CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: CatsbyAZ on July 01, 2022, 10:26:25 AM
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Last summer I spent a whole thread revisiting my old copy of Lindy’s 2007 College Football Preview: https://www.cfb51.com/big-ten/summer-reading-lindys-2007-national-cfb-preview/msg348005/#msg348005
This time around I’m picking Lindy’s 2001 preview for a retrospective.
Cover:
(https://i.imgur.com/taVPlPz.jpg)
Pages: 1 – 15
1 – 2: A two page advertisement for BetOnSports.co.cr (early online betting website offshored in Costa Rica)
3 – 6: Full page ads for Broilermaster Premium Gas Grills, AutoTrader.com, Canadian Mist Whiskey, and TeamHardHats.com
7: Table of Contents
8: Letter from the Publisher: “Welcome to the 20th season of Lindy’s college football publications. Lindy’s produced its premier issue in 1982. It was a historic year for SEC football – coach Paul Bear Bryant coached his final Alabama team and Herschel Walker was winning the Heisman Trophy at Georgia…Most of the usual suspects are in the chase for the national title – we’re picking Florida – and this season the championship game could be even more special because for the first time, it will be held in the granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl.”
9: Full page ad for Under Armour
10 – 12: Featured Article: Baptism By Fire – Replacements of Today are Stars of Tomorrow: “Lindy’s examines teams whose seasons revolve around what they hope are can-do replacements, starting with the player who is not Drew Henson.
When John Navarre, then a redshirt freshman, stepped onto the field at Michigan Stadium early last September as Michigan’s starting quarterback, he knew it was a temporary assignment…Last season, the job belonged to Drew Henson, who had shared time with Tom Brady the previous two seasons.
Carnell Williams might hold key to Auburn’s offense: Rudi Johnson took most of the college football world by surprise last season. Auburn needs his replacement to do the same this season. And for a new fullback to emerge…It would have been bad enough if just quarterback Ben Leard was gone – he left the old-fashioned way; he exhausted his eligibility.
Badgers trio tries to do the job of one: Wisconsin’s parade of running backs has been good enough to make Nebraska jealous. For the past eight seasons, the Badgers have produced a 1,000-yard rusher, beginning with Brent Moss in 1993. After that it was Terrell Fletcher and Carl McCullough … and then a guy who did it in four consecutive seasons, winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming the NCAA career leading rusher – Ron Dayne. The Badgers’ beat went on last year with the anti-Dayne, Michael Bennett. One of college football’s premier speed backs, Bennett rushed for 1,681 yards and then raced off early for the NFL.”
13: Full page sports betting ad
14: Filling The Cleats: Forty players gave up eligibility after last season to enter the NFL Draft:
(Here’s a few of note:)
Michael Bennet RB Wisconsin drafted by Minnesota
Quincy Carter QB Georgia drafted by Dallas
Nate Clements CB Ohio State drafted by Buffalo
Jamar Fletcher CB Wisconsin drafted by Miami
Todd Heap TE Arizona State drafted by Baltimore
Freddie Mitchell WR UCLA drafted by Philadelphia
Dominic Raiola C Nebraska drafted by Detroit
David Terrell WR Michigan drafted by Chicago
Michael Vick QB Virginia Tech drafted by Atlanta
Kenyatta Walker OT Florida drafted by Tampa
Gerard Warren DT Florida drafted by Cleveland
15: Another fill page advertisement for BetOnSports.co.cr
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Cover didn't age well
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Pages: 16 – 25
Featured Articles:
16 – 19:
3 Wiseman: The Game Will Never See a Trio like Paterno, Bowden and Holtz: “You know history as Joe Paterno, Lou Holtz, and Bobby Bowden. But you probably won’t know them as coaches for much longer…When will we next see two coaches (Penn State’s Paterno and Florida State’s Bowden) destined to break the Division 1-A record for career victories in the same season? How about never? Paterno (322 wins), Bowden (315), and Holtz (224) are 1-2-3 in victories among active coaches. That’s a combined 89 years. 75 bowl games and five national titles worth of experience. “What is youth?” said Holtz, a national coach of the year candidate in 2000 at age 63. “I’d rather have my experience than my youth.”
“Once they leave, all those ties to your father’s college football will be gone. We’ll largely be left with trendy new guys like Rick Neuheisel and Bob Stoops, whose college football backgrounds don’t even go back as far as disco.”
20 – 21:
Back to School – NFL Coaches Find Campus is Cool: “Three former NFL head coaches – Oregon State’s Dennis Erickson, USC’s Pete Carroll and Arizona’s John Mackovic – now lead programs in the Pac 10. Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer’s name came up at North Carolina before the school hired New Orleans Saints assistant John Bunting. Former Dallas Cowboys coach Chan Gailey was in the running at Georgia.”
22: Full page ad for www.atswins.com a sports betting website that issues their subscribers a Motorola pager that instantly receives scores and Vegas betting lines.
23: Full page ad for www.jimhurley.com, another sports betting website, this one bragging to hit 80% of their bets if you subscribe for $100.
24 – 25:
Old-School Sherrill has turned state into a new SEC Power: “Jackie Sherrill looks so dang serious all the time, and had that little problem at Texas A&M, where he was blamed for a “winning-at-all-cost mentality.” But what would his critics think of a guy who’s more likely to be spotted walking his dog on a Sunday afternoon than devising ways to destroy his next opponent? He can still be gruff, but reality is that Sherrill, at 57, has mellowed in recent years, despite his insistence that he’s the same guy he’s always been.”
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Pages: 26 – 33
Featured Articles:
26 – 27:
Sooner Magic: How Did Oklahoma Win the National Title? “The blueprint for Oklahoma success didn’t go by the ook. The short answer is that the Sooners succeeded because of Josh Heupel, runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 2000, but that would be selling short this weird, wacky story…Quietly, Bob Stoops assembled an all-star cast of coaches. Steve Spurrier Jr coached the receivers. Coordinators Mark Mangino took over for Mike Leach (who became coach at Texas Tech). Brother Mike Stoops, already a budding star at Kansas State, took the defense.”
28 – 29:
No Knocks on Woody, as Legend Grows: “When Clemson first put Woodrow Dantzler at the controls of the spread offense, Dantzler was sometimes described as a running back playing quarterback. At 5-11 and just over 200 pounds, he has the ability to run around defenders, as well as run between the tackles for tough yardage. He credits his strength and balance to the karate and taekwondo he practiced as a child.”
30 – 31:
Power Surge in the Northwest: “A former All-Pac 8 lineman at Washington State in the early 1970s, Bill Moos is now the athletic director at Oregon. And on Nov. 18, his program went into the annual Civil War against Oregon State with the Rose Bowl on the line. If Oregon won, the Ducks went to the Rose Bowl. If Oregon State won, the Beavers would go to the Rose Bowl – if Washington State beat Washington. If Oregon State and Washington each won then the Huskies – who equal the Beavers as Oregon’s most hated rival – would go to the Rose Bowl. Moos could only watch in horror as the last scenario came to pass…Even so, Moos realized what the weekend meant on a broader scale – that the power in the Pac-10 had shifted North by Northwest: All three teams in the Rose Bowl race were from the Pacific Northwest.”
32 – 33:
Young Man Rivers: “N.C. State Sophomore Gunslinger Shoots Down Defenses Like a Veteran…Norm Chow had seen Steve Young, Ty Detmer and Jim McMahon. He had seen legends rise and records fall, but he’d never seen a quarterback – a good one, anyway – throw the ball like N.C. State freshman Philip Rivers…Chow left Rivers’ less-than-perfect throwing motion alone, and Rivers threw enough balls where they needed to go to have the most productive passing season in N.C. State history…Rivers wasn’t interested in redshirting, or in sitting on the bench in his first season. That’s one of the reasons he chose N.C. State, which had lost all-time school passing leader…Coming to school early was Rivers’ idea, and a reason why N.C. State was able to beat out the SEC teams in Rivers’ back yard, including Auburn and Ole Miss. Neither was especially high on the idea of Rivers’ coming early for spring practice, and Auburn even told him they might find playing time for him at (gulp) free safety.”
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Pages: 34 – 42
34 – 36:
(https://i.imgur.com/gvERV7F.jpg)
Scoping the Nation: Bowl mess continues: “The postseason confusion continued in the offseason with the two Hawaii games heading to the mainland, and the NCAA declaring in the spring that the Micron PC Bowl still could salvage itself this year. That means the 25 bowls could grow to 26 in the summer. With at least 50 teams bowl-bound – including 38 from the power conferences last season (and similar numbers projected for this season) the question becomes, “who ISN’T going to make it?” Well, our guess is Penn State and a bunch of other guys named Joe. Oops, poor choice of terms there.”
Scoping the Nation: Who’ll break a long drought? “There’s someone every year: In 1995 Northwestern went to its first bowl in 46 years, in 1996 Navy ended a 15-year drought, in 1997 New Mexico snapped a 36-year hiatus, in 1998 Tulane went for the first time in 11 years, in 1999 Oregon State ended a 34-year depression, and last season it was Iowa State going for the first time in 22 years. This year, we’d like to think that Indiana or Maryland can break their droughts of seven and 10 years. And who knows, maybe even Rutgers (22) or Vanderbilt (18 years).”
37: Full page ad for SBG Sportsbook & Online Casino – 1-888-BET-EASY
38:
Scoping the Nation: The Millionaires Club: “…more coaches are making more money than previously had been imaginable in the profession. At least 18 coaches will be paid at least $1 million to coach their programs this season. Just a couple of years ago, that number was limited to Florida’s Steve Spurrier and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, but now nearly one-third of coaches in the 63 bigtime programs (BCS conferences and Notre Dame) are in the club. Is that good or bad? Well, good for the coaches…and for the people trying to establish player unions, who are well aware that $1 million is very close to a typical budget for the scholarships for all 85 players on the team.”
