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Joyride through college football 2000
A quick walk through the 2000 college football season before it happens: Don't save any room on the Miami bandwagon for me. Butch Davis has done a terrific job restoring quality to a program that doesn't have the tradition of an Ohio State or Oklahoma (and could have fallen off the earth), but the 'Canes are not back to the level of Jimmy Johnson's and Dennis Erickson's Bad Boys. Santana Moss can ball with anybody, but the jury is out on quarterback Ken Dorsey, and tough-as-nails linebacker Dan Morgan will miss running mate Nate Webster. These guys won't beat Florida State or .... Virginia Tech, which might go undefeated again. It's cool to dis the Hokies' defense, which lost its entire line, two linebackers and both corners, but there's lots of young talent and the early schedule is soft enough to let it develop. Plus, Michael Vick is Tiger Woods in a helmet, except that this year's Vick is ... Alabama wideout Freddie Milons, a 5' 11" vaporman who can score from anywhere on the field and play five positions. Tide suits should buy Milons a super-saver ticket to the Heisman ceremony right now, because he's a lock for the Top 5. When he gets to the Downtown Athletic Club in December, he might want to hang with ... Michigan's David Terrell, who will be joining Milons there as long as Wolverines' head coach Lloyd Carr puts him on the Woodson plan. That is, continue to use Terrell on both sides of the ball (he's a wideout by trade, but a lockdown corner, as well), give him reverses and let him run back kicks. We know Michiganders can't take too much excitement in their footballers, but this dude is for real, which might also be true about ... Chris Simms, but I'm not sure yet. Texas coach Mack Brown is taking a Major -- pun intended -- gamble if he just gives Simms the keys to the Burnt Orange Cadillac and tells him to drive. The Longhorns are still building, but with a schedule that's Nebraska- and K-State-free, they have an opportunity to run the table. Until Applewhite tore his ACL in the Cotton Bowl, Mack's plan was to play both QBs this year. Applewhite's injury gave him an opening to play the talented Simms fulltime, but Major is ready early and Brown should seriously consider going to back his original plan. Remember, it was Applewhite who last October engineered the upset of ... Nebraska, which is everybody's pick to win the national championship this year. No question, quarterback Eric Crouch is Scott Frost with more finesse, and Bobby Newcombe could be Johnny Rodgers incarnate. This is a solid bunch. But excuse me if I hold back on the trophy presentation. My guess is the Cornhuskers will badly miss the Browns (cornerback Ralph and safety Mike) in the secondary. I think it's impressive that Nebraska has 32 I-backs on the depth chart (seven, actually), but I think that number obscures the fact that none of them are outstanding. This is a good Nebraska team, not necessarily a great one. The same can be said for... Florida State, which got giddy when Chris Weinke came back for a fourth season. Weinke is a tough customer, but the person who scared me -- and everybody else -- last year was Peter Warrick, and he's gone. On defense, Corey Simon was a rock in the middle and he's gone, too. Clemson could beat these guys. So could Florida, if Spurrier develops some wideouts. So if Florida State and Nebraska don't meet in the Orange Bowl, who will? How about Alabama and Kansas State? Virginia Tech and Florida? Relax, it's August. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden will contribute a Viewpoint every Thursday on CNNSI.com. To chip in with your two cents, click here. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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