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8) Can Bo Pelini save Nebraska?

For longtime Nebraskans, this could have been the longest winter of their lives. In a state where Huskers football is a way of life, how does one fight off the depression that comes with enduring a horrifically embarrassing 5-7 season that saw one opponent score 76 points, another 65, and resulted in the dismissal of both a coach (Bill Callahan) and athletic director (Steve Pederson).

Legendary coach Tom Osborne was brought back to hire the new coach, and Pelini, the defensive coordinator for last year's national champion, LSU, and a highly popular figure in the state based off his season as Nebraska's coordinator (2003), was his hand-picked choice. Now, the 40-year-old begins the unenviable task of cleaning up the mess left behind by his disastrous predecessor -- and, hopefully, putting some smiles back on peoples' faces.

9) Will West Virginia mount a defense?

Amidst the massive coaching shuffle in Morgantown this winter, one key assistant from Rich Rodriguez's old staff stayed in place: Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. This is a good thing, because while there's not much mystery involved in the Mountaineers' 2008 offense (see Pat White and Noel Devine), their defensive personnel will be undergoing a significant overhaul.

Gone are star defensive end Johnny Dingle, tackle Keilen Dykes, safety Eric Wicks and four other starters from the nation's seventh-ranked defense last season. With the massive amount of change sweeping through West Virginia's program this spring -- including a new head coach (former interim coach Bill Stewart), a new strength coach and eight new assistants -- Casteel could serve as a much-needed stabilizing force.

10) Is the triple-option back in vogue?

When Georgia Tech takes to its Rose Bowl practice field March 24, it will be the beginning of a whole new era -- that looks a whole lot like a previous era. After riding his modernized version of the triple option to raging success at Georgia Southern and Navy, new coach Paul Johnson arrives on the Flats looking to prove the once-dismissed relic of an offense can still thrive in the 21st century.

Johnson's offense is not a pure wishbone -- he's said in the past it incorporates elements of the run-and-shoot -- but it's a radical enough transformation that incumbent quarterback Taylor Bennett, a drop-back passer, transferred. In steps run/pass sophomore Josh Nesbitt, who, along with his teammates, will use these 15 practices to get acclimated to an offense that may well take the ACC by storm -- but might also be quite the work in progress.