Millionaire’s Club for 2001:
Steve Spurrier Florida $2.1M
Bobby Bowden FSU $1.5M
Barry Alvarez Wisconsin $1.5M
Mack Brown Texas $1.45M
Bob Stoops Oklahoma $1.4M
Phil Fulmer Tennessee $1.3M
Tommy Bowden Clemson $1.2M
Nick Saban LSU $1.2M
Tommy Tuberville Auburn $1.2M
Pete Carroll USC $1.2M
Dennis Franchione Alabama $1.1M
Lou Holtz South Carolina $1.05M
Frank Beamer Virginia Tech $1.025M
Dennis Erickson Oregon State $1M
Rick Neuheisel Washington $1M
RC Slocum Texas A&M $1M
Bill Snyder $1M
39 – 41: More full page sports betting ads
42: Scoping the Nation: List of Coaches Changes
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and I attended the Rose Bowl
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Pages: 43 – 48
43:
Top Award Candidates:
Heisman:
RB Damien Anderson Northwestern
QB Woody Dantzler Clemson
QB Ken Dorsey Miami
WR Antwaan Randle-El Indiana
RB Ken Simonton Oregon State
QB Chris Simms Texas
DT John Henderson Tennessee
LB Rocky Calmus Oklahoma
44:
2002 NFL Draft Projections:
1. DT John Henderson Tennessee
2. DE Julius Peppers DE North Carolina
3. OT Bryant McKinnie Miami
4. LB Kalimba Edwards South Carolina
5. CB Lito Sheppard Florida
7. OT Mike Pearson Florida
8. WR Jabar Gaffney Florida
9. DT Wendell Bryant Wisconsin
12. QB Chris Simms Texas
13. CB Quentin Jammer Texas
15. DE Alex Brown Florida
19. RB TJ Duckett Michigan State
22. WR Ron Johnson Minnesota
32. OG Toniu Fonoti Nebraska
35. QB Kurt Kittner Illinois
42. WR Antwaan Randle-El Indiana
43. OT Mike Williams Texas
46. RB Damien Anderson Northwestern
49. LB Napoleon Harris
(Seems Northwestern lead the Big Ten in draftable talent that year, yet finished 4-7 & 2-6 in conference play.)
45: Bowl Schedule
46: Ranking the Conferences:
1. SEC: “The highest-paid head coaches, the biggest stadiums, the most ardent fans…and 75 percent of the league went to the postseason last season.
2. Big 12: “With the Big 12 getting so crowded at the top, first year coaches Les Miles (Oklahoma State) and Gary Pinkel (Missouri) would do very well just to see the postseason in the next couple of years.”
3. Pac-10: “The league roared last season by reclaiming the Rose Bowl (Washington), getting a second team in the BCS (Oregon State) and having a third team finish in the Top 10 (Oregon).
4. Big Ten: “Projected champ Northwestern allowed 66 points to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl, and a pair of heavyweights – Ohio State and Penn State – are still trying to get off the canvas.”
5. ACC: “More than just Florida State and eight other teams these days, yet, the bottom of the league (Duke, Wake Forest) keeps the ACC from climbing on this list.”
6. Big East: “Two first-year coaches – Rutgers’ Greg Schiano and West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez – bring a new passing personality to a run-first league. The conference depth is improving, although Miami and Virginia Tech remain well ahead of the pack.”
47: Another full page ad for an offshore sports betting website
48:
Quarterbacks: The Next Generation: “This season’s quarterback class losts its two headliners in Michael Vick (No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft) and Drew Henson (Yankee pinstripe), but the future is in good hands…We picked our six favorite sophomore quarterbacks for this season…”
Timmy Chang, Hawaii: “The key to building the Rainbows’ program is keeping hometown kids like Chang on the Islands…and June Jones can certainly build his run-and-shoot around Chang.”
Casey Clausen, Tennessee: “Clausen, who grabbed the starting job early last season, scared off two quarterbacks since arriving – John Rattay (Arizona) and AJ Suggs (Georgia Tech).”
Rex Grossman, Florida: “Third in the nation in passing efficiency last season…and he still has to fight off wunderkind Brock Berlin, also a sophomore.”
Jared Lorenzen, Kentucky: “New coach Guy Moriss wants history’s first 300-pound QB to trim the fat (and the interceptions), but Lorenzen still has green light to chuck it.”
Craig Ochs, Colorado: “Scaled-down West Coast offense should help Ochs, who was the QB of record in all three Buffs’ victories last season, and nearly beat Nebraska.”
Philip Rivers, NC State: “Rivers’ remarkable poise will allow continued prospering despite the loss of his OC (Norm Chow).
“Three more sure-fire sophomore starters to watch: John Navarre, Michigan…Ell Roberson, Kansas State; Jeff Smoker, Michigan State.”
49: Full page ad for Timber Wolf Chewing Tobacco: “Discover the Wolf, Discover the Value: Big Taste. Bigger savings.”
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Pages: 50 – 59
National Rankings:
1. Florida: “…perhaps as deep as any Florida team under Spurrier.”
2. Miami: “BCS computers willing, Miami reaches the national title game.”
3. Texas: “Hey Major Applewhite, we love you but this is Chris Simms’ team now.”
4. Tennessee: “…trips to Gainesville and South Bend, but there aren’t any other games the Vols won’t be favored to win.”
5. Oklahoma: Defending Champs
6. Florida State: “Bobby Bowden is coaching one of his least-experienced teams in more than a decade.”
7. Nebraska: “Lindy’s has been doing national player ratings since 1992, and this marks the first time a Nebraska running back has not been mentioned. Maybe Dahrren Diedrick will prove us wrong.”
8. UCLA: “…these talented Bruins will retake control of the Pac-10 from the Northwest schools.”
9. Georgia Tech: “…the most-talented Georgia Tech squad since the 1990 national-championship team.”
10. Oregon: “…the Ducks are up to 20 [wins] in a row at Autzen Stadium…”
11. Kansas State: “Can’t count on the Wildcats winning at Nebraska for the first time since 1968…”
12. Washington: “…ready to resume its place as a full-time Pac 10 monster…”
13. Mississippi State: “…they’ll roll to their second SEC West title in four years and further establish themselves as the best program in the league’s balanced division.”
14. Virginia Tech: “Oh, Michael [Vick], we hardly knew ye.”
15. Northwestern: “When [Drew] Henson left, the Big Ten race was thrown wide open. That allows NU to show that offense wins championships, too.”
16. Michigan: “…erstwhile Heisman fave Henson [is] hitting curveballs, but five other dearly departed Wolverines…were taken among the first 43 picks in the draft.”
17. Alabama: “No more rebuilding from the ground up for Coach Fran…”
18. Oregon State: “The day Dennis Erickson was hired was the day these little ‘ol pipsqueaks were transformed into Godzilla.”
19. LSU: “Nick Saban will have the Tigers competitive disposition by the neck before he lets this team become complacent.”
20. South Carolina: “Maybe even more amazing than the Gamecocks’ resurgence from the pits to a rout of Ohio State in the Outback Bowl is the fact that they are perceived of being capable of comparable success in 2001.”
21. Colorado State: “Sonny Lubick shrugged off overtures from Southern California in the offseason, transforming himself from good coach to local legend.”
22. Notre Dame: “…Oregon State made this team look like a bunch of plodders in the Fiesta Bowl…”
23. Clemson: “At least the Tigers have something ACC rival Florida State doesn’t – a Heisman campaign.”
24. Stanford: “QB Fasani has 15 other returning starters around him, making the Cardinal sneaky good.”
25. Wisconsin: “Barry Alvarez’s teams have been to three of the past eight Rose Bowls…”
31. Purdue: “Boilers count on ‘D’ while offense matures.”
34. Illinois: “Which was the aberration: 8-4 in ’99 or 5-6 in 2000?”
39. Ohio State: “Welcome Jim Tressel; just don’t lose any games, OK?”
42. Michigan State: “Spartans need to score points with rugged defense.”
44. Minnesota: “Can the Gophers make it three bowls in a row?”
50. Penn State: “JoePa will find a way to win this time…won’t he?”
60. Iowa: “Can Hawkeyes build on solid last month of 2000 season?”
67. Indiana: “It would seem that anything can penetrate the IU defense.”
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This has to be the only time Ohio State even sniffed a preseason ranking this low
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Pages: 50 – 59
National Rankings:
1. Florida: “…perhaps as deep as any Florida team under Spurrier.”
Not at RB, lol.
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Pages: 60 – 75
60 – 61: Preseason All-American Team: Offense:
First Team:
QB Woody Dantzler Clemson
RB Damien Anderson Northwestern
RB Ken Simonton Oregon St
WR Antonio Bryant Pittsburgh (getting this guy confused between both Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant)
WR Jabar Gaffney Florida
TE Jerramy Stevens Washington
C Chris Gibson Oregon St
OL Toniu Fonoti Nebraska
OL Bryant McKinnie Miami
OL Terrence Metcalf Ole Miss
OL Mike Pearson Florida
Second Team:
QB Ken Dorsey Miami
RB Lee Suggs Virginia Tech
RB TJ Duckett Michigan St
WR Andre Davis Virginia Tech
WR Roy Williams Texas
TE Tim Stratton Purdue
C Seth McKinney Texas A&M
OL Kendal Simmons Auburn
OL Brett Williams Florida St
OL Jon Stinchcomb Georgia
OL Joaquin Gonzalez Miami
62 – 63: Preseason All-American Team: Defense:
First Team:
DL Wendell Bryant Wisconsin
DL John Henderson Tennessee
DL Julius Peppers UNC
DL Larry Triplett Washington
LB Rocky Calmus Oklahoma
LB Levar Fisher NC State
LB Mario Haggan Miss St
CB Quentin Jammer Texas
CB Lito Sheppard Florida
S Pig Prather Miss St
S Edward Reed Miami
Second Team:
DL Alex Brown Florida
DL Bryan Knight Pittsburgh
DL David Pugh Virginia Tech
DL Greg Gathers Georgia Tech
LB Jashon Sykes Colorado
LB Ben Taylor Virginia Tech
LB Kalimba Edwards S. Carolina
DB Rashad Bauman Oregon
DB Dennis Weathersby Oregon St
DB Mike Doss Ohio State
DB Mike Rumph Miami
64 – 75:
Position Rankings for QBs, RBs, Receivers, OL, DL, LBs, DBs, and Special Teams
3 separate full page ads for sports betting, along with a page touting Football News magazine
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That is one helluva defensive line, even for an all-america team.
