By
Bryan Rosenbaum
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The temperatures have dropped below 100 degrees and that can mean only one thing here in Arizona - college football season has arrived.
The 2000 season kicks off tomorrow with the highly anticipated Kansas State-Iowa matchup, so before you wake up early to catch the preview on ESPN's College Football Gameday, here's what you need to know for the season:
First things first, how will the Arizona Wildcats fare this season?
Actually, they won't be as bad as you think. Look closely and you'll see a hungry, talented team donning new gear this fall. The Rose Bowl is a little far off, but there's no reason why the Wildcats can't make a bowl game. They have a strong backfield, a quarterback who finally can call the position his own, an experienced offensive line and a defense that, fortunately, bears little resemblance to last year's.
Who will play in this year's national championship at the Orange Bowl?
The year 2000 will bear an eerie resemblance to the mid-1990s, as Florida State and Nebraska face each other in Miami. Led by experienced quarterbacks Chris Weinke and Eric Crouch, both teams feature an "assaulting" offense and a defense to match. Who will win? History says Nebraska, as Florida State has never won two straight national titles, but there's something about Weinke that makes the 'Noles my pick.
Who will win the Heisman Trophy?
Make no ifs, ands or buts about it. Michael Vick will not win the Heisman Trophy. That doesn't mean the sophomore QB from Virginia Tech isn't phenomenal - he is - but his accomplishments will be overshadowed by a receiver from Michigan, David Terrell. Despite Drew Henson being out for the first game (or more), Terrell will shine in one of the country's best offenses, one that also features the A-Train, RB Anthony Thomas. Like Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson before him, Terrell will dominate and carry the Wolverines to Pasadena.
Which team will be the biggest surprise and the biggest disappointment?
This year's Virginia Tech will be.... Virginia Tech. After losing virtually all of its defense from a year ago, the Hokies still have a high-powered offense and a kid named Vick. Nobody really expects them to be able to do it again, but after watching Vick scamper around Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, do you have any doubts? As for disappointments, it won't necessarily be a specific team, but rather the entire postseason. Nearly half of all Division I-A teams will go to a bowl this season, making all those Music City and Micron PC Bowls uninteresting, unappealing and unwatchable. Will Tucson miss the Insight.com Bowl? Not likely.
Finally, what will be this season's biggest trend?
Big Ten and Pac-10 schools will bicker about everybody not playing each other, leaving the conference championship with something to be desired. Unlike the last two years, Wisconsin won't weasel into the Rose Bowl after losing to Michigan and not facing Penn State again this year, but Washington and USC, the Pac-10's top two teams, will not face each other. Watch for an upset by Oregon State or Arizona to derail one of their Rose Bowl hopes.
