(Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)
With the college football season less than two months away, it's time to start looking at which teams have the capability of lighting up the scoreboard.
This list only features teams that have a trio of weapons on offense, so teams such as Texas (Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley) and Virginia Tech (Tyrod Taylor and Darren Evans) came up one playmaker short.
And now, without further ado:
10. Nevada: QB Colin Kaepernick, RB Vai Taua, and RB Luke Lippincott
What? A WAC team not from Boise? Longtime head coach Chris Ault is hoping his dynamic offense can prevent Boise State from repeating as WAC champions and winning their fifth title in six years.
Junior quarterback Colin Kaepernick will look to feed off the momentum he gained last season after completing 208 passes for 2,849 yards and 22 TDs. Kaepernick, the reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Year, will have help from running backs Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott.
Lippincott, the 2007 WAC rushing leader, looks to bounce back after suffering a knee injury.
In his sixth year of eligibility, Lippincott will try to improve on his stats from '07, when he rushed for 1,420 yards on 267 carries along with 15 touchdowns. However, his replacement Taua had even better numbers last season while he filled in for the injured back. Taua finished with 1,521 yards on 236 carries and 15 TDs.
The Wolf Pack open on the road at Notre Dame with a chance to gain some national attention as they try to unseat the reigning champion Broncos.
9. LSU: RB Charles Scott, WR Brandon LaFell, and WR Trindon Holliday
After failing to reach a double-digit win total for the first time since '04, coach Les Miles and crew will look to their offense to rebound against fellow SEC opponents Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas.
Sophomore Jordan Jefferson takes over at quarterback after Jarrett Lee proved to be just too mistake-prone last season. With the quarterback position still under question, the bulk of the offense falls onto the strong shoulders of running back Charles Scott.
Scott, who finished with 1,174 yards last season on 217 carries and 18 TDs, will share time with Keiland Williams. Senior Brandon LaFell will be Jefferson's primary target entering the season after he finished his '08 campaign with 929 yards, eight touchdowns, and 63 receptions.
Also, Mr. Versatile Trindon Holliday returns and will look to add onto his 2,229 career all-purpose yards. If the Tigers defense holds strong and Jefferson shows consistency, LSU should improve on their eight-win 2008 season.
8. Houston: QB Case Keenum, RB Bryce Beall, and WR Tyron Carrier
First a WAC team and now a Conference USA team? And it's not East Carolina? Unfortunately for C-USA members, quarterback Case Keenum plays for the Cougars. The reigning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year finished the '08 season with an astonishing 5,020 yards passing and 44 TDs.
Keenum's 5,020 yards even surpassed Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford's season total (4,720).
However, if Keenum's arm gets tired, he should have no problem handing off to sophomore Bryce Beall. Beall broke the school's freshman running record and finished third in the conference as he accumulated 1,247 yards including 13 touchdowns.
The player who accounted for over one-fifth of Keenum's 5020 yards last season returns as Tyron Carrier looks to build on his freshman season. Carrier, who like LSU's Holliday is also a track and field star, caught 80 passes for 1,026 yards and nine TDs as he made his case for fastest player in the conference.
Behind Keenum's arm, the Cougars will look to win their first conference title since 2006.
7. BYU: QB Max Hall, RB Harvey Unga, and TE Dennis Pitta
Seventh might be a little low for the Cougars, who are led by Heisman candidate Max Hall. Hall, the 6'1", 201-lb. senior, returns after throwing for 3,957 yards and 35 TDs last season.
Hall, who ranked nationally in the top 10 last season in total offense, must find a new favorite target after the departure of Austin Collie.
Senior tight end Dennis Pitta will try to make the search easier on Hall by looking to improve on his numbers from '08, in which he finished with 1,083 yards on 83 receptions along with six TDs. Pitta was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection in '08.
While trying to find a new target, Hall should feel comfortable handing the ball off to junior Harvey Unga, who is looking to rush for 1,000 yards for the third straight season. Unga rushed for 1,132 yards last season and picked up 11 touchdowns along the way on 240 carries.
The Cougars open up on Sept. 5 against Oklahoma in the Dallas Cowboys' new facility with a chance to gain national attention, along with shaking up the national title picture in the process.
6. Southern Miss: QB Austin Davis, RB Damion Fletcher, and WR DeAndre Brown
Another C-USA team? And still no East Carolina? Thanks to the return of senior running back Damion Fletcher, the Golden Eagles have a good chance of improving on their 4-4 conference record last season.
Fletcher, one of the nation's best backs, finished the '08 season with 1,313 yards on 219 carries along with 10 TDs. Fletcher also caught 33 passes and finished as Conference USA's top rusher.
The person handing off to Fletcher will be Austin Davis. Davis is coming off a stellar freshman season in which he threw for 3,134 yards and 23 touchdowns while trying to figure out coach Larry Fedora's no-huddle offense.
Davis's favorite target is also coming off an outstanding freshman season. Sophomore DeAndre Brown finished with 1,117 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as he helped the Golden Eagles break 36 school records and earn the school's 15th consecutive winning season.
If Brown, who is recovering from a broken leg he suffered in last season's New Orleans Bowl, is fully healthy, the Golden Eagles may use another year of experience to break even more records and possibly even win a conference title.
5 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete