The Race Is On : One Word for USC Faithful: Nebraska

There has been a lot of talk around the water cooler regarding USC winning the national championship this season, to which my response has been, “In what sport?”

Football.

Oh yeah, that.

No doubt, Trojan fans have reason to hold their helmets high. For starters, Terry Donahue, the UCLA coach who dusted USC the last five seasons, has retired.

Too bad Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz has not.

USC is fielding its best team by far under John Robinson, the sequel, and should romp through a watered-down Pacific 10 Conference and return to the Rose Bowl.

Daylon McCutcheon is one of the best tailbacks Robinson has ever recruited to play cornerback. The freshman class is totally retro, circa 1978. Can’t wait to see frosh guard Travis Claridge against Penn State.

Running through the USC defensive line will be like plowing through cinder blocks, with Darrell Russell and Matt Keneley forming the best tackle team this side of Davy Jones’ locker.

Brad Otton, the tallest USC quarterback ever at 6 feet 6, is coming off a terrific Rose Bowl against . . . what was name of that school again--purple jerseys, rugged-looking coach, produced half the sportswriters in America?

Robinson also appears to be really coaching again after taking some time off in the early 1990s while with the Rams.

OK, so how does that equate to winning a national championship?

Every time some office expert starts yapping about his alma mater making a title run--hint, it’s always before the season--I can’t help but flash back to the look on Florida Coach Steve Spurrier’s blanched face during January’s Fiesta Bowl.

Spurrier thought he had a national title team too, until the referee blew his whistle to signal the start of the game against Nebraska.

You may remember the final score, 62-24, and that never-before-seen look on Spurrier’s face: humbled.

Nebraska is so superior to any program in the country--that means you too, USC--it isn’t even funny.

The Cornhuskers are bigger, faster and stronger than everyone else in the field, and that includes the AFC East.

Fact check: Last year USC finished 9-2-1. Nebraska hasn’t lost since the 1994 Orange Bowl.

Colorado Coach Rick Neuheisel was discussing Nebraska the other day.

His Buffaloes were a top-five team last year and will probably be again this season, but they haven’t defeated the Cornhuskers in five years.

Nebraska rolled into Boulder last fall and crushed Colorado, 44-21.

“You have to understand why they’re beating you,” Neuheisel says. “Physically, Nebraska is dominant to almost every team in the country. They have the No. 1 strength and conditioning deal. Their weight room is bigger than anyone else’s. They’re scientific in how they do it.”

Colorado has gone 21-3 the last two seasons, two of the losses having been to you know who.

“The good news is we get to play them every year,” Neuheisel says. “We get to find out.”

So, you wonder why these USC folks are getting all worked up.

The Trojans have 10 starters back from last year’s non-national title team, and one of them is not Keyshawn Johnson, the top pick in the NFL draft.

The Cornhuskers have 13 starters back, seven on defense, three of them All-Americans.

The Trojans had to revamp their entire offensive line. The Cornhuskers have three returning starters in the best offensive line factory in college football.

True, Nebraska lost quarterback Tommie Frazier and tailback Lawrence Phillips, but Ahman Green gained 1,000 yards filling in for Phillips last year, and Frazier’s replacement, Stanford transfer Scott Frost, was one of the hottest prospects ever to come out of Nebraska.

So, again, where exactly has USC picked up and Nebraska fallen off?

You could argue that, if the teams played today, the Cornhuskers would win by three touchdowns.

A lot can happen between now and the national championship crowning--injuries, lucky bounces, bad calls, arrests.

But before discussing USC and national title in the same breath, I would like to see:

--The Trojans play a game. Then, win one.

--Otton throw a touchdown pass without Johnson in the lineup to draw double coverage.

--A starting USC tailback who has not been suspended, which means Delon Washington in Week 2 and Shawn Walters in Week 4.

--The Trojans defeat UCLA and Notre Dame. You figure it’s going to take an unbeaten season to win a national title, so this is important. It has been six years since the Trojans have beaten UCLA, 14 for the Irish.

--USC win at Arizona State on Oct. 19 and at Stanford on Nov. 9.

You could argue there are at least six teams better than USC right now: Nebraska, Tennessee, Florida State, Florida, Colorado and Notre Dame. You might even throw in Miami, which has 18 returning starters from last year’s 8-3 team.

And, don’t forget, because of scheduling quirks, the Volunteers get to play nine games in Tennessee while the Seminoles get nine in Florida.

Don’t misunderstand. USC is a spiffy-looking group, probably the best team west of Boulder.

But before you start ordering champagne, remember, one loss and your national title hopes are probably toast.

So, for starters, let’s see USC get past Penn State.

READY, SET, GO

Before thinking about a national title, of course, teams might consider winning their conference titles. Here’s how things will turn out (no money-back guarantee).

PACIFIC 10

The pick: USC. The class of a ho-hum conference.

Team to watch: Arizona State and quarterback Jake Plummer, a better pro prospect than Otton. Sun Devil Coach Bruce Snyder used to coach under Robinson with the Rams and is running out of time in Tempe.

Fading: Oregon is coming off consecutive bowl trips (Rose, Cotton), but both were blowout losses.

BIG TEN

The pick: Northwestern. Give us a break. Any 10-2 team that has 13 starters back, its starting quarterback, Steve Schnur; tailback Darnell Autry and linebacker Pat Fitzgerald does not deserve to be so thoroughly dumped on, as the Wildcats have been in most preseason projections.

