina at Ouhe Wotford at East Tennessee St. Tenn-Chat at Jacksonville St.

Appalachian st at James Madison Utah State at Kentucky Florida St.otLSU Miami, Fla. at Louisville Villanova at Maryland Mississippi St, at Memphis St Associated Press No easy opener for ninth-ranked Purdue or 1 1 th-rated Notre Dame. They go head-to-head in one of the more intriguing matchups scheduled for the first Saturday of the 1980 college football season. The two Midwestern behemoths were not slated to meet until later in the season, but the game at South Bend, was moved ahead for a national television appearance. "It should be a great early-season matchup," says Dan Devine, the lame duck coach of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish.

"These two teams usually get excited about playing each other anyway. But the fact that this is the season opener for both teams makes it much more interesting. "I don't think motivation will be a problem for either team." Left unsaid by Devine, who announced several weeks ago that this will be his last season at Notre Dame, was the fact that his Irish will likely be motivated by the embarrassment for them of not finishing among the top twenty in last year's polls. And, in this nonconference warmup, Pur- may come down to which unit matures a little quicker over the course of a Saturday afternoon." 1 Elsewhere tomorrow, Alabama's second-ranked Crimson Tide will kick off the season for Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant at Birmingham against Georgia Tech. In other games tomorrow, 13th-ranked Florida State travels to Baton Rouge for a meeting with dangerous Louisiana State, No.

15 Stanford plays at Oregon, 16th-ranked Georgia takes goes to Tennessee and No. 18 Penn State opens its season at home against Colgate. due's biggest motivation could be the chance to serve notice to Ohio State and Michigan that last year's 10-2 record was no fluke and that their longtime domination of the Big Ten may be in jeopardy. Purdue, with quarterback Mark Herrmann leading the way, came back from a 20-7 deficit to win last year's meeting 28-22 and start the Irish on a slide that wound up with a very disappointing 7-4 mark. "Purdue's defense and our offense both return a lot of talented individuals' Devine noted.

"And our offense and Purdue's defense each have a few new faces. So it.