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I don't remember anyone thinking John Navarre was a sure fire anything. More of them getting caught off guard by Henson going pro in baseball
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Overall, how predictive do you think this preview ended up being?
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Overall, how predictive do you think this preview ended up being?
Lindy’s preview isn’t so much trying to methodically set predictions; it’s more so letting everybody know what can be expected as far as rosters and coaching changes go once the season begins. One obvious matter that I didn’t right away realize until reaching the individual team previews and catching a few highlight clips on YouTube was how this 2001 preview was released around June 1 2001, two months before September 11th. Of course there’s no sense of the coming loss of national innocence anywhere in the magazine, but when you start watching recaps of certain games to remember how the 2001 season unfolded, you’ll comes across highly patriotic pregame ceremonies, big American flags waving in the stands, and commentators mentioning the World Trade Center only to remember that much of the 2001 season was played in wake of a pretty jarring national tragedy.
Pages: 76 – 81
76 – 77: Unit Rankings – Offense:
Top 10 Backfields:
1. Miami
2. Northwestern: “…few have a quarterback as crafty and gutty as Zak Kustok and no one has a running back who rushed for more yards last season than Damien Anderson (2,063, including the bowl).
3. Florida
4. Mississippi State
5. Oregon State
6. Oregon
7. Clemson
8. Texas: “…incoming freshman Cedric Benson, whose signing left ‘Horns fans breathless.”
9. Georgia Tech
10. Toledo
(https://i.imgur.com/Wdqhxmh.jpg)
Top 10 Receivers:
1. Florida: “Jabar Gaffney led the SEC in receptions as a freshman last season (71), making it easy to forget that his partner Reche Caldwell is a darn fine receiver too.”
2. Texas: “…sophomore stars Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson are ready to catch everything Chris Simms can throw at their fast, athletic, and often wide-open frames.”
3. Georgia Tech
4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Oklahoma
7. Florida State
8. USC
9. Purdue
10. Virginia Tech
Top 10 Offensive Lines:
1. Miami
2. Ole Miss
3. Northwestern
4. UCLA: “With only one senior in the projected starting five, these guys are already the best in the Pac-10.”
5. Kansas State
6. Tennessee
7. South Carolina
8. Nebraska: “…losing center Dominic Raiola…Toniu Fonoti is Lindy’s top-rated guard, and he’s next to veteran tackle Dave Volk.”
9. Florida State
10. Stanford
78 – 79: Two-page sports betting ad – betmill.com
80 – 81: Unit Rankings – Defense:
Top 10 Defensive Lines:
1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. Tennessee: “The Vols defensive line could be ranked just on the strength of Outland Trophy winner John Henderson and his 12 sacks, remarkable for an interior lineman. Albert Haynesworth provides experience at the other tackle spot, while Will Overstreet makes the big plays from end.”
4. North Carolina
5. Purdue
6. Florida
7. Texas A&M
8. Notre Dame
9. UCLA
10. Virginia
Top 10 Linebackers:
1. Michigan: “Each of the three starters – Victor Hobson, Eric Brackins, Larry Foote – are candidates for postseason honors.”
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Georgia Tech
5. Mississippi St
6. Florida State
7. NC State
8. UCLA
9. Kansas State
10. Northwestern: “The last time we saw the Wildcats’ defense, it was getting de-pantsed by Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl.”
Top 10 Defensive Backs
1. Florida
2. Miami: Strong safety Edward Reed (eight interceptions last season) is Lindy’s top-rated safety…”
3. Texas: “Quentin Jammer, is also one of the best.”
4. Oklahoma: “Having a 221-pound safety who hits line Roy Williams makes it that much easier.”
5. South Carolina
6. Southern California
7. Georgia
8. North Carolina
9. Michigan: “Defense must carry the day, and the talent is in place to get it done with CB Todd Howard, SS Julius Curry and the return from injury of Cato June.”
10. Florida State
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That Texas team was really strong just about everywhere except the oline and dline.
But, those are pretty important places where you'd like to be strong...
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Pages: 82 – 89
82 – 85: National Recruiting Rankings:
1. Florida State
2. LSU – TE Marcus Spears, RB Joseph Addai
3. Michigan – DB Ernest Shazor
4. Washington
5. Texas – RB Cedric Benson
6. Oklahoma
7. Nebraska
8. Virginia Tech – RB Kevin Jones, DB DeAngelo Hall
9. Miami – RB Frank Gore
10. UCLA
11. Clemson
12. Tennessee – RB Jabari Davis
13. Stanford
14. Notre Dame
15. Ohio State – DB Justin Fox
16. Oregon State – QB Derek Anderson
17. Purdue – QB Kyle Orton
18. Arkansas
19. USC – QB Matt Leinart
20. Georgia Tech
21. Penn State
22. Kansas State – RB Darren Sproles
23. NC State
24. Georgia – QB DJ Shockley
25. Wisconsin
86: Top 101 incoming Freshman for 2001:
QBs: Joe Mauer (Florida State), Brodie Croyle (Alabama)
RBs: Carnell Williams (Auburn), Lydell Ross (Ohio State)
WRs: Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh)
OLs: Andre Whitworth (LSU)
DLs: Matt Roth (Iowa)
87: Ad for Tom Lemming’s Prep Football subscription
88: Top 102 High School Seniors for 2002:
QBs: Marcus Vick (V.Tech), Vince Young (Texas)
RBs: Brian Calhoun (Wisconsin), Maurice Clarett (Ohio St), Ciatrick Fason (Florida)
TEs: Mercedes Lewis (UCLA)
LBs: Bobby Carpenter (Ohio State)
89: Ad for Super Prep – America’s Recruiting Magazine
(Really seemed a thin year for incoming talent – not too many recognizable names.)
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Sorta funny seeing UGA at 24 and Tech at 20. Those days are long gone.
Recruiting seems to be important.
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Pages: 90 – 105
SEC Preview:
90:
(https://i.imgur.com/Vx4fSqP.jpg)
91: East Division: “Florida is gunning for its seventh SEC championship under Steve Spurrier, but the Gators aren’t sure who will pull the trigger. Rex Grossman made some All-SEC teams last year as a freshman, but he was pushed in the spring by Brock Berlin. Neither was overly impressive…yet, whoever starts figures to be just fine.”
92: West Division: “Mississippi State is seldom picked to win the West, but the Bulldogs always contend…Don’t be surprised if Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Eli Manning makes an all-SEC team.”
2001 All-SEC Offense:
QB Casey Clausen Tennessee
RB Cedric Cobbs Arkansas
RB Derek Watson S. Carolina
WR Jabar Gaffney Florida
WR Josh Reed LSU
TE Robert Royal LSU
C Ben Claxton Ole Miss
OL Terrence Metcalf Ole Miss
OL Mike Pearson Florida
OL Kendall Simmons Auburn
OL Jon Stinchcomb Georgia
Returner Freddie Milons Alabama
2001 All-SEC Defense:
DL Alex Brown Florida
DL John Henderson Tennessee
DL Kindal Moorehead Alabama
LB Kalimba Edwards S. Carolina
LB Trev Faulk LSU
LB Eddie Strong Ole Miss
DB Sheldon Brown S. Carolina
DB Ryan Clark LSU
DB Pig Prather Miss State
DB Lito Sheppard Florida
93: SEC In The NFL:
Top 10 Talent In 2001
1. John Henderson DT Tennessee
2. Jabar Gaffney WR Florida
3. Cedric Cobbs RB Arkansas
4. Lito Sheppard CB Florida
5. Alex Brown DE Florida
6. Kalimba Edwards LB S. Carolina
7. Saleem Rasheed LB Alabama
8. Mario Haggan LB Mississppi St
9. Mike Pearson OT Florida
10. Terrence Metcalf OT Ole Miss
94 – 104: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#1 Nationally) Florida – “The only thing Steve Spurrier likes to talk about less than a quarterback controversy is whether his team will win the 2001 national championship. ‘For me to talk national title is not smart because our path is much more difficult,’ Spurrier says. ‘College football is unfair in that respect. The road to a national title isn’t the same for everyone.”
2. (#4) Tennessee – “…could be a touchdown better team than last year, but the record might not show it because of a challenging schedule that takes the team to Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, and Notre Dame.”
3. (#13) Mississippi State – “With a 31-13 regular season record over the past four seasons, as well as being the only SEC program to post back-to-back bowl victories in that span, MSU has its eyes set on an SEC West title.”
4. (#17) Alabama – “Which is the real Alabama football team? The 10-3, SEC Champions of 1999? Or the 3-8 team of 2000, which lost its final five games? Much is still the same: There still are plenty of veterans from that SEC championship team around…the big change? A new head coach: “I think this team was hungry for direction and a vision,” said the new man in charge, 50-year-old Dennis Franchione.
5. (#19) LSU – “Expectations at LSU are at their highest level in three years after the Tigers capped their 8-4 record last season with a 28-14 victory over Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl. The concern is that the last time LSU felt this way, it fell flat, going from a 9-3 record and a bowl victory in 1997 to a 4-7 mark the next year that hastened the advent of back-to-back losing seasons. Coach Nick Saban wasn’t around for that fiasco, but he’s well aware of what could happen if the Togers don’t play with the same “competitive disposition” as they did in his first season last year.”
6. (#20) South Carolina – “One of the game’s most gifted poor-mouthers, he can seemingly find anything to complain about…but Lou Holtz is a little short on material this season. Which means his South Carolina team is a little longer on talent…”
7. (#29) Georgia – “Mark Richt knows great expectations contributed to Jim Donnan’s downfall…Jim Donnan was fired largely due to his poor record against Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs could split those games and improve to a second-tier bowl. But asking anything more of a rookie coach might be a bit much.”
