9 Texas A&m

A & M won't miss a beat, though, because coach Jackie Sherrill is building a Nebraska-like power. He has All-America candidates at offensive tackle (Louis Cheek) and middle guard (Sammy O'Brient), and the best recruiting class in A & M history. Craig Stump, Murray's mopper-up last season, will guide the offense, and Keith Woodside, the versatile running back who set a conference record last year with 12 catches against Arkansas, will wind up as A & M's alltime best receiver. For big plays, keep your eye on flanker Rod Harris, who averaged more than 15 yards a catch last year.

If those riches aren't embarrassment enough, junior placekicker Scott Slater set an SWC record with 21 field goals in '86, including 16 of 16 from inside the 40-yard line.

But it is Corrington who sets the tone at A & M. He is the rebuttal to the Texas safety who last year denounced the Aggies as "arrogant...unclassy...stupid people." Corrington is none of those things, and he can rip your head off besides. As Dean Fallon says, "To understand well the concept of discipline: That's a central construct for an athlete, an artist or a scholar."

Sorry, Aggie-haters. With philosopher-warrior Corrington in the secondary and football-wise Dean Fallon in the ivory tower, our pick is A & M over Arkansas by a construct.