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Catfight Set to Kickoff '99 Season

© Chuck Bednar

Its seemed like an eternity, but this weekend marks the return of college football. And what better way to kick things off then a marquee match-up between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Arizona in the Pigskin Classic.

The game should be a classic match-up of high-powered Pac-10 offense against hard-nosed Big 10 defense. The Wildcats, who were 12-1 and seventh-ranked in the BCS last season, is loaded on offense. Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins will once again rotate calling the plays, and you can be that the lion's share will feature conference rushing leader Trung Candidate. But the Nittany Lions (9-3) will counter with an exceptional defense, led by the best linebacking tandem in the nation -- LaVar Arrington and Brandon Short.

But Arizona seems to have an advantage defensively against the Penn State offense. The Wildcats return eight of 11 starters on defense. The loss of CB Chris McAllister will hurt them this season, but not against a weak Penn State passing attack. As long as LB Marcus Bell and the front seven can contain RBs Eric McCoo, Aaron Harris, and Cordell Mitchell, Arizona should be able to open their season with a win.

In the only other matchup of Top 25 teams this week, Ohio State meets Miami in the Kickoff Classic on Sunday. This should be a tough battle, and it will be a good test for the Buckeyes, who have several key players to replace on both sides of the ball. A Hurricanes victory certainly wouldn't be an upset.

Also on tap this weekend...

Florida State vs. Louisana Tech -- There's a lot of noise coming out of Tallahassee that this year's Seminole defense will be stronger and faster than the '98 unit. Several of last year's starters, namely cornebacks Mario Edwards and Tay Cody, could be replaced by newer recruits. Tim Rattay and a deep corps of Bulldog receivers should prove an interesting test to see if this unit is as good as advertised.

As long as Chris Weinke is at 50%, the game itself is just a formality. With nine out of 11 starters back on offense, including all-everything receiver Peter Warrick, two-time 1,000 rusher Travis Minor, and the entire offensive line. The Tech defensive line is weak and the FSU offense is just too much for the 'Dogs to content with. Rattay will keep the score close, though; look for a shootout like Tech's game with Nebraska last season.