Whither the Powerhouses

by Hal Borkow

Parity reigns throughout college football this year. The 1998 season has treated pigskin fans to numerous upsets. Of The Sporting News’s preseason top five, only Ohio State has remained undefeated.

Florida State, a preseason number one in some polls, lost to North Carolina State. The Wolfpack promptly lost to the mighty Baylor Bears the next week, but N.C. State came back to beat Syracuse in their next game. Michigan fans need no reminder of what that inconsistent Syracuse squad did to the Wolverines.

Meanwhile, the seemingly unbeatable Nebraska Cornhuskers have been proven human. Following their thrashing of the ever-underachieving Washington Huskies, Nebraska lost to Texas A&M. Some have circled Nebraska’s November contest with Kansas State as their most challenging, but I’ll predict here that Nebraska wins that game easily. At least if that happens we won’t have to hear silly Kansas State fans claim that their team gets no respect in college football.

Why all the upsets this year? The answer rests with the great parity this season. None of the preseason top-20 really strike me as being dominant. Also, the current undefeated teams aren’t as solid as their records would indicate.

Kansas State may be undefeated, but their non-conference schedule included Indiana State, Northern Illinois, and Northeast Louisiana. To their credit, the Wildcats beat Colorado in Boulder, but it was not the most impressive of wins. Their November 14 game against Nebraska will be their judgment day. Until they show-up against the Cornhuskers (1997: 56-26 loss) I can’t call Kansas State a legitimate national title team.

The U.C.L.A. Bruins are another unbeaten squad, yet the PAC-10 is a collective defensive liability. While Tennessee deserves credit for their early play as well, I don’t think the ’98 Volunteers are more talented than their ’97 predecessors. If you ask coach Phillip Fulmer who he’d rather have at quarterback and outside linebacker, he’d surely ask for Manning and Leonard Little. Still, Peerless Price and Jermaine Copeland have done a good job filling the void at receiver left by NFL-bound Marcus Nash.

As for number one Ohio State, I’ll admit they are a talented squad. But being a preseason number one (as Ohio State was in the AP poll) is not a good omen, as that distinction rarely holds true for those teams come January 2nd. And, recalling Ohio State’s past performances against Michigan, you could say they are as much choke-artists as they are talented. If the Buckeyes finish 12-0 they’ll deserve all the accolades attendant to national championships. But their thrashing at the hands of Florida State last January is an indelible memory. I just don’t see them as being that strong relative to past number one teams.

Wherefore, then, this apparent lack of stellar teams? You can start by looking at the quarterback position on some of the nation’s most talented squads. Florida State’s Chris Weinke seems to have the Scott Dreisbach syndrome — butterfingers. Wienke’s fumbles almost cost his team in their opening game against Texas A&M. Against N.C. State the proud Seminoles’ offense was held stagnant throughout the contest.

I’ve only seen the Florida Gators play once this year, and that was against Tennessee in an exciting but poorly played game. Florida quarterback Doug Johnson and Tennessee’s Tee Martin traded turns with their errant passes. Meanwhile, with each Florida offensive possession, head coach Steve Spurrier looked like a piece of his soul died. But given Spurrier’s massive ego, he probably thought that he could throw on a helmet and do a better job than Doug Johnson.

Michigan, too, has had trouble at the quarterback spot, as Brian Griese’s departure created some anxiety. I doubt that Lloyd Carr wanted to follow a dual quarterback model, yet that’s exactly how it turned out. Against Notre Dame and Syracuse he benched Tom Brady for Drew Henson, which had to shatter his starter’s confidence. Although Michigan’s early QB troubles led to defeats and no offensive leader, since the MSU game Tom Brady seems to have earned himself the starting spot. His ability to capture the confidence of Lloyd Carr has led to him earning the confidence of his teammates as well.

It’s ironic that the weakest link on college football’s best teams has been at quarterback. With NFL prospects Cade McNown, Brock Huard, Donovan McNabb, Dante Culpepper, and Tim Couch, college football is rich with talent at the postition. But only U.C.L.A.’s McNown has guided his team to a good start. As for the relative parity in college football, it wouldn’t surprise me if on January 2nd no team remained undefeated. I suppose that would be the last thing the pollsters need. MR

This article was published in the 28 October 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 17, Number 3).
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