Team: Oklahoma

Nickname: Sooners

Conference: Big 12 (South)

Location: Norman, Okla.

Coach: Bob Stoops (11th year, 109-24)

Last Bowl: 2009 BCS Championship

Last season: 12-2, 8-1

Big Game Bob and his boys lost their fifth straight BCS game in the national championship, losing to Florida. The Sooners return a huge amount of talent, with three possible top 10 NFL picks. An offense...read more

Team: Southern California

Nickname: Trojans

Conference: Pac-10

Location: Los Angeles

Coach: Pete Carroll (9th year, 88-15)

Last Bowl: 2009 Rose

Last season: 12-1, 8-1

Another year, another 10-plus win season, another Pac-10 title, another BCS game win — it's pretty routine now for the men of Troy. Key starters depart the nation's best defense, and a true freshman...read more

Team: Penn State

Nickname: Nittany Lions

Conference: Big Ten

Location: State College, Pa.

Coach: Joe Paterno (44th year, 383-127-3)

Last Bowl: 2009 Rose

Last season: 11-2, 7-1

Remember a few years ago when fans clamored for JoePa to retire? Well, that bandwagon is just about empty as the Nittany Lions are primed to make another run at a BCS game with its top rusher and passer...read more

Team: LSU

Nickname: Tigers

Conference: Southeastern (West)

Location: Baton Rouge, La.

Coach: Les Miles (5th year, 42-11; 70-32 career)

Last Bowl: 2008 Chick-fil-A

Last season: 8-5, 3-5

With another year of experience at quarterback, the Tigers should return to the top 10. Three different starters were used, but the team has settled on versatile sophomore Jordan Jefferson heading...read more

Team: Oklahoma State

Nickname: Cowboys

Conference: Big 12 (South)

Location: Stillwater, Okla.

Coach: Mike Gundy (5th year, 27-23)

Last Bowl: 2008 Holiday

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

Last season was a huge success for the Cowboys, which Gundy parlayed into a huge new contract. However, they did lose three of their last four games, giving up 159 points in those losses. Still, no other...read more

Team: Virginia Tech

Nickname: Hokies

Conference: Atlantic Coast (Coastal)

Location: Blacksburg, Va.

Coach: Frank Beamer (23rd year, 177-89-2; career: 219-112-4)

Last Bowl: 2009 Orange

Last season: 10-4, 6-3

Beamer is the nation's third-longest tenured coach, but somehow isn't mentioned among the elite —which is a shame. His squad is once again among the nation's...read more

Team: Oregon

Nickname: Ducks

Conference: Pac-10

Location: Eugene, Ore.

Coach: Chip Kelly (first season, career: 0-0)

Last bowl: 2008 Holiday

Last season: 10-3, 7-2

The Mike Bellotti Era ended in a positive tone, with Oregon rolling over Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl. Now Chip Kelly will instruct a young team which is inexperienced on the offensive and defensive lines. That...read more

Team: Utah

Nickname: Utes

Conference: Mountain West

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Coach: Kyle Whittingham (5th year, career: 37-14)

Last bowl: 2008 Sugar

Last season: 13-0, 8-0

It will be awfully difficult to repeat last year's performance — the best in the program's history. Quarterback Brian Johnson is gone, and the Utes will have to face conference juggernauts...read more

Team: North Carolina

Nickname: Tar Heels

Conference: ACC

Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.

Coach: Butch Davis (third year, career: 63-33)

Last Bowl: 2008 Mieneke Car Care

Last season: 8-5, 4-4

Butch Davis took the Tar Heels to their first bowl game in four years, but lost to West Virginia. With nine starters returning on defense, North Carolina has the potential to earn back-to-back...read more

Team: Michigan State

Nickname: Spartans

Conference: Big Ten

Location: Lansing, Mich.

Coach: Mark Dantonio (third year, career: 34-27)

Last Bowl: 2008 Capital One

Last season: 9-4, 6-2

Michigan State enters the third year of the Mark Dantonio Era, who's turned a slipping program into a respectable Big Ten team. The Spartans have a great chance of qualifying for their third...read more

Team: Florida State

Nickname: Seminoles

Location: Tallahassee, Fla.

