College Preview: A cont'd.

Arizona State - The Sun Devils will be looking to get back to contending for bowl games after struggling to a 4-8 record last season. Despite the record, the team did come close in many of their games, losing five of their eight games by a combined 23 points, including a two-point loss to Cal and a three-point loss to Georgia. Needless to say, the talent is there for a quick turnaround.

Offense - If the offense is going to be successful, it is going to be under the guidance of a new quarterback. The Sun Devils will turn to either Brock Osweiler or Michigan transfer Steven Threet, who have combined for one start at Arizona State. After spring practice they go for a fall practice battle to earn the starting nod. Osweiler passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the six games he appeared in. Threet comes to ASU after starting eight games for Michigan in 2008 where he completed 102-of-200 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns, as well as rushing for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

Second-leading rusher Cameron Marshall returns for his sophomore season after rushing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Outside of Marshall, the stable of running backs will be inexperienced. The Sun Devils will have to look to one of five newcomers to help Marshall with the workload.

ASU will go to more of a spread-type of offense this year, which will need receivers to step up in the short, mid-range and long passing routes. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the wide receivers will be much like the rest of their offense: inexperienced. The team loses its top four receivers from last year. Senior Kerry Taylor brings the most experience of any receiver, having started 14 games in his career, grabbing 58 balls for 734 yards in that time. He returns after catching 23 passes for 276 yards. Gerrell Robinson is the leading returning pass catcher from last year, having caught 26 passes for 261 yards. The WR's will also look to numerous newcomers to help them out.

Defense - ASU's defense lead the Pac-10 in virtually every defensive category last year and was in the top 30 nationally for many categories. They were 13th in total defense (297.58 ypg), 19th in rushing defense (108.6 ypg) and 26th in scoring defense (21.1 ppg), amongst other categories. Twelve players that started at least one game last season return.

It would be fair to say that the strong part of the defense would have to be the defensive line, where the Sun Devils lose only one player from its three-deep roster and 14 of 16 linemen return. Lawrence Guy led the team with 4.5 sacks and added 37 tackles and one fumble recovery. James Brooks looks to be the strong-side defensive end, a year after coming up with 3.5 sacks, 17 tackles, seven tackles for loss and one interception.

Despite losing two All-Pac 10 linebackers, ASU welcomes back Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American Vontaze Burfict. Burfict had quite the debut as he ranked second in tackles (leading returnee) with 69, had seven tackles for loss, and two sacks, fumble recoveries and forced fumbles each. Brandon Magee looks to take over an outside linebacker spot as he comes off of a campaign that saw him put up 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception, all as a reserve. Shelly Lyons comes into the season atop the strong side linebacker depth chart after posting 17 tackles last year.

The cornerback position is full of experienced players. They may not have the gaudy stats some others have, but their steady play has been a good asset for the younger players. Omar Bolden and Deveron Carr come back after starting at least three games each last year. Carr had 10 tackles and three passes broken up before he got injured towards the end of the year. Clint Floyd and Keelan Johnson are poised to take over the safety spots. The depth behind the two is full of youngsters who will be looking to prove their worth.

Recruiting - The Sun Devils signed 26 players in this year's signing class, including 15 offensive players, nine defensive players and two all-purpose athletes. One of those athletes, Ramon Abreu, comes in after putting up some crazy numbers as a senior. His stats included 141 tackles, six pass deflections, four interceptions, three sacks, 898 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns, 500 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. George Bell comes as a junior college transfer after picking up a four-star rating and 805 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year. Deantre Lewis comes to ASU as a four-star running back prospect who is coming off of a senior season where he rushed for 2,383 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Schedule - Arizona State starts off the season at home with two easy games against Portland State and Northern Arizona. They get their first test when they travel to Wisconsin on Sept. 18 for a game with the Badgers. After starting the conference season with a home game against Oregon, the Sun Devils travel to OSU, Washington and Cal in consecutive weeks. They next get four consecutive home games against WSU, USC, Stanford and USC before ending the season with rival Arizona.

Arkansas - The Razorbacks return 18 starters from an 8-5 team that defeated East Carolina 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl last season. They return nine starters from offense, including three wide receivers and quarterback Ryan Mallett. The defense returns seven players including two linebackers, two defensive linemen and three defensive backs.

Offense - Ryan Mallett returns after putting up numbers most players would love to have. He threw for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns, while throwing only seven interceptions. He suffered a knee injury in February but should be ready for fall practice. His backup is Tyler Wilson, who appeared in five games, throwing for 218 yards.

Four of last year's top five rushers return this year. Broderick Green returns as the leading rusher after starting three games and rushing for 442 yards and 11 touchdowns. The team saw freshmen Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Knile Davis contribute right away. Wingo rushed for 319 yards and three touchdowns while Davis added 163 yards and four touchdowns.

