Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: It's assumed that the Heisman Trophy is Luck's to lose after finishing second in the 2010 voting. The senior All-American completed 70.7 percent of his passes last year for 3,338 yards, 32 TDs and eight interceptions.
Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama: With former Heisman winner Mark Ingram gone, Richardson steps into the spotlight for the Crimson Tide. The junior rushed for 700 yards on just 112 carries last season. He had 751 yards and eight TDs on 145 carries in 2009.
Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma: The junior already owns seven school passing records, including completions (371) and attempts (568) in a season. Last year, he threw for 300-plus yards nine times and had four or more touchdown passes in four games.
LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: He was the Ducks' first unanimous All-American last season and finished third in the Heisman voting after leading the nation with 1,731 rushing yards as a sophomore. He ran for 21 touchdowns and added three more on receptions.
Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State: The senior enters the season as the NCAA active career leader in passing efficiency (166.74) and wins by a quarterback (38). He was a Heisman finalist a year ago and was named the nation's top quarterback by The Touchdown Club of Columbus (Ohio).
Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: Martinez racked up a boatload of honors as a freshman last season. A dual-threat quarterback, Martinez passed for 1,631 yards and 10 TDs last season and rushed for 965 yards and 12 scores.
The NCAA instituted some new rules this season. We know, boring, but we don't want you jumping off the couch and yelling "What was that?!" after one of the guys in stripes waves off a TD.
Taunting. This one could take points off the board. Any player who makes a taunting gesture on the way to the end zone will be penalized on the spot, the score will be wiped out and the ball set back 15 yards. Same rules apply for after a TD is scored, with the penalty assessed on the kickoff. Deion Sanders would be so disappointed.
10-second rundown. If a team commits a foul to stop the clock in the final minute of each half, the opponent has the option of running 10 seconds off the clock and taking the yardage penalty. They also could take the yards without the time or decline the yards and the time. We're guessing they'll take both.
Intentional grounding. This rule was changed to reflect what the NFL does. A receiver no longer has to have a reasonable chance to catch a pass, he only has to be in the area of the pass to prevent intentional grounding. Removes some of the guess work for the officials.
Coaches' video monitors. This rule allows video monitors in the coaches' boxes upstairs, helping them determine whether they want to ask for a video review.
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Virginia Tech. Behind rising star and Heisman contender Aaron Murray, the Bulldogs are the surprise SEC runners up. An ACC team receiving an at-large BCS might seem strange, but check out the Hokies' schedule and try to find two games they'll lose.
Orange Bowl:Florida State vs. West Virginia. Only a loss to Oklahoma keeps the Seminoles out of the national title game. The Mountaineers win the Big East as Dana Holgorsen replaces Chip Kelly as this season's offensive genius.
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon. Speaking of Kelly and the Ducks, they win a third straight Pac-10/12 title, aided by not having to face USC in the conference title game. Elusive QB Russell Wilson helps the Badgers make it two straight trips to the Rose Bowl.
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Boise State. If the Fighting Irish are eligible for the BCS — it'll take at least nine victories — they'll be picked. Kellen Moore and the Broncos start the season with a victory against Georgia and close it with the program's third trip to the BCS.
BCS title game: Alabama vs. Oklahoma. When 'Bama reached the national title game in 2009, it was with a first-year starting QB, a ferocious defense and an All-American tailback. Same deal this time. Oklahoma runs the table and reaches the title game for the fifth time.
Saturday, Oregon vs. LSU at Cowboys Stadium. Two teams expected to compete for a national championship in Jerry Jones' football fantasyland — hard to kick off the season any better than this.
Nov. 5, LSU at Alabama. Tigers, Tide and talent. Enough said.
Nov. 12, Oregon at Stanford. Biggest game on the Pac-12 schedule was a shootout last year and will feature some of the most talented players in the country.
Nov. 26, Alabama at Auburn. The Iron Bowl was a thriller last year, but the hype of this year's game likely will hinge on whether the Tigers can get through a tough early schedule to beat the SEC-favorite Tide.
Dec. 3, Oklahoma at Oklahoma State. The Sooners are the preseason No. 1 and have won eight straight in the series, but the Cowboys are talented, at home and would love to knock Oklahoma out of a potential run at the national championship.
Houston Nutt, Mississippi. After a pair of nine-win seasons Nutt's first two years on the job, the Rebels dropped to 4-8 last season. There's not a lot of patience in the Southeastern Conference, but Nutt does have a big contract with two years left on it that might save him from the ax.
Dennis Erickson, Arizona State. Expectations are hotter than the temperature in the desert, and Erickson likely will need to come close to living up to them after three bowl-less seasons in Tempe.
Mark Richt, Georgia. Richt has two SEC titles under his belt and 80 wins his first eight seasons, but the Bulldogs have been mediocre the past two years, winning 14 games. For a program that hopes to compete for national titles, that's not good enough. But, like Nutt, Richt does have a good contract on his side.
Paul Wulff, Washington State. Even with progress that was made last season, the Cougars have won five games in three years and two of their past 27 conference games.
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA. Neuheisel's return to his alma mater hasn't gone quite as planned, and the Bruins haven't been able to make up ground on SoCal rival USC. Maybe those two new coordinators Neuheisel hired will make the difference this season. If not, he could be headed out.
Mike Locks-ley, New Mexico. Two victories in two seasons and off-the-field problems aren't a good combination.
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