Conference: ACC

Coach: Bobby Bowden (34th year, career: 351-117-4)

Last Bowl: 2008 Champs Sports

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

Three seasons have passed since the 'Noles have played in a significant January bowl game, causing many to call for the departure of legendary coach Bobby Bowden. That said, this season may...read more

Team: Iowa

Nickname: Hawkeyes

Location: Iowa City, Iowa

Conference: Big Ten

Coach: Kirk Ferentz (11th year, career: 70-53)

Last Bowl: 2008 Outback

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

It was Heartbreak Hotel last season in Iowa City, as the Hawkeyes dropped four games by five points or fewer. But Iowa fans had the last laugh among Big 10 followers: The Hawkeyes were the lone Big Ten team to...read more

Team: Nebraska

Nickname: Cornhuskers

Location: Lincoln, Neb.

Conference: Big 12

Coach: Bo Pelini (2nd season at Nebraska, 10-4 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Gator

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

The Cornhuskers have a schedule that could help ensure their success this season. They play in the North, the weaker of the two Big 12 divisions. Both Texas Tech and Oklahoma visit Lincoln this year,...read more

Team: Illinois

Nickname: Fighting Illini

Location: Urbana-Champaign, Ill.

Conference: Big Ten

Coach: Ron Zook (5th year at Illinois. 18-30 record, 41-44 overall)

Last Bowl: 2007 Rose

Last season: 5-7, 3-5

The Illini had lofty expectations coming into last season, after making a Rose Bowl appearance. They fell way short of those goals falling back under the .500 mark. Illinois...read more

Team: Notre Dame

Nickname: Fighting Irish

Location: South Bend, Ind.

Conference: Independent

Coach: Charlie Weis (fifth year, 29-21)

Last Bowl: 2008 Hawaii

Last Season: 7-6 (No conference games)

Charlie Weis will now call the shots on a previously sub-par offense that returns 10 starters, led by brash quarterback Jimmy Clausen. That said, all excuses are out the window if the...read more

Team: Kansas

Nickname: Jayhawks

Location: Lawrence, Kan.

Conference: Big 12

Coach: Mark Mangino (eight year, career: 45-41)

Last Bowl: 2008 Insight

Last Season: 8-5, 4-4

A Big 12 North title is being whispered in Lawrence, as the Jayhawks return a slew of offensive playmakers, led by prolific quarterback Todd Reesing. The question is: Can Mangino finally get that win against...read more

Team: Miami

Nickname: Hurricanes

Location: Coral Gables, Fla.

Conference: ACC

Coach: Randy Shannon (third year, career: 12-13)

Last Bowl: 2008 Emerald

Last Season: 7-6, 4-4

It's been five years since the 'Canes have recorded double-digit victories that ultimately pumped talented athletes into the NFL Draft. That streak may reach six years, considering they'll face...read more

Team: BYU

Nickname: Cougars

Location: Provo, Utah

Conference: Mountain West

Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (fifth year, career: 38-13)

Last Bowl: 2008 Las Vegas

Last Season: 10-3, 6-2

The Cougars face a tough battle to repeat their 10-win effort from last season. BYU opens the season against BCS runner-up Oklahoma in Arlington, Texas, followed by a home opener against Florida State...read more

Team: South Florida

Nickname: Bulls

Location: Tampa, Fla.

Conference: Big East

Coach: Jim Leavitt (13th season, 60-35)

Last season: 8-5, 2-5

Last Bowl: 2008 St. Petersburg

With games against Wofford, Western Kentucky and Charleston Southern, the Bulls better be tuned up before they battle in-state rival Florida State on Sept. 26 —the day South Florida's season officially...read more

Team: Pittsburgh

Nickname: Panthers

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Conference: Dave Wannstedt (5th season, 25-23)

Last season: 9-4, 5-2

Last Bowl: 2008 Sun

If not for losses to Rutgers and Cincinnati, the Panthers would have been playing in a BCS bowl last season.

This year, those two teams could again hold Pitt back from being an elite team.

After three season of so-so play with...read more

Team: Oregon State

Nickname: Beavers

Location: Corvallis, Ore.