Each of the top five receivers returns for Mallett's disposal. Greg Childs had 894 yards receiving and seven touchdowns despite only catching 48 passes. Jarius Wright added 681 yards and five touchdowns while Joe Adams caught seven touchdowns and had 568 yards receiving.

Defense - The defense returns five of its top seven tacklers, including Jerry Franklin who ahs led the team in tackles the last two seasons, including 97 last season.

Jake Bequette and Zach Stadther return after starting on the defensive line last season. Bequette led the team in sacks with 5.5 sacks, adding 39 tackles and two fumble recoveries and forced fumbles each. Stadther returns after posting 42 tackles. Tenarius Wright returns at one defensive end spot after posting 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack and a half and three forced fumbles.

To say the linebacker returnees would be the strength of the defense would be an understatement. Along with Franklin, the team returns Jerico Nelson who is second-leading returning tackler after having 74 tackles, one interception, two and a half sacks and one forced fumble and fumble recovery each. In addition to his 97 tackles, Franklin also had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

The team returns three starters in the defensive backfield. Cornerback Ramon Broadway returns after posting 55 tackles. Rudell Crim had 43 tackles, two tackles for loss and four pass break-ups. Elton Ford leads the secondary returnees with 65 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass break-ups and one fumble recovery.

Recruiting - The Hogs bring in a class of 25 talented players. Eric Bennett comes in as an athlete after playing quarterback, running back, receiver and cornerback. In seven games as a senior he threw for 873 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 581 yards and five touchdowns. Safety Daunte Carr had 104 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles as a senior. Braylon Mitchell comes in as a RB/LB after rushing for 1,691 yards and 26 touchdowns, as well as collecting 91 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles and one recovered fumble. Defensive end Chris Smith accounted for 98 tackles, 16.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Schedule - The Hogs start off with two winnable games against Tennessee Tech and Louisiana-Monroe before getting into a horrid five game stretch which could end up determining their season. In five consecutive games, Arkansas travels to Georgia, hosts Alabama, travels to Texas A&M and Auburn, before hosting Ole Miss.

Arkansas State - Despite a disappointing 4-8 season, the Red Wolves will be looking to build on a season-ending two-game winning streak as they come into the 2010-2011 season.

Offense - If Arkansas State is to improve on its 22.6 ppg last season, it will have to happen under some new leadership. Ryan Aplin returns at quarterback after completing 65 percent of his passes for 889 yards and three touchdowns. However, he will have to cut down on his interceptions as he threw a total of six.

Aplin also returns as the Red Wolves' leading rusher after rushing for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Derek Lawson also returns, a year after running for 244 yards.

Unless some freshmen and newcomers step up right away, ASU will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year's 2,323 yards. The team loses its top five receivers from last year's squad, as redshirt sophomore Taylor Stockemer returns w/ a team leading 16 catches and 347 yards. The good thing is that altho they might not be as experienced as they would like, there is plenty of depth, youth and athleticism to provide for some excitement.

Defense - Although the team gave up over 23 points per game, the defense could turn their fortunes around, as they bring back half of their top ten tackles last year, including the top four. The secondary and linebackers will be this season's strongest positions.

Demario Davis returns after putting up some impressive numbers during the 2009 season. Davis led the team with 80 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and adding three sacks and an interception as well. But Davis isn't alone. Javon McKinnon returns for his senior season at another LB spot. McKinnon added 53 tackles last season, finishing fourth on the team.

The secondary will be just as good and after giving up over 218 yards per game, they will have to be. M.D. Jennings returns as the second-leading tackler with 64. He also one interception and three fumble recoveries. Third-leading tackler Kelcie McCray returns after having 58 tackles and four and a half tackles for loss. He also led the team with four interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Recruiting - The Red Wolves bring in 26 players to comprise this year's recruiting class. Of the 26, 11 are of the offensive side of the ball and 13 on the defensive. The team brings in four wide receivers, a position of need, as well as two running backs and two quarterbacks. Five players are expected to play either cornerback or safety. Two of the top recruits are JC WR Dwayne Frampton and freshman running back Frankie Jackson. Frampton led his team with 77 catches, 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns in his last year of junior college ball. To say Jackson had a phenomenal senior season would be quite an understatement. He rushed for 2,545 yards and 34 touchdowns, on his way to three-star status by rivals.com.

Schedule - The Red Wolves start off w/ a road game at Auburn before jumping right into conference play. The home schedule is highlighted by visits from Louisville, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Monroe and Middle Tennessee State. Road games, besides Auburn, are at Indiana, North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Florida International, Navy and Troy.

