As usual, Lloyd Carr’s Wolverines are ranked in the nation’s top 15 in many polls. They have their normal share of All-Big Ten players and All-America candidates. As always, they will pack almost 110,000 fans into Michigan Stadium for every home games this year.

But for some reason, there has been a bit of a bad taste in the mouths of Michigan fans during the off-season. Safety Charles Drake has his theory about the problem.

"When you go 8-4 at some schools, that’s like a great season. But here, that’s mediocre," Drake told The Detroit News. "This is Michigan, and that’s not how we are around here. That’s not how we’ve been taught."

After the season, Carr shuffled his coaching staff, the most significant change being Terry Malone’s move from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator. Malone’s charge will be to shape up the Wolverine attack, which averaged 359.2 yards of offense last year, just ninth in the Big Ten, and committed 25 turnovers, including three crucial ones in the Citrus Bowl loss to Tennessee. In the end, it just didn’t keep pace with a top-flight defense, and Carr took steps to address the problem.

So far, however, the coaches and players have been tight-lipped about just what changes will be made. Quarterback John Navarre was intentionally vague when he critiqued the offense in The Detroit News, "We’re going to be disciplined and consistent," said Navarre, who was 6-of-18 for 63 yards in the spring game. "We’re going to spread the ball around. We’re going to be multiple. We’re going to be able to run the ball. We already have. That’s been the big improvement this year. We’re going to take advantage of what the defense gives us. We have a lot more answers."

Navarre (6-6, 236), a junior, has made 16 career starts, including all 12 games last year, but even with his stellar résumé he will face a challenge from junior Spencer Brinton (6-5, 225), who transferred from San Diego State after a two-year Mormon mission.

Navarre, perhaps feeling the heat, worked hard on improving his speed and quickness over the off-season, dropping 15 pounds in the process. His conditioning should pay off later in the season, as the hits pile up for less mobile quarterbacks, and could help reverse a trend from last year, when his interceptions began to mount in the second half of the schedule. He’s also hoping that his dedication will rub off on his teammates and increase his profile as a team leader.

Navarre will be pushed by Brinton, who had a strong showing in the spring game when he completed 11-of-18 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The 24-year-old lefty played two years at San Diego State, starting six games as a freshman, then making two more starts as a sophomore before injuring his thumb and receiving a medical red-shirt for the season.

He has been the darling of Wolverine fans, as most backup quarterbacks are, especially when the starter is throwing interceptions and losing to Michigan State and Ohio State. But Carr knows both of his quarterbacks are vital to his team’s success, and he’s not ruling out Brinton passing Navarre on the depth chart.

In the third-string role, sophomore Jermaine Gonzales (6-2, 209) returns to quarterback after taking some reps at wide receiver. He was 8-for-10 for 85 yards with two touchdowns in the spring game. Meanwhile, hot recruit Matt Gutierrez (6-4, 206) could step into the mix as a true freshman this fall.

Last year the Wolverines finished an uncharacteristic eighth in the Big Ten in rushing, averaging just 143 yards per game, but with their top two rushers back and a new offense in place, look for that to change.

Senior B.J. Askew (6-3, 228) will shift from halfback, where he started seven games last year, to fullback to take better advantage of his size. Last season he battered his way to 902 yards and 10 touchdowns and averaged 4.5 yards per carry, and he also caught 26 passes for 236 yards and two more touchdowns.

The Wolverines have a number of options at tailback, but one potential star is no longer available -- speedy tailback Kelly Baraka was dismissed from the team this spring after sitting out all of 2001 for a pair of marijuana-related arrests. Baraka had the shiftiness and breakaway speed to be a great one, but he couldn’t stay out of trouble off the field, and that doesn’t work in Carr’s program.

The early leader in the race to start at halfback is junior Chris Perry (6-1, 235). Last year Perry started five games and finished second on the team with 495 rushing yards. He also caught eight passes for 49 yards, proving he can handle coming out of the backfield on routes as well.

Sophomore Dave Underwood (6-0, 225) will push Perry, and sophomore Tim Bracken (5-10, 204) is also in the mix. Underwood carried 31 times for 108 yards and a touchdown last season, and caught the coaches’ eyes with a strong showing in spring drills.

Askew’s backup at fullback could be monstrous freshman Sean Sanderson (6-3, 280), but he’ll have to battle sophomore Kevin Dudley (6-1, 240) and senior Kirk Moundros (6-2, 230) for the spot on the depth chart.

The Wolverines have to replace Marquise Walker, who set school records last season with 86 catches and 1,143 yards while scoring 11 touchdowns, earning the team MVP and numerous All-America accolades in the process. He had two 15-catch games and topped 100 yards six times, including a season-high 160 in the loss to Ohio State.

Although the rest of the Michigan receivers combined for just 42 receptions for 625 yards, Carr was typically upbeat about the prospect of replacing Walker’s productivity, if not replacing Walker himself.

Junior Calvin Bell (6-1, 192) is the leading returning receiver, with 21 catches for 236 yards and one touchdown, but junior Tyrece Butler (6-3, 206) and senior Ronald Bellamy (6-0, 199) have the early lead on starting spots this fall. Butler caught four passes for 99 yards in spot duty last year, while Bellamy started 10 games and hauled in 14 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Braylon Edwards (6-3, 200) played in six games and made three catches last year, and he will be a factor at wide-out in 2002.

With Gonzales moved back to quarterback, the competition for playing time off the bench will be stiff. Juniors Brent Cummings (5-11, 184) and Nick Upchurch (5-7, 173), sophomores Ross Kesler (6-2, 194), Brian Lafer (5-11, 183), and Andy Stejskal (6-4, 185), and freshmen Tim Massaquoi (6-4, 220) and Chris Matsos (6-0, 201) are among the contenders.

At tight end, the Wolverines lost Billy Seymour and Shawn Thompson to graduation. Seymour finished second on the team with 27 catches for 279 yards and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last season, while Thompson caught four balls for 37 yards and a touchdown as the top backup.

Going into the fall, senior Bennie Joppru (6-5, 243) has the lead in the race for the starting job. Joppru started three games last year when the Wolverines went with a double tight-end set, and he caught 17 passes for 118 yards and a score.

The Wolverines have a number of backups who could win the No. 2 job, including senior Deitan Dubuc (6-4, 250) and junior Andy Mignery (6-3, 229), a great athlete who is a former fourth-string quarterback. Mignery is in the running for the punting job this fall as well.

Junior Phil Brackins (6-4, 230), sophomore Jim Fisher (6-5, 244), and freshmen Mike Mandich (6-3, 234), Dave Spytek (6-7, 243) and Matt Studenski (6-4, 190) add depth at tight end.

Gone are Jonathan Goodwin, who started nine games at left guard and earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Football News, and center Kurt Anderson, who was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection and won the Hugh H. Rader Award as Michigan’s top offensive lineman. But the depth and talent on the line has Carr looking ahead to a favorable future up front.

At right tackle, the leader is junior Tony Pape (6-6, 299), who was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last season when he started 11 games at left tackle. He will battle the incumbent, junior Demeterius Solomon (6-6, 299), for the starting job this season, while freshman Kyle Ealey (6-7, 253) will also push for playing time.

There’s an upset in the making at right guard, where freshman Matt Lentz (6-6, 305) vaulted to the top of the depth chart in the spring, ahead of senior Dave Petruziello (6-4, 298), another honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last season. Carr positively gushed about Lentz after spring practice.

Freshman Leo Henige (6-4, 333) is listed at third on the depth chart.

The center spot is up for grabs, with junior Dave Pearson (6-3, 283) leading a battle against sophomore Andy Christopfel (6-3, 295) and junior Courtney Morgan (6-3, 298) for the right to replace Anderson.

Morgan is the current leader at left tackle, although he has his hands full in a battle against freshman Adam Stenavich (6-5, 294), another young lineman Carr loves.

"Adam Stenavich reminds me some of [former Michigan tackle] Jeff Backus," Carr said. "He is going to be a very good football player. I’m not putting him in Backus’ status yet ... but I mean, he’s playing some at left tackle."

At left guard, sophomore David Baas (6-5, 299) returns after making one start last year, while senior Joe Denay (6-8, 299) will also battle for playing time.

"David Baas is one tough, tall guy who has showed some real strides," Carr said after spring practice.

The Wolverines have a big hole to fill with the graduation of Hayden Epstein, who earned second-team all-conference honors with a career-best 76 points last season.

Juniors Troy Nienberg (6-2, 170) and Philip Brabbs (6-2, 195) are the leading candidates at kicker.

In the spring game, Nienberg made field goals from 42 and 37 yards, while Brabbs kicked a 26-yarder. Sophomore Luke Pearl (6-0, 205) is also in the mix.

The Wolverines have few worries at defensive line, where they bring back all four starters from a defense that led the Big Ten in rushing defense and total defense, finished second against the pass and had a conference-best 35 sacks in eight Big Ten games. Michigan’s "big four" up front started together in all but one game last year, and return as one of the most feared units in the conference.

"In that front, you’ve got a lot of guys who are tough, who can move and who can hurt you," Carr told The Detroit News.

Senior Dan Rumishek (6-4, 277) is a two-year starter and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the media last season, when he placed third in the conference with six sacks in Big Ten games. He finished with seven total sacks, 22 tackles and eight stops behind the line. He will be backed up by junior Larry Stevens (6-3, 265) and freshman Pierre Woods (6-5, 215).

The other defensive end will be junior Shantee Orr (6-1, 250), who was a second-team All-Big Ten pick by the media last year after making 35 tackles, 11 for losses, and registering six quarterback sacks. He will be pushed by freshman Patrick Massey (6-8, 240) and junior Alain Kashama (6-5, 260).

Junior defensive tackle Norman Heuer (6-5, 292) chipped in five sacks and nine tackles for losses among his 31 stops last season, and he will be joined inside by senior Shawn Lazarus (6-4, 297), a two-year starter who made 16 tackles and had two sacks last year.

Arguably the biggest loss on the defense is linebacker Larry Foote, who earned various All-America accolades last year when he led the Wolverines with 82 tackles and 26 stops behind the line. He also finished second with six sacks and seven passes defensed. Also gone is Eric Brackins, who made nine starts last year and finished fifth on the team with 55 tackles.