Conference: Pac-10

Coach: Mike Riley (ninth year at Oregon State, 58-42 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Sun

Last Season: 9-4, 7-2

In each of the past three seasons the Beavers have beaten a Pac-10 team that was ranked in the top 3 in the nation. In each of those seasons, they finished third in the conference. Last year, it...read more

Team: Texas Tech

Nickname: Red Raiders

Location: Lubbock, Texas

Conference: Big 12

Coach: Mike Leach (10th year at Texas Tech, 76-39 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Cotton

Last Season: 11-2, 7-1

Last year, the Red Raiders proved that they could hang with the top dogs in the Big 12, beating Texas and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks and rising as high as No. 2 in the polls. But two...read more

Team: East Carolina

Nickname: Pirates

Conference: Conference-USA

Location: Greenville, N.C.

Coach: Skip Holtz (5th year at East Carolina, 29-22 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Liberty

Last season: 9-5, 7-2

A tough non-conference schedule consisting of games against Appalachian State, West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia Tech greet the Pirates, who are going for a third straight...read more

Team: NC State

Nickname: Wolfpack

Conference: ACC

Location: Raleigh, N.C.

Coach: Tom O'Brien (3rd year at NC State, 11-14 record, 86-59 overall)

Last Bowl: 2008 Papajohns.com

Last season: 6-7, 4-3

A loss to Rutgers in the Papajohns.com Bowl put the Wolfpack at a sub-.500 record for the third season in a row last year. NC State looks to break that streak this year, with seven...read more

Team: Cincinnati

Nickname: Bearcats

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Conference: Big East

Coach: Brian Kelly (third year, career: 41-22)

Last season: 11-3, 6-1

Last Bowl: 2008 Orange

Only one starter returns on defense, so Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him on the defensive side of the ball. But don't be surprised if that becomes a non-issue, because the Kelly...read more

Team: Arkansas

Nickname: Razorbacks

Location: Fayetteville, Ark.

Conference: SEC

Coach: Bobby Petrino (second year, career: 46-16)

Last season: 5-7, 2-6

Last Bowl: 2007 Cotton

Is it another year in the rebuilding process? Or are the Hogs ready to rock and roll? Those questions will be answered in year two of the Bobby Petrino Era, who built a quality program at Louisville before...read more

Team: Michigan

Nickname: Wolverines

Conference: Big Ten

Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Coach: Rich Rodriguez (2nd season at Michigan, 3-9 record, 63-35 overall)

Last Bowl: 2007 Capital One

Last Season: 3-9, 2-6.

With the disaster that was his first season in Ann Arbor behind him, Rich Rodriguez will begin to build the Wolverines using his players. Leading Michigan this season will...read more

Team: Rutgers

Nickname: Scarlet Knights

Conference: Big East

Location: New Brunswick, N.J.

Coach: Greg Schiano (9th season at Rutgers, 46-51 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Papjohns.com

Last season: 8-5, 5-2

The Scarlet Knights have missed out on playing in their first BCS bowl game by just one game in two of the last three seasons. Last season, a 13-10 loss against Cincinnati in the...read more

Team: South Carolina

Nickname: Gamecocks

Conference: SEC

Location: Columbia, S.C.

Coach: Steve Spurrier (5th season at South Carolina, 28-22 record, 170-62-2 overall)

Last Bowl: 2008 Outback

Last season: 7-6, 4-4

Things haven't exactly worked as planned in the Steve Spurrier era in South Carolina. Sure the Ol' Ball Coach has turned the media spotlight on Columbia, but...read more

Team: Auburn

Nickname: Tigers

Conference: SEC

Location: Auburn, Ala.

Coach: Gene Chizik (first year, career 5-19)

Last Bowl: 2007 Chick-fil-A

Last season: 5-7, 2-6

Call it a season to forget.

The 2008 campaign was the first losing season Auburn has endured since 1999, which, ironically, was the first year of Tommy Tuberville's tenure as Tigers head coach. Now, he's...read more

Team: Missouri

Nickname: Tigers

Conference: Big 12

Location: Columbia, Mo.

Coach: Gary Pinkel (ninth year, 132-78-3)

Last Bowl: 2008 Alamo

Last season: 10-4, 5-4

Multiple players have exited the Tigers locker room, most notably quarterback Chase Daniel and receiver Jeremy Maclin. This year, Blaine Baggert will quarterback the offense, and newly hired defensive coordinator Dave...read more

Team:Tulsa

Nickname: Golden Hurricane

Conference: Conference USA

Location: Tulsa, Okla.

