%% %%
%% NO., TEAM CONFERENCE COACH 2004 (CON AP USA
%% 1. Southern California Pac-10 Pete Carroll 13-0 (8-0) 1 1
THE SKINNY: The boring, obvious pick. But also the right one. Some believe
USC’s second string could win the Pac-10.
2. Florida Southeastern Urban Meyer 7-5 (4-4) 10 11
THE SKINNY: Urban Meyer finally gets to coach top-notch recruits. Best
combination since Nick and Jessica.
3. Ohio State Big Ten Jim Tressel 8-4 (4-4) 6 9
THE SKINNY: Buckeyes overcame a Clarett controversy, so why should a
quarterback controversy bring them down?
4. LSU Southeastern Les Miles 9-3 (6-2) 5 6
THE SKINNY: Tigers won’t feel effects of coaching dropoff, from Nick Saban
to Miles, until next season.
5. Texas Big 12 Mack Brown 11-1 (7-1) 2 2
THE SKINNY: Longhorns lock horns with Ohio State in Week 2. Think that one
will be sold out?
6. Virginia Tech Atlantic Coast Frank Beamer 10-3 (7-1) 8 7
THE SKINNY: It’s time for the Marcus Vick Experience to begin. Say hello
to Michael’s little brother.
7. Louisville Big East Bobby Petrino 11-1 (8-0) 12 14
THE SKINNY: Big East newbies should be favored every time they take the field.
8. Tennessee Southeastern Phillip Fulmer 10-3 (7-1) 3 3
THE SKINNY: Vols have big-time defense, but school still recovering from
an off-season of lawlessness.
9. Iowa Big Ten Kirk Ferentz 10-2 (7-1) 11 10
THE SKINNY: All-conference linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge are like
brothers on, off the field.
10. Michigan Big Ten Lloyd Carr 9-3 (7-1) 4 4
THE SKINNY: Wolverines gave up 75 points over final two games, then lost two
stars in the secondary.
11. Miami Atlantic Coast Larry Coker 9-3 (5-3) 9 8
THE SKINNY: Will anyone punt to Devin Hester? Rephrase: Is anyone dumb
Enough to punt to Devin Hester?
12. Oklahoma Big 12 Bob Stoops 12-1 (8-0) 7 5
THE SKINNY: Have the Sooners recovered from that horrendous performance in
the Orange Bowl?
13. Texas A&M Big 12 Dennis Franchione 7-5 (5-3) 17 17
THE SKINNY: QB Reggie McNeal is a one-man highlight reel. And he threw only
four picks in ’04.
14. Purdue Big Ten Joe Tiller 7-5 (4-4) 15 16
THE SKINNY: QB Brandon Kirsch is just crazy enough to think he can
outperform Kyle Orton.
15. Virginia Atlantic Coast Al Groh 8-4 (5-3) 25 23
THE SKINNY: Talented offensive lineman D’Brickashaw Ferguson is a
coach’s D’Light.
16. Boston College Atlantic Coast Tom O’Brien 9-3 (4-2) 22 22
THE SKINNY: Rugged Eagles own nation’s longest active bowl-game
winning streak at five.
17. Auburn Southeastern Tommy Tuberville 13-0 (8-0) 16 15
THE SKINNY: The nation’s second-best undefeated team loses 10 starters.
18. Florida State Atlantic Coast Bobby Bowden 9-3 (6-2) 14 12
THE SKINNY: How do you spell discipline? Not like this: Seminoles committed
record 17 penalties in Gator Bowl.
19. Georgia Southeastern Mark Richt 10-2 (6-2) 13 13
THE SKINNY: The Dawgs lose five first-team all-SEC players and open with a
dicey date against Boise State.
20. Texas Tech Big 12 Mike Leach 11-1 (7-1) 21 21
THE SKINNY: Only five starters return on offense, so the Raiders might score
50 points in just half their games.
21. California Pac-10 Jeff Tedford 10-2 (7-1) 19 20
THE SKINNY: Former junior college All-American Joseph Ayoob will try to
replace QB Aaron Rodgers. Good luck.