(Lol, remember Jim Donnan? Mark Richt would quickly change Georgia's fortunes, taking the Bulldogs to the Sugar Bowl in his first season as HC.)
8. (#36) Ole Miss – “If Eli Manning can pick up where he left off against West Virginia – throwing three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter – the Rebels could have their best quarterback since…well, since Eli’s father Archie ran the show three decades ago.”
9. (#45) Auburn – “Tommy Tuberville has embraced the role of underdog the past couple of years at Auburn…Not that the Tigers will be able to sneak up on opponents. Auburn stunned the SEC last season by claiming the Western Division title, and no matter who returns, the Tigers have opponents’ attention.”
10. (#49) Arkansas – “A more aggressive and unpredictable defense with speed should keep the Hogs in games, but it might also need to score to help an offense whose passing game could lack teeth.”
11. (#74) Vanderbilt – “It has been four years since Woody Widenhofer started doling out bad and repeated campaign promises of better days for Vanderbilt, yet little has changed…Widenhofer says he will be more realistic with his expectations…”
12. (#78) Kentucky – “Guy Morriss didn’t ask for a long-term contract and he didn’t receive one. All he requested was a chance…’I feel like I’ve been preparing for this job my whole life,’ Morriss said the day he was promoted to head football coach at Kentucky, replacing Hal Mumme, who resigned in the wake of an NCAA investigation…Mumme’s high-scoring offense set school records and brought excitement to Kentucky football, but his tenure was marked by a sieve of a defense and the apparent NCAA violations. Morriss says he hopes to incorporate some of Mumme’s Air Raid offense, but the Wildcats will run the ball more often…Quarterback Jared Lorenzen, the “hefty lefty” who set six NCAA freshman passing records last year, will be under center more…”
105: Full page ad for www . BetTheRock . com
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7. (#29) Georgia – “Mark Richt knows great expectations contributed to Jim Donnan’s downfall…Jim Donnan was fired largely due to his poor record against Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs could split those games and improve to a second-tier bowl. But asking anything more of a rookie coach might be a bit much.”
(Lol, remember Jim Donnan? Mark Richt would quickly change Georgia's fortunes, taking the Bulldogs to the Sugar Bowl in his first season as HC.)
Second season, not the first, which was 8-4 with a win at Tennessee. The second season was 13-1. They had a flukey loss to UF that year.
Donnan was, well, mediocre in all respects.
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7. (#29) Georgia – “Mark Richt knows great expectations contributed to Jim Donnan’s downfall…Jim Donnan was fired largely due to his poor record against Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.
I mean you can criticize Cooper for being elite, with a bad record against his biggest rival. But when the "only" problem is that you can't beat 4 teams, maybe you just aren't a great coach
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I mean you can criticize Cooper for being elite, with a bad record against his biggest rival. But when the "only" problem is that you can't beat 4 teams, maybe you just aren't a great coach
Possibly true. And Donnan wasn't. But it's interesting when you dig into the numbers.
UT and UF were 5th and 6th nationally in winning percentage in that stretch. Tech and Auburn were worse, 22nd and 39th. UGA was 18th.
They went 1-4 vs UF
1-4 vs UT
2-3 vs Auburn
2-3 vs Tech
Those four account for more than 75 percent of the losses across five years. Four of the losses not to those teams came in his first year.
What helped more than anything was turnover and folks getting old. Zook happened in 2002. Tech got Chan Gailey that year too. Auburn actually got better, and UGA went 2-3 the next five meetings. Tennessee's slip was less drastic, but they had their last big run in Richt's first year, then settled into the top-15 or worse phase.
That's not to say he wasn't underachieving, just that it was sort of an interesting picture.
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UGA basically started recruiting at a higher level after Donnan, and then again after Richt (who recruited pretty well overall). UGA's rivals did fall off over time, perhaps in part because UGA was getting better players instead of them, and UGA recruits nationally more than in the past as well.
The Dawgs finished No. 3 in 2017, No. 1 in 2018, No. 2 in 2019, No. 1 in 2020, and No. 4 in 2021.
I can't put a figure on how much recruiting counts to a coaches overall "rating", but it's obviously a lot, sine qua non, but necessary and not sufficient, see Texas.
Wisconsin notably does well without elite recruiting but they seem to have a ceiling. Spurrier did well at USCe without elite recruits, but he didn't get to the top of course.
I'd give Smart an A+ on recruiting, I'm less sure how to grade his other attributes.
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recruiting rankings 2010-2019:
10 best recruiting schools since 2010: Who follows Alabama? | Sporting News (https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/list/top-10-recruiting-schools-since-2010-alabama-fsu-ohio-state-michigan-lsu-texas/ued2sx7rbi9t182ihz0cqt8bp)
The list includes Texas, FSU, and USC, not to mention LSU, Auburn, and Florida.
The first three mentioned obviously have underperformed by any metric. The last three above have somewhat.
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This has to be the only time Ohio State even sniffed a preseason ranking this low
(From a pre-season standpoint, the whole Big Ten seemed kinda down in 2001.)
Pages: 106 – 119
Big Ten Preview:
106:
(https://i.imgur.com/413bWMf.jpg)
107: Conference Overview:
“Obviously, any time somebody is scoring as many points as Northwestern, you can’t stand pat,” Indiana coach Cam Cameron said. The Wildcats, believe it or not, really do rate the favorite’s role in this league. When they were winning back-to-back league titles in the mid-90s, they were never considered a preseason power. But in this well-balanced league, it’s difficult to overlook them.”
108:
2001 All-Big Ten Offense:
QB Zak Kustok Northwestern
RB Damien Anderson Northwestern
RB TJ Duckett Michigan State
WR Ron Johnson Minnesota
WR John Standeford Purdue
TE Tim Stratton Purdue
C LeCharles Bentley Ohio State
OL Gene Mruczkowski Purdue
OL Jeff Roehl Northwestern
OL Ben Johnson Wisconsin
OL Leon Brockmeier Northwestern
Returner Antwaan Randle El Indiana
2001 All-Big Ten Defense:
DL Akin Ayodele Purdue
DL Wendell Bryant Wisconsin
DL Mike Collins Ohio State
DL Josh Shaw Michigan State
LB Larry Foote Michigan
LB Napoleon Harris Northwestern
LB Josh Thornhill Michigan State
DB Mike Doss Ohio State
DB Mike Echols Wisconsin
DB Cedric Henry Michigan State
DB Stuart Schweigert Purdue
109: Big Ten In The NFL:
Top 10 Talent In 2001
1. Wendell Bryant DT Wisconsin
2. TJ Duckett TB Michigan State
3. Ron Johnson WR Minnesota
4. Antwaan Randle El QB/WR Indiana
5. Napoleon Harris LB Northwestern
6. Damien Anderson RB Northwestern
7. Kurt Kittner QB Illinois
8. Tim Stratton TE Purdue
9. Josh Thornhill LB Michigan State
10. Marquise Walker WR Michigan
110 – 119: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#15 Nationally) Northwestern – “An overabundance of attention was paid last season to the unique qualities of the Wildcats’ spread offense – as orchestrated by quarterback Zak Kustok and All-American tailback Damien Anderson – but the players’ dedication to tough-minded play and a staggeringly difficult workout program triggered Northwestern’s renaissance. Will Northwestern stay at the top of the heap in 2001? It certainly has the means to win at least a share of its (gasp!) fourth Big Ten championship in seven years.”
2. (#16) Michigan – “The day he announced he had decided to accept a $17 million offer to play baseball for the New York Yankees and pass up his senior season at Michigan, Drew Henson was asked if his departure killed any chance the Wolverines had of challenging for the Big Ten title. Henson shook his head. “Michigan is Michigan,” he said simply. With Henson’s surprising announcement during the first week of spring practice, Michigan was suddenly left with an offense that bore no resemblance to the one that tore through the Big Ten last season.”
3. (#25) Wisconsin – “Brace yourself, but Wisconsin’s offensive focus has actually shifted from the running back to the quarterbacks: Brooks Bollinger, who has a 17-3 record as a starter; and Jim Storgi, who came off the bench twice to rally the Badgers to wins at Michigan State and Indiana.”
4. (#31) Purdue – “…the program has to prove that there is life A.D. – After Drew. Replacing a player of Brees’ ability, while continuing their winning ways, won’t be easy. The coaching staff has tweaked its famed spread offense…Look for a lot of bootlegs and possibly even some option from the Boilermakers this season. While Tiller’s potent pass offense has been the headliner in his first four seasons at Purdue, the Boilermakers defense keeps improving, and this time has 10 starters returning.”
5. (#34) Illinois – “We’re really hungry and anxious to prove that last year was a fluke, and that (1999) was not a fluke,” said coach Ron Turner. Whether Illinois has the talent to do that, time will tell – particularly on defense. With seven starters, led by quarterback Kurt Kittner, back on a productive offense, Illinois will score enough points to win.”
6. (#39) Ohio State – “It was designed as a gesture to show how far Ohio State senior Steve Bellisari has come as a quarterback, but instead wound up demonstrating how far he has yet to go. New coach Jim Tressel called Bellisari to the stage before OSU began spring practice and threw him a softball in front of the assembled media. Gimme the three basics for an Ohio State quarterback, Tressel said. “Eliminate turnovers, make big plays and get first downs,” Beliisari answered, looking over at Tressel for confirmation. Tressel dropped his head, then reminded Bellisari that answer No. 3 should have been, “Make good decisions.” With a record of just 12-9 as a starter, a career completion percentage under 50 percent and 25 touchdown passes against 22 interceptions, Bellisari is an easy target to blame for the Buckeyes’ failure to finish above fourth place in the Big Ten the past two seasons.”
(Eventually Bellisari lost his QB spot to Craig Krenzel, but I’m not sure how it played out – injuries? This was Tressel's first year coaching the Buckeyes. To introduce the team at a basketball game he said this: “…you’ll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days at Ann Arbor Michigan, on the football field.”)