Coach: Todd Graham (third year, 28-13)

Last Bowl: 2008 GMAC

Last season: 11-3, 7-2

The Golden Hurricane won the Conference USA West Division, thanks mostly to quarterback David Johnson (4,059 yards, 46 TD, 18 INT). But he's gone now, and so is receiver Brennan Marion (1,112 yards, 8 TD)...read more

Team: Wisconsin

Nickname: Badgers

Conference: Big 10

Location: Madison, Wis.

Coach: Bret Bielema (fourth year, 28-11)

Last Bowl: 2008 Champs Sports

Last season: 7-6, 3-5

The Badgers' season starts with three consecutive home games against winnable non-conference opponents — Northern Illinois, Fresno State and Wofford. Couple that with one of the easiest Big 10 schedules...read more

Team: Southern Mississippi

Nickname: Golden Eagles

Conference: Conference USA

Location: Hattiesburg, Miss.

Coach: Larry Fedora (second year, 7-6)

Last bowl: 2008 New Orleans

Last season: 7-6, 4-4

The Golden Eagles are a legitimate threat to win the Conference USA East Division, led by their three-headed offensive monster: quarterback Austin Davis, running back Damion Fletcher...read more

Team: Baylor

Nickname: Bears

Conference: Big 12

Location: Waco, Texas

Coach: Art Briles (2nd year at Baylor, 4-8 record, 38-36 overall)

Last Bowl: 1994 Alamo

Last season: 4-8, 2-6

Baylor has not been to a Bowl game since 1994 when it was in the now-defunct SWC. Playing in what is perhaps the toughest division in all of college football is not likely to help their cause this year...read more

Team: Boston College

Nickname: Eagles

Conference: ACC

Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Coach: Frank Spaziani (1st season at Boston College, 1-0 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Music City

Last Season: 9-5, 5-4

After a tumultuous offseason which saw the controversial firing of head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, the Eagles are ready to start the season with their third head coach in four years....read more

Team: Troy

Nickname: Trojans

Conference: Sun Belt

Location: Troy, Ala.

Coach: Larry Blakeney (19th season at Troy, 52-44 career record)

Last Bowl: 2008 New Orleans

Last season: 8-5, 6-1

Losing to Southern Mississippi in overtime of the 2008 New Orleans Bowl put a sour taste in the Trojans' mouths going into 2009. Getting back to a bowl game won't be as easy this year....read more

Team: Air Force

Nickname: Falcons

Conference: Mountain West

Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.

Coach: Troy Calhoun (third year, 17-9)

Last Bowl: 2008 Armed Forces

Last Season: 8-5, 5-3

The Falcons exceeded expectations last season, turning a supposed rebuilding effort into a bowl game appearance. This year, coach Troy Calhoun is looking for more explosiveness offensively, and he...read more

Team: Minnesota

Nickname: Golden Gophers

Conference: Big Ten

Location: Minneapolis

Coach: Tim Brewster (3rd season at Minnesota, 8-17 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Insight

Last season: 3-5, 7-6

It's a new era for the Minnesota football program as the team moves into TCF Bank Stadium, a 50,300 seat on campus stadium. The new venue comes a year after the Gophers surprised everybody by improving...read more

Team: Western Michigan

Nickname: Broncos

Conference: MAC

Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.

Coach: Bill Cubit (5th season at WMU, 29-20 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Texas

Last Season: 6-2, 9-4

After three straight years of returning a majority of the defensive starters, the Broncos return just three starters as they look to capture their first MAC West title since 2000. The Broncos have been close in recent...read more

Team: Florida Atlantic

Nickname: Owls

Conference: Sun Belt

Location: Boca Raton, Fla.

Coach: Howard Schnellenberger (9th year at Florida Atlantic, 31-30 record, 131-107-103 overall)

Last Bowl: 2008 Motor City

Last season: 4-3, 7-6

The Owls are entering their ninth season as a football program and have already made a name for themselves among the elite teams in the Sun Belt Conference...read more

Team: Vanderbilt

Nickname: Commodores

Conference: SEC

Location: Nashville, Tenn.