22. Pittsburgh Big East Dave Wannstedt 8-4 (4-2) 23 25
Wannstedt’s take on QB Tyler Palko? Here’s a guess: “We like Tyler.”
23. UTEP Conference USA Mike Price 8-4 (6-2) NR NR
Price’s crew scored early and often last season, producing 35.8 points per game.
24. Oregon Pac-10 Mike Bellotti 5-6 (4-4) NR NR
THE SKINNY: The Ducks have a new offensive coordinator in Gary Crowton.
Remember him, Bears fans?
25. Boise State Western Athletic Dan Hawkins 11-1 (8-0) NR 19
THE SKINNY: Will the Broncos melt during their season-opening tussle
with Georgia?
%% THE REST OF THE RANKINGS
NO., TEAM, 2004 RECORD, CONFERENCE, COACH, THE SKINNY
26. Arizona State
9-3 (5-3) Pac-10
Dirk Koetter
First-year starting QB Sam Keller replaces Andrew Walter, but rest of team has experience
27. Alabama
6-6 (3-5) Southeastern
Mike Shula
Offense, particularly running game, will be a problem; defense should keep Tide in games
28. UCLA
6-6 (4-4) Pac-10
Karl Dorrell
Most tough games are at home, but a weak defense could spell trouble in shootouts
29. Fresno State
9-3 (5-3) Western Athletic
Pat Hill
Paul Pinegar is one of nation’s best QBs, but don’t overlook powerful running game
30. Penn State
4-7 (2-6) Big Ten
Joe Paterno
Defense should again carry the Lions, and talented young receivers will improve the offense
31. Bowling Green
9-3 (6-2) Mid-American
Gregg Brandon
QB Omar Jacobs is best in the MAC, and only their young lines could hold Falcons back
32. Wyoming
7-5 (3-4) Mountain West
Joe Glenn
WR Jovon Bouknight gets the pub, but the defense is solid, led by a deep secondary
33. Colorado
8-5 (4-4) Big 12
Gary Barnett
Returning 17, Buffs are most talented team in B12 North; road games at Texas, A&M
34. Utah
12-0 (7-0) Mountain West
Kyle Whittingham
Utes will miss Urban Meyer and Alex Smith, but the defense should be as good as last year
35. Oregon State
7-5 (5-3) Pac-10
Mike Riley
Strong defense should help Beavers overcome loss of 4-year starting QB Derek Anderson
36. Iowa State
7-5 (4-4) Big 12
Dan McCarney
Played in 4 bowls last 5 years under McCarney; didn’t benefit last year from plus-10 turnovers
37. Southern Miss
7-5 (5-3) Conference USA
Jeff Bower
East Division may be decided Oct. 21 at UAB; has solid RBs and veteran QB Dustin Almond
38. North Carolina St.
5-6 (3-5) Atlantic Coast
Chuck Amato
Strong defense — led NCAA with just 221 yards allowed per game — but only 5 starters back
39. Clemson
6-5 (4-4) Atlantic Coast
Tommy Bowden
QB Charlie Whitehurst had disappointing ’04 (7 TDs, 17 INTs) but has better supporting cast
40. Toledo
9-4 (7-1) Mid-American
Tom Amstutz
Offense is led by star QB Bruce Gradkowski and defense good enough to help win West
41. Wisconsin
9-3 (6-2) Big Ten
Barry Alvarez
The Badgers return only 10 starters, but don’t count out Alvarez in his final year at the helm
42. Georgia Tech
7-5 (4-4) Atlantic Coast
Chan Gailey
Strong defense plus veteran backfield of Reggie Ball, PJ Daniels = winning combination
43. Missouri
5-6 (3-5) Big 12
Gary Pinkel
QB Brad Smith back. Last year Tigers outgained B12 foes by 42.8 ypg but still had losing record
44. South Carolina
6-5 (4-4) Southeastern
Steve Spurrier
The Ol’ Ball Coach is back, but can he overcome rookie QB and only 9 starters returning?
