Looking Ahead

?AUBURN AT VIRGINIA, SEPT. 4
The Cavaliers' defense, which is missing four starters who were taken in the first five rounds of last spring's NFL draft, is vulnerable. The Tigers have a man who figures to exploit that weakness: quarterback Dameyune Craig, who threw for 16 TDs and ran for eight more last fall.

? GEORGIA TECH AT NOTRE DAME, SEPT. 6
The Bob Davie Era begins with the Irish still short of speed at wide receiver, but expect Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus to take advantage of an inexperienced Yellow Jackets secondary and prove that Lou Holtz was running the wrong offense. The Irish threw the ball only 31% of the time under Holtz last season.

?WASHINGTON AT BYU, SEPT. 6
In 1990, defending national champion Miami lost its opener in Provo. Last fall, top 15 pick Texas A&M never recovered from a season-opening setback at BYU. The Huskies have several of the best players in the Pac-10 (linebacker Jason Chorak, quarterback Brock Huard and tailback Rashaan Shehee), but is Washington good enough to overcome the Cougars' jinx? Yep.

? TENNESSEE AT UCLA, SEPT. 6
Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf set the bar at 381 yards and three touchdowns passing in a 37-34 win over the Bruins last Saturday. Now Peyton Manning takes his turn. UCLA's best chance for victory: Give the ball to tailback Skip Hicks (190 yards and four touchdowns rushing against the Cougars) and hope he can keep Manning on the sideline.

? FLORIDA STATE AT USC, SEPT. 6
The Trojans don't match up against the Seminoles at several positions. One exception: Southern Cal cornerback Day-Ion McCutcheon versus Florida State wideout E.G. Green, in the showdown of the day. The passing game could be crucial to quarterback Thad Busby and the Seminoles, who should win, even though they don't have a proven tailback to replace Warrick Dunn.