The Democrats are crowing about the 75,000 people who will pack the Broncos’ home stadium Thursday night to hear Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech, but more than 80,000 are expected to watch the kickoff of something even more important than the election season: College football 2008. Thanks to South Carolina’s decision to entertain North Carolina State, we get an early treat of two BCS conference reps tangling before the summer officially ends.

Neither the Gamecocks nor the Wolfpack will play a prominent role in the national title chase, although USC could well be 5-1 by mid-October, and their late-August matchup is more tasty appetizer than pleasing entrée. By the time Saturday’s bill of fare has been completed, the game will be long-forgotten, especially if Missouri-Illinois and Alabama-Clemson live up to their advance billings. After a long, dry spring and summer of no football, though, fans are craving action. Thanks to South Carolina and NC State (and to a lesser extent, Oregon State and Stanford) for providing it before Labor Day weekend even starts.

Three months from now, we’ll barely remember what happened in the game, much less look back on it with affection. That’s because we’ll be near the end of the puzzle, having put together enough pieces to get an idea of how the final picture will appear. The whole thing is a jumbled mess right now, so making predictions is a bit risky. Fortunately, I love life on the edge, so here is a look at how some of the storylines will play out this year.

Out With The Old

Joe Paterno may say he wants to coach another 35 years, but the fact is Penn State is losing some of the substantial political capital he gained for the school. The recent flood of arrests has created the impression that Paterno has lost control of the program, and worse, is hurting the university’s image. It’s no secret school president Graham Spanier has tried to ease JoePa out the door, but the octogenarian coach refuses to go quietly. So, he might have to go loudly. If Penn State contends for the Big Ten title, Paterno may get to have a farewell tour in ’09. If the Lions — as expected — win seven or eight games and remain out of the national eye, Spanier may flex his muscles and replace Paterno with Rutgers coach (and former PSU assistant) Greg Schiano. The same thing applies to Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, whose team is floundering and whose reputation as the ultimate recruiting closer has taken a huge hit. He could be gone after this year, with replacement-in-the-wings Jimbo Fisher taking over.

Best of an Era

Florida coach Urban Meyer is understandably proud of Heisman-winning QB Tim Tebow, but calling him the “Greatest player of our era,” after just one (albeit outstanding) season is a little ridiculous. Tebow was a sensation last year, accounting for more than 70 percent of the Gator offense, but UF lost four times in ‘07, including to a four-loss Michigan team in the Capital One Bowl. If Tebow is to be considered one of the greatest ever, he’ll need to author another remarkable statistical campaign and lead the Gators to an SEC championship — and beyond. Otherwise, he runs the risk of joining others as tremendous numbers guys who didn’t produce titles. Tebow will be the early favorite for the Heisman, but he will be challenged by Ohio State running back Beanie Wells, Missouri QB Chase Daniel, who might complete 75 percent of his passes this year, and the Georgia entry of QB Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno.

On The Rise

Ron Zook has received a lot of attention — and notoriety — for his transformation of Illinois from a doormat to a Big Ten contender. For instance, everybody loves those recruits from the D.C. area, yet everybody wonders how Zook got them to come to Champaign. Anyway, the Illini’s growth is impressive, but the Big Ten team to watch this year is Michigan State, which under second-year coach Mark Dantonio is finally shedding the program’s reputation for bonehead play. If the Spartans beat California Saturday, they could be 7-0 when they host OSU Oct. 18. Other programs expected to continue their rises this year are Sylvester Croom’s Mississippi State team, North Carolina under super recruiter Butch Davis and Colorado.

Hot, Hotter, Hottest

This isn’t about cheerleaders or rising stars but the pressure put on coaches who need to win this year. Leading the way is Syracuse coach Greg Robinson, whose Orange team has struggled mightily under his tenure, and whose AD, Darryl Gross, may be on the way out as well. Washington’s Ty Willingham had better win six games this year, or he’ll be looking for work, and Arizona boss Mike Stoops needs a bowl invitation to secure his position, especially with an easy early slate that could set up a 6-0 start. Among the hot candidates to replace deposed coaches are East Carolina’s Skip Holtz, Boise State’s Chris Petersen and Temple’s Al Golden.

The Envelope, Please

Enough with the story lines. Here’s how it’s going to go this year: Major conference winners will be Ohio State in the Big Ten, Virginia Tech in the ACC, Oklahoma in the Big 12, Florida in the SEC, USC in the Pac-10 and West Virginia in the Big East. No non-BCS team will go undefeated, so don’t go looking for “this year’s Hawaii/Boise State/Utah.” Appalachian State will not beat LSU. Notre Dame will win eight games and play in a middle-of-the-road bowl. The BCS formula will continue to be a joke surpassed only by the IOC’s belief in the “official” age of Chinese female gymnasts. And Ohio State will beat Oklahoma for the BCS title next January.

Game of the Week
Missouri vs. Illinois, Aug. 30, 8:30 p.m. ET in St. Louis

People don’t realize how intense a border rivalry this is, and given the teams’ lofty aspirations for the ’08 season, this matchup should be a doozy. The Tigers want to leave no question about their BCS bowl worth this year, and whipping the resurgent Illini will go a long way toward that goal. Illinois, meanwhile, is trying to sustain the momentum created by last year’s nine-win season, and a win over the Tigers would do just that. Figure on Mizzou’s experience to be the difference.
Missouri 31, Illinois 27

Bumps and Runs

Expect to see a lot of new faces in the Alabama lineup against Clemson Saturday night. Nick Saban says as many as 10 freshmen could see time, including ubertalented receiver Julio Jones.

Give credit to Miami coach Randy Shannon for suspending starting QB Robert Marve for the ‘Canes’ season opener in response to an incident last Halloween. By sitting him, Shannon is giving the passer no live action before Miami’s Sept. 6 showdown with Florida. Character counts in Coral Gables.

Don’t expect Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez to stick with one quarterback during much of the season. In fact, he could go with four — Steven Threet, Nick Sheridan, Justin Feagin and even running back Carlos Brown.

Tennessee and Auburn, two traditionally hide-bound pound-it-out ground teams, will be spreading the field and throwing it more this year, in an attempt to score points more easily. Or so they say. We’ll see if Phillip Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville can handle the wide-open life.

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