45. Nebraska
5-6 (3-5) Big 12
Bill Callahan
Still changing from option to West Coast offense; streak of 35 straight bowl games ended
46. Northwestern
6-6 (5-3) Big Ten
Randy Walker
Loss of Howard, Horn and Backes hurts, so QB Brett Basanez must carry the offense
47. Notre Dame
6-6 Independent
Charlie Weis
Former NFL offensive coordinator Weis can help offense move from option to passing
48. Oklahoma State
7-5 (4-4) Big 12
Mike Gundy
New coach Gundy trying to change from run-based attack to more passing-oriented offense
49. Michigan State
5-7 (4-4) Big Ten
John L. Smith
Back from injury, Drew Stanton one of the most dangerous QBs in the conference
50. Washington State
5-6 (3-5) Pac-10
Bill Doba
After rebuilding last year, soft schedule and veteran team could bring Cougars back to a bowl
51. Minnesota
7-5 (3-5) Big Ten
Glen Mason
Laurence Maroney may be Big Ten’s best RB, but he no longer has Marion Barber alongside
52. Northern Illinois
9-3 (7-1) Mid-American
Joe Novak
The leading receivers are gone, but Huskies have strongest O-line in MAC and solid RBs
53. West Virginia
8-4 (4-2) Big East
Rich Rodriguez
May struggle after losing 14 starters, but watch out for freshman RB Jason Gwaltney
54. Mississippi
4-7 (3-5) Southeastern
Ed Orgeron
With coach David Cutcliffe and QB Eli Manning departed, tough to match last year’s 3 SEC wins
55. Ala-Birmingham
7-5 (5-3) Conference USA
Watson Brown
Senior QB Darrell Hackney’s talent could lead team to 1st Conference USA East Division title
56. Arizona
3-8 (2-6) Pac-10
Mike Stoops
No longer a pushover, but winning record lofty goal with games at Cal, USC and Utah
57. New Mexico
7-5 (5-2) Mountain West
Rocky Long
Returns 13 starters including QB Kole McKamey; health of RB DonTrell Moore still an issue
58. Kansas
4-7 (2-6) Big 12
Mark Mangino
Questions loom at QB — who will start and will he stay healthy? Road games at Okla. and Texas
59. Colorado State
4-7 (3-4) Mountain West
Sonny Lubick
Loses fewest lettermen in MWC (11); Lubick had 10 consecutive winning seasons before 2004
60. Memphis
8-4 (5-3) Conference USA
Tommy West
Must replace QB Danny Wimprine, O-line, but still has best RB in country — DeAngelo Williams
61. Miami (Ohio)
8-5 (7-1) Mid-American
Shane Montgmery
Miami’s best defense in the MAC combines with QB Josh Betts back to lead solid offense
62. Illinois
3-8 (1-7) Big Ten
Ron Zook
Zook’s 1st year could be rocky as Illini return only 4 senior starters; special teams are strong
63. Texas Christian
5-6 (3-5) Mountain West
Gary Patterson
Entering 4th conference in 10 seasons; flirted with 10-0 season, BCS bowl berth 2 years ago
64. Arkansas
5-6 (3-5) Southeastern
Houston Nutt
Veteran unit returns 16 starters; will have to face USC as well as LSU, Georgia
65. Maryland
5-6 (3-5) Atlantic Coast
Ralph Friedgen
11 starters back from non-bowl team; plays winnable road games vs. Wake, North Carolina
66. Kansas State
4-7 (3-6) Big 12
Bill Snyder
JUCOs will help rebuild with void left by star RB Darren Sproles (11 rushing TDs in 2004)
67. Wake Forest
4-7 (1-7) Atlantic Coast
Jim Grobe
Outgained by 84.7 ypg in ACC play (2nd worst) but has 15 starters back (2nd most in ACC)
68. Syracuse
6-6 (4-2) Big East
Greg Robinson
Robinson will install West Coast offense, but erratic QBs may prove be the Orange’s downfall
69. North Carolina
6-6 (5-3) Atlantic Coast
John Bunting
Rebounded nicely from 1-7 record in 2003 to knock off Miami and make bowl trip
70. Houston