Army - The Black Knights were one point away from finishing 6-6 and qualifying for a bowl in Rich Ellerson's first year. Essentially a 17-16 loss to Tulane at the beginning of October was the difference between a 5-7 season and a 6-6 year. Luckily for Army, they return eight starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Offense - Ellerson brought the triple option offense with him when he arrived last year and the Black Knights caught on and ran with it (pun intended). The team brings back their top six rushers from last year.

Quarterback Trent Steelman returns for the Black Knights after having quite the collegiate debut in 2009. Not only did he start all 12 games he led the team in passing AND rushing. Steelman rushed for 706 yards and five touchdowns. In the triple option he was not needed to pass much but he still threw for 637 yards and three touchdowns.

Army employs two slotbacks in their offense and luckily for them, they have both starters returning. Patrick Mealy finished second on the team in rushing with 673 yards and three touchdowns. Mealy led the team with 6.1 yards per carry. Jameson Carter returns for his senior year after rushing for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

The Black Knights lose their top receiver, Ali Villanueva, from last year whose 522 yards receiving were over three times as many as the second receiver (162). Villanueva also had all five of the receiving touchdowns.

Defense - The defense also returns eight starters including their top six tacklers and eight of the top 10. Army gave up 304.67 yards per game last year, which was good enough for 16th in the nation and gave up fewer than 22 points per game, which ranked 35th.

Two important pieces of the defensive line return, including record-setting end Josh McNary. McNary returns after finishing fifth on the team with 65 tackles. His 22.5 tackles for loss led the team and 12 sacks is an Army record. He also added one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. The other important piece is Mike Gann. Gann returns after coming up with 34 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

The Black Knights return their entire linebacker corps. The most important piece is "whip" linebacker Andrew Rodriguez who led the team in tackles with 85 and added two interceptions, fumble recoveries and forced fumbles each. The second leading tackler, middle linebacker Stephen Anderson, also returns after coming up with 83 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two and a half sacks all in nine games. The third linebacker Steve Erzinger also returns after finishing tied for third in tackles with 71. Erzinger added seven and a half tackles for loss. Anderson's season-ending surgery caused him to miss spring practice, therefore causing last year's starting fullback and third-leading rusher Kingsley Ehie to move to middle linebacker.

Three starting defensive backs return from a squad that was third-best in the country in pass defense after allowing only 152.83 yards per game. Free safety Donovan Travis tied with Erzinger with 71 tackles and also led the team in interceptions with four, one of which was brought back for a touchdown. Starting strong safety Donnie Dixon also returns after tackling 29 opponents. Antuan Aaron returns at one cornerback spot after finishing with 52 tackles and an interception.

Schedule - Being an independent allows Army to have their pick of who they would like to play and this years' schedule is mixed with big-time programs and some "mid-major" ones as well. The Black Knights welcome Hawaii, North Texas, Temple, VMI and Air Force to Michie Stadium while traveling to Eastern Michigan, Duke, Tulane, Rutgers and Kent State. They will also play in two neutral site games, against Navy in Philadelphia and Notre Dame in the first-ever college football game at the new Yankee Stadium. The team went 3-6 last season against teams on this year's schedule.

College Football Previews: A

For the next month or so, I will be previewing every D 1-A college football team. They will be in alphabetical order. Crazy? Yes, I know, but I figure why not? And who is first???

Air Force - The Falcons are coming off of an 8-5 season, which saw them upset No. 25 Houston 47-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl. The bowl game was the third in a row for the Falcons, a first since 1990-1992 and the first time it had gone to the same bowl in three consecutive years. Third-year coach Troy Calhoun, who brings a 25-14 record into the 2010 season, became the first coach in school history to take the Falcons to bowl games in his first three years at the helm.

Offense - The Falcons’ skill positions are full of experienced, talented players. Air Force returns 100 percent of its rushing, passing, kickoff return, punt return and total offense yards from 2009, along with 90.4 percent of its receiving yards. The team also returns 100 percent of its scoring and 98.3 percent of its all-purpose yards from a year ago.

The Falcons bring back five starters from last year's squad, led by senior fullback Jared Tew. Tew led the team with 970 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Both of his backfield teammates, quarterback Tim Jefferson and running back Asher Clark, return as well.

Jefferson will be overcoming off-season knee surgery after a season that saw him pass for 848 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for 254 yards and four touchdowns. He will be pushed by fellow junior Connor Dietz. Dietz brings some experience as well, as he played until he broke his hand with five games left in the season, therefore knocking him out for the season. His 369 rushing yards were fourth most on the team last year.

