Another college edifice [i]or[/i] b...

Another college edifice [i]or[/i] building football season is upon us. A 12-game, five-BCS- goblet start-the-clock-on-kickoffs college football season.

crimpage up your chin strap. obtain your tailgate or your La-Z-Boy ready.

And obstacle the arguments begin in the best sport that doesn't know in what manner to crown a champion. Or maybe the best sport, period.

Here's a first-and-10 of topics to start the debates:

1 THE DYNAMIC DUO

Ohio State and Notre Dame fans might be rejoicing at coming gone out of the gate No. 1 and No. 2 in the Associated Pres head But coaches Jim Tressel and Charlie Weis are savvy enough to know that can be a lading as well as an accolade.

the two teams have a lot of questions to answer onward defense before they can main division a return to suburban Phoenix for a rematch of last year's Fiesta receptacle in this year's national championship game.

More to the point, a slew of teams could wind up playing Jan. 8 at Glendale Stadium.

In a departure from fresh years, in which two or three teams stood on the outside as most likely to succe everyone from the Buckeye and Irish in succession down has big questions.

USC will be inexperienced at quarterback and tailback. Texas and LSU also have quarterback questions. Auburn's defense is fast still undersized. West Virginia's spread offense will ne to keep possession of up over the long haul.

Florida has an awkward fit at quarterback and a brutal schedule. Oklahoma and Cal must justify they're ready to unseat Texas and USC in their respective leagues. Perennial powers Florida State, Miami and Michigan are one time again talented enough to be lurking -- especially this year.

"I don't think I've perpetually seen a season where with equal reason many teams have a chance," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden who has seen a haphazard of seasons, told the Sporting freshs "Everybody has a flaw."

Or, as Penn State's Joe Paterno offer it, "There's not a team disclosed there where you say, 'They await like they've got it all."'

2 THE ON-THE-SPOT TRIO

No doubt, the passion is what makes association football so compelling. But it also uses up the heat on body football coaches.

That's especially steady in the Chicago area, where our top three local heroes face difficult missions.

Considering the preseason hype anything les than a serious go proceed at the national championship, and persons will be talking about to what extent Weis underachieved with Notre Dame. Last year's surprising succes which created this year's great expectations, will be ancient history.

If Ron Zook can't point out progress at Illinois, his recruiting coup won't be enough to bring back Illini fans who cast up the days until basketball season arrives.

At Northwestern, 31-year-old Pat Fitzgerald faces the difficult task of keeping the Wildcats overachieving. He'll have to do it while breaking in a just discovered quarterback and handling the shocking death of his energetic predecessor, Randy Walker. If it doesn't go on well, Fitzgerald will find not at home just how tough a business he's in.

3 THE UNSUNG the same

Who has the best team in Illinois? The skilfuls say it's not the fellas from the buttoned-down Big Ten Rather, it's the little stay peeking through the cornstalks in DeKalb.

Ye Northern Illinois, the preseason favorite in the Mid- American parley stacks up as the best Division I team in the state.

Illinois, which is trying to wake up its be in possession of echoes, should take heart from the experience of NIU, which has become a MAC power since going 3-30 during Joe Novak's first three years.

Northwestern, which escaped the jaws of the Huskies 38-37 last fall, checked in as this year's preseason runner-up

The Illini, meanwhile, should be glad that the directional state denomination that's coming to Champaign in succession Sept. 2 answers to Eastern rather than Northern. Maybe down the road when Zook has his pieces in place.

Preseason rankings among the 119 Division I-A teams

Publication NIU NU ILL

Athlon 48 56 89

Lindy's 55 62 76

Phil Steele 56 65 75

Sporting recently made knowns 32 77 85

4 COACHING CAROUSEL heavys

After 23 modern coaches were ushered in last season, this was a quiet offseason for coaching changes. simply 11 schools have new coaches, including Northwestern, which promot Fitzgerald after Walker's shocking death.

Fitzgerald, 31 is united of four new coaches in the power parleys The others are Bret Bielema, 36 who stairs in at Wisconsin for the retired Barry Alvarez; Dan Hawkins, 45 the Boise State energizer who takes through the whole extent of for Gary Barnett at Colorado; and former Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince, 36 who follows Kansas State legend Bill Snyder

In an intriguing potential stepping-stone incite former Wheaton North/Iowa/Detroit Lions quarterback push Long is the new bos at San Diego State after serving as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator the last four years.

5 FEELING THE HEAT

Here are three reverenceed coaches who need to propel their teams in the right direction this fall or hear increasing offseason grumbling:

- Bill Callahan, Nebraska: In his third year in the easily moulded Big 12 North, expectations are mounting.