Coach: Bobby Johnson (8th season at Vanderbilt, 27-56 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Music City

Last Season: 4-4, 7-6

The Commodores reached its first bowl game since 1982 last season and won its first bowl game since the 1955 Gator Bowl. With 17 starters returning the goals in Nashville are once again on...read more

Team: Wake Forest

Nickname: Demon Deacons

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference

Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.

Coach: Jim Grobe (ninth season, 87-77-1).

Last Bowl: 2008 Eagle Bank

Last Season: 8-5, 4-4

Only four starters return from a formidable defense that stifled opponents last season. That said, Wake Forest will have to rely on the pin-point accuracy of senior quarterback Riley Skinner...read more

Team: Northwestern

Nickname: Wildcats

Conference: Big Ten

Location: Evanston, Ill.

Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (fourth season as head coach, 19-18 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 Alamo

Last season: 9-4, 5-3

The good news? Four starters return on the offensive line, three of which saw time last season as freshman. The bad news? Departed from the picture are six offensive starters, including the Wildcats'...read more

Team: Houston

Nickname: Cougars

Conference: Conference USA

Location: Houston

Coach: Kevin Sumlin (2nd season at Houston, 8-5)

Last Bowl: 2008 Armed Forces

Last Season: 6-2, 8-5

The Cougars were just one game behind Tulsa last season for the Conference USA West division title. Houston hung 70 points up on the Golden Hurricanes for Tulsa's only loss in the division, but road losses to Marshall...read more

Team: Navy

Nickname: Midshipmen

Conference: Independent

Location: Annapolis, Md.

Coach: Ken Niumatalolo (2nd season at Navy, 8-6 record)

Last Bowl: 2008 EagleBank

Last season: 8-5

Even though Navy returned just 12 starters the Midshipmen barely missed a beat in Ken Niuamatalolo's first season as coach. With an 8-4 record in the regular season, Navy made it's sixth straight bowl game...read more

Team: Maryland

Nickname: Terrapins

Location: College Park, Md.

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference

Coach: Ralph Friedgen (Ninth season, 64-36)

Last Season: 8-5, 4-2

Last Bowl: 2008 Humanitarian

The Terrapins lost 30 seniors from the 2008 team, the same team that defeated Nevada in the Humanitarian Bowl, 42-35. An easy non conference schedule plays into the Terrapins' favor...read more

Team: Louisville

Nickname: Cardinals

Location: Louisville, Ky.

Conference: Big East

Coach: Steve Kragthorpe (3rd season, 11-13)

Last season: 5-7, 1-6

Last Bowl: 2006 Orange

This may be the year the Cardinals become a contender in the Big East once again, but don't expect them to win the conference. Steve Kragthorpe enters his third year at the helm in Louisville after two...read more

Team: Connecticut

Nickname: Huskies

Location: Storrs, Conn.

Conference: Big East

Coach: Randy Edsall (11th season at Connecticut, 54-53 record)

Last Season: 3-4, 8-5.

Last Bowl: 2008 International

The Huskies have a tough task this season of replacing Donald Brown, who gained over 2,000 yards last season. Sophomore Jordan Todman is the only returning player who had more than 75...read more

Team: Louisiana Tech

Nickname: Bulldogs

Location: Ruston, La.

Conference: Western Athletic Conference

Coach: Derek Dooley (3rd season at La. Tech, 13-12 record)

Last season: 5-3, 8-5

Last Bowl: 2008 Independence

The Bulldogs will start the season by attempting to open the season by knocking off an SEC opponent for the second year in a row. Last year, they opened with a 22-14...read more

Team: UTEP

Nickname: Miners

Location: El Paso, Texas

Conference: Conference USA

Coach: Mike Price (6th season at UTEP, 30-30 record, 113-108 overall)

Last Season: 4-4, 5-7

Last Bowl: 2005 GMAC

With 55 lettermen returning, including 15 of the starters from last year's squad, the Miners are in a position to get to their first bowl game in four seasons. They've been one game...read more

Team: Virginia

Nickname: Cavaliers

Location: Charlottesville, Va.

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference

Coach: Al Groh (9th season at Virginia, 5-7 record)

Last season: 3-5, 5-7

Last Bowl: 2007 Gator

The conference schedule sets up nicely for the Cavaliers. There's no Florida State or Wake Forest on the schedule. Games against Boston College and Virginia Tech are at home....read more

Team: Memphis

Nickname: Tigers

Location: Memphis, Tenn.

