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        Football Preview Features   D-IAA 8/31: The Moore Things Change... 8/30: Santos, UNH Ride High-Powered Offense 8/29: Gateway To Gridlock 8/28: All Sorts Of Change In The HBCU For 2006 MWC 8/29: Ute-ful Enthusiasm 8/28: Frogs Ready To Jump Into BCS Mix BIG 12 8/26: Prince Steps In For Retired Legend 8/26: Callahan's Sales Job About To Pay Off 8/25: Texas Moves On, Post-Vince SUN BELT 8/23: Sun Belt Building Up for Brighter Days D-II 8/24: East Stroudsberg's Well-Rounded Quarterback 8/22: Isn't Life Grand? BIG TEN 8/22: Penn State Doesn't Plan On Letting Up 8/21: Buckeyes Primed for Title Run CONFERENCE USA 8/19: Past Shaping Present at Tulane 8/18: Younger Palmer Poised For Big Senior Season 8/18: Tulsa Looks To Repeat Success MAC 8/17: Akron Looks To Repeat Behind Record-Setting QB 8/16: Nation's Top Running Back May Hail From MAC D-III 8/17: Ready And Rarin' At Rowan 8/15: Whitewater's Rising Tide ACC 8/15: Eye Of The Storm 8/15: A BC Primer 8/14: The Wreck Rambles On WAC 8/12: Bull-Dozing Ahead 8/11: WAC Still Dominated By Familiar Foes 8/11: Colt Hits His Stride PAC-10 8/10: Oregon Waiting For Pieces To Fall Into Place 8/9: With USC's Winning Ways, No Loss Too Great SEC 8/8: Life After Jay Cutler 8/7: Malzahn Brings Life, Hope To Hog Offense BIG EAST 8/6: Mountaineers Determined Not To Repeat Past 8/5: Bush In The Cards For Louisville 8/5: Rutgers Out to Prove Last Season Was No Hoax

