Original Issue

The Rest 26-117

Author:
Richard Deitsch

¬†


RANK	TEAM (FINAL 2003 AP RANK)	2003 RECORD	RETURNING STARTERS	Skinny (2003 stats unless otherwise indicated)
26	WISCONSIN	7--6	17	Senior TB Anthony Davis (3,021 total rushing yards in his first two seasons) is 100% after missing five games to ankle injuries
27	N.C. STATE	8--5	17	Freshman Marcus Stone is the leader to succeed Philip Rivers at QB; junior TB T.A. McLendon (11 TDs in nine games) is healthy
28	PURDUE (18)	9--4	11	Senior Kyle Orton completed 60% of his passes over last two seasons; adding a 6'9" receiver, sophomore Kyle Ingraham, is a plus
29	BOSTON COLLEGE	8--5	11	Winner of four straight bowls, Eagles must settle QB position and replace alltime rushing leader Derrick Knight to make a run at five
30	OREGON STATE	8--5	12	Senior Derek Anderson was second Pac-10 passer to throw for 4,000 yards in a season (4,058); he must cut down on INTs (24)
31	VIRGINIA	8--5	16	Speedy junior Marques Hagans takes over at QB and can look to All-America tight end Heath Miller (70 catches, 835 yards)
32	MEMPHIS	9--4	16	Explosive junior TB DeAngelo Williams rushed for 1,430 yards and led nation with 192.1 all-purpose yards per game
33	ALABAMA	4--9	15	Junior LB DeMeco Ryans set school record with 25 tackles against Arkansas, one of his five games with double-figure tackles
34	LOUISVILLE	9--4	16	Senior WR J.R. Russell was second in C-USA with 75 catches and 1,213 yards, becoming fifth Cardinals 1,000-yard receiver in six years
35	GEORGIA TECH	7--6	14	ACC Rookie of the Year QB Reggie Ball threw for 1,996 yards, fourth best alltime among conference freshmen
36	SOUTHERN MISS	9--4	13	Ball hawking junior CB John Eubanks scored on a fumble return, an interception return and a kickoff return
37	SOUTH CAROLINA	5--7	15	Gave up just 11 sacks thanks to hefty trio of LT Jabari Levey (320), C John Strickland (305) and RG Jonathan Alston (305)
38	VIRGINIA TECH	8--5	9	Senior Bryan Randall (1,996 passing yards, 15 TDs) won't have to split time at QB, because Marcus Vick was suspended for the year
39	TEXAS TECH	8--5	15	Senior QB Sonny Cumbie succeeds B.J. Symons at the helm of nation's most potent offense (582.8 yards per game)
40	FRESNO STATE	9--5	17	Former walk-on Garrett McIntyre, a junior DE, had 39 tackles, including 12 1/2 tackles for loss and eight sacks
41	NOTRE DAME	5--7	14	Opener at BYU offers sophomore QB Brady Quinn (nine TDs, 15 INTs) chance to convince alums he's their man
42	MARSHALL	8--4	13	Senior QB Stan Hill (1,767 yards, 15 TDs despite knee injury) and senior WR Josh Davis (2,975 career yards) are a dangerous combo
43	WASHINGTON STATE (9)	10--3	6	Junior LB Will Derting (86 tackles, 7 1/2 sacks) will carry Cougars defense that has just two returning starters
44	BOISE STATE (16)	13--1	9	Broncos' 11-game winning streak is nation's second longest; sophomore Jared Zabranski is leader to replace Ryan Dinwiddie at QB
45	COLORADO	5--7	11	Gary Barnett survived tumultuous off-season; will Buffs' last four games (Texas, at Kansas, Kansas State, at Nebraska) do him in?