Conference: Conference USA, East Division

Coach: Tommy West (9th season, 78-79)

Last Season: 6-7, 4-4

Last Bowl: 2008 St. Petersburg

Despite a losing 2008 mark, the Tigers did manage to make it to a bowl game, losing 41-14 to South Florida.

Memphis coach Tommy West has led the Tigers to five bowl games during the last six...read more

Team: Temple

Nickname: Owls

Location: Philadelphia

Conference: Mid-American, East Division

Coach: Al Golden (4th season, 10-26)

Last season: 5-7, 4-4

Last Bowl: 1979 Garden State

Alas, Temple football really is going to be competitive. Really.

Despite an 18-year drought — and a move from a major conference to the MAC —the Owls are starting to turn it around.

Last...read more

Team: Akron

Nickname: Zips

Location: Akron, Ohio

Conference: Mid-American, East Division

Coach: JD Brookhart (6th season, 27-33)

Last Season: 5-7, 3-5

Last Bowl: 2005 Motor City

In the Mid-American Conference, pretty much every team has a chance to go to a bowl game, given the lack of top-tier teams. That may just be the motivation this offseason for the Zips, which despite low expectations...read more

Team: Central Florida

Nickname: Knights

Location: Orlando, Fla.

Conference: Conference USA

Coach: George O'Leary (6th season, 78-69 overall)

Last season: 4-8, 3-5

Last Bowl: 2007 Liberty

The offense was pretty poor last season, ranked last among all FBS teams. This year, the offense will return nine starters, which should obviously help. The defense, though, which was the team's strong...read more

Team: Colorado State

Nickname: Rams

Location: Fort Collins, Colo.

Conference: Mountain West

Coach: Steve Fairchild (2nd season at Colorado State, 7-6 record)

Last Season: 4-4, 7-6

Last Bowl: 2008 New Mexico

The Rams are coming off their first bowl win since 2001 but still have some holes they need to plug up. Despite getting 362 yards on the ground against Fresno State in their bowl game, Colorado...read more

Team: Rice

Nickname: Owls

Location: Houston

Conference: Conference USA

Coach: David Bailiff (3rd season at Rice, 13-12 record, 21-15 overall)

Last season: 7-1, 10-3

Last Bowl: 2008 Texas

Coach David Bailiff's third year at Rice is more likely to resemble his first season, when the Owls went 3-9, than his second season, when they had a 10 win season. A good chunk of the Owls offense from...read more

Team: Arkansas State

Nickname: Red Wolves

Location: Jonesboro, Ark.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Steve Roberts (8th season, 37-47)

Last season: 4-3, 6-6

Last bowl: 2005 New Orleans

The Red Wolves have won five or more games in six of Roberts' seasons, but have yet to win more than six in one season. Arkansas State returns its top three rushers, top two receivers and long-time starting QB...read more

Team: Northern Illinois

Nickname: Huskies

Location: DeKalb, Ill.

Conference: Mid-Amercan

Coach: Jerry Kill (2nd season at Northern Illinois, 6-7 record, 55-32 overall)

Last Season: 5-3, 6-7

Last Bowl: 2008 Independence

The Huskies already know they can keep up with the best of the MAC. Last season they brought Central Michigan to overtime before the Chippewas prevailed 33-30. Non-conference...read more

Team: Duke

Nickname: Blue Devils

Location: Durham, N.C.

Conference: Atlantic Coast

Coach: David Cutliffe (2nd season at Duke, 4-8 record, 48-37 overall)

Last Season: 4-8, 1-7

Last Bowl: 1994 Hall of Fame

Duke began last season with a 4-3 record and in the hunt for its first bowl game in 14 seasons. However after suffering an overtime loss to Wake Forest, the Blue Devils finished the season...read more

Team: Washington

Nickname: Huskies

Location: Seattle

Conference: Pac-10

Coach: Steve Sarkisian (1st season)

Last Season: 0-12, 0-9

Last Bowl: 2002 Sun

The Huskies were the only winless team in the nation last season, and bring a 14 game losing streak into the season. A season opening game against LSU isn't likely to snap that, but the next week provides an opportunity as Idaho comes into...read more

Team: Indiana

Nickname: Hoosiers

Location: Bloomington, Ind.

