With two teams coming off bad seasons and heading into new ones, one key factor to look into is the offensive line. The Huskies have experience in the line but it is considered the weakest in the Pac Ten and with a new quarterback handling the ball, that is a huge disadvantage. On the other side, DeBerry has called the offensive line one of the team's strengths. With sophomore quarterback Shaun Carney's ability to run and pass, Air Force's offensive line has to and will be versatile.

With five seniors, including tight end Robert McMenomy, and one junior projected as starters, there is experience everywhere on the offensive line. And to top it off, it is a very deep unit. Carney is back at quarterback to lead a triple-option offense that led the Mountain West Conference in rushing (277.4 ypg) last season and was second in total offense (425.5 ypg). Unlike Air Force quarterbacks of the past, he can actually throw the ball as well.

He threw for 1,315 yards, 11 touchdowns and had a 151.1 quarterback efficiency rating. Receiver Jason Brown is big and fast and is going to be the main target. Washington did have a decent secondary coming into the fall but that is no longer the case. Projected starting cornerback Matt Fountaine did not play in the final scrimmage while being tested for an undisclosed condition. That could be a big blow to the defense, as Fountaine is the only returning cornerback with significant game experience for the Huskies.

The quarterback situation is a mess and while the running game was going to be the strength to start the season, even that is a problem. RB Kenny James has been slow to recover from a shoulder sprain and hasn't been able to do much in practice and has sat out quite a bit. The Falcons has problems last year stopping the run as last year's defensive line was porous, giving up 200 ypg. The line was plagued by inconsistent play and to rectify the situation, the coaches are letting the line play more freely this season.

Washington ended its 1-10 season by averaging the fewest points per game and giving up the most turnovers in the country. The turnovers should balance out this year but there doesn.5?t look to be any help for the offense. During the Purple and Gold spring game, the final score ended up 3-0 and that wasn.5?t because the defense was a force. Air Force looks like the better team early on and with DeBerry.5?s success following a bad year, I expect them to get out of the game quickly. Play Air Force Falcons One Unit

The Scarlet Knights bring back most of the pieces from the 40th ranked total offense in the country. The rushing game was awful but a lot of that was due to injuries and the success of the passing game. Optimism is even greater this season due to a large number of veterans and an offense that could be dynamic if it cuts back on turnovers. Turnovers have been a huge problem with Rutgers' otherwise strong offense in recent seasons but the tide should turn, as this is a trend that tends to reverse itself.

Head coach Greg Schiano is taking over the defensive coordinator duties this season and if fall camp is any indication, this defense will be much better. The players are buying into his style and don.5?t forget, he was the defensive coordinator at Miami in 1999-2000. He has been extremely excited with the relentless play of the defense during camp that says it has put last year's debacle out of mind. There are all sorts of problems with the Illinois offense so the Scarlet Knights stop unit should start the season strong.

First off, Illinois will go into the season with a first-year quarterback in Tim Brasic. Brasic has just one pass attempt in his first two seasons with the Illini. That won.5?t help an offense that ranked 9th in the Big Ten last season and 88th in the country. A new offense and new receivers won.5?t help either. Sophomore DaJuan Warren and freshman Jody Ellis fill the three-receiver first string after starting their careers at another position. Warren arrived as a quarterback. Ellis came here as a defensive back.

Offensive line is a mess also. New head coach Ron Zook said, .5?We'll go through some growing pains because there's only a couple of guys on the offensive line that have a lot of playing time. They have the ability; we just don't know what they can do. They've never played..5? The Illini defense has a lot of holes to plug as well and the building process figures to take time. Illinois ranked 10th in scoring defense last season and it added up to a tie for last place with Indiana.

Rutgers defeated a much better Big Ten team last season, Michigan St., and the Scarlet Knight have prospered in this position in the past. Rutgers is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 as a non-conference road dog and I have it pegged as a four-point favorite here so the value we are getting is huge. This game is very important for both teams but it won.5?t come down to who wants it more, it comes down to talent and execution and Rutgers has the advantage in both. Play Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1.5 Units

As good as the Ohio St. defense is, the Miami offense is a potent bunch and it will give Ohio St. Some trouble. Josh Betts had a miserable game in his opener last season against another Big Ten school Michigan, but that was his first ever start and now he has a full season under his belt. He ranked 13th nationally in total offense with 276.6 yards per game, including nine games with at least 240 yards passing in new head coach Shane Montgomery's aerial offense.

He has plenty to throw to, as a healthy Martin Nance will give Miami a frightening one-two punch at wide receiver. Ryne Robinson established himself as perhaps the most explosive player in the MAC last season when he caught 64 passes for 932 yards and four touchdowns, returned two punts for touchdowns, and had two other punt returns for TD.5?s called back. All of the talk is about the return game of Ohio St. return man Ted Ginn but it wouldn.5?t be surprising to see Robinson match the effort.

The offensive line returns five players with starting experience and while the loss of Luke Clemens at running back will sting, Brandon Murphy adds an explosive element to the game that was sorely missing from 2004. The Buckeyes are not going to shut this offense down especially because for the second straight year, Ohio State had to replace its defensive coordinator when Mark Snyder left in the spring to become head coach at Marshall.

Miami is tagged with the best defense in the MAC coming into this season. Taver Johnson will serve as defensive coordinator and his high-pressure style out of his base 4-3 is sure to wreak havoc in offensive backfields. Nine seniors will be starting for the defense that finished 34th in total defense in 2004. They allowed 88 points to Michigan and Cincinnati but allowed only 19.1 ppg in their other 11 games. Like Ohio St., the entire linebacking core returns intact with Terna Nande and John Busing being three-year starters.

Quarterback Troy Smith is out serving a one-game suspension and his absence hurts Ohio St. Zwick came to Columbus with a lot of expectations but he has not been up to the challenge. During the five-game stint with Smith as a starter last season, they averaged 364 total yards and won four times. They went 4-3 with Zwick and averaged just 302 yards. This game is going to be closer than most people think and the RedHawks will put a slight scare into the Buckeyes. Play Miami Ohio RedHawks One Unit