As has been the Falcons' forte, the passing game comes a distant second in the offense. Despite that, Air Force brings back their top two receivers, Kevin Fogler and Jonathan Warzeka. Fogler returns after 25 balls for 567 yards and five touchdowns. The team's second-leading wideout, Warzeka, returns after catching 18 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown.

One area of concern will be the offensive line, as they graduated all of their starters from the 2009 season. Only A.J. Wallerstein returns with starting experience, after starting the first game last season against Nicholls State.

Defense - The secondary will be the defense’s strength. Senior cornerback Reggie Rembert, along with junior corner Anthony Wright, Jr., and safety Jon Davis return to lead the group. Rembert was a first-team all-conference performer last season. He had 43 total tackles, three interceptions, forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries. He also became the school’s all-time leader in kickoff returns and kickoff return yards.

Wright recorded the third-most interceptions in a single season in school history with seven, including a school-record-tying three vs. Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl. Wright also scored
two touchdowns on interceptions returns and another on a punt return while earning second-team all-conference honors. Davis added 56 tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Davis also scored a touchdown on an interception return.

The linebacker and defensive line corps, however, will be a major question mark for the Falcons. The defensive line will be bolstered by the lone returning starter, senior Rick Ricketts, who finished fourth on the team in tackles with 57. He also was third in tackles for loss with 6.5 for 39 yards and second in sacks with 4 for 28 yards.

The linebacker corps returns Andre Morris, Jr., at outside linebacker. Morris was third on the
team in tackles with 65 and had 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He’ll be joined by sophomore Wale Lawal, Jr., who played 11 games as a rookie last year. Seniors Patrick Hennessey and Ken Lamendola had their junior years shortened by injury and missed all of spring practice. If they’re able to return, the Falcons will have an experienced group. Lamendola had a 100-plus tackle sophomore season and Hennessey was in a starting role before injuries.

Schedule - The Falcons start out with four of their first five opponents coming off of bowl appearances. The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a visit to Oklahoma to take on an Oklahoma squad going through some major personnel shuffling. The team closes with four of its last six on the road and has to face TCU and Utah back to back at the end of October.


Akron - Rob Ianello takes over for J.D. Brookhart, who was relieved of his duties after a 3-9 season. The Zips have not had a winning record since 2005. Ianello comes over from Notre Dame, where he was the wide receivers coach since 2005. In January of 2009, he was named the Assistant Head Coach for the Offense, as well as retaining his duties as the wide receivers coach. Under his guidance, six of the nine best individual receiving seasons in Notre Dame history have occurred. In the past five seasons, four Irish receivers have caught more than 60 passes in a season, while five players have eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards.

Offense - Patrick Nicely returns after starting the last seven games for the Zips, as does his backup Matt Rodgers, who started three games. Despite his 54.1% completion percentage, if the Zips are going to be successful, Nicely is going to have to improve on his touchdown:interception ratio, which was 1:1 after he threw six touchdowns and six interceptions.

Akron returns four of their five top rushers from last year. Those four combined for 826 of the team's 1,726 rushing yards during the 2009 season. Rodgers is the returning leader as he rushed for 226 yards on 40 carries. Broderick Alexander and Alex Allen also return after rushing for 217 and 216 yards, respectively. Allen led the five with five rushing touchdowns.

To ease the pressure on the quarterbacks and running backs, the Zips return three starters on the offensive line from last year. Corey Woods, Mike Ward and Jake Anderson each return after starting all 12 games last year at LT, LG and RT, respectively.

Despite all of the experience coming back in the offensive backfield, only one major contributor returns in the wide receiving core. Luckily for the Zips, that contributor is last year's top receiver, Jeremy LaFrance. The junior college transfer made quite an impression in his debut season at the D-1 level after grabbing 43 passes for 520 yards and two touchdowns. In fact La France is the only returning player who caught a touchdown last season.

Defense - If one was to say that Brain Wagner was the star on the defensive side of the ball, there would surely be no one to argue that fact. Wagner, a middle linebacker, had such a huge impact as a freshman last year that The Sporting News named him a First-Team Freshman All-American. What led him to earn such a great honor? 132 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His 132 tackles were almost double of the next Zip, Mike Thomas, who had 71 tackles.

Luckily for Akron, it seems as if Wagner and Thomas make up only half of what is probably the strongest position on the defensive side of the ball, the linebackers. Along with Wagner and Thomas, Sean Fobbs also returns at the RUSH LB spot, also starting all 12 games, as the aforementioned two did as well. Akron also returns two players, Will Fleming and DeAngelo Williams, who started a combined seven games at the strongside linebacker position.

