SI.com's experts answer season's biggest questions

                    

	Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn enters the '06 campaign as a leading Heisman candidate. Al Tielemans/SI
	Cal's Marshawn Lynch should headline one of the better running games in the country. Simon Bruty/SI

SI.com's college football writers Stewart Mandel, Luke Winn, Cory McCartney and Mark Beech provide their predictions for the season.

BCS predictions

Mandel:
National title: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Rose: Iowa vs. USC
Fiesta: Texas vs. Cal
Orange: Florida State vs. West Virginia 
Sugar: Auburn vs. Oklahoma

Winn:
National title: Notre Dame vs. Auburn
Rose: Ohio State vs. Cal
Fiesta: Texas vs. TCU
Orange: Florida State vs. Michigan
Sugar: USC vs. West Virginia

McCartney:
National title: Ohio State vs. Auburn
Rose: Iowa vs. Cal
Fiesta: Texas vs. USC
Orange: Florida State vs. West Virginia
Sugar: Notre Dame vs. LSU

Beech:
National title: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Rose: Michigan vs. USC
Fiesta: Cal vs. Texas
Orange: Auburn vs. Florida State
Sugar: West Virginia vs. LSU

National champ

Mandel: Ohio State. In a season in which no team will finish undefeated, the Buckeyes' young defense may cost them against Texas or Iowa, but they'll jell in time to run the table from there.

Winn: Auburn. Quinn-to-McKnight and Quinn-to-Samardzija will get Notre Dame as far as the title game. There it'll run into a more balanced (and less flashy) Tigers squad that's better built for a 'ship.

McCartney: Ohio State. A young defense will experience a dropoff, but there's more than enough talent there to win a title, especially when you consider the breathing room Troy Smith & Co. are going to give them to work with.

Beech: Ohio State. We know the offense is great. If the new defense is as good as it's supposed to be (and if the Buckeyes can get out of Texas with a win), there will be much to celebrate in Columbus this fall.

Surprise team

Mandel: Clemson. The Tigers have all the pieces to make a run in the ACC. FSU may edge them in their division, but they'll still end up with nine or 10 wins.

Winn: Arizona. The 'Cats were awful in '05 (3-8), but they didn't break in promising freshman QB Willie Tuitama until Oct. 22, and four of those eight losses were by four points or fewer. A more seasoned passer, a change of luck, 17 returning starters and a decent Mike Stoops defense equals .500 or above.

McCartney: Wisconsin. The Badgers' defense came into its own in the Capital One Bowl, dominating Kenny Irons and Auburn, and the entire front four is back. The D will be nasty and should lift coach Bret Bielema to a nine-win season in Year 1.

Beech: Iowa. Are the stars aligned in Iowa City? With a favorable schedule, a rugged defense and a playmaking quarterback, the Hawkeyes have the stuff to break back into the top 10 this year.

Flop team

Mandel: LSU. The assumption is that the Bayou Bengals are just as loaded as last year's 11-2 team, but the defense won't be as dominant and the O-line and running game are questionable. No top 10 ranking this year.

Winn: Georgia. The Dawgs started at No. 11 -- hence, in BCS contention -- in SI's preview, but I'm sensing something less from a squad with a green O-line and an unstable situation at quarterback. An early upset loss at South Carolina could send UGA to an eight-win season, about two Ws below optimists' expectations.

McCartney: Arizona State. The offense is sensational, but a porous defense will again cost coach Dirk Koetter big time, especially with a three-game stretch against Cal, Oregon and USC. Add in trips to Oregon State and Arizona, and the No. 16 team in SI's preview could end up with five losses.

Beech: Arizona State. It made SI's top 20, but that was before Koetter spazzed out and named two starting quarterbacks in the span of 48 hours. The coach had better hope Rudy Carpenter is the right man for the job.