NCAA Endzone

Pittsburgh
Starts: March 17.
Spring Game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 6-6.
Pitt must replace its top offensive and defensive players in QB Tyler Palko and LB H.B. Blades from a disappointing team that started 6-1, but lost its final five, leaving coach Dave Wannstedt 11-12 in two seasons at Pitt. Backup QB Bill Stull played only a few insignificant downs and must fend off incoming freshman QB prospect Pat Bostick. Pitt’s must intriguing player - incoming freshman RB LeSean McCoy - won’t be in spring ball. He could start immediately if he’s over a major ankle injury from two years ago, when he was well on his way to breaking Pennsylvania’s high school rushing record.

Southern California
Starts: March 20.
Spring game: April 7.
Last season’s record: 11-2.
USC returns 20 starters, and coach Pete Carroll landed one of the country’s best recruiting classes, placing the Trojans in line to be ranked No. 1 entering next season. The one unsettled area is wide receiver, with Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith gone. WR Patrick Turner is in line to be the next No. 1 option. A No. 1 running back didn’t emerge among last year’s crew of blue-chip freshmen. RBs Emmanuel Moody and C.J. Gable go into the spring as the leading candidates, but this year’s recruits (Joe McKnight and Marc Tyler) will provide even more competition when they arrive August.

South Carolina
Starts: March 20.
Spring game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 8-5.
Steve Spurrier couldn’t feel better about the Gamecocks direction after they finished with three straight wins for the first time in 33 years. South Carolina lost star WR Sidney Rice to the NFL after his sophomore season. WR Kenny McKinley becomes the go-to guy. QB Blake Mitchell had a resurgence late in the season and goes into spring practice as a solid No. 1. Most of the defense that excelled down the stretch is back, led by all-SEC linebacker Jasper Brinkley, who considered jumping to the NFL.

South Florida
Starts: March 20.
Spring game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 9-4.
With 17 starters returning, the Bulls don’t have many holes to fill. The absence of a consistent running game hurt last season, and QB Matt Grothe finished as team’s leading rusher. RB Mike Ford, who enrolled in January, might be the solution. He was one of the nation’s top players coming out of high school. He signed with Alabama in 2005, but didn’t qualify academically, and signed with USF this winter after Crimson Tide fired former coach Mike Shula.

Stanford
Starts: April 4.
Spring game: April 28.
Last season’s record: 1-11
New coach Jim Harbaugh has a hefty rebuilding task after taking over from Walt Harris following Stanford’s worst season in more than four decades. Harbaugh was able to persuade top receivers Evan Moore and Mark Bradford to return for another season, which will be a big help to a struggling offense. QB T.C. Ostrander, who got ample playing time the past two seasons because of injuries to Trent Edwards, will be asked to learn a new system as he goes into the spring as the starter.

Syracuse
Starts: March 21.
Spring game: April 21.
Last season’s record: 4-8.
Head coach Greg Robinson has to groom a new starting QB to replace Perry Patterson. Sophomore Andrew Robinson is the heir apparent. Greg Robinson, a former NFL defensive coordinator, also must focus on the Orange defense, which lost all its starting LBs and CBs.

Tennessee
Starts: Feb. 22.
Spring game: March 31.
Last season’s record: 9-4.
The Volunteers’ young receivers will be vying for the top three spots in the rotation after losing two seniors (Jayson Swain and Bret Smith) and junior star Robert Meachem. Tennessee also will look for help along the offensive and defensive fronts with the loss of second-team All-American offensive tackle Arron Sears and two defensive line starters. And for the first time in a while, the kicking drills will take on added meaning now that coach Phillip Fulmer has to find a replacement for four-year starter James Wilhoit.

Texas
Starts: Feb. 24
Spring game: March 31.
Last season’s record: 10-3.
The Longhorns must rebuild a defense that was among the nation’s best against the run and among the worst against the pass last season. Even with Thorpe Award winner Aaron Ross, the Longhorns gave up big plays in bunches. They lose Ross and six other starters on defense and coach Mack Brown hired his third co-coordinator in four seasons, Larry Mac Duff, to replace Gene Chizik. Backup quarterback is also a concern as Texas was painfully inexperienced there when Colt McCoy was injured.

Texas A&M
Starts: March 19.
Spring game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 9-4.
The Aggies’ promising 2006 season ended in a resounding 45-10 loss to California in the Holiday Bowl, an indication that A&M still has rebuilding to do. But eight starters return on both sides of the ball, including QB Stephen McGee and RBs Jorvorskie Lane and Michael Goodson. McGee mostly got by last season with short, safe passes and option runs. The spring should be an ideal time for the Aggies to expand the offense and develop more deep targets. Defensively, the Aggies adjusted well to first-year defensive coordinator Gary Darnell’s 4-2-5 alignment. Virtually every key defensive player is back this spring.

Texas Tech
Starts: March 21.
Spring game: April 14.
Last season’s record: 8-5.
Texas Tech will have a returning starter at QB - Graham Harrell - for the first time since 2001. But the Red Raiders need to fill some holes in the offensive line. Tech nabbed some hefty recruits - three weigh more than 300 pounds each - who could start for new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, the former Louisiana Tech head coach.

spring football, NCAA, USC