Alabama could get off to a promising start with a much weaker schedule than last season. ‘Bama could have two or fewer losses going to Tennessee Oct. 10. The non-conference schedule has home games with Utah State (Sept. 4), Western Carolina (Sept. 18) and Southern Miss (Oct. 16). Potential early roadblocks are against Ole Miss (Sept. 11) and at Arkansas (Sept. 25).

Auburn has three of its toughest games at home--LSU (Sept. 18), Arkansas (Oct. 16) and Georgia (Nov. 13). The non-conference opponents are UL-Monroe (Sept. 4), The Citadel (Sept. 25) and Louisiana Tech (Oct. 9).

Arkansas plays Alabama (Sept. 25), at Florida (Oct. 2), at Auburn (Oct. 16) and Georgia (Oct. 23) in four straight games. They have a week off after the Gator game. Texas comes calling Sept. 11.

LSU has a trio of tough games on the road—Auburn (Sept. 18), Georgia (Oct. 2) and Florida (Oct. 9)

Ole Miss has a five-week stretch that is brutal beginning at USC (Oct. 9), Tennessee (Oct. 16), Auburn (Oct. 30), at Arkansas (Nov. 13), and at LSU (Nov. 20). The Rebels will be tested early with a home game against Memphis (Sept. 4) and at Alabama (Sept. 18).

Florida opens with Middle Tennessee State (Sept. 4) and Eastern Michigan (Sept. 11) before playing at Tennessee (Sept. 18). They host Arkansas (Oct. 2) and LSU (Oct. 9) on consecutive weeks.

Tennessee has seven home games. They begin with UNLV (Sept. 4) before hosting Florida (Sept. 18). In October, the Vols face Auburn (Oct. 2), at Georgia (Oct. 9), at Ole Miss (Oct. 16), Alabama (Oct. 23), and at South Carolina (Oct. 30). They host Notre Dame (Nov. 6).

South Carolina has Georgia (Oct. 11), Tennessee (Oct. 30) and Arkansas (Nov. 6) coming to Columbia. It is conceivable that they could be 7-2 or 8-1 when they travel to Florida (Nov. 13).

Kentucky plays Alabama (Oct. 9), USC (Oct. 16), at Auburn (Oct. 23), at Miss State (Oct. 30) and Georgia (Nov. 6) in consecutive weeks.

Mississippi State has a few early winnable games against Tulane (Sept. 4), Maine (Sept. 18), at Vanderbilt (Oct. 2) and UAB (Oct. 9). State has to travel to LSU (Sept. 25), Alabama (Nov. 6) and Ole Miss (Nov. 25). Florida is back on the schedule when they come to Starkville Oct. 23.

TEAM NOTES:

LSU: Coach Nick Saban is close to signing a new deal with LSU that is worth $2.6 million per year for seven years. The package will make Saban the highest paid coach in the nation. Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops is currently the highest paid coach making $ 2.3 million per year. (TheAdvocate.com)

OLE MISS: Rebel assistant coach Ron Middleton, the running backs coach and special teams coach, has left to join the Tampa Bay Bucs as tight ends coach. He is the second coach to leave the team in the past two weeks. Recruiting coordinator Jim Knowles left to be the new head coach at Cornell. (RebelGrove.com)

ALABAMA: After the spring roster was released this week, the name of senior Chris James was noticeably absent. James, the MVP of the Tide’s special teams last year, is enrolled at Albany’s Darton College and plans on being back for his final season. No doubt the emphasis the spring will be on the passing game. Besides sophomore Tyrone Prothro, no other returning receiver has caught a pass. The Tide was No. 11 in the SEC in pass offense and that is with five senior receivers. (BamaOnline.com)

FLORIDA: Senior defensive back Keiwan Ratliff was named the Ray Graves (team MVP) at the annual football banquet last week. Ron Zook decided the promote Larry Fedora to offensive coordinator to have a more up-tempo attack in order to keep opposing defenses off balance. Before coming to Florida, Fedora was the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State where his team’s averaged 424 total yards and 31 points per game. Fedora said the Gators ran less bubble screens this past season than two seasons ago. Fedora will call the plays and coach the receivers. Sunday is fan appreciation day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (GatorSports.com) Fans will have a chance to tour areas of the stadium that have been renovated. Admission is free and the doors are open from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (GatorBait.net)

ARKANSAS: Junior reserve defensive back John Jackson will miss spring practice after being suspended following an alleged DWI early Sunday morning.

TENNESSEE: The focus of spring practice for the Vols is likely to be the running game. Whenever Tennessee starts a new quarterback, the emphasis is usually on allowing the rushing attack to reduce the pressure on the fledgling signal caller. For example, in 1998 when Tee Martin was the new starter after Peyton Manning left, except for one game against Mississippi State for the SEC title, the Vols did not throw the ball more than 30 times in a single game. (VolQuest.com)

AUBURN: Tiger coach Tommy Tuberville has interview four candidates for the vacant offensive coordinator position. Toledo’s Rob Spence was granted the first interview. Miami of Ohio’s Shane Montgomery was the second interview. Georgia Tech’s Buddy Geis interviewed Wednesday, as did Al Borges from Indiana. Borges was credited with the development of UCLA quarterback Cade McNown. Hugh Nall, the former offensive coordinator, has been moved back to offensive line coach. Whoever gets the job will be the fourth coordinator in as many years. Brandon Jacobs, who moved from running back to linebacker, will move to tight end for the spring. (AuburnSports.com)