7. (#42) Michigan State – “They enter this season with a revamped receiving corps, keyed by sophomore Charles Rogers who sat out last season as a partial qualifier. Forcing opponents to play honest defense on all those playmakers is Heisman Trophy-quality tailback T.J. Duckett. But because he shouldered such a heavy load with 240 carries, Duckett began to wear down. Groin and shoulder injuries hampered him greatly by the end of the season and even necessitated arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the spring.”
(I’m remembering this was the season when the Spartans rivalry with Michigan infamously ended in Clockgate.)
8. (#44) Minnesota – “Glen Mason will try to do something that’s never been done in Minnesota’s football history – take a team to three consecutive bowl games. Mason has made the Gophers respectable as they went to the Sun Bowl in 1999 and the MicronPC Bowl last season.”
9. (#50) Penn State – “Coming off Penn State’s worst season if the legendary Joe Paterno era and 10 losses in their last 16 games, the Nittany Lions have taken great measures to change their course for 2001. Paterno hired three assistants from outside the Penn State family; the team had nearly perfect attendance at offseason conditioning and weight training; the receivers worked diligently to improve their pass-catching; and they sought to have more fun. The latter was difficult last season considering the weight of two crises and a 5-7 season that created a somber mood around the team for most of the season. Freshman cornerback Adam Taliaferro suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a game at Ohio State, and a New Jersey grand jury spent most of October investigating assault charges against quarterback Rashard Casey. Taliaferro made an amazing recovery after it was feared that he would never walk again, and charges eventually were dropped against Casey. So, Paterno and the Lions tried to put those real-life dramas behind them with a more relaxed environment. They sought to spend more time off the field in such group activities as bowling, tug of war, softball, paint-ball wars and picnics.”
10. (#60) Iowa – “Coach Kirk Ferentz won’t make a call on the Iowa quarterback race right up until he absolutely has to. So although senior Kyle McCann completed the spring with a tenuous hold on the No. 1 job, sophomore Jon Beutjer and junior college transfer Brad Banks head in the fall in hot pursuit. Brad Banks, a 6-1, 185-pounder, is the wild card. “
(After two losing seasons to begin his tenure at Iowa, it was this third year under Ferentz that Iowa got back into the bowls, and not until 2002 that Iowa had their big breakout year that upstarted the stabilized winning still seen from Iowa under Ferentz.)
11. (#67) Indiana – “Antwaan Randle El has been just about as elusive as…well, about as elusive as victories around Bloomington have been lately. Fifth-year coach Cam Cameron is plotting to put Randle El’s elusiveness to work to an even greater degree this season in an effort to turn at least a few of those losses into wins in what appears to be a make-or-break year.”
(Overall seems like a bit of a down year for the Big Ten going into the 2001 season. Northwestern was getting billed as frontrunner, only to finish 4-7. Illinois ended up winning the conference.)
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I think college football in general was down that year, but the Big Ten in particular. Northwestern was a disappointment. Tressell was still building up. Purdue struggled to replace Brees. Wisconsin was going through their three year dip. Ferentz hadn't gotten things going yet.
A mediocre Michigan team was sort of the best by default, but took a couple of losses they shouldn't have. They pounded eventual champ Illinois, which has to be the worst outright Big Ten champ of my lifetime
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Yeah, the Big Ten was down and out of the MNC chase that year.
However, the 9 days between 2:30 PM on T+1 and the end of CCG Saturday may have been the zaniest sequence of events in the history of the sport.
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Yeah, the Big Ten was down and out of the MNC chase that year.
However, the 9 days between 2:30 PM on T+1 and the end of CCG Saturday may have been the zaniest sequence of events in the history of the sport.
Oh it was a fantastic 2ish weeks, perhaps the best ever
It did inspire me to watch the Michigan-Illinois Big Ten opener. Michigan killed them, but Michigan also scored on an HB pass; a reverse; a 35 yard pass after Illinois was stuffed on 4th and inches at their own 35, because Kittner decided to take a step back before sneaking; and had a throwback to the QB to set up another score.
That was a lot of the playbook to burn on a 3 touchdown win in late September over Illinois
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Colorado wsa good that year. It's been a while ...
Why is Colorado so down in CFB?
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Pages: 120 – 133
Big 12 Preview:
120: Conference Rankings:
1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Nebraska
4. Kansas State
5. Colorado
6. Texas Tech
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma State
9. Missouri
10. Iowa State
11. Kansas
12. Baylor
121: Conference Overview:
“The Longhorns’ string of three consecutive nine-win seasons is their longest since the early 1980s. Of course, that’s all very nice…bit it’s not good enough at Texas, where the seat is always hot for coaches. Mack Brown has often preached about the slow, steady strides Texas has made under his watch. Well, now it’s time to win a championship. And that’s what the Longhorns will do when they beat Nebraska in the Dec. 1 Big 12 title game in the appropriate setting of Texas stadium in Irving.”
(#3 Texas would end up losing to #9 Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game which helped Nebraska backdoor into the BCS Championship Game Vs Miami, whom Colorado had blown out 62-36 in their season ending rivalry.)
122: All Big 12 Team
2001 All Big 12 Offense:
QB Chris Simms Texas
RB Quentin Griffin Oklahoma
RB Ennis Haywood Iowa State
WR Antwone Savage Oklahoma
WR Roy Williams Texas
TE Daniel Graham Colorado
C Seth McKinney Texas A&M
OL Toniu Fonoti Nebraska
OL Andre Gurode Colorado
OL Frank Romero Oklahoma
OL Mike Williams Texas
All-Purpose Aaron Lockett Kansas State
2001 All Big 12 Defense:
DL Justin Bannan Colorado
DL Nate Dwyer Kansas
DL Cory Redding Texas
DL Ty Warren Texas A&M
LB Rocky Calmus Oklahoma
LB Ben Leber Kansas State
LB Jashon Sykes Colorado
DB Keyuo Craver Nebraska
DB Michael Lewis Colorado
DB Quentin Jammer Texas
DB Roy Williams Oklahoma
123: Big 12 In The NFL:
Top 10 Talent In 2001
1. Jashon Sykes LB Colorado
2. Chris Simms QB Texas
3. Quentin Jammer CB Texas
4. Roy Williams WR Texas
5. Rocky Calmus LB Oklahoma
6. Toniu Fonoti OG Nebraska
7. Ben Leber LB Kansas State
8. Mike Williams OT Texas
9. Daniel Graham TE Colorado
10. Kevin Curtis S Texas Tech
124 – 133: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#3 Nationally) Texas – “Texas has been stuck at nine wins for three seasons under Mack Brown. There are worse places to be stuck, of course. But after the Longhorns watched old rival Oklahoma zoom past them on the way to the national title, this is no time to be standing still. Brown has recruited well as anybody not named Bobby Bowden in the past few years, and this looks like the year of the big payoff. Texas returns nine starters on offense and eight on defense. And there is no longer the burning question: Major Applewhite or Chris Simms? Brown, stung by the amount of controversy the quarterback rotation drew last season, when it arguably cost the Longhorns one game (Stanford) and created inconsistencies that kept the offense from developing, named Simms, a junior, the starter before spring drills opened.”
2. (#5) Oklahoma – “Last season, OU captured its seventh national championship by going 13-0. This year, the Sooners have 12 regular season games and feasibly could go 14-0 with victories in the Big 12 Conference championship and national championship Rose Bowl. Last season was arguably the most celebrated national crown ever won at Oklahoma. While previous championships were expected and demanded, the 2000 title seemingly fell from the sky.”
3. (#7) Nebraska – “Nebraska coach Frank Solich acknowledges that the timing is perfect to have an unprecedented eight home games. Even he says he can’t remember a year when a Nebraska team had as many question marks. Just playing in Memorial Stadium could solve many of the Cornhuskers’ problems. They are 81-3 in Lincoln in the past 13 seasons. Those kind of numbers make you believe that even a somewhat-rebuilding Nebraska can sweep a difficult home slate that includes Notre Dame, Kansas State and Oklahoma. Only one road game looks troublesome – Colorado in the season finale.”
(Despite the cautious expectations Nebraska went 11-0 with big home wins over #17 Notre Dame 27-10 and #2 Oklahoma 20-10, hosting College Gameday for both. Infamous blowout losses to Colorado 62-36 and Miami 37-14 (not to mention September 2002 season blowout losses Vs Penn State 40-7 and Iowa State 36-14) seemed to've taken the air out of the program since then. If someone were to ask me when “The last time Nebraska felt like NEBRASKA” I would say November 10 2001 beating Kansas State 31-21 to go 11-0, to quote from the comments of this YoutTube highlight):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu2jwsp-78w
4. (#11) Kansas State – “The Wildcats aren’t favored to retain the Big 12 North title in 2001. Not when that road winds into Nebraska for a Nov. 10 showdown [see highlights above]. Although Kansas State has won two of the last three meetings with Nebraska (the last time that happened was in the late 1950s), it hasn’t left Lincoln with a victory since 1968.”
(K-State would have a down year, losing to Syracuse in the Insight Bowl in Arizona, to finish 6-6.)
5. (#27) Colorado – “Looking back, there are plenty of reasons for Barnett and the Buffs to expect a turn-around in 2001:
-Four of the losses were by four points or fewer, with two more by eight points.
-CU lost only five starters and six seniors.
-Craig Ochs, who won the quarterback job five games into his true freshman season, has a world of potential.
-Nine More of Ochs’ classmates, including touted running back Marcus Houston, got experienced last season.”
(Colorado turned out to be underrated, roaring to a Big 12 Championship and a #3 ranking before losing to #2 Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.)
6. (#35) Texas Tech – “From talk shows to water cooler conversations, and from T-shirt sales to season ticket purchases, it’s clear Texas Tech fans are giddily anticipating Bobby Knight’s first basketball season at the school. Of course, there is something else on the windswept horizon of West Texas. You know, football season – the sport that, at least until Knight’s hiring, was primarily responsible for stirring the emotions of Tech’s fan base. “I’d just say to all the fans who are itching for basketball to start that they’re going to have a fun fall, too” said quarterback Kliff Kingsbury, who had a record-setting sophomore season in 2000.”