3-8 (3-5) Conference USA
Art Briles
Just 3-8 last 2 seasons vs. teams with winning CUSA record; QB Kevin Kolb leads squad
71. Navy
10-2 Independent
Paul Johnson
10 wins last year was most in history; team travels well and should go to 3rd straight bowl
72. Mississippi State
3-8 (2-6) Southeastern
Sylvester Croom
Look for QB Omarr Conner and RB Jerious Norwood to have breakout seasons in SEC
73. Connecticut
8-4 (3-3) Big East
Randy Edsall
Huskies will see big drop-off at QB, losing Dan Orlovsky, but running game is still powerful
74. North Texas
7-5 (7-0) Sun Belt
Darrell Dickey
Nation’s top rusher, Jamario Thomas, leads deep backfield that could lead to conf. repeat
75. Middle Tennessee
5-6 (4-4) Sun Belt
Andy McCollum
Raiders have best shot of unseating North Texas with experience on both sides of the ball
76. Rutgers
4-7 (1-5) Big East
Greg Schiano
If defense improves, Knights could surprise people; QB Ryan Hart will become a star
77. UNLV
2-9 (1-6) Mountain West
Mike Sanford
Outscored by 16.1 ppg in league play in ’04; new coach, new schemes could spell trouble
78. Nevada
5-7 (3-5) Western Athletic
Chris Ault
Went 5-1 at home but 0-6 on the road last season; more veteran team leads Air Wolf offense
79. Washington
1-10 (0-8) Pac-10
Tyrone Willingham
Willingham escapes spotlight of ND; Huskies have a strong defense, but offense needs work
80. Indiana
3-8 (1-7) Big Ten
Terry Hoeppner
Team is inexperienced, but easy non-conference schedule could give Hoosiers quick start
81. Air Force
5-6 (3-4) Mountain West
Fisher DeBerry
Each time DeBerry has a losing season, he rebounds with an 8-win year — we’ll see . . .
82. Hawaii
8-5 (4-4) Western Athletic
June Jones
Losing QB Timmy Chang hurts, but defense still hurting team (outgained by 67.8 ypg in conf.)
83. Tulane
5-6 (3-5) Conference USA
Chris Scelf
QB Lester Ricard back, but defense weak (allowed 31.5 to 41.3 ppg over last 6 seasons)
84. BYU
5-6 (4-3) Mountain West
Bronco Mendenhall
Conference title could come down to Nov. 19 game vs. Utah; must curb turnover epidemic
85. Stanford
4-7 (2-6) Pac-10
Walt Harris
Harris inherits a team with most offensive starters back, but the secondary will be a problem
86. Louisiana Tech
6-6 (5-3) Western Athletic
Jack Bicknell III
Gone is Ryan Moats, but pass-happy offense is back; only WAC team in Central time zone
87. Troy
7-5 (5-2) Sun Belt
Larry Blakeney
Question marks on the O-line and defense hurt Trojans’ chances of back-to-back bowls
88. Marshall
6-6 (6-2) Conference USA
Mark Snyder
Coach Bob Pruett stepped down before spring; also lost top WR Emmanuel Spann to ACL injury
89. South Florida
4-7 (3-5 C-USA) Big East
Jim Leavitt
Could be a rude welcome to Big East; Andre Hall will be one of conference’s best RBs
90. San Diego State
4-7 (2-5) Mountain West
Tom Craft
O-line was hurt in 2004 by playing frosh; should see big growth and top 10 offense
91. Baylor
3-8 (1-7) Big 12
Guy Morriss
Sad 6-66 conference record since joining Big 12; RB Paul Mosley carries offensive load
92. Kentucky
2-9 (1-7) Southeastern
Rich Brooks
LB depleted after losing 2 starters in spring; outgained by 200.1 yds in ’04 (SEC worst)
93. Tulsa
4-8 (3-5) Conference USA
Steve Kragthorpe
Early injuries on O-line hurt chances; Kragthorpe improved from 1 to 8 wins 2 years ago
94. Duke
2-9 (1-7) Atlantic Coast
Ted Roof
Played 13 true frosh (2nd in NCAA) last year; this year they lose 23 lettermen (2nd in ACC)
95. Rice
3-8 (2-6) Conference USA
Ken Hatfield