46	MICHIGAN STATE	8--5	14	Who will replace QB Jeff Smoker? Senior Damon Dowdell, freshman Stephen Reaves and sophomore Drew Stanton will battle it out
47	SAN DIEGO STATE	6--6	16	Senior LB Kirk Morrison (115 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks) is reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year
48	OKLAHOMA STATE	9--4	15	Sophomore WR D'Juan Woods looks to fill the shoes of his brother Rashaun, who caught 77 passes for 1,367 yards and 15 TDs
49	WASHINGTON	6--6	12	Senior FB Zach Tuiasosopo, brother of former Huskies QB Marques, is one of the Pac-10's best blocking backs
50	PENN STATE	3--9	13	Joe Pa calls on youngster--64-year-old former Florida coach Galen Hall--to resuscitate Big Ten's worst offense (313.3 yards)
51	ARIZONA STATE	5--7	11	Senior QB Andrew Walter (back-to-back 3,000-yard passing seasons) has reliable target in junior Derek Hagan (66 catches)
52	ARKANSAS	9--4	4	Coach Houston Nutt, who flirted with Nebraska job, stuck with Hogs and QB Matt Jones (1,917 passing yards, 707 rushing yards)
53	OLE MISS (13)	10--3	10	Junior QB Micheal Spurlock (7 of 8 passing, 118 yards in career) has toughest job in college football: replacing Eli Manning
54	UCLA	6--7	13	Luxury model: Sure-handed junior TE Mercedes Lewis (30 receptions) complements senior WR Craig Bragg (73)
55	TEXAS A&M	4--8	14	Courtney Lewis had second-most rushing yards (1,024) by an Aggies freshman and was first A&M back to get 1,000 since 1998
56	PITTSBURGH	8--5	10	Junior Luke Getsy (13 passes) and senior WR Princell Brockenbrough (35 catches) replace Rod Rutherford and Larry Fitzgerald
57	NEW MEXICO	8--5	9	Junior RB DonTrell Moore set Lobos' single-season rushing mark with 1,450 yards and scored 21 touchdowns, 19 rushing
58	NORTHWESTERN	6--7	17	Junior DE Loren Howard led Wildcats with 16 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hurries and eight sacks
59	TULSA	8--5	17	Looking to build on seven-win improvement (best turnaround in nation) behind senior QB James Kilian (2,217 passing yards)
60	SYRACUSE	6--6	9	On hot seat: Coach Paul Pasqualoni (33--27 since 1999) needs big year from senior RB Walter Reyes (1,347 yards, 21 TDs)
61	COLORADO STATE	7--6	12	Junior WR David Anderson had 72 catches for a Mountain West--best 1,293 yards and nine touchdowns
62	HAWAII	9--5	15	Senior QB Timmy Chang needs 2,218 passing yards to surpass Ty Detmer's NCAA career record of 15,031
63	KANSAS	6--7	16	Jayhawks could make noise if sophomore Adam Barmann passes as well as departed Bill Whittemore (No. 9 in passing efficiency)
64	ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM	5--7	18	Sophomore WR Nick Coon averaged 36.2 yards per catch, and three of his 10 receptions went for touchdowns
65	CONNECTICUT	9--3	17	Senior QB Dan Orlovsky has thrown a touchdown pass in 24 straight games, a stretch during which Huskies went 15--9
66	SOUTH FLORIDA	7--4	15	Sixth-year senior DT Lee Roy Selmon Jr., son of NFL Hall of Famer, anchors defense for Bulls, who join Big East in 2005
67	NAVY	8--5	15	Nation's best ground attack (323.2 yards per game) buoyed by senior backs Kyle Eckel (1,249 yards) and Eric Roberts (630)
68	NORTH CAROLINA	2--10	15	Senior WR Jawarski Pollock, ACC's top returning pass catcher, pulled down school-record 71 receptions
69	RUTGERS	5--7	15	Junior QB Ryan Hart set school records for pass attempts (398), completions (234) and yards (2,714)
70	BOWLING GREEN (23)	11--3	17	Senior WR Cole Magner (99 catches, 1,138 yards), junior TB P.J. Pope (1,005 yards) pick up slack for departed QB Josh Harris
71	WAKE FOREST	5--7	14	Junior RB Chris Barclay was second in ACC in rushing with 1,192 yards on 235 carries, and he scored 12 touchdowns
72	NORTHERN ILLINOIS	10--2	13	Senior QB Josh Haldi (2,544 yards, 25 TDs) will try to recapture the magic of Huskies' breakout 2003 campaign
73	KENTUCKY	4--8	15	Senior QB Shane Boyd, Jared Lorenzen's backup for last two years, can run but must improve on 34.9% completion rate
74	MIAMI (OHIO) (10)	13--1	17	Junior Josh Betts (19 of 36, 263 yards) takes over at QB for RedHawks' alltime leading passer Ben Roethlisberger
75	STANFORD	4--7	14	Had nation's worst pass defense (296.3 yards), but senior FS Oshiomogho Atogwe (90 tackles) is among nine starters back on D
76	HOUSTON	7--6	17	With 3,131 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions, QB Kevin Kolb was C-USA freshman of the year
77	ARIZONA	2--10	19	Junior RB Mike Bell, Pac-10's top returning rusher (920 yards), is one of nine returning starters on offense
78	NORTH TEXAS	9--4	14	Senior RB Patrick Cobbs led nation in rushing (152.7 yards per game) and contributed 19 TDs
79	VANDERBILT	2--10	21	Commodores are most experienced team in SEC and have a defensive stopper in Junior DE Jovan Haye (8 1/2 sacks)
80	AIR FORCE	7--5	6	Junior QB Andy Gray, fresh off two-year Mormon mission, succeeds Chance Harridge after Adam Fitch tore Achilles in spring
81	ILLINOIS	1--11	14	Senior QB Jon Beutjer, awarded sixth year of eligibility, needs to improve on subpar performance (10 TDs, nine INTs)