The defensive line will be bolstered by the return of DT Almondo Sewell, DT Dan Marcoux, DT James Harvey and DE Hasan Hazime. Sewell started all 12 games at DT and led all linemen with 53 tackles. Hazime started the last eight games at defensive end and was tied for the team lead with three sacks, as well as figuring in on 49 tackles and forcing one fumble. Harvey started 10 games, the first four at defensive end and the next six at nose tackle. In 11 total games, he was involved in 23 tackles and four tackles for loss. Marcoux started six games and chipped in with 15 tackles.

The Akron secondary won't be as tough as the rest of the defense, however, as they only return three players that started any games last season. Manny Waller started 11 games at one CB spot, finishing with three interceptions, six pass break-ups and 47 tackles. Kevin Davis and Marvese Byrd are the other two, but each started only one game last year. The secondary will rely on younger players, including four redshirt freshmen and five sophomores.

Recruiting - The Zips brought in 23 signees in the Class of 2010, including Parade All-American RB Erick Howard. Howard, Scout.com's 24th best running back, ran for over 6,000 yards in his career and scored 79 touchdowns. For good measure, the Ohio two-time Offensive Player of the Year also tallied 208 tackles as a linebacker. He is one of at least four running backs brought in to push the already successful stable of young runners.

Schedule - The Zips host six games, highlighted by a season-opening visit from Syracuse. After the first two games of the year, both at home, Akron plays four of its next five on the road, including games at Indiana and Kentucky. The team does end the season with two home games against Miami (OH) and Buffalo.

Alabama - To say last year was a success would be quite the understatement. Going 14-0, winning a national championship and having the Heisman Trophy winner was quite an achievement for Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide. What's scary is that they bring most of their offensive stars back for more.

Offense - Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram returns for his junior season after rushing for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns. With more experience, the scary part is he can only get better. His backup, Trent Richardson, also returns. Richardson would be an All-Conference player if he played on any team, but he is "stuck" playing behind the Heisman Trophy winner. Despite this, he still managed to rush for 751 yards and eight touchdowns.

Quarterback Greg McElroy returns for his senior year after completing 61 percent of his passes. He threw for 2,508 yards and 17 touchdowns, while only throwing four interceptions.

To McElroy's disposal, he will have five of last year's top six receivers back for more. Last year eight 'Bama receivers caught 10 or more passes, with four catching more than 25. Last year's top receiver, Julio Jones, returns to build on a legacy that has seen him become one of the better wideouts in recent Alabama memory. His 43 catches, 596 yards and four touchdowns were all team highs.

Defense - The 'Bama defense will have quite a different look this year, as only one, Mark Barron, of their top seven tacklers returns. In his first year as a starter, Barron led the team with seven interceptions for 125 yards and a touchdown, while also being a part of 76 tackles.

DE Marcell Dareus led the team with 6.5 sacks despite starting in only four of the 14 games he played in. The team will also look to linebacker Dont'a Hightower to provide some pressure on the quarterback and he showed that in the spring as he registered 11 tackles and three sacks in two scrimmages.

Recruiting - The Tide brings in an impressive recruiting class of 29, which was ranked as the fourth-best by scout.com and fifth-best by rivals.com. The class included six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, defensive linemen and linebackers each, three wide receivers, two running backs and tights ends apiece, and one quarterback, athlete, kicker and punter.

One recruit happened to be the one of the top two quarterbacks, according to scout.com, Phillip Sims. You may recognize him by name, but he is not the son of Hall of Fame and former Giant quarterback Phil Simms. Sims threw for 10,725 yards and 119 touchdowns, both of which are Virginia career records.

Schedule - Alabama opens up with two home games, vs. San Jose State and Penn State, in early September. After starting with the two home games, the Tide plays five of their next seven games on the road, including potential tough road games against Tennessee and LSU back-to-back. The two home games in that stretch are against Florida, which will finally be without Tim Tebow and Mississippi. The team closes out the regular season against Mississippi State, Georgia State and Auburn, all at home.

Arizona - The Wildcats are coming off of their second consecutive bowl appearance under Mike Stoops, who is entering his seventh year as Head Coach at Arizona. The team ended the season at 8-5 after a Holiday Bowl loss to Nebraska. Their 6-3 Pac-10 record tied them for second in the conference.

Offense - The Wildcat offense looks to be dynamic yet again, after averaging just over 27 points per game last year. The 2010 squad returns all but two of their spread formation starters. The team returns four players that started at receiver, three who started at running back and four offensive line starters, amongst others. One big loss for the 'Cats will be Delashaum Dean, who was the team's fourth-leading receiver.