7. (#40) Texas A&M – “During a five-week stretch beginning in mid-October, the Aggies must play at Colorado, at Kansas State, at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma. Since 1995, A&M is a combined 2-6 at those destinations, with both wins coming in 1997.”
8. (#54) Oklahoma State – “Oklahoma State has produced one winning season in the past 12 years – an 8-4 Alamo Bowl campaign in 1997 – but new coach Les Miles doesn’t find a bare cupboard. Miles, who was OSU’s offensive coordinator in that winning season of 1997, inherets 16 returning starters. “There is some talent here,” said Miles, who had been the tight ends coach of the Dallas Cowboys for the past three seasons.”
9. (#71) Missouri – “Gary Pinkel was hired to replace Larry Smith…Pinkel is a self-described Don James disciple – he played for James at Kent State and was a 12-year assistant for him at Washington – which means he’s a no-nonsense guy who believes in a balanced offense and an attacking defense.”
10. (#76) Iowa State – “Coach Dan McCarney likes what he’s been seeing. What he saw last Dec. 28 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix in the was a 37-29 victory by Iowa State over Pittsburgh in the Insight.com Bowl. That wrapped up a 9-3 record by the best team the Cyclones have ever had. Sage Rosenfels left a sizeable hole at quarterback, so that’s why McCarney dipped into the junior college tank to get 6-2, 190-pound Seneca Wallace.”
11. (#80) Kansas – “KU lost 12 starters to graduation and seven of nine assistant coaches – to firings and other jobs. The overhauled coaching staff should make Kansas better than a year ago, but they still have glaring personnel questions.”
12. (#83) Baylor – “The junior college quarterback that coach Kevin Steele had recruited specifically to provide an inexperienced team with much-needed maturity was gone for the season with a broken collarbone. Last season, Baylor finished last in the Big 12 in total offense and total defense for the third consecutive season. In a three game stretch in October, the Bears didn’t score a point, dominated by Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Nebraska, 110-0.”
(Man, forgot how bad Baylor once was! And having only known Kevin Steele as Auburn’s recent DC, had no idea he was once Baylor’s former HC.)
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(Despite the cautious expectations Nebraska went 11-0 with big home wins over #17 Notre Dame 27-10 and #2 Oklahoma 20-10, hosting College Gameday for both. Infamous blowout losses to Colorado 62-36 and Miami 37-14 (not to mention September 2002 season blowout losses Vs Penn State 40-7 and Iowa State 36-14) seemed to've taken the air out of the program since then. If someone were to ask me when “The last time Nebraska felt like NEBRASKA” I would say November 10 2001 beating Kansas State 31-21 to go 11-0,
Ed Zachery - unfortunately
but it was a derned fun season. I was at the Sooner game in Lincoln and made the trip to the Rose - the game sucked, but the overall trip was good
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Pages: 134 – 145
Pac 10 Preview:
(https://i.imgur.com/t6lWur4.jpg)
134: Conference Rankings:
1. UCLA
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Oregon State
5. Stanford
6. USC
7. Washington State
8. Arizona
9. Arizona State
10. California
135: Conference Overview:
“On paper, at least, UCLA is the class of the conference…The Bruins appear to have it all – an offense that should again be one of the best in the Pac-10, and a defense that should be one of the most improved, thanks to a slew of talent and a new attitude under first-year defensive coordinator Phil Snow…If UCLA stumbles, the conference’s expanding powers in the Northwest are likely to take advantage.”
136: All Pac 10 Team:
2001 All Pac 10 Offense:
QB Joey Harrington Oregon
RB DeShaun Foster UCLA
RB Ken Simonton Oregon State
WR Kareem Kelly USC
WR Brian Poli-Dixon UCLA
TE Jeremy Stevens Washington
C Chris Gibson Oregon State
OL Eric Heltmann Stanford
OL Levi Jones Arizona State
OL Scott Peters Arizona State
OL Mike Saffer UCLA
All Purpose Bobby Wade Arizona
2001 All Pac 10 Defense:
DL Kenyon Coleman UCLA
DL Eric Manning Oregon State
DL Terrell Suggs Arizona State
DL Larry Triplett Washington
LB James Allen Oregon State
LB Lance Briggs Arizona
LB Robert Thomas UCLA
DB Marques Anderson UCLA
DB Rashad Bauman Oregon
DB Dennis Weathersby Oregon State
137: Pac 10 In The NFL:
Top 10 Talent In 2001:
1. Larry Triplett DT Washington
2. DeShaun Foster RB UCLA
3. Joey Harrington QB Oregon
4. James Allen LB Oregon State
5. Robert Thomas LB UCLA
6. Jarremy Stevens TE Washington
7. Dennis Weathersby Oregon State
8. Carson Palmer QB USC
9. Ken Simonton RB Oregon State
10. Kareem Kelly WR USC
138 – 145: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#8 Nationally) UCLA – “Thanks to coach Bob Toledo’s efforts, UCLA has the best collection of talent in the Pac 10. But to win the conference title, all those former high school blue-chippers will have to overcome the program’s soft, no-defense image. Even when UCLA was within minutes of playing for the national title in 1998, the bruins were horrific on defense, allowing more than 28 points per game, and collapsing when it matter most against Miami…On offense, much rests on the right shoulder of junior Cory Paus…Paus has a strong arm, reads defenses well and possesses the intangibles to be an outstanding quarterback…something UCLA hasn’t had since 1998…since Cade McNown left, the Bruins have won only 10 – 23 games.”
2. (#10) Oregon – “With their 20-game home winning streak the longest in the league and second longest in the nation, the Ducks continue to upgrade their facilities, a project that has seemingly mirrored their rise on the field…The level of confidence the coaching staff has in Joey Harrington is such that the senior saw little action during spring drills…Joey Harrington spent much of the spring working on improving his throwing technique, developing a more compact passing motion that is expected to result in him throwing more darts and fewer rainbows.”
3. (#12) Washington – “The Huskies were once again the best in the West last season and Neuheisel appears to have the program in good shape for the future. This year could see a slight fall off, however, as the early schedule is unforgiving for breaking in a new QB and offensive line. Still, this team has learned how to win, and figures to contend once Pac-10 play begins.”
4. (#18) Oregon State – “Coach Dennis Erickson’s stable is far from depleted. He redshirted his entire 2000 high school recruiting class; he has numerous experienced backups who have played significant minutes the past two seasons; and he signed eight junior college players…Oregon State is set up with center Chris Gibson, quarterback Jonathan Smith and tailback Ken Simonton. They’re the cornerstone of an offense that racked up a school-record 400 points and scored 30 or more points in eight of its last nine games.”
5. (#24) Stanford – “The Cardinal finished 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the conference, good enough for fourth place. This year, with nine offensive starters returning, Stanford seemingly has enough ingredients to contend for the conference title.”
(Two seasons removed from their 1999 Rose Bowl run, Stanford would go 9-3, finishing the season ranked #16, and earning Tyrone Willingham the Notre Dame job. My favorite season of Willingham’s will always be Washington’s 2008 0-12 catastrophe.)
6. (#32) Southern Cal – “It might have been corny or maybe just downright goofy, but coach Pete Carroll brought a football to his first meeting with his new players. At one point, he raised it high in his right hand. “He just said, ‘This is your family, in this room. And this ball is your life – on defense, you have to get the ball; on offense, you have to hold onto it,” said junior quarterback Carson Palmer. Forgive Carroll for being a wee bit trite, but if the Trojans handle the ball like they have the past few seasons, he knows he will eventually suffer the same fate as Paul Hackett, whose dismissal last winter followed a 19-18 three-year stretch.”
7. (#53) Washington State – “The Cougars were neither boring nor uncompetitive in 2000. They just were the Cougs…their 4-7 record was so close to success, with three overtime losses making all the difference, and therein lies a big dose of optimism for 2001.”
(Washington State would go 10-2 finishing the season ranked #10 with a win over Purdue in the Sun Bowl. The next season the Cougars made the Rose Bowl.)
8. (#56) Arizona – “New coach John Mackovic re-enters the college game in a fix not uncommon at Arizona: Facing a quarterback situation that is not promising…Junior inside linebacker Lance Briggs, second in the Pac-10 with 113 tackles last year, is superb…Arizona’s marketing people have repackaged Mackovic – fired at Texas in 1997 – and have sold him to a constituency crying for a different way of football.”
(By the end of his tenure, Arizona’s “marketing people” were happy to repackage Mackovic as “Mackoprick.”)
9. (#58) Arizona State – “New coach Dirk Koetter is confident his new offense can be as explosive as his Boise State unit was last season, when it ranked No. 1 in the country by averaging nearly 45 points a game.”
10. (#70) California – “With the arrival of Al Borges from UCLA, coach Holmoe has his best chance yet to reverse the Bears’ losing ways…Borges brings the reputation of someone who can develop quarterbacks, and he’ll be trusted to get the most out of promising-but-frustrating junior quarterback Kyle Boller, who has yet to fulfill predictions of greatness.”
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This is interesting, thanks.
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6. (#32) Southern Cal – “It might have been corny or maybe just downright goofy, but coach Pete Carroll brought a football to his first meeting with his new players. At one point, he raised it high in his right hand. “He just said, ‘This is your family, in this room. And this ball is your life – on defense, you have to get the ball; on offense, you have to hold onto it,” said junior quarterback Carson Palmer. Forgive Carroll for being a wee bit trite, but if the Trojans handle the ball like they have the past few seasons, he knows he will eventually suffer the same fate as Paul Hackett, whose dismissal last winter followed a 19-18 three-year stretch.”
Perhaps Frost should have done this when he arrived in Lincoln
(https://i.imgur.com/QgqsOqx.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/uK82EGy.png)
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Some goofy poster keeps claiming TO margin is important.
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Pages: 146 – 157
ACC Preview:
146: Conference Rankings:
1. Florida State
2. Georgia Tech
3. Clemson
4. NC State
5. North Carolina
6. Virginia
7. Maryland
8. Wake Forest
9. Duke
147: Overall Conference Overview:
“Florida State’s dominance of the Atlantic Coast Conference has lasted for as long as the Seminoles have been in the league…and any expectation that it will end anytime soon is, well, a guess based on the law of averages…even though Florida State has less experience than it has had in years, its overall talent and depth and understanding of how to win, makes the Seminoles the team to beat in the ACC in 2001.”
