Contenders, pretenders head into Week 3
Jay Heater
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
A couple of weeks into the NCAA
football season, fans probably have a
good idea which teams stink. How
ever, trying to figure out whether
some of the 2-0 “surprise” teams are
any good remains a puzzle.
Here is a look at a few of those
squads and whether their fans
should be making bowl travel plans.
Kentucky
Quarterback Jared Lorenzen is a
man on a mission. After a 2-9 season
in 2001, his Wildcats could make
some people take notice in the SEC.
After nipping a solid Louisville team
in the opener (22-17), Kentucky
pounded UTEP 77-17. With games
against defensively challenged Indi
ana and Middle Tennessee State, the
‘Gats should be 4-0 before SEC play
begins with a game at Florida. Don’t
expect miracles, but this could be
the turnaround of the year.
Minnesota
The fraud opponent award has
been passed from Kansas State to
Minnesota, which has lined up a list
of Who’s Horrible opponents. A 4-7
team a year ago, the Golden Go
phers have raced out of the gate by
feeding upon Southwest Texas (42
0) and Louisiana-Lafayette (35-11).
Next up are Toledo and Buffalo,
which means Minnesota should be
4-0 going into its Big Ten opener at
Purdue. When Glen Mason’s crew
gets into the Big Ten, bet the other
guys. It’s hard to sharpen those com
petitive teeth on cream puffs.
Kansas State
After the Wildcats fell to 6-6 last
season, fans in Manhattan probably
are wondering whether the bottom
has dropped out on coach Bill Sny
der. A 2-0 start with romps over
Western Kentucky (48-3) and
Louisiana-Monroe (68-0) just proves
the Wildcats are better than Min
nesota. This Saturday’s home game
against Eastern Illinois is more proof
that a shark can swallow a minnow.
Snyder has just 10 returning starters
from last season’s team, and the Big
12 should be tougher than ever.
Don’t expect the Wildcats to be do
ing any major bowling soon, unless
they join a pee-wee league.
Missouri
The Tigers’ 33-20 win over Illinois in
their opener gives some legitimacy to
thoughts of a rebirth in Columbia, Mo.,
after a 4-7 2001. They followed up by
hammering Ball State 41-6 and should
go to 4-0 as Bowling Green and Troy
State are next in line. Unfortunately
for second-year coach Gary Pinkel, his
team has to open Big 12 play against
Oklahoma and Nebraska back-to
back. Getting six or seven wins does
n’t seem likely, but don’t count out a
minor bowl berth for Missouri.
California
The Golden Bears, 1-10 a year
ago, feasted on a couple of bottom
feeders, Baylor and New Mexico
State, but will get a real test against
No. 15-ranked Michigan State on
Saturday in East Lansing. Fortunate
ly for new coach Jeff Tedford, he has
a senior-laden team that has ab
sorbed a new system quickly. Unfor
tunately for Tedford, he doesn’t have
enough depth to get through a sea
son’s worth of pounding. Three or
four more wins would make Tedford
a coach of the year candidate.
Air Force
With only three offensive starters
returning from the 2001 squad that
went 6-6, the Falcons have scored 90
points in wins over Northwestern
and New Mexico. Although Air Force
plays at Gal on Sept. 21, the real test
will be its game on Sept. 28 at Utah.
If Fisher DeBerry’s team passes that
test, bowl possibilities are real for a
team that eventually will face BIT,
Notre Dame and Colorado State.
© 2002, Contra Costa Times (Walnut
Creek, Calif.). Distributed by Knight
Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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"Providence of a Sparrow:
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For more about the author visit www.uobookstore.com
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