Conference: Big Ten

Coach: Bill Lynch (3rd season, 10-15; 47-68 overall)

Last season: 1-7, 3-9

Last Bowl: 2007 Insight

Though some nice defensive players return to the Hoosiers, talented QB/WR Kellen Lewis was kicked off the team, leaving IU pretty much devoid of playmakers.

The schedule: It may be tough for the Hoosiers...read more

Team: Iowa State

Nickname: Cyclones

Location: Ames, Iowa

Conference: Big 12

Coach: Paul Rhoads (1st season)

Last Season: 0-8, 2-10

Last Bowl: 2005 Houston

Two years after hiring Auburn's defensive coordinator (Gene Chizik), the Cyclones went back to the same well with Rhoads. However, the talent level in Ames is just not up to snuff in the high-powered Big 12.

Still, look...read more

Team: Middle Tennessee

Nickname: Blue Raiders

Location: Murfeesboro, Tenn.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Rick Stockstill (4th season, 17-20)

Last Season: 5-7, 3-4

Last Bowl: 2006 Motor City

Last season, the Blue Raiders were a middle-of-the-road football team in the worst FBS conference. This season should be more than the same.

Though the team has 10 offensive returners back...read more

Team: Southern Methodist

Nickname: Mustangs

Location: Dallas

Conference: Conference USA

Coach: June Jones (2nd season, 1-11; 77-52 overall)

Last Season: 1-11, 0-8

Last Bowl: 1984 Cotton

June Jones knew he'd have his hands full when he left Hawaii for SMU, but a 1-11 season, with the lone win coming against its only non-FBS team, has to be tough to swallow.

This season should...read more

Team: Ball State

Nickname: Cardinals

Location: Muncie, Ind.

Conference: Mid-American

Coach: Stan Parrish (1st season)

Last Season: 12-2, 8-0

Last Bowl: 2008 GMAC

Just last fall Ball State captured the nation's imagination, starting out 12-0 and climbing as high as No. 12 in the polls. But two losses to end the season brought the Cardinals back down to earth. Now Ball State enters a season...read more

Team: Florida International

Nickname: Golden Panthers

Location: Miami, Fla.

Conference: Sun Belt

Coach: Mario Cristobal (3rd year, 6-18)

Last Season: 5-7, 3-4

Last Bowl: N/A

After finishing the previous two seasons with just one total win, the Golden Panthers came from out of nowhere to come within one win of being bowl eligible for the first time in program history. The Golden Panthers return...read more

Team: New Mexico

Nickname: Lobos

Location: Albuquerque, N.M.

Conference: Mountain West

Coach: Mike Locksley (1st season)

Last season: 4-8, 2-6

Last Bowl: 2007 New Mexico

The schedule is not kind to the Lobos this year. In addition to playing a full MWC schedule, which seems to get stronger every year, New Mexico has non conference dates with Texas A&M, Tulsa, and Texas Tech. They may escape...read more

Team: Kent State

Nickname: Golden Flashes

Location: Kent, Ohio.

Conference: Mid-American

Coach: Doug Martin (6th season, 19-39)

Last season: 4-8, 3-5

Last Bowl: 1972 Tangerine

Kent State averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season, but their leading rusher was its QB. Julian Edelman had 1,370 yards rushing to go with his 1,820 passing yards, but he graduated. Running back Eugene Davis had more...read more

Team: Tulane

Nickname: Green Wave

Location: New Orleans

Conference: Conference USA

Coach: Bob Toledo (3rd season, 69-80)

Last season: 2-10, 1-7

Last Bowl: 2002 Hawaii

The Green Wave suffered through their worst record last season since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina forced Tulane to play all of their games on the road. The schedule doesn't look to favor them this year either, with dates against...read more

Team: Syracuse

Nickname: Orange

Location: Syracuse, N.Y.

Conference: Big East

Coach: Doug Marrone (1st season)

Last season: 3-9, 1-6

Last Bowl: 2004 Champ Sports

It could be another slow start for the Orange in the first year of the Doug Marrone era. Five of Syracuse's first six games are against teams who played in bowl games last year.

Marrone has helped turn around Syracuse once before...read more