148: All ACC Team:
Recognizable names: QB Woodrow Dantzler, Clemson; DL Julius Peppers, UNC; DL Darnell Dockett, FSU.
149: ACC Top Ten Projected NFL Talent:
1. Julius Peppers DE North Carolina
2. Kelly Campbell WR Georgia Tech
3. Greg Gathers DE Georgia Tech
4. Levar Fisher LB North Carolina State
5. Brett Williams OT Florida State
6. Bradley Jennings LB Florida State
7. Chris Hope S Florida State
8. Antwoine Womack RB Virginia
9. Woodrow Dantzler QB Clemson
10. Kendyll Pope LB Florida State
150 – 157: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#6 Nationally) Florida State – “Chris Rix, a redshirt freshman, is the leader in the clubhouse to replace Heisman winner Chris Weinke after heir-apparent Jared Jones was booted from the team after breaking unspecified team rules. Rix then narrowly outperformed Anquan Boldin, a junior during spring practice.”
2. (#9) Georgia Tech – “Georgia Tech enjoyed playing the underdog role last season. But the Yellow Jackets can no longer sneak up on anyone. Especially not Florida State, which is just a little too aware that Georgia Tech is being widely projected as the ACC favorite this season. “I’d rather have the expectations we have than the expectations when we first took over,” coach George O’Leary said.”
(After a disappointing 7-5 season which included losses to its three strongest rivals – Clemson, Florida State, and Georgia Tech – O’Leary was hired and promptly fired by Notre Dame after several inaccuracies were uncovered in his coaching resume.)
3. (#23) Clemson – “The Tigers’ offense should be as prolific as ever behind quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, whose numbers suggest that he could enter the Heisman Trophy race.”
4. (#30) North Carolina State – “Coach Chuck Amato, a star linebacker at NC State in the late 60s, returned to his alma mater last year after 18 seasons as a top aide to Florida State’s Bobby Bowden. He immediately shook up the Wolkpack community by declaring that not a single one of the NC State players he inherited could have started at FSU.”
5. (#43) North Carolina – “Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, and a fan base that, on a whole, has not had the most reasonable expectations, the reality of the situation is not terribly good – North Carolina doesn’t have the talent to compete with the very best in the Atlantic Coast Conference…North Carolina’s key player is senior quarterback Ronald Curry, the point guard of the basketball team.”
6. (#46) Virginia – “Coach Al Groh shocked the football world late last December by resigning as head coach of the NFL’s New York Jets in order to return to his alma mater.”
7. (#63) Maryland – “Ralph Friedgen waited 32 years to become a head coach. It took just four months at the helm of Maryland for Friedgen to change almost everything about the program. Friedgen, 54, realized a lifelong dream when he was named Maryland coach on Nov 31. A 1969 graduate who played for the Terrapins under Jerry Claiborne and coached under Bobby Ross, Friedgen returned to College Park to discover the program hadn’t made much progress since he departed with Ross in 1986. So by the time spring practice began on March 31, the heavyset coach, who doesn’t mind be being nicknamed “The Fridge,” had already put his stamp on the program.”
(The Fridge would indeed leave an immediate stamp; Maryland roared through a 10-1 regularly season, losing to Florida in the Orange Bowl. Maryland would go 31-8 during the first three years of Ralph Friedgen’s ten year tenure.)
8. (#89) Wake Forest – “Second year coach Jim Grobe has a lot of work to do. In eight years under Jim Caldwell, Wake Forest had just one winning season. He was the 11th consecutive coach to have a losing record at Wake.
9. (#96) Duke – “Duke was painfully young an inexperienced last season. Franks played 23 freshman, which goes a long way towards explaining that 0-11 record – and Franks’ optimism that 2001 will be better.”
(Duke would finish 0-11 again.)
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Colorado wsa good that year. It's been a while ...
Why is Colorado so down in CFB?
they lost their motivation
they lost their rival to the East
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They went to the PAC, where football programs go to die.
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When I ask why Illinois is so bad, folks say the admin doesn't support them, which is legit I reckon.
Same for the Buffs?
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yup, academic liberal tree hungers think football is barbaric and for mouth breathers
they think it adds nothing to higher society
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They went to the PAC, where football programs go to die.
I mean, they closed out their Big 12 era on a 19-39 run, then hired a coach who was deeply in over his head.
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that's a long scroll, let's turn the page
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I mean, they closed out their Big 12 era on a 19-39 run, then hired a coach who was deeply in over his head.
Exactly my point. They were ready to die, and chose the PAC as their final resting place. :)
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Colorado wsa good that year. It's been a while ...
Why is Colorado so down in CFB?
I think it's a case of having something built and not understanding that it was built on a structure solely constructed by people and not on the ground itself.
Basically, Boulder is always gonna be a disadvantageous recruiting spot. Denver produces talent (I think), but the state at large won't, and there isn't a true border state with a real talent well unless you can pry some samoan talent out of Utah (and the schools there are regularly getting samoan talent from CA anyway). So you're recruiting more flights, fewer drives.
I'm guessing the passion there was alway more moderate than a lot of other parts of the country, so you're not getting the support (under the table $$$) that would get a cross-country kid to say the deep south.
So what you had was a great era built on the work of three good to great hires. Barnett got stale and got fired for being a dipshit. They made one wrong hire, then a disastrously wrong one. Mike MacIntyre dug out for a bit, but couldn't hold, and then the Tucker mess. In this sport, what takes a while to build can slip quickly, ask Nebraska.
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https://twitter.com/ahmadblack35/status/1551221939552882690
Pages: 158 – 175
Big East Preview:
158: Conference Rankings:
1. Miami
2. Virginia Tech
3. Pittsburgh
4. Syracuse
5. Boston College
6. Temple
7. West Virginia
8. Rutgers
159:
All Big East Team:
Recognizable names: QB Ken Dorsey, Miami: TE Jeremy Shockey, Miami; DL Dwight Freeney, Syracuse; DB Edward Reed, Miami; WR Andre Johnson, Miami
Big East Top Ten Projected NFL Talent:
1. Bryant McKinnie OT Miami
2. Ken Dorsey QB Miami
3. Antonio Bryant WR Pittsburgh
4. Edward Reed SS Miami
5. Lee Suggs RB Virginia Tech
6. Dwight Freeney DE Syracuse
7. Clifton Smith LB Syracuse
8. Ramon Walker S Pittsburgh
9. Jeremy Shockey TE Miami
10. Bryan Knight DE Pittsburgh
160 – 165: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#2 Nationally) Miami – “From coach Larry Coker’s calming influence to a deep collection of talent, this team dares to dream big. As they did during the 1980s and early 1990s, that old championship feeling is as much a part of their preseason program as two-a-day practices – even if they must open at Penn State and also play Florida State and Virginia Tech on the road.”
(The Hurricanes would go on to win the national title, beating Nebraska is the Rose Bowl.)
2. (#14) Virginia Tech – “No Vick, but lots of victories. That’s a likely scenario for Virginia Tech, which saw do-it-all quarterback Michael Vick forfeit his final two seasons of eligibility, but returns 17 starters – including nine defensively – from an 11-win team that spanked Clemson 41-20 in the Gator Bowl.”
3. (#37) Pittsburgh – “Walt Harris has the program headed in the right direction, and should have the Panthers making consecutive bowl appearances for the first time since 1975-83, when Pitt was a national power.”
4. (#41) Syracuse – “Syracuse, which along with Michigan, Nebraska, and Florida State is the only 1-A school to post a winning record each of the past 14 seasons…This could be a critical year for Syracuse, which is 13-10 overall the past two seasons and in danger of losing its status as one of the league’s perennial powers.”
(After losing their first two outings to #10 Georgia Tech and #8 Tennessee, the Orangeman would win 10 of their next 11 games, to include a blowout over Kansas State in the Insight Bowl, finishing the season 10-3, ranked #14. Their only loss during that stretch was 59-0 to Miami. 2001 was the last of 7 ranked finishes for coach Paul Pasqualoni – people probably forget how consistently good Syracuse football was through the 1990s.)
5. (#51) Boston College – “After gaining 1,164 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns as a sophomore – in a backup role – William Green was forced to learn a couple of lessons on perspective. First, he had to watch the Eagles’ Aloha Bowl victory over Arizona State on TV from his home in New Jersey after being suspended for violating an unspecified team rule.”
6. (#59) Temple – “In what looks like Temple’s last season in the Big East, the Owls would love to make it a big one. Basically, the Owls were tossed out of the league on their ear in the offseason – effective June 30, 2002 – for not meeting the league’s ‘minimum criteria’ although the school hopes to awaken this season as a success on the field and at the box office, perhaps re-opening some eyes.”
7. (#64) West Virginia – “New West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is a no-nonsense kind of guy, so let’s get right to the point: “Everyone knows I was hired because people want to see this offense,” he said. It’s an offense that allowed him and head coach Tommy Bowden to jump from Tulane to Clemson after the Green Wave’s undefeated season in 1998. An offense that’s so…so not Don Nehlen. Nehlen was all about old-school power running. And it worked. For 21 seasons before his retirement, West Virginia fans had little to complain about, other than the boring offense and the fact that the boring offense was a big reason why the Mountaineers never got much national respect. Under Rodriguez, these sleeker Mountaineers – good or bad – will be exciting.”
8. (#92) Rutgers – “It didn’t take new head coach Greg Schiano long to make an immediate impact. Within weeks of his Dec. 1 hiring, the 34-year-old New Jersey native had somehow gotten the state’s top football talent to respond to Rutgers in a way it never had before…And so it went, with Rutgers landing 13 New Jersey prep stars among its 21 recruits – arguably the best class in school history…This might help: Sopranos star and Rutgers grad James Gandolfini appeared in a TV commercial for the Scarlet Knights.”
