Wish upon the stars

Sporting News, The, August 19, 1996 by Ivan Maisel

2. California (3-8). New coach Steve Mariucci has some offensive talent. The Bears open with San Jose State, San Diego State, Nevada and Oregon State. A 3-1 start could provide the boost for a winning record.

3. Wake Forest (1-10). Yes, the team that Northwestern opens against. Jim Caldwell is a solid coach who sacrificed last season in order to redshirt players.

4. Purdue (4-6-1). The Boilermakers have to figure out how to win the fourth quarter. A defense with nine returning starters, led by linebacker Chike Okeafor, will do the figuring.

5. Temple (1-10). Like Purdue, the Owls lost a lot of close ones. Henry Burris, a four-year starting quarterback, has the guts and experience to convert a couple of those into wins. After that, it's up to the gods who smiled on Northwestern.

Don't be shocked

Five surprises in store (you heard them here first):

1. The Big 12 won't be the best conference. The Big Eight had a once-in-a-generation season last year. The schools play eight conference games, not seven, which means Kansas State can't feast on junk food any longer.

2. Florida won't win the Southeastern Conference. Simple reason: Last year Steve Spurrier became the only coach other than Bear Bryant to win three consecutive outright titles. That's all the Bear will allow.

3. Auburn will struggle. Terry Bowden is going through the transition that he skipped over in his 11-0 debut.

4. Arizona State will win the Pac-10. Too much talent and too many home games (Washington and USC visit Tempe).

5. Ron Powlus won't win the Heisman. The surprise? No one will make a big deal about it.

Five for the show

The NFL already is watching these guys. No reason you shouldn't.

1. Damon Jones, TE, 6-6, 272, southern Illinois. He has the size and a 4.7 40-yard dash.

2. Chad Mackey, WR, 6-2, 194, Louisiana Tech. He caught 90 passes for 1,253 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He and quarterback Jason Martin make each other look good.

3. Ryan Phillips, DE/LB, 6-4, 255, Idaho. The new prototype for pass rushers. Up with speed, down with size.

4. Tony McCombs, LB, 6-2, 238, Eastern Kentucky. He has speed (4.5 in the 40) yet is big enough to plug the run. With kids like him, no wonder Roy Kidd has won 266 games.

5. Jason Taylor, LB, 6-5, 230, Akron. Had 99 tackles and five sacks last season. A bright light on an otherwise dark team.

Pack your bags

Get out your road maps and your frequentflier numbers. It's time to see the world, college football style. A couple of caveats. Can't see any team more than twice. Can't go to the same stadium more than twice. For practice, buy a plane ticket to Columbus, Ohio, and send your luggage to Columbus, Ga. Here we go:

August 25, Penn State vs. USC at the Meadowlands. Two grand traditions, two great coaches. It easily could be a preview of the 1997 Rose Bowl. Just don't forget that Kickoff Classics are sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

August 31, Texas Tech at Kansas State. This is a traditional game? Nope. But you'll tell your grandkids you saw the first Big 12 game.

September 7, Washington at Arizona State. A big test for the Sun Devils in their opener. But they won't be able to rest for at least a month. Before October, they also have Nebraska and Oregon.