A brief look around the rest of the country Big East

With a host of new coaches and an improved bowl lineup, the Big East is going to have a new look. That will start at the top, where Pittsburgh has the talent and experience to win the title for the first time under Coach Dave Wannstedt. Defensive end Greg Romeus was the Big East defensive player of the year in 2009, and Pitt has one of the country's best running backs in Dion Lewis.

Running back Noel Devine of West Virginia is almost as good as Lewis, and the Mountaineers will be right behind the Panthers. Cincinnati might have the best offense, and unlike West Virginia and Pittsburgh, Cincinnati has an experienced quarterback in Zach Collaros, who started four games last season and has solid receivers. If the defense can improve under the first-year Coach Butch Jones, the Bearcats could repeat.

Running back Jordan Todman is a rising star for UConn, which might be relying too heavily on him. Tom Savage of Rutgers is the most experienced quarterback in the conference, but a shaky offensive line could hold him back. Skip Holtz takes over at South Florida for Jim Leavitt, who had been the only coach in the program's history. Charlie Strong, the former defensive coordinator at Florida, takes over at Louisville, which has struggled recently.

Big Ten

After a couple of lean years, the Big Ten is feeling good about itself after last season ended with two of its teams winning BCS bowl games. Yet again, Ohio State is the favorite in the conference, and one of the top contenders for the national title. Junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor seems poised for a breakout season and will be surrounded by a deep group of running backs and strong receivers. Defensive end Cameron Heyward led the Buckeyes in sacks last season and returns as one of the leaders of what should be a tough defense. The biggest roadblock could be games at Iowa and Wisconsin, Ohio State's closest challengers in the conference.

Iowa returns quarterback Ricky Stanzi (18-4 as a starter) and has a solid defense led by end Adrian Clayborn but has an unproven offensive line. Wisconsin will be physical on offense up front and hand the ball to John Clay, perhaps the Big Ten's best back. Penn State's Evan Royster is another great back, and Nittany Lions guard Stefen Wisniewski is one of the league's top linemen. Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins had a nice first season as a starter and will be throwing to an underrated group of receivers. This is a make-or-break season for Coach Rich Rodriguez at Michigan.

Big 12

The Big 12 will live up to its name for one more season. Next year, Nebraska and Colorado will depart for the Big Ten and the Pacific-10, respectively.

The Cornhuskers are the team to beat in the Big 12 North, thanks to a stifling defense that Coach Bo Pelini says will be "five times better" than it was in 2009. Nebraska's offense remains a concern. In contrast, Missouri has a potent offense led by quarterback Blaine Gabbert, but also has question marks on defense. Missouri's longtime rival Kansas has a new coach, Turner Gill, who knows a little something about winning in the Big 12.

Iowa State will find if difficult to match last season's 7-6 finish while adding Texas and Oklahoma to its schedule. The worst team in the North? Colorado, with each season under Dan Hawkins bringing a new low.

The story remains the same in the South: Texas and Oklahoma. Although Texas is likely to take a step back, Oklahoma seems poised for a run at the BCS title. Texas A&M has the offense, but needs to get stops on defense. The new coach at Texas Tech, Tommy Tuberville, has a defensive background and will keep Mike Leach's Air Raid offense in place. Given Oklahoma State's many losses, another top-25 finish would be a major surprise. Baylor is still waiting to reach bowl eligibility under Art Briles; a healthy Robert Griffin at quarterback will help.

SEC

Alabama returns nearly every player from last year's offense, including its starting quarterback, top wide receiver and Heisman Trophy-winning running back. The defense has holes, but Coach Nick Saban will have this group ready to go.

The Crimson Tide's rival, Auburn, is bordering on being a top-25 team in Coach Gene Chizik's second season. The Tigers are excited about quarterback Cameron Newton's potential in Gus Malzahn's offense. Louisiana State has dreams of upsetting the Crimson Tide and winning the West. It will be hard to do with the Tigers' offense, even if quarterback Jordan Jefferson continues to improve.

Arkansas has its own Heisman contender in quarterback Ryan Mallett, a Michigan transfer. Like Auburn, the Razorbacks are a fringe top-25 team. Mississippi's biggest question mark, quarterback, became a strength after Jeremiah Masoli transferred from Oregon. How good is the SEC West? Barring an upset or two, Mississippi State will come in last.

Florida still controls the far weaker East. Georgia has a new quarterback and defensive coordinator. South Carolina has the defense, but how far it goes depends on quarterback Stephen Garcia. Tennessee hired Derek Dooley to clean up the mess left by Lane Kiffin, and he has his work cut out for him. There's little depth at quarterback, and the Volunteers' overall talent level is lower than usual. Vanderbilt will go forward without Bobby Johnson, who stepped down as coach in July.

