The critical match-up in any season for Army is their final meeting with Navy. This year’s game takes place in Baltimore with the slimiest of chances Army will walk away victorious. The Black Knights open their season Sept 1. versus Akron in the inaugural FirstMerit Patriot Bowl at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Western Kentucky
Why hello there, WKU. You may not officially be a Division 1-A team yet, but you play six other 1-A schools, and in 2009 will even have a conference affiliation. But welcome to the division as an “intern,” so tos speak. Oh yeah, the price of admission? You get to play the defending national champions and currently ranked #6 Florida, at home, in your season opener - welcome to the big time.
Head coach David Elson has his work cut out from him as his Hilltoppers make the provisional move from Division 1-AA to Division 1-A this season.
Elson has three returning starters on the offensive side of the ball and four for the defense. Notre Dame transfer David Wolke will most likely start the season as the Hilltoppers field marshal over red-shirt freshman K.J. Black.
Key match-up, if the ‘Toppers can survive Florida, look to a fairly routine schedule with Ball State looming over the horizon.
Last year BYU sleepwalked through the conference, winning all eight MWC games. But now that quarterback and (last year's conference Offensive Player of the Year) John Beck is in the NFL, and a flurry of other players either graduated or gone on Mormon missions, the TCU Horned Frogs have become the heavy favorite.
The Horned Frogs are returning nine starters on defense that gave up fewer than 13 points a game last year. Because of a road game at Texas, TCU could finish 11-1.
But Utah's mammoth non-conference (Oregon State, Louisville, UCLA) schedule might help them down the Mountain West stretch and weasel out a conference championship with a poorer record. In fact — yes, I'll go with Utah winning the MWC.
Could also complete: Colorado State, New Mexico, Wyoming
Not this year: Air Force, San Diego State, UNLV
The Battle for the Top
USC: The preseason #1 ranked team is looking to put another championship trophy in the case. QB John David Booty is being talked about for the Heisman, the team returns 10 defensive starters, and Pete Carroll went out and did one of the best recruiting jobs of the off-season, netting 5 freshman that were ranked at the best of their respective positions.
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