Nick Foles, the team's starting quarterback returns for his junior season. Foles returns after a sophomore campaign which saw him complete 63 percent of his passes for nearly 2,500 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The team's top two rushers, Keola Antonin and Nic Grisby, return for their junior and senior campaigns after sharing the load rushing-wise for the 'Cats last season. Antolin rushed for a team-high 637 yards and added four touchdowns, while Grisby rushed for 567 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns. As a team, Arizona rushed for over 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Outside of Dean, the Wildcats return receivers in Juron Criner, David Douglas and David Roberts. Criner led the team with 582 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Roberts ended up with 410 yards and one touchdown, while Douglas added 320 yards and one TD grab as well.

Defense - The Wildcat defense has always been considered the team's strength under Stoops' direction. If they are to continue that success this year, they will need to do so using two new linemen, three linebackers and two players in the secondary. The team will have to look for many of their junior college transfers and incoming freshmen to help them out.

Senior defensive ends Brooks Reed and Reid Elmore return to lead the defensive line. Elmore was second in the league last year with 10.5, while Reed will be looking to stay healthy and build on a sophomore campaign where he put up similar numbers to Elmore's last year.

Cornerback Trevin Wade returns as the team's leading tackler after bringing down 71 opponents and adding a team-leading five interceptions, one of which he brought back for a touchdown.

Sophomores Jake Fischer and R.J. Young, senior C.J.Parish, and redshirt freshmen
Trevor Erno and Cordarius Golston come back to lead the linebackers. The only problem is that the three that have seen playing time combined for only 16 tackles last year.

Recruiting - Altho it may seem that defense would be more of a need in the recruiting class, the 24-man class is pretty even, as 13 are defensive players and 11 offensive. The class consists of six defensive linemen, five receivers, five offensive linemen, four defensive backs, three linebackers and a quarterback. The two who might play the biggest roles are safety Marquis Flowers and wide receiver Dexter Ransom, a junior college transfer. Flowers picked Arizona over UCLA, USC and ASU, amongst others, after recording 46 tackles, two INT's, rushing for 1,247 yards and 16 TD. Ransom missed the last four games of the 2009 season after tearing an ACL, but figures to be at full strength upon arrival to UA. He caught 19 passes for 412 yards and seven touchdowns in limited duty.

Schedule - After starting the season with a road game at Toledo, the 'Cats spend the next four games in the confines of Arizona Stadium, including a stretch of Iowa, Cal and Oregon State in three consecutive weeks. The Cats also get Washington, USC and ASU at home, while having to travel to Stanford, UCLA, Oregon and Washington State. How strong Arizona is should be determined for sure at the end of the season as their last six games are vs. Washington, at UCLA, at Stanford, vs. USC, at Oregon and vs. ASU.

Reaction of the recent conference craziness

In the past two days, the Big 12 has lost Nebraska and Colorado and was on the verge of losing Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. That left Missouri, Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor left on the outside. Now in my last blog, I spoke about how everything revolved around Texas. Well it kind of turns out that it may have all revolved around Nebraska. It has been reported that if it had only been Missouri and/or Colorado that left the conference and Nebraska stayed, Texas would stay as well. Well, Nebraska said good-bye to the Big 12 and their interesting way of handling the conference and is now headed over to the Big Ten in 2011.

So now the Pac 10 will have 16 teams, the Big Ten will have 12 and the Big 12 will have 10. But what happens to the rest of the country? One would have to think that the SEC would not be content with having the Pac 10 and Big 10 become stronger. Wouldn't the SEC, arguably the strongest conference in America, want to become stronger as well? Throughout all of this, it had always been speculated that if the SEC wanted to expand, it would try to go after Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson. Well according to ESPN sources, the SEC will not be extending any invitations to those schools, thereby keeping the ACC in tact. For the time being at least.

If this is all about $, and let's be honest we know it is, then adding those schools will not really add any potentially extra TV revenue because all of those areas/states are already represented in the SEC. The state of Florida is taken care of by the University of Florida, Georgia by UGA, and South Carolina by the Gamecocks. So if they aren't going to add any of those teams, who do they go to, if anybody?

The dust seems to have settled now and that's a good thing. The craziness of a conference realignment didn't happen how everybody thought it would. Somehow Dan Bebee convinced UT, OU and Texas A&M to stay. Probably was the insane amount of money. We'll see. Who knows what is going to happen.

Conference Realignment

Besides the USC sanctions, all the talk about the NCAA has been about the conference realignment that is going to shake up the college landscape. The more I read about it, the more I get confused. Everything seems to always come down to one hing tho: WWTD (What will Texas do?).

Now as many of the readers of this blog know, I am a graduate of the University of Missouri, which is one of those realignment schools but has gone from 'as good as gone' to a level of uncertainty that scares us all. There is now talk that the Big Ten does not have any interest in adding Missouri, which has been very outspoken about its desire to leave the Big 12.