Pac-10

Even if Southern California goes undefeated, it will not be eligible for the postseason. USC's probation makes Oregon's road a little easier. The offense will miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, but the Ducks will not have trouble scoring. They have averaged 38.7 points over the last three years, or since Coach Chip Kelly began calling the plays.

Running back Jacquizz Rodgers, a Heisman Trophy contender, paces Oregon State's offense. His brother James is the team's leading receiver. Stanford must replace Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart, and sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck becomes the face of the program. Stanford's biggest problem is on defense, prompting Jim Harbaugh's decision to play Owen Marecic both ways. For Marecic, it will be block, tackle, play special teams, grab a drink of water, repeat for 60 minutes.

Few expect big things from California, and that usually helps the Golden Bears. UCLA has yet to find its stride on offense under Coach Rick Neuheisel but returns a starting quarterback (Kevin Prince) for the first time in his tenure. The pieces are in place for Arizona to make its third consecutive bowl trip, a program first. Washington has Jake Locker, an early favorite to be the top pick in next year's NFL draft despite an 8-20 record as a starter. Arizona State has gone 11-18 since it was 8-0 under Coach Dennis Erickson in 2007. Even with sophomore linebacker Vontaze Burfict tackling everything in sight, that record probably will not improve.

Elsewhere

• CONFERENCE USA: Houston is thinking about the title after losing to East Carolina in last season's championship game, and Case Keenum and talented receivers James Cleveland, Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards will give the Cougars the chance to prove that offense, every now and then, can win championships.

In the East, where defense rules, Central Florida is the favorite after leading the league in defense the past two seasons and returning the 2009 defensive player of the year, end Bruce Miller. Southern Mississippi also has nine starters back on defense and hopes to challenge for the title.

• MID-AMERICAN: The pecking order is difficult to forecast. Temple has emerged as a MAC power in just three seasons in the conference under Coach Al Golden and is an overwhelming favorite to win the Eastern Division, but Ohio, last year's division champ, remains a consistent contender under Coach Frank Solich.

In the Western Division, Central Michigan has been the team to beat in recent years, but will be in a transition year as it replaces Coach Butch Jones and FBS record-setting quarterback Dan LeFevour (150 career TDs running and passing). That could work in favor of Northern Illinois, which returns six starters on offense and all 11 from a defense that was 30th in the nation last season.

• MOUNTAIN WEST: Coach Gary Patterson has a bona fide power at Texas Christian, after a 12-1 season and No. 6 ranking in the final AP poll, and another stacked team, led by senior quarterback Andy Dalton. TCU also has a loaded defense that in 2009 was the nation's best for the second straight season. The Horned Frogs will have their sights on another league title, and possible BCS title, but first must navigate a nonconference schedule that includes Oregon State and a conference schedule that isn't exactly a cakewalk, especially with a visit to Utah on Nov. 6.

Elsewhere, Utah remains a contender with 12 starters back, including eight on offense; BYU returns a solid nucleus from an 11-2 team but must replace quarterback Max Hall (3,000-plus yards passing) and RB Harvey Unga (three straight 1,000-yard seasons); and Air Force could be a factor as it returns its entire backfield of fullback Jared Tew, tailback Asher Clark and quarterbacks Connor Dietz and Tim Jefferson.

• SUN BELT: The consensus among league coaches has Middle Tennessee State and Troy as the favorites and the only teams with chances to run the table because of favorable nonconference schedules. Middle Tennessee won 10 games last season, including the New Orleans Bowl, and Troy has won or shared the league crown the past four seasons.

Middle Tennessee has an experienced quarterback in senior Dwight Dasher. Troy will have a new quarterback after Levi Brown's departure to the NFL, either junior Jamie Hampton or redshirt freshman Corey Robinson, but is formidable otherwise.

After those two, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette seem like possible darkhorses. Arkansas State has the reigning defensive player of the year in DE Bryan Hall; Louisiana-Lafayette has a legitimate receiving threate in DE Ladarius Green but mist re-establish a running game that disappeared last year.

• WESTERN ATHLETIC: Boise State's reign can last only one more season, and it seems that it will. The Broncos have 10 starters back from their unbeaten Fiesta Bowl winner, and are easily favored to win an eighth title since joining the WAC in 2001. Quarterback Kellen Moore (64 TDs, 7,000-plus yards in two seasons as a starter) leads the way.

Elsewhere, Nevada had three players rush for more than 1,000 yards last season and two return from a team that suffered its only league loss to Boise State, and Fresno State has eight starters back on offense and eight back on defense but must replace RB Ryan Matthews (school-record 1,808 yards rushing).