At the top of the mountain is Division III Mount Union

Sporting News, The, Jan 5, 1998 by Tom Dienhart, Mike Huguenin

Louisville. Utah State's John L. Smith comes aboard, replacing Ron Cooper. Smith, 49, was ultra-successful at Idaho for six seasons before coaching at Utah State the past three. His trademark is wide-open offenses, keyed by a one-back attack and prolific passers. The big question is recruiting. Smith has been coaching since 1971, but it has been on the West Coast. Can he and his staff make the recruiting contacts needed? In addition, his job has been made tougher by the resurgence at Kentucky. GRADE: B .

Nebraska. Tom Osborne stepped down, and assistant head coach/running backs coach Frank Solich was promoted. Osborne did a great job replacing a Nebraska legend (Bob Devaney). Can Solich, 53, do the same? Everything is in place--tradition, excellent weight program, talent, fan support--for continued success. The biggest question might be who calls the plays. That was something Osborne handled. GRADE: A,

New Mexico. Dennis Franchione left for TCU after building this into a solid program, and UCLA defensive coordinator Rocky Long--a former Lobos quarterback--was tapped to take his place. Long, 47, has built a solid reputation as a developer of attack-style defenses, and his hiring is a reflection that WAC schools are now thinking defense first. GRADE: B.

North Carolina. Mack Brown did a great job building the Tar Heels into a top-10 team before leaving for Texas. Can defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, 46, continue the success? There's no question the school took a risk promoting a longtime assistant at a program on the brink of becoming a perennial top-10 team. That said, Brown and his staff have recruited well, and Torbush and secondary coach Ron Case deserve credit for the Heels' defensive renaissance. The key is for the offense to improve. GRADE: C.

Temple. We should bow our heads for Bobby Wallace, who arrives after enjoying wild success at Division II North Alabama to take over one of the worst programs in the nation. Wallace, 43, replaces Ron Dickerson, who became coach at Division I-AA Alabama State after winning eight games in five years. If Wallace can win, he should be canonized. Expect him to hit the JC ranks hard to get players who can play now. GRADE: C.

Texas. Mack Brown, 46, steps out of a relatively low-pressure job at North Carolina into one of the nation's toughest spots. For the most part, former coach John Mackovic never had a solid defense in his six years in Austin; Brown hired LSU defensive coordinator Carl Reese to remedy that. There's a lot of young defensive talent on hand, so it's not improbable to think Texas could be bowling next season. Also, you have to think Brown's recruiting acumen will be put to good use. GRADE: B.

TCU. Franchione, 46, likes to think of himself as a builder of programs, not a maintainer, and he'll get a chance to prove it after Pat Sullivan stepped aside. The Horned Frogs appear a few years from contending, but Franchione--who made a rare intraconference coaching switch--is patient. He recruited Texas well while at New Mexico, and you have to think he believes it's easier to get players to become Horned Frogs than Lobes. GRADE: B .