Aug. 11, 2006

By Adam Caparell

CSTV.com

	ADAM CAPARELL Adam is CSTV.com's football editor and national football writer. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- FOOTBALL 01/23: Feeling It 01/18: Post-Bowl, Pre-Spring 2008 Preseason Top 25 01/11: Late Season Run Priming Dawgs For '08 01/07: Ring A Bell? 01/04: Tressel's Hopefully Prepared For Anything 12/21: Hokies Have Something To Play For 12/14: Name Game 12/8: Little Surprise Tebow Takes Heisman 12/8: Back For More 12/7: Class Act 12/6: Flutie's Legacy Still The 'Miracle' 12/4: Dixon Can Still Smile 12/2: Wishful Thinking 11/30: Daniel Driving Missouri On BCS Run 11/28: 'Game' Still Largely Defines Beban 11/23: Long Time Coming 11/21: Bandstanding Brown 11/16: Georgia In The Know 11/14: Only Eddie Held Eddie Back 11/9: Soft Schedule Could Have Hawai'i BCS Bound 11/7: The 'Bear' And Crow 11/2: No Secret To Oregon's Success 10/31: Age Only A Number 10/26: Nittany Lions Know It's Got To Be Close 10/24: In Long Line, White Continued Tradition 10/19: Trojans In Unfamiliar Territory 10/17: Rogers Larger Than Life 10/12: Missouri The Machine 10/10: The Jet Likes To Run 10/5: Meyer's Seen This Before 10/4: Polled Over 10/3: Long On Memories 9/28: Season Begins For Dixon And Ducks Saturday 9/26: Desmond The Poser 9/21: Spurrier's Being Honest 9/19: All In The Family With Rozier 9/14: USC Ready For Another Early Road Test 9/12: Detmer's Magic Won Him Heisman 9/7: 'Show' Time For Virginia Tech 9/5: Drive Drove Dorsett 8/31: Family Affair 8/29: Count On The Gamecocks To Hatch 8/28: Youth Gone Wild On Gator Defense 8/28: Talent Comes Naturally To Tigers 8/27: SEC Preview 8/27: All Hail Saban 8/25: No More Lazy Sundays 8/24: Illinois D Brimming With New Confidence 8/23: Big Ten Preview 8/23: 2007 Football Schedule Planner - Week 14 8/22: Tee'd Off 8/16: 2007 Football Schedule Planner - Week 13 8/15: Brohm's Back, And All Is Well 8/15: Coaches Split On Early Signing Period 8/14: Schiano's Success Starting to Show 8/13: Big East Preview 8/13: It's Not About Respect With Leavitt And USF 8/11: Production Time for Seminole Signal Callers 8/10: Shannon Looking To Return Swagger 8/10: Wake Up? 8/9: Atlantic Coast Conference Preview 8/9: Tough Turkeys, Once Again 8/9: 2007 Football Schedule Planner - Week 12 8/8: Preseason Top 25 8/2: 2007 Football Schedule Planner - Week 11 8/1: Big Ten Expansion Doesn't Make Sense 7/26: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 10 7/25: Beamer's Burden 7/19: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 9 7/18: Good Vibrations 7/12: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 6 7/11: Three and Up 7/4: And The Winner Is... 7/2: Where In The World Is Ed Smith? 6/28: SEC East's Big Weekend 6/27: Summer Bowl Forecast 6/21: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 5 6/20: Big 12 Loses Its Big Man 6/14: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 4 6/13: Trick Up His Sleeve 6/7: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 3 6/6: For the Record 5/31: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 2 5/30: Like Clockwork 5/24: 2007 Schedule Planner - Week 1 5/23: Florida Freshmen Get Defensive 5/16: Maroon Affected 5/10: Brennan's A Numbers Guy 5/9: More Than Just One Play 5/2: Post-Spring, Pre-Preseason Top 25 4/27: Quinn's Fallen, But He'll Still Be Up There 4/26: Size Does Matter 4/25: Troy Smith Now Middle of Pack QB 4/24: Peterson Can't Wait For The Moment 4/21: QB Biggest Question Facing Buckeyes 4/21: Don't Forget About The D 4/20: Bowl Game A Boon For Bluegrass Boys 4/19: The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall 4/18: New Coordinator, New Scheme, New Results? 4/18: Earlier The Better 4/17: It's Your Turn Offense 4/16: Spartans Hope Big Changes Go Long Way 4/14: Defense The Question Mark For Michigan 4/12: Height's Nothing But A Number 4/5: Two Much To Handle 3/28: More To Hill Than Just TDs 3/21: Down Could Mean Up For Delaware's Patrick 3/14: Changes In Store For Gill and Buffalo 3/7: Lurking In the Backgroung 2/28: What A Mock-ery 2/25: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same 2/24: Piscataway Proud 2/23: 40, For Better or Worse 2/22: The Ultimate Q and A 2/21: Combine's A Coming 2/14: Rights For Recruiting Wrongs 2/8: Recruiting No Joke For Coaches 2/6: Lemming Retrospect: Class of 2006 1/31: Coker In No Rush To Move On 1/30: Ross Bows Out, But Leaves His Mark At Army 1/26: Seniors With Something To Prove 1/25: Coaching For The League 1/24: Welcome To The Pros 1/17: Pre-Spring, Post-Bowl 2007 Preseason Top 25 1/10: Irish Have A Ways To Go 1/8: Siler and Gators After Something More 1/4: Russell Sweeter Than Sugar 1/3: Irish Out For Respect

Boise State

Dan Hawkins will no longer be roaming the blue sidelines of Boise State's Bronco Stadium, but that doesn't mean the team will miss a beat.

Chris Petersen takes over for Hawkins - who left for Colorado - after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Hawkins for the past five seasons and essentially calling all the plays. So the Broncos' offense, which finished ninth in the nation in scoring last season, should pick up right where they left off with quarterback Jared Zabransky and six other starters returning.

The Broncos will also benefit from a pretty favorable schedule, with their most difficult non-conference test coming at Utah. Getting Hawai'i and Fresno State at home will make the drive for a fifth-straight WAC title that much easier.

2006 Boise State Schedule

Nevada

With Jeff Rowe back behind center for his senior season, Nevada should return to the postseason and win the WAC outright after sharing the title with Boise State last year.

Rowe had a breakout season, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns last year under coach Chris Ault's "Pistol" offense. It was a success, as the Wolf Pack finished 15^th in the nation in scoring.

The defense had issues last season, especially in the secondary during the first year under the new 3-4 scheme. But Nevada's linebacking unit could be one of the best in the conference and will look lead the improvement over last year's squad that gave up almost 32 points per game.

Playing four bowl teams on the schedule will be a challenge for the Wolf Pack, but if Rowe lives up to his potential, an outright WAC title is well within the realm of possibility.

2006 Nevada Schedule

Hawai'i

With nine starters returning, including quarterback Colt Brennan, it's safe to say the Warriors' offense is in pretty good shape.

