After winning his first two appearances in BCS games, Bob Stoops had already reached the pinnacle of success for his football program during his short tenure as head coach for Oklahoma.  From there his Sooners have had successful regular seasons, but have disappointed in their past four BCS appearances, dropping their last four contests.

Stoops’ team will be in a position to possibly play for the national title again, but another loss would be devastating.  Like the Buffalo Bills in the early '90s or the Detroit Pistons with Flip Saunders, consistently losing at the highest level can take its toll on a program.

Of the coaches in their first years at their respective schools, who will provide the quickest turnaround?

Bo Pelini.  Nebraska could not have been worse on defense last year after yielding 76 and 45 points to Kansas and Oklahoma State, respectively.  Pelini is a former defensive coordinator whose first objective will be to turn around the defense.  The Cornhuskers won’t necessarily earn their Blackshirts back overnight, but Pelini is exactly the type of coach the program needs.

Will Duke win an ACC game this year?

Former Tennessee offensive coordinator and Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe will attempt to do something which has not been seen at Duke since Steve Spurrier did so in the late '80s: consistently win in the ACC.  The first step will be Duke winning a conference game this year.

Cutcliffe seems to have the Blue Devils on the right track.  During spring practices, he had his players collectively lose 1,000 pounds so they could become a faster unit.  Cutcliffe may even be able to get some decent recruits to come to Duke with his recruiting ties in the South.  His players aren’t really there yet, so for now, effort might be able to buy them a game against either UNC or NC State.

Where will Bobby Petrino be at the end of the 2008 season?

Let’s say Arkansas for now, but the fact that there is no definite answer to this question is a bad sign for Razorbacks fans.

Miscellaneous

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