(Man I miss the old Big East.)
Conference USA Preview:
166: Conference Rankings:
1. Louisville
2. East Carolina
3. Southern Miss
4. UAB
5. Tulane
6. TCU
7. Cincinnati
8. Houston
9. Memphis
10. Army
167: Conference USA Top Ten Projected NFL Talent:
1. Dave Ragone QB Louisville
2. David Garrard QB East Carolina
3. Pernell Griffin LB East Carolina
4. Derrick Nix RM Southern Miss
5. Anthony Floyd DB Louisville
6. Chad Williams DB Southern Miss
7. Rod Davis LB Southern Miss
8. Michael Josiah DE Louisville
9. Bryan Thomas DE UAB
10. Mewelde Moore RB Tulane
168 – 175: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#28 Nationally) Louisville
2. (#33) East Carolina – “In David Garrard, a senior quarterback, and Pernell Griffin, a senior linebacker, the Pirates have legitimate contenders for the C-USA offensive and defensive players of the year award.”
3. (#38) Southern Miss
4. (#47) UAB
5. (#61) Tulane
6. (#66) TCU – “The 2001 season is all about starting over for TCU. Starting over without All-American running back LaDainian Tomlinson; starting over in a new league (Conference USA); and starting over with new coach, Gary Patterson, after the departure of Dennis Franchione to Alabama.”
7. (#69) Cincinnati
8. (#81) Houston
9. (#90) Memphis
10. (#103) Army
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A reason we like CFB is that so much is not predictable preseason.
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Pages: 176 – 190
Mountain West Conference Preview:
176: Conference Rankings:
1. Colorado State
2. UNLV
3. BYU
4. San Diego State
5. New Mexico
6. Utah
7. Air Force
8. Wyoming
177:
All MWC Team: No recognizable names
MWC Top Ten Projected NFL Talent:
1. Jason Thomas QB UNLV
2. Kevin Thomas DB UNLV
3. Justin Ena LB BYU
4. Anton Palepoi DL UNLV
5. Larry Ned RB San Diego St
6. Cecil Sapp RB Colorado St
7. Ryan Denney DE BYU
8. Brian Johnson DE New Mexico
9. Luke Staley RB BYU
10. Ryan Fleming WR Air Force
178 – 183: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#21 Nationally) Colorado State – “Rams have an established program in place and newcomer Bradlee Van Pelt, if he gets time at quarterback, can bring the added dimension of a running threat.”
2. (#26) UNLV – “When John Robinson made the surprise announcement that he was taking over for Jeff Horton in December of 1999, the Rebels were arguably the biggest laughingstock of college football.”
(Over 20 years later UNLV still is a laughingstock. Never realized John Robinson, formerly USC’s Rose Bowl winning coach, spent time at UNLV.)
3. (#47) BYU – completely forgot BYU once wore new age uniforms like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/7abOfZG.jpg)
4. (#55) San Diego St – “Aztecs are as talented as any team in the Mountain West Conference.”
5. (#62) New Mexico – “Rocky Long’s unconventional defense produced 46 sacks a year ago. The Lobos ranked 17th in the nation in total defense.
6. (#68) Utah; 7. (#75) Air Force; 8. (#86) Wyoming
Western Athletic Conference Preview:
184: Conference Rankings:
1. Fresno State
2. Rice
3. San Jose State
4. Hawaii
5. Boise State
6. Texas-El Paso
7. SMU
8. Tulsa
9. Nevada
10. Louisiana Tech
185:
All WAC Team: Only recognizable name: QB David Carr Fresno St
WAC Top Ten Projected NFL Talent:
1. Deonce Whitaker RB San Jose St
2. David Carr QB Fresno State
3. Donald Shoals WR Tulsa
4. Lee Mays WR UTEP
5. Vince Manuwal OL Hawaii
6. DJ Walker DB UTEP
7. Alan Harper DL Fresno St
8. Kris Briggs RB SMU
9. Vic Viloria LB SMU
10. Dan Dawson LB Rice
186 – 190: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#52 Nationally) Fresno State – “It begins with senior quarterback David Carr. One of the premier players in the league, he possesses a good arm and even better instincts for the position.”
2. (#77) Rice
3. (#79) San Jose State
4. (#84) Hawaii – “Two months after a one-car wreck nearly took his life, Hawaii head coach June Jones spent his spring mornings rehabilitating a badly bruised body and afternoons in his office making up for lost time. “It just wasn’t the same without him here,” sophomore quarterback Timmy Chang said after the spring game. Chang, from Honolulu, was one of the few bright spots of last season, throwing for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns as a true freshman.”
5. (#85) Boise State – “With a new coach, a new quarterback and a new conference, Boise State fans hope they can expect the same old results. One thing won’t change: New coach Dan Hawkins and an almost entirely new staff have pledged few alterations to the high-octane – and highly-successful – offense designed by former head coach Dirk Koetter, now at Arizona State.”
6. (#88) UTEP
7. (#91) SMU
8. (#94) Tulsa
9. (#97) Nevada
10. (#99) Louisiana Tech
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Pages: 191 – 204
MAC Preview:
191: Conference Rankings:
East: 1. Marshall 2. Ohio 3. Miami 4. Akron 5. Bowling Green 6. Kent State 7. Buffalo
West: 1. Toledo 2. Western Michigan 3. Ball State 4. Northern Illinois 5. Central Michigan 6. Eastern Michigan
192: Only recognizable names from All Mac Team and Top Ten Projected NFL Talent: QB Byron Leftwich Marshall and RB Chester Taylor Toledo
193 – 199: Individual Team Previews:
1. (#48 Nationally) Marshall – “‘Byron Leftwich is the best quarterback I’ve ever been around, ’ said coach Bobby Pruett, who also was with Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel at Florida and coached former Cincinnati Bengal Eric Kresser at Marshall…as well as first round draft pick Chad Pennington. ‘I think he’s the best quarterback in the country. ’”
2. (#65) Toledo – “The offense starts with All-MAC senior quarterback Tavares Bolden whose running ability figures to benefit a great deal from the spread.”
3. (#73) Western Michigan
4. (#87) Ohio
5. (#95) Miami-OH – “Ben Roethislberger (Lindy’s misspelling) and Ryan Hawk were rated the top two prep quarterbacks in Ohio two years ago. When they signed with Miami, fans had visions of a return to glory. Now, the two are battling to lead Miami’s offense. Roethislberger turned down Ohio State and appears to have a slight edge on Hawk.”
6. (#98) Akron
7. (#102) Ball State
8. (#105) Northern Illinois
9. (#107) Bowling Green – “The talk among Bowling Green fans is of new coach Urban Meyer’s plans for a spread offense, a stark departure from the two-back, power-running game approach of predecessor Gary Blackney.”
10. (#108) Kent State
11. (#110) Central Michigan
12. (#112) Eastern Michigan
13. (#114) Buffalo
200: Sun Belt Conference Preview Rankings:
1. (#82) Middle Tennessee
2. (#93) New Mexico State
3. (#100) Idaho
4. (#106) North Texas
5. (#109) Arkansas State
6. (#115) LA-Lafayette
7. (#117) LA-Monroe
No recognizable names from All Sun Belt Team
201 – 204: Individual Team Previews: See above for rankings
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The Sun Belt is the one non-power conference which has managed to actually strengthen itself during realignment
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Pages: 205 – 224 (Back Cover)
Independents Preview:
205 – 210: Independents Rankings & Team Previews:
#22 Notre Dame – “What coach Bob Davie opts to do at quarterback looms as the biggest decision of the fall, and he cannot waste much time in making it, not with three of the first four games on the road against bowl teams Nebraska, Purdue, and Texas A&M. Sticking with QB Matt LoVecchio, the returning starter who had a surmountable edge at the end of spring football, likely would preserve the team chemistry that Davie credits with Notre Dame’s turnaround 9-3 season in 2000. But keeping Holiday and/or Clark on the sideline, Davie also fears, might be limiting a team that again has BCS aspirations.”
#72 Central Florida
#101 Navy
#111 Troy State
#113 South Florida
#116 UConn
211: Featured Article: Tennessee’s Will Bartholomew: Keeping The Faith: “Bartholomew likes to beat the odds. ‘I have a motto: Always do what you’re afraid of. Not in the stupid sense. Don’t go throw yourself off a 200-foot (tall) building. But if it strikes fear in you, try to do it.’ Before Bartholomew, a senior fullback and one of five team captains, became one of Tennessee’s most versatile offensive threats, he faced a broken ankle and second string. After recovering from the ankle injury his freshman season, he had to battle Shawn Bryson, now the Buffalo Bills’ starting tailback, at fullback. ‘He became the man for two years,’ said Bartholomew, who to lose his passion to play. ‘I was just consumed with getting through football.’ In May 1999 that changed. He married Shelly Moore, Miss Teen USA of 1997. ‘After we married, Christ changed my life. Marriage was a huge turning point for me. Shelly made me realize what a great opportunity I had. God had given me talents and abilities.’ One of Bartholomew’s goals is to continue as a spiritual example. ‘The guys look to me for spiritual leadership. They ask me a lot of questions and open their lives up to me. I share Christ with a lot of guys on the team.’”
(The article is very evangelical in tone, to remember America was much more Christianized twenty years ago. But checking my latest Lindy’s editions – 2020, 2021, now 2022 – there’s always a faith article, to remember Lindy’s is published in Bible-belt Alabama.)
212 – 215: 2001 National Schedules Listing sponsored by Holiday Inn
216 – 219: Picking the Division I-AA: No recognizable names from the All-American teams except for Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois) making first team QB.
220 – 221: Picking the Division II: No recognizable player names, but plenty of small schools who I wouldn’t know where they’re located: Delta State (MS?), Carson Newman (?), Catawba (?), Slippery Rock (?), C.W. Post (?)
222 – 223: Picking the Division III: No recognizable player names; more school who I wouldn’t know where they’re located: Linfield (?), Widener (?), Muhlenburg (?), Hope (?)
224: List of Division I-A Statistical Leaders
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