GEORGIA: Junior Darrius Swain is moving to the offensive line after playing defensive tackle for the past two seasons. Freshman Danny Ware might move from tailback to fullback. Senior safety Derrick Holloway’s career is over. He will graduate in May. Coleman Watson has been moved back to tight end after moving back and forth between the offensive and defensive lines. Junior tailback Tony Milton will return for spring, but not at full speed after struggling with calcium deposits in his left leg. Albert Hollis, the senior who has been sidelined since 2001, should see action, but he is still not fully recovered. Ronnie Powell is scheduled to graduate in May. Powell, a fifth year senior, has an important spring in front of him. Georgia returns Kregg Lumpkin, Michael Cooper, and Tyson Browning at tailback and Jeremy Thomas and Des Williams at fullback. (UGASports.com)

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gamecock coach Lou Holtz might be interested in replacing the grass surface at Williams-Brice stadium with artificial turf. He was impressed with the new turf in Oxford when the Gamecocks played Ole Miss. For the first time in Holtz’s five years, the Gamecocks signed players from Memphis with the help of new secondary coach Ron Cooper. (The State)

MISSISSIPPI STATE: There is some speculation that State might start recruiting the state of Florida more intensely. (Collegefootballnews.com)

FLORIDA STATE: Last year the Seminole defense was short-handed during spring practice, but this season the offense might be in the same situation. Four offensive line starters--tackles Ray Willis and Alex Barron (shoulder surgeries), guard Bobby Meeks (tonsils removed and shoulder surgery) and center David Castillo (broken foot)--have undergone offseason surgeries. (Warchant.com)

CLEMSON: Andrew Diomande (6-2, 185), a receiver from Miami, has signed with Clemson. He would be the 24th signee for the Tigers and a receiver replacing Mike McIntosh, who de-committed and signed with Florida. Diomande’s uncle is former FSU player Andre Wadsworth. (TigerIllustrated.com) The Tigers signed five offensive lineman averaging 6-foot-6, 305 pounds. Tommy Bowden has reorganized the duties of his staff including naming Mike O’Cain as offensive coordinator. O’Cain, the offensive coordinator at North Carolina in 2000, will remain the quarterbacks coach. Brad Scott moves from offensive coordinator to offensive line coach and remains assistant head coach. Ron West, the former offensive line coach for five years, will move to the defensive line. Rover/whip linebackers coach Jack Hines, who has coached four different positions in six years, is now the tight ends coach. Defensive coordinator John Lovett, linebackers coach David Blackwell and receivers coach Dabo Swinney were not affected by the changes. (The State)

MIAMI: Cane signee Willie Williams has been arrested 10 times on theft-related charges since he was 14. He was tried as an adult the last time, at age 17, when he pleaded no contest to a charge of stealing stereo equipment from a store. His involvement in three separate incidents in Gainesville might have violated his probation, which ended Wednesday. Miami has delayed his admission, but they have not released him (Miami Herald.com). The Canes signed Calais Campbell (6-7, 230), a defensive end from Denver South High. He had 38 sacks in his last two seasons. (Canesport.com)

The ACC is close to signing a seven-year deal with ABC and ESPN. Each school will receive an average of $3.1 million yearly from the two networks.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COACH PETE CARROLL could be moving back to the NFL according to collegefootballtalk.com. There are rumors that Carroll might want to go back to the NFL. One of the scenarios is that Carroll could end up at San Diego if Marty Schottenheimer is fired.

ADRIAN PETERSON, considered the nation’s No. 1 tailback recruit from Texas that signed with Oklahoma, said he would consider declaring for the NFL draft. (Collegefootballtalk.com)

CONFERENCE USA is considering its alignment options. UCF, Marshall, SMU, Rice and Tulsa will join East Carolina, UAB, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane and Houston in 2005. (Orlando Sentinel)

INSTANT REPLAY: The NCAA rules committee has recommended the use of instant replay on an experimental basis with the Big Ten during three days of meetings that started Monday in Indianapolis. Eight of 12 members (coaches and administrators) approved the request before it goes to the NCAA Championships/Competition cabinet for final approval in late February or early March. The rules committee had the option of rejecting the proposal, referring it back to the Big Ten or recommending the rule to the cabinet for the Big Ten. Cost is an issue. The Big Ten model will only cost $2,000 per stadium. Last year, the Big Ten had a pilot program that showed 25 of 10,080 plays would need to have been overturned.

FLORIDA A & M: The board of trustees has voted to delay the program’s leap to Division I-A status. FAMU has contracts with Oklahoma, Illinois, Virginia Tech and Toledo that are in doubt because of the decision. There is some speculation that the Sooners will have to find another opponent for the 2004 season if FAMU does not jump to Division I-A. Sooner athletic director Joe Castiglione has said he prefers to play Division I-A opponents. (Collegefootballnews.com)

KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats open the season against Division I-AA Western Kentucky. K-State also hosts UL-Lafayette and a yet to be determined opponent. (Collegefootballnews.com)

NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers have finalized their 2004 schedule with a home opener against Division I-AA opponent Western Illinois. The Leathernecks have made the playoffs in three of the past five seasons. Nebraska’s other non-conference foes are Southern Miss (Sept. 11) and at Pitt (Sept. 18).