Brennan will once again flood the field with an aerial assault in June Jones' run-and-shoot offense. The junior threw for over 4,000 yards last season and 35 touchdowns and could very easily top those numbers. Four receivers are back and with another year under his belt grasping the offense, scoring more than 30.7 points per game shouldn't be a problem for the Warriors as it was at times last year.

The coaching staff isn't without the big names. Jones and defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, two former NFL head coaches, are bent on getting the Warriors back to a bowl game after a 5-7 2005 campaign.

2006 Hawai'i Schedule

Fresno State

Coach Pat Hill has molded Fresno State into one of the perennial top teams in the WAC and a team that will play anyone, anywhere. Case in point: this year's non-conference slate includes games against Oregon, at Washington and at LSU.

But the big question for this team is at the quarterback position, where Hill will have to replace Paul Pinegar with a candidate who has yet to distinguish himself from the pack. The race is said to be down to Tom Brandstater and Sean Norton.

How the defense rebounds from some shaky performances late last season will bear watching. The Bulldogs allowed 39.7 points per game over their final four games. That's in stark contrast to the 14.7 points per game they were giving up in their first nine games. Losing WAC Defensive Player of the Year Garrett McIntyre doesn't help matters much.

Despite those issues, the Bulldogs should make their eighth straight bowl appearance, the longest streak in the WAC. Enough talent is present to compete for the league title, but winning it would be a surprise.

2006 Fresno State Schedule

Louisiana Tech

Another team with quarterback issues, the conference's other Bulldogs will struggle to find a replacement for Matt Kubik. With the return of two of last year's leading receivers, whoever is throwing the ball won't have to worry about who's catching it. Junior Freddie Franklin is firmly planted in the backfield and will run behind an offensive line with three starters returning.

The biggest problem for Tech will be replacing three starters on the defensive line on a defense that employs the 3-4 scheme.

A repeat of their 7-4 record and a third place finish in the WAC last season will be a tough task for coach Jack Bicknell. They have a brutal early schedule facing Nebraska, Texas A&M and Clemson on the road in September.

2006 Louisiana Tech Schedule  

Utah State

Brent Guy has a quarterback who can run and throw in Leon Jackson III, giving the Aggies a dynamic threat with fellow talented receivers in Tony Pennyman and Kevin Robinson.

More questions than answers surround the team. The offensive line has lost three starters from last year and the rushing attack was so anemic in 2005 that it only led the team in rushing twice. The offense scored just 18.9 points per game and was last in the WAC in total offense last season, on top of the fact that the defense is young and the Aggies will play seven games on the road.

2006 Utah State Schedule

San Jose State

Year One of the Dick Tomey era got off to a rough start as the Spartans lost eight in a row after their season-opening win.

Things won't be easy to begin this year, with games against Washington and Stanford slated to kick off their season, but San Jose State can take solace in knowing things shouldn't be as bad as last year.

The Spartans' running attack returns after a respectable 2005 campaign where they rushed for 144.6 yards per game. Second team All-WAC selection Yonus Davis returns, along with lead blocker James Callier.

The quarterback position is up in the air, despite the fact that Adam Tafralis, who played in 11 games last season, is back.

With only two starters back, the defense could be the downfall of the Spartans, but seven home games are on the schedule.

2006 San Jose State Schedule

Idaho

Dennis Erickson is back where it all started for him in 1982, coaching the Vandals and an offense that returns nine starters, including quarterback Steve Wichman.

Wichman will be protected by an offensive line that gained a lot of experience last year thanks to a plethora of injuries. But improving a running game that finished 115^th in the nation last year is just one area where Erickson will focus on. The Vandals' passing attack finished 28^th in the nation last season, so creating some offensive stability will be crucial to surpassing last season's two wins.

But for a program that hasn't won more than three games since 2000, things should start to pick up very soon.

2006 Idaho Schedule

New Mexico State

Hal Mumme and the Aggies have to improve on their 2005 campaign. That's because it can't get any worse than going winless.

Chase Holbrook should supplant himself as the starting quarterback. The 6-foot-6 transfer, who came with Mumme from Southeastern Louisiana, will have four returning receivers to throw to.

But it'll really be up to the defense, which was just awful last year, to bring them out of the WAC cellar. The unit finished 116^th in total defense and let up an average of 38.8 points per game.

Another 0-12 season would mean the Aggies just fell flat on their faces. A few wins should be in order. But more than three could be pushing it.

2006 New Mexico State Schedule