Ready for kickoff
Florida State starts year at head of the class
Posted: Friday August 28, 1998 12:44 PM
(CNN/SI) -- It's finally time for the best sport in the world -- college football.
There simply cannot be anything better than cheering on your favorite team on a crisp fall afternoon. I still get chills remembering the feeling of getting off the bus and seeing a sea of big, red-blooded Husker fans positioning themselves to see their favorite player. I'm sure that same atmosphere will be in full force across America starting this weekend.
This should be one of the most exciting football seasons ever. For the first time we have a number of dark horse teams thinking that they have a legitimate shot at it all this year.
Kansas State, Arizona State, West Virginia and LSU are listed in many publications as having a realistic shot at reaching the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.
However, the class of this year's teams is Florida State. I've played against the Seminoles, and the speed that they put out on the field was always a bit overwhelming. Bobby Bowden has said this year's squad "may be our fastest team ever." That must scare teams who find them on their schedules.
The key factor for the Seminoles, however, is Chris Weinke. The 26-year-old quarterback is older than 10 NFL starters. However that doesn't necessarily translate into wins. He must prove to be the capable quarterback that many think he is or the balance of the Florida State offense will be lost.
I talked this week to Mike Hankwitz, defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. He said that what makes FSU's offense so difficult is that they can line up in the I-formation, primarily a run formation, and can throw from it about 50 percent of the time.
Conversely, when they go to the shotgun one-back offense, they have always run the ball well. So as a defense, you must be able to adjust or it will be a long day.
Games of the week
Texas A&M vs. Florida State
Look for this game to be a bit of a blowout. Texas A&M looks to be improved this year, but not to the level of Florida State.
Branndon Stewart must prove that he is the quarterback to lead this team. He has struggled in big games and must continue to improve his passing. If the Aggies can't throw downfield, this will be over early.
The great thing about being a first-year quarterback at Florida State is that the talent surrounding you is so dominant, that you literally have half the season to get comfortable. The defense dominates and you always have a great runner, this year being Travis Minor, behind you.
Florida State easy in this one.
Louisiana Tech at Nebraska
This looks to be a yawner, but not if you talk to Gary Crowton, head coach of Louisiana Tech. He told me this week that his team is coming to win and is not intimidated by the atmosphere in Lincoln.
"Let Nebraska show me how good they are," Crowton said.
I like this guy's enthusiasm, but the talent level is not the same.
Tech is taking great comfort in the performance of Daunte Culpepper last season against the Huskers. Culpepper's Central Florida team actually led at the half last year. Coach Crowton believes he has a quarterback better than Culpepper. His name is Tim Rattay. Crowton lists Ty Detmer as the quarterback who most closely resembles his tough competitor.
This game may be close for a while, but as the game goes on, look for the depth of Nebraska to wear this team down. There will be no quit in this Tech team, however, as they are an independent and won't have to save anything for conference play.
Early predictions
It's hard to make predictions in August, but here it goes:
Heisman Trophy: Cade McNown, UCLA
National Championship game: Florida State vs. Arizona State
Coaches who may be looking for work next year:
Bob Davie, Notre Dame
Mike Dubose, Alabama
Rick Neuheisel, Colorado
I'm sure you will let me know how I did.
Trev Alberts, the 1993 winner of the Butkus Award, is a college football analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated, the 24-hour sports news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. His column appears every Thursday exclusively on CNNSI.com.
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