Lost last 2 home games by combined 103-35; low expectations for team with 13 returnees
96. Vanderbilt
2-9 (1-7) Southeastern
Bobby Johnson
5 games were lost in 2004 by 15 total points; should move out of basement
97. Cincinnati
6-5 (5-3 C-USA) Big East
Mark Dantonio
Loses starting QB, RB and 8 top defenders — not a fun way for Bearcats to join Big East
98. Central Florida
0-11 (0-8) Conference USA
George O’Leary
Golden Knights were injury plagued in 2004; small tweaks should pull them from conf. cellar
99. Akron
6-5 (6-2) Mid-American
JD Brookhart
Zips lost QB Charlie Frye but lucked out with easier road games against Buffalo, Ball State
100. S. Methodist
3-8 (3-5) Conference USA
Phil Bennett
Stronger O-line means fewer dropped balls, but defense needs help — allowed 38.2 ppg in 2004
101. Louisiana-Monroe
5-6 (4-3) Sun Belt
Charlie Weatherbie
QB Steven Jyles leads explosive offense rebounding from scoring just 19.2 ppg in 2004
102. Temple
2-9 (1-5 Big East) Independent
Bobby Wallace
Will play 4 MAC teams this year; becoming full MAC member in 2007; 13 years in Big East
103. New Mexico St.
5-6 (4-3) Western Athletic
Hal Mumme
Harsh start: facing 4 non-conference foes that went to bowl games and 3 tough WAC teams
104. Kent State
5-6 (4-4) Mid-American
Doug Martin
Outgained MAC foes by 123.7 ypg in 2004, but departed is RB Joshua Cribbs (893 yds, 9 TDs)
105. Buffalo
2-9 (2-6) Mid-American
Jim Hofher
Offense/special teams improving; helped by easier sked vs. Ohio, Akron, Eastern Michigan
106. Ohio
4-7 (2-6) Mid-American
Frank Solich
Hiring Frank Solich was huge; defense must step up with brutal non-conference schedule
107. Army
2-9 (2-6) Independent
Bobby Ross
QB Zac Dahman and RB Carlton Jones part of team that snapped 19-game losing streak in `04
108. Ball State
2-9 (2-6) Mid-American
Brady Hoke
Tough losing MAC frosh of yr TB Adell Givens (dismissed) and WR Dante Ridgeway (NFL)
109. San Jose State
2-9 (1-7) Western Athletic
Dick Tomey
Only draws 6,479 at home games; new coach Tomey will fix that and lowly defense
110. East Carolina
2-9 (2-6) Conference USA
Skip Holtz
Constantly changing coaches — Holtz is 3rd in 4 seasons; team returns 17 starters
111. La.-Lafayette
4-7 (2-5) Sun Belt
Ricky Bustle
Outgained league opponents by 19.8 ypg; has 4 tough road games, but at least 2 winnable
112. Central Michigan
4-7 (3-5) Mid-American
Brian Kelly
QB Kent Smith is back, but RB Jerry Seymour is suspended to start season
113. Eastern Michigan
4-7 (4-4) Mid-American
Jeff Genyk
High-scoring offense was surprise last year, but young defense still can’t stop anyone
114. Utah State
3-8 (2-5 Sun Belt) Western Athletic
Brent Guy
Just two winning seasons in 22 years — moving from Sun Belt to WAC will not make it three
115. Arkansas State
3-8 (3-4) Sun Belt
Steve Roberts
Will play 4 home conf. games and returns 7 starters (lost LB Josh Williams in spring)
116. Florida Atlantic Sun Belt
9-3
Howard Schnellenberger
Schnellenberger hopes to translate his success at Miami (national title) to FAU in 7th year
117. Western Mich.
1-10 (0-8) Mid-American
Bill Cubit
Should be most improved in MAC; lost close to Illinois (TD allowed with 1:02 left, lost by 3)
118. Idaho
3-9 (2-5) Western Athletic
Nick Holt
Played 17 true frosh in 2004; top 2 RBs back, but record could sag playing in tougher conf.
119. Florida Int’l
3-7 Sun Belt
Don Strock
Moving from independents to Sun Belt should provide same finish — alone in basement %%