82	MISSISSIPPI STATE	2--10	14	First-year coach Sylvester Croom (Alabama, class of '75) faces Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 6
83	INDIANA	2--10	19	Ten starters return on offense, led by sophomore RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (203 rushing yards against Penn State)
84	CINCINNATI	5--7	16	New coach Mark Dantonio, former Ohio State defensive coordinator, inherits school's alltime leading passer, senior Gino Guidugli
85	UNLV	6--6	13	Senior WR Earvin Johnson (60 catches, 834 yards) needs QB Kurt Nantkes (12 TDs, 10 INTs) to be more consistent
86	BYU	4--8	10	Cougars' strength is their defense led by senior safety Aaron Francisco, who had 116 tackles and three interceptions
87	IOWA STATE	2--10	13	Cyclones turn to redshirt freshman QB Bret Meyer to boost 116th-ranked scoring offense (14.4 points per game)
88	BAYLOR	3--9	14	Oct. 2 game at Texas will not be fun: Longhorns have outscored Bears 97--0 over past two years and 286--44 since 1998
89	TULANE	5--7	16	Green Wave has a stud in All-C-USA senior WR Roydell Williams, who had 66 receptions for 1,006 yards and nine TDs
90	AKRON	7--5	12	First-year coach J.D. Brookhart has a building block in senior QB Charlie Frye (8,426 career passing yards and 46 TDs)
91	DUKE	4--8	13	Senior Senterrio Landrum averaged 28.4 yards per kick return (25 for 709) and added 11 catches for 101 yards as a WR
92	RICE	5--7	14	Owls had school-record 3,800 rushing yards, led by Thomas Lott (714), whose 7.3 yards per carry was second-best in nation
93	WYOMING	4--8	12	Oh, brother: Junior Corey Bramlet (14 career attempts) takes over for Casey, who directed Mountain West's top passing attack
94	WESTERN MICHIGAN	5--7	11	Transfer Ryan Cubit, who set Rutgers freshman passing marks in 2001, will battle junior Blayne Baggett for QB job
95	CENTRAL FLORIDA	3--9	15	Unproven sophomore QB Steven Moffett and tough schedule make for a bumpy return to college coaching for George O'Leary
96	TROY STATE	6--6	17	Senior FS Derrick Ansley led Trojans in tackles (94) and interceptions (9) and was second in pass breakups (10)
97	LOUISIANA TECH	5--7	16	Bulldogs will ride junior RB Ryan Moats, who rushed for 1,300 yards and 10 TDs and had six straight 100-yard games
98	EAST CAROLINA	1--11	12	New offensive coordinator Noah Brindise looks to improve nation's 104th-ranked offense (311.3 yards per game)
99	NEW MEXICO STATE	3--9	13	Aggies will rely on senior Buck Pierce, who threw for 1,510 passing yards and seven TDs and completed 69.4% of his passes
100	NEVADA	6--6	11	Chris Ault, the school's alltime winningest coach (163-63-1), is back on the sideline after serving as Wolfpack's athletic director
101	UTEP	2--11	17	Mike Price (20--4 in final two seasons at Washington State) takes over program that won six times over last three years
102	TEMPLE	1--11	16	Standout junior LB Rian Wallace (148 tackles) deserves better than a team that will struggle against even I-AA Florida A&M
103	CENTRAL MICHIGAN	3--9	17	MAC freshman of year Jerry Seymour set conference mark for first-year RBs with 1,117 rushing yards in just nine games
104	UTAH STATE	3--9	10	Senior QB Travis Cox, who passed for 2,791 yards and 18 touchdowns, led Sun Belt Conference in total offense
105	LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE	4--8	10	Sophomore QB Jerry Babb led Ragin' Cajuns to victories in four of their last five games, but he will miss departed WR Fred Stamps
106	KENT STATE	5--7	16	Golden Flashes get senior QB Joshua Cribbs (2,424 passing yards, 14 TDs) back after one-game suspension for drug possession
107	BALL STATE	4--8	12	David Letterman's alma mater has dominating WR in Dante Ridgeway (89 catches, 1,075 yards, 10 TDs)
108	ARKANSAS STATE	5--7	11	Mismatch of year: Indians travel to LSU to face co--national champs, who have outscored them 112--20 in previous two meetings
109	MIDDLE TENNESSEE	4--8	12	Senior WR Kerry Wright set a Sun Belt Conference record with 1,280 receiving yards and scored nine touchdowns
110	SMU	0--12	17	Mustangs looking for a big year from junior Rolando Humphrey (49 tackles, seven pass breakups), their most talented corner
111	SAN JOSE STATE	3--8	7	Mighty mite TB Lamar Ferguson (5'5") is back after missing 2003 with knee injury; he rushed for team-best 634 yards in '02
112	LOUISIANA-MONROE	1--11	15	Worst scoring defense (38.9 points a game) in Sun Belt has nine starters back, including senior LB John Winchester (91 tackles)
113	OHIO	2--10	17	Senior inside LB Dennis Chukwuemeka (100 tackles in 10 games) is Bobcats' leader up front
114	EASTERN MICHIGAN	3--9	16	Senior TB Anthony Sherrell had 1,531 rushing yards, including eight consecutive games with 100 or more
115	ARMY	0--13	18	New boss Bobby Ross (94-76-2 as a college coach) tries to rebuild a team that has lost 24 of its last 25 games
116	IDAHO	3--9	20	Vandals hope success runs in family: Junior QB Michael Harrington, brother of Detroit Lions' Joey, will be under center
117	BUFFALO	1--11	16	Mr. Irrelevant Game: Bulls travel to Ohio U on Sept. 25; last year's 26--17 victory over Bobcats was Buffalo's only win