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12A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 7, 2002
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CAL TOPS'CANES IN LATEST POLL
_____17 NEBRASKA
1 CAL
2 MIAMI (FL)
3 OKLAHOMA
4 COLORADO
5 TENNESSEE
6 TEXAS
7 FLORIDA STATE
8 FLORIDA
9 UCLA
10 UNIV. OF TOLEDO
11 WASHINGTON STATE
Just avenge the CU mauling and
beat the Oklahoma Sooners for
all to be right in Huskerland.
18 Usc
6
I
Must turn off "Injuries" for the
thin Trojans to succeed. Con-
trolling the playbook is crucial
with USC's quarterback.
19 BOISE STATE
Say hello to the first "Houston
Bowl" winner. Increased frame
rates show that this year these
boys are on their way up.
20 AUBURN
Can the 'Canes repeat? Can the Sooners make it two out of the last three? Who will win the Heisman?
How many polygons does a Butkus Award winner get? Where is Berkeley? The answers to these
(No. No. Look to Texas. Thousands. Take I-80 west and follow the signs.) and other pressing ques-
tions can be found in this year's College Football Top 25 poll:
1
CAL
So they went 1-10 last year. Big deal. Serious time spent in the Blue Chip Recruiting Mode has
made this team into a rough bunch on the gridiron. That combined with a new Power I forma-
tion adds an unexpected threat for this turn-around team.
2 MIAMI (FL)
7 FLORIDA STATE
11 WASHINGTON STATE
A strong passing offense makes
them a team to beat. Explosive
gameplay makes this perennial
Pac 10 little brother into a legit-
imate head-turner. WAZZU is
ready to play with the big boys.
Old coach sacked in Career
Mode. Team should improve.
21 SOUTH CAROLINA
0
12 ALABAMA
12
ALABAMA
13 OREGON
14 OHIO STATE
15 WASHINGTON
16 LSU
17 NEBRASKA
18 USC
19 BOISE STATE
How good is this team? Eight or
nine of their starters should be
in NFL GameDay"next year. The
'Canes may have the toughest
schedule in football, with games
against the Florida Gators,
Tennessee Volunteers, Virginia
Tech Hokies and Florida State
Seminoles. About the only qual-
ity teams not on their schedule
are in the NFL.
3 OKLAHOMA
New Hot Routes can put the
2000 NCAA champs right back
at the top. Which means almost
as much to this Oklahoma
Sooner team as beating their
heated rival, the Nebraska
Cornhuskers. But, kicking game
may be a chink in the armor.
4 COLORADO
Will the Buffs defend their Big
12 crown using the wishbone?
The flexbone? The full house?
Only the coach controlling the
playbook knows for sure.
5 TENNESSEE
New high-low tackling may
allow the Volunteers to field
their toughest defense in years.
And defense wins champi-
onships. The question is: will
their offense underachieve? A
0-0 game doesn't go down in
the win column.
6 TEXAS
Can their quarterback capture the
Heisman Trophy against what
may be the toughest conference
in Division I football? Can the
defense come up Texas big? Not
even our highly evolved artificial
intelligence can answer that one.
New coach. Same expectations.
Same potential: Nothing but a
national championship will do.
9 UCLA
20 AUBURN
Same coach. Same expectations.
Same potential: Nothing but a
national championship will do.
8 FLORIDA
The Crimson Tide not only has
the polygons but also the offen-
sive line to outmuscle anyone
in college football. Not to men-
tion an impressive amount of
depth in the backfield. If that's
not enough, new high-low tack-
ling gives their defense the bite
it needed. Roll, Tide, roll.
13 OREGON
Blue Chip recruiting made the
loss of their 2001 Heisman can-
didate easier to stomach. A new
wishbone offense could help the
2002 Ducks rain on just about
anyone's parade.
14 OHIO STATE
More control over the running
game puts them at the top of
their conference. But they must
beat archrival Michigan for the
Big 10 Conference title first,
which won't be easy, but defi-
nitely a possibility for the Ohio
State Buckeyes.
15 WASHINGTON
Unproven defense must come
through for a Rose Bowl berth.
Total Control Passing gives this
Husky team a very potent attack.
16 LSU
Tigers are looking to claw their
way to.another SEC title.
Louisiana State University's
pass- and run-blocking is top-
notch this year.
Lots of excitement building for
'Cocks this year. Volatile offense
could be a threat with the addition
of a full-house formation.
22 MARSHALL
A weak schedule equals strong
wins. Will Keith Jackson, in
GameBreaker's booth, call them
"rumbling" or "bumbling"?
23 TEXAS A&M
Several players converted to
defense. Too bad they're in the
country's toughest conference.
24 LOUISVILLE
Gamebreakers on both sides of
the ball. Look for the Louisville
Cardinals to go to their Wing T
offense for big points.
25 PENN STATE
21 SOUTH CAROLINA
22 MARSHALL
23 TEXAS A&M
24 LOUISVILLE
Look for the Bruins to utilize a
sensational receiving core and
Hot Routes to vie for a nation-
al championship. Then expect
the Bruins to vie for a champi-
onship all over again in the
NCAA7 Final Four'2003 edition.
10 UNIV. OF TOLEDO
A great run in Career Mode gets
these overachievers a major BCS
Bowl bid and a Top 10 finish.
And their coach the chance to
take over a major college pow-
erhouse. Enjoy that animated
contract, coach.
Same classic CGI uniforms. Same
classic spot in polls.
40
25 PENN STATE
Ah