That outspokenness has been something that might have hurt the Tigers because it could be coming off as desperation or whining. As an alum, I may be a bit biased here, but if you lok at it, Missouri does actually have reasons to want to leave. There are millions of reasons and by that I'm sure we all know I mean millions and millions of dollars. Missouri made $8.4 million, which was $1.8 million less than the top Big 12 school Texas.

The Big 12 schools divvy up all money equally except that which is generated from television.

Half of the TV money is divided evenly. The other half goes into an appearance pool. The schools that earn the most money are the ones who appear for football TV games and basketball non-conference games. Credits also are issued for NCAA tournament appearances.

The Big Ten on the other hand divides its revenue equally amongst the 11 schools in the conference. The last fiscal year, each school made $22 million. That $22 is $10 million more than what Texas made as the leading school in the Big 12.

Back before there was a Big 12, there was a Big Eight and before that a Big Six. All of the Texas schools joined the conference to make it the Big 12 in 1994. Soon after that, it seems as if all of the sudden there was a time where the University of Texas just took over. They became very good at pretty much all sports and replaced Nebraska as the flagship school for the conference.

One of the reasons some of the schools, like Missouri and Nebraska, have been envious or perturbed with the amount of money that the University of Texas brings in is the fact that the Longhorns are on TV so much. Unlike conferences like the Big Ten, as I said before, half of the TV money is divided evenly. The other half goes into an appearance pool. The schools that earn the most money are the ones who appear for football TV games and basketball non-conference games. Since 1994, the first year of the Big 12, the Longhorns have been on National TV 102 times. Nebraska has 83 National TV appearances.

There are so many more reasons but you have read them all already from every news outlet and columnist out there. This was more of just a rant then I guess. But it is still leaving everyone's head spinning. A reaction to Friday's developments will be up later.

Softball WCWS!

It's that time of the year again. The time for the College World Series. First up is the one for women's softball. As I've been doing for the entire tournament so far, I'll preview the WVWS. In the WCWS, eight teams play a double-elimination mini-tournament, which features winners and loser brackets, as well as a best two-of-three series to decide the championship. Washington is the defending champion and is also the highest remaining seed, at No.3.

Hawaii - The Rainbows face the No.9 Missouri Tigers in the first game of the tournament. The trip to Oklahoma City is the first in the history of the Hawaii program.

The Rainbows upset the top seed, Alabama in Tuscaloosa last weekend, using a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh by Jenna Rodriguez to win in the third and deciding game 5-4. Rodriguez accounted for all five runs on two home runs. The Rainbows win in the second game of the Super Regional broke the Crimson Tide's 28-game winning streak and their eight runs also marked the most ever scored against the top seed since the Super Regionals Era began.

Stephanie Ricketts went 1-1 last weekend, raising her record to 29-8. The 29 wins are tied for the second most in Hawaii history. She now has an ERA of 2.54 ERA and 153 strikeouts. Her teammate Kaia Parnaby leads the team with 185 strikeouts.

Missouri - Missouri's 7-2 victory against Oregon on Sunday sent the Tigers to the Women's College World Series for the second consecutive season. The Tigers have now made five trips to the WCWS in school history (1983, 1991, 1994, 2009, 2010). The back-to-back trips to the World Series is a program first. Missouri has now set a school record for wins this season at 51. The previous mark of 50 wins was set in 2009.

Missouri's potent offense exploded for the first time in the NCAA Tournament last weekend, when it defeated Oregon 7-2 to clinch the WCWS berth. The team had not scored more than four runs in an NCAA Tournament game. Nicole Hudson unloaded a solo home run, her 10th of the year. She is the first true freshman with double figure home runs in a season since Jen Bruck in 2005.

Kristin Nottlemann pitched another complete game en route to her fifth win of NCAA action. She is now 24-7 this season. Her 24 wins are eighth in school single-season history. The complete game was her 15th of the year and four of her five NCAA wins have been of the complete-game variety, including four consecutive complete-game triumphs. In NCAA play, Nottelmann has thrown 31.0 innings, allowed just 25 hits and three earned runs and is an unblemished 5-0. Her NCAA ERA is 0.87.

UCLA - The fifth-seeded Bruins breezed through their Super Regional, defeating Louisiana-Lafayette by scores of 10-1 and 10-2. The Bruins improve to 45-11 on the season, advancing to their 24th Women's College World Series.

Megan Langenfield and Aleah Macon picked up wins last weekend in the two SR games. Gionna DiSalvatore, Samantha Camuso 2, Dani Yudin, Kaila Shull and B.B. Bates each had home runs for the Bruins last week. Camuso, who is leading the team with a .571 postseason BA, drove in seven of UCLA's 20 runs last weekend. Her 14 NCAA Rbi more than double the total of Yudin, who is second on the team with six.

Florida - The fourth-seed University of Florida softball team defeated 13th-seed Arizona State, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon to move on to the program’s third straight Women’s College World Series appearance.

The Gators moved on after defeating the Sun Devils in two games, 5-2 and 8-0. Stephanie Brombacher picked up both wins last weekend, improving her total to five in the postseason. The righty (34-6) has registered a 0.90 ERA in the postseason while moving into second on UF’s career wins list with 76 victories and third on the career strikeout list with 541.

Kelsey Bruder led the team with six RBI and two home runs last weekend.

Washington - Well, what do we have here? The top-ranked Washington softball team earned a chance to defend its NCAA championship Friday as the Huskies won a pair of games vs. Oklahoma Friday at Husky Softball Stadium to earn a berth in the Women's College World Series next week in Oklahoma City.

Washington, ranked No. 1 in the nation and seeded third in the tournament, won 3-0 in game two of the best-of-three NCAA Super Regionals and then wrapped up the Series berth with a 4-0 victory in the nightcap thanks in large part to a three-run homer from freshman Shawna Wright in the first inning.

On Thursday, the Huskies (50-7) suffered their first-EVER home loss in NCAA play, falling 6-1 to Oklahoma. In that game, back-to-back National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie gave up five home runs, the most in her Husky career. Friday though, had Lawrie back to her old tricks. In the second game of the series, she threw a two-hit shutout, striking out 10, while she fanned 17 in the five-hit shutout that decided who went to the WCWS.

Lawrie picked up both wins Friday to notch the second 40-win season in UW history. Last season, she won 42. She also moved into a tie for sixth in NCAA history with 136 career victories.


Georgia - Georgia will be making its second trip to the WCWS having made the program's initial appearance in 2009, when the Bulldogs advanced to be one of the final four teams remaining. Georgia opened last year's series against Washington, falling 3-1. The Bulldogs then advanced through the loser's bracket with a 5-2 win over Missouri and a 7-5 defeat of Michigan to set up a second contest with the Huskies. Georgia then defeated Washington, 9-8, in nine innings before the Huskies turned around and won a third-game between the schools, 9-3.

Georgia advanced after sweeping Cal 7-0, 10-1. In addition to earning a spot in the WCWS, Saturday's victory also marked the 500th win at Georgia for head coach Lu Harris-Champer, who's overall collegiate coaching career record now stands at 709-243-1 over 14 seasons including a 500-179 record in 10 seasons at UGA.

Sarah McCloud picked up both wins last weekend, giving up a combined seven hits in the two games. She improved her 2010 record to 13-1.

Megan Wiggins smacked six RBI in the Super Regional and along with Alisa Goler and Kristyn Sandberg, is one of three Bulldogs that smacked one homer last weekend.

Arizona -The Wildcats return to OKC for its 22nd WCWS appearance and sixth consecutive. Outside of 2004, Arizona has been to every WCWS since 1988.

Arizona swept through its Super Regional against BYU, winning 2-1 and 10-2. Sarah Akamine and Kenzie Fowler each had a win in last week's Super Regional. Fowler struck out 10 in her start, as she improved to 34-6, while Akamine pitched five innings in her win, improving her record to 14-5.

The Wildcats have six hitters who have one home run each and Lini Koria leads the team with eight NCAA RBI.

Tennessee - The Volunteers are going to their fourth WCWS after upsetting the second seed Michigan in two games, 5-0, 4-3. The last time they made the World Series, 2007, they finished second to Arizona, their first round opponent. Prior to last weekend, the Wolverines had won 36 consecutive games at home.

The Vols used both their stud pitchers this weekend, as Ivy Renfroe improved to 29-4 and Cat Hosfield to 17-8. Renfroe's win was a two-hitter against one of the best offenses in the nation.

Tennessee used three home runs to build its 4-0 lead - including two by senior Erinn Webb in the deciding game.


The WCWS features numerous All-Americans, named by the NFCA. First Team All-Americans include Kenzie Fowler (Arizona), Danielle Lawrie (Washington), Melissa Gonzalez (Hawaii), Brittany Lastrapes (Arizona), Megan Langenfield (UCLA), Niki Williams (Washington), Giona DiSalvatore (UCLA) and Jenn Salling (Washington). Second Team All-Americans include Stacie Chambers (Arizona), K'Lee Arrendondo (Arizona), Kelly Majam (Hawaii), Taylor Schlopy (Georgia), Charlotte Morgan (Alabama), Kayla Braud Alabama), Alisa Goler (Georgia) and Francesca Enea (Florida). Third Team All-Americans include Raven Chavanne (Tennessee), Rhea Taylor (Missouri), Stephanie Brombacher (Florida), Kelsi Dunne (Alabama) and Kat Dotson (Tennessee).