The competition to replace those two will be fierce, but one guy who the Wolverines can count on is senior Victor Hobson (6-1, 244). He started 11 games last year and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, finishing second on the team with 80 tackles and 13 stops behind the line. He also chipped in five sacks to Michigan’s conference-leading total, and was selected to the preseason watch lists for the Lombardi Award, given to the country’s best down lineman or linebacker, and the Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the top overall defensive player in college football. Junior John Spytek (6-4, 243) and sophomore Roy Manning (6-2, 230) look to push for playing time on the outside as well.

At the two inside spots, a battle is shaping up between four players, all of whom were lauded by Carr for their strong play this spring. Junior Carl Diggs (6-1, 245) played in all 12 games last year, making 42 tackles, but he was shot in the calf outside a house party in May. He should recover in time for practice in August, but his training could be hampered in the summer months.

The No. 2 pass defense in the conference lost only cornerback Todd Howard, but he leaves big shoes to fill after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference coaches as a senior.

Senior safeties Charles Drake (6-1, 204) and Cato June (6-1, 224) were honorable mention All-Big Ten picks last year and enter fall practice as the starters. Drake was third on the team with 67 tackles, while June finished fourth with 58 and was chosen to the Nagurski Award watch list this year. They will be pushed by junior Jon Shaw (6-0, 199) and senior Julius Curry (6-0, 200), who missed most of last season with nerve damage to his shoulder, and sat out spring drills recovering from surgery.

Another wild card among the safeties is freshman Ernest Shazor (6-4, 215), who has taken snaps at receiver but had been moved to the defense full-time by the end of spring drills.

Sophomore Marlin Jackson (6-1, 182) returns after making six starts at cornerback last season, leading the Wolverines with three interceptions and earning first-team honors on the freshman All-America team selected by The Sporting News. He will be challenged by sophomore Zia Combs (5-11, 181) and junior Jeremy LeSueur (6-1, 200), who started the first five games last year.

At the other cornerback spot, sophomore Markus Curry (5-11, 182) ended spring drills as the starter, but he has to recover from a gunshot wound suffered in the same incident that left Diggs injured. As of mid June, doctors had not decided whether to remove the bullet, which had lodged next to his spine, and it’s not known if or how it will affect him this fall. If Curry can’t go, look for senior Brandon Williams (5-11, 183) to get the nod.

Sophomore Adam Finley (6-4, 211) is the leading candidate to replace Epstein, who averaged 39.3 yards on a school-record 71 punts last year. Finley punted four times last year and averaged 43.3 yards. In the spring game he had four punts for a 40-yard average.

Mignery, a former backup quarterback who’s also on the tight end depth chart, punted three times for 42 yards per kick in the spring game and could push for the starting job.

Michigan’s punt return team finished in the middle of the pack last year and took a hit when Curry injured his shoulder. Curry had averaged 11.2 yards per return on 19 punts before he went down. Walker filled in nicely, with a 9.0-yard average on 23 returns, but Curry should be the man if he’s back on time this fall. Bellamy and Kaufman are among the other candidates.

Howard is back as the primary kickoff returner -- last year he brought back 22 kicks for a 21.3-yard average. He could be joined by Jackson, who averaged 20 yards on six returns last season.

Senior Joe Sgrio (5-11, 213) and freshman Andrew King (6-1, 245) are the candidates to replace graduated long-snapper Jeremy Miller.

The Wolverines’ class was ranked eighth in the country by recruiting guru Tom Lemming and includes a number of players who could play as freshmen. The big in-state catch is lineman Gabriel Watson (6-4, 334), a remarkable athlete who runs a sub-5.0 40-yard dash, could play on either side of the ball, although he prefers defense.

Michigan landed the top quarterback prospect in the nation in Gutierrez, who led De La Salle High School to a pair of California state championships and is known for his accuracy and poise in the pocket.

The Wolverines also loaded up on receivers, signing Chicago’s Jason Avant (6-2, 195), local star Carl Tabb (6-2, 170) from Ann Arbor’s Huron High School, and Pennsylvania native Steve Breaston (6-0, 170), who played quarterback in high school. Breaston has the hands, speed and moves to play receiver in the Big Ten.

Quarterback controversies are nothing new to Ann Arbor, but they can be distracting to a team trying to pull together for a national title push. But when the options are as talented as Navarre and Brinton, the Wolverines can’t go wrong either way they turn. The new offensive system should help balance the attack, and if the receivers step up to help replace Walker’s stats, Michigan should score enough points to improve its win total.

That’s because even if the offense struggles, the Wolverines can fall back on a defense that dominated the Big Ten last year and returns most of its key players. The kicking game remains a concern, but the overall depth of the roster should help Michigan overcome any weaknesses that might emerge.

The schedule will be tough, with games at Notre Dame, Illinois, Purdue and Ohio State, but the Wolverines get Michigan State at home, as well as a chance for payback against Washington, this time in front of their own packed house. Add it up, and it looks like the Wolverines are serious about reclaiming their spot atop the Big Ten.