Team to watch: Iowa. The Hawkeyes closed the ’95 season with three victories and have 13 starters returning, among them 1,000-yard rusher Sedrick Shaw.

Fading: Wisconsin. Weren’t the Badgers just in the Rose Bowl a few years back?

BIG 12

The pick: Nebraska in the North Division, Texas the South. Nebraska prevails in Dec. 7 title game. The feeling here is that Frost will do just fine filling Frazier’s cleats and this bandwagon keeps on trucking for at least another season.

Team to watch: Colorado. The Buffaloes went 10-2 with star quarterback Koy Detmer sitting out the last eight games because of a knee injury. Detmer was the nation’s leading passer when he went out, and appears to have recovered fully.

Fading: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been to three consecutive bowls but face a killer schedule in the new league, facing five teams that finished in the top 15 last season.

SOUTHEASTERN

The pick: Florida in the East, Louisiana State in the West. Florida in the title game. Tennessee is a popular pick to end Florida’s SEC reign, but it’s hard to write off those 48 unanswered points the Gators scored against the Volunteers last season. Winner of Sept. 21 showdown in Knoxville takes the conference title.

Team to watch: LSU. The Tigers had a good recruiting class and posted their first winning season since 1988.

Fading: Arkansas. The Razorbacks were surprise winners of the West last season, but, surprise, it won’t happen again.

BIG EAST

The pick: Miami. Hard to believe, considering the off-season the Hurricanes endured, but they have almost everyone back from a team that won seven in a row to close the season.

Team to watch: Syracuse. The Orangemen have one of the country’s best quarterbacks in sophomore Donovan McNabb, and get Miami and Virginia Tech at home. If Miami stumbles, Syracuse wins it.

Fading: Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights lost their spring game to an alumni team. Two words: dead last.

ATLANTIC COAST

The pick: Florida State. The Seminoles’ 29-game ACC winning streak was ended last season, but don’t look for any flubs this year. With a cushy schedule, Florida State should challenge for the national title.

Team to watch: Maryland. The Terrapins were in bowl contention last year at 6-5, and have 16 starters back.

Fading: North Carolina State. The program is on the slide after winning nine or more games in ‘91, ’92 and ’94.

WESTERN ATHLETIC

The pick: Utah in the Mountain Division, San Diego State in the Pacific. Utah wins the title game. The Utes have 15 starters back, including quarterback Mike Fouts (Dan’s nephew). The Aztecs have key skill players returning in quarterback Billy Blanton, tailback George Jones and receiver Will Blackwell.

Team to watch: Brigham Young. Brigham Young could take the Mountain title with a victory at Utah on Nov. 3.

Fading: San Jose State. The Spartans deserted the Big West only to find they’ll be playing seven of their 12 games this season on the road. Start packing.

THE REST

Big West: Nevada (that’s the word on the street); Conference USA: Cincinnati (the Bearcats have a good basketball program); Mid-American: Miami of Ohio (Toledo can’t win forever).

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Preseason College Football Polls

ASSOCIATED PRESS*--*

Team 1995 Record Points Prv. 1. Nebraska (50) 12-0-0 1,644 1 2. Tennessee (7) 11-1-0 1,538 3 3. Florida St. (5) 10-2-0 1,529 4 4. Florida (1) 12-1-0 1,490 2 5. Colorado (3) 10-2-0 1,377 5 6. Notre Dame (1) 9-3-0 1,295 11 7. USC 9-2-1 1,171 12 8. Texas 10-2-1 1,026 14 9. Ohio St. 11-2-0 987 6 10. Syracuse 9-3-0 982 19 11. Penn St. 9-3-0 981 13 12. Miami 8-3-0 877 20 13. Texas A&M; 9-3-0 803 15 14. Michigan 9-4-0 766 17 15. Alabama 8-3-0 601 21 16. Virginia Tech 10-2-0 563 10 17. Auburn 8-4-0 536 22 18. Northwestern 10-2-0 496 8 19. LSU 7-4-1 465 -- 20. Arizona St. 6-5-0 380 -- 21. Kansas St. 10-2-0 366 7 22. Iowa 8-4-0 356 25 23. Virginia 9-4-0 288 16 24. Kansas 10-2-0 217 9 25. Clemson 8-4-0 212 --

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USA TODAY/CNN*--*

Team 1995 Record Points Prv. 1. Nebraska (47) 12-0-0 1,524 1 2. Tennessee (6) 11-1-0 1,398 2 3. Florida St. (6) 10-2-0 1,376 5 4. Florida (3) 12-1-0 1,364 3 5. Colorado 10-2-0 1,231 4 6. USC 9-2-1 1,121 11 7. Notre Dame 9-3-0 1,094 13 8. Penn St. 9-3-0 983 12 9. Texas 10-2-1 968 14 10. Ohio St. 11-2-0 958 8 11. Michigan 9-4-0 866 19 12. Texas A&M; 9-3-0 774 15 13. Syracuse 9-3-0 743 16 14. Alabama 8-3-0 603 -- 15. Virginia Tech 10-2-0 562 9 16. Miami, Fla. 8-3-0 527 -- 17. Auburn 8-4-0 432 21 18. Kansas St. 10-2-0 407 6 19. Northwestern 10-2-0 363 7 20. Louisiana St. 7-4-1 359 25 21. Virginia 9-4-0 347 17 22. Washington 7-4-1 346 -- 23. Clemson 8-4-0 282 -- 24. Kansas 10-2-0 256 10 25. Iowa 8-4-0 190 22

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