ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE SUGAR BOWL; NCAA HOPES NEW POLLS HELP AVOID POSTSEASON CONFUSION.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

From the NCAA violations at Washington and the UCLA parking mess to the scandal at Notre Dame, it was a busy offseason in college football.

The regular season should be plenty entertaining, as well. The Bowl Championship Series is back from its spring checkup, ready to match Nos. 1 and 2 on Bourbon Street on Jan. 4.

There are two returning deans (Lou Holtz at South Carolina and John Robinson at Nevada-Las Vegas) and a relentless Dayne (Ron), who makes a run at the Division I-A rushing record.

The power base returns to the Sunshine State, where Florida, Miami and Florida State have top-10 talent. If quarterback Chris Weinke stays healthy, the Seminoles should finish ranked in the top four for a remarkable 13th consecutive season.

Oklahoma's new coach, Bob Stoops, hopes to rekindle old success, while Penn State patriarch Joe Paterno chases Bear Bryant. (Paterno needs 16 victories to catch Bryant for the career record. He'll have to wait 'til next year.)

The Pac-10 welcomes two old friends (Dennis Erickson and Rick Neuheisel) a few months after saying goodbye to two other old ones (Cade McNown and Chris Claiborne).

Without further delay, here's a look at several stories to watch in 1999.

The Bad Boys are back:

College football lost its edge in 1995, when NCAA sanctions crushed Miami's program. Without the taunting, flaunting and talented 'Canes, there was no antagonist, no one to hate. (Other than Notre Dame, of course.)

But this year, Miami's back - back in the headlines, back in the top 15 and back to create chaos with a schedule that includes Sugar Bowl contenders Ohio State, Florida State and Penn State.

``Miami wasn't going to be down for long with the high school talent down there and the kind of program they have,'' said Ohio State coach John Cooper, who meets Miami on Sunday in the Kickoff Classic. ``It was just a matter of time until they got back to the top of college football.''

Hurricanes coach Butch Davis has 17 starters returning from a team that went 9-3 and ruined UCLA's title hopes. Although tailback Edgerrin James and quarterback Scott Covington are gone, the defense should be good enough to carry the 'Canes until the offense finds its form.

``This season will give us the best indication of where we are,'' Davis said. ``We lost 31 scholarships (to NCAA sanctions) and it takes time to rebuild. Next year will be the first time we're back to (the maximum) 85 scholarships.

``The success here made everybody feel like we could just show up and play. But their eyes opened in 1997 with that losing season, and that's when people started to appreciate what probation is all about.''

Jumpin' for Joe Pa? Penn State was the defending national champion when it opened the 1983 season in the Kickoff Classic against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers won 44-6 and Penn State never recovered, finishing No. 17 in the polls.

``We weren't ready to handle a team on a mission like that Nebraska team,'' Paterno said. ``But are we as good (this year) as people think we are? I doubt it.''

Are the Lions ready to deliver the 72-year-old Paterno his third national title? He'll know a lot more after Saturday's showdown against Arizona in the Pigskin Classic.

With both quarterbacks and their top tailback returning, the Wildcats also have a national title in the crosshairs. Both teams have favorable schedules: Penn State gets Michigan and Ohio State at home, and Arizona plays Middle Tennessee State and Texas-El Paso.

The Nittany Lions might have the nation's best defense, but they definitely have questions at quarterback - always a disadvantage but especially in August.

``I had mixed feelings (about playing Arizona), but I talked to the squad and they were enthusiastic,'' Paterno said. ``Arizona is just outstanding. If I had it to do over again, I'd play Akron.''

Please Pass the Hard Drive

On the morning of Dec. 5, three unbeaten teams threatened to discombobulate the inaugural Bowl Championship Series rankings. Then UCLA and Kansas State tumbled, Tennessee and Florida State were matched in the Fiesta Bowl, and the BCS creators exhaled.

A few weeks later, they went back to work.

``After the season, we dissected each ranking system, and the one component we thought we could improve on was the computer polls,'' said Charles Bloom, assistant commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and BCS co-creator.

``We decided to add polls to come up with a representative computer average. Our point of emphasis was to try to keep the importance of scoring margin to a minimum.''

Instead of averaging three computer polls (Seattle Times, Sagarin and USA Today), the BCS formula will consider eight: the original three, the Dunkel Index, the M Ratings, the Scripps-Howard ratings, the Rothman rankings and the Billingsley poll.

The other BCS poll components - average of the top-25 polls, losses and strength-of-schedule quotient - are unchanged.

``We looked at 40 or 50 computer polls and came up with those five,'' Bloom said. ``Then we ran the new formula based on the 1998 information, and it came up with the same No. 1 and 2 teams. The only thing that's different this year is that each computer poll means a little less.''

Whether that's good or bad won't be clear until December.

Touchdown Dunbar: The most intriguing off-field story this season emanates from South Bend, Ind., where Notre Dame awaits the NCAA's ruling on potential rules violations.

The Irish expect the NCAA to determine that school officials should have done more to learn about gifts players received from convicted embezzler Kim Dunbar, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Dunbar, who pleaded guilty to two felony theft charges and was sentenced to four years in prison, is considered a representative of the university because of her $25 membership in the Quarterback Club.

She embezzled more than $1.2 million from a South Bend business and used some of those funds to entertain players and conduct relationships (including sexual relationships), according to the Tribune.

If true, the lack of institutional control would constitute the first major rules violation in Notre Dame history.

Exactly when the NCAA will speak - and what it will say - is unknown.

``I expect it to come sometime during the season,'' Irish coach Bob Davie said. ``And we'll deal with it when it comes.''

Go ahead, take your shot:

Long before Rick Neuheisel checked real estate prices on Lake Washington, officials from Washington and Colorado agreed to next month's game in Seattle.

Neuheisel's move to Seattle - and the lingering resentment in Boulder - makes the Sept. 25 showdown the most intriguing game of the season, but his gauntlet doesn't end there. It's full of potential torment and vengeance, as if Shakespeare himself had scheduled the games.

On Sept. 18, the Huskies play Air Force, which beat them 45-25 in the Oahu Bowl last year in Jim Lambright's final game as UW coach.

On Oct. 2, the Huskies play archrival Oregon, which lost to Neuheisel and Colorado in the Aloha Bowl last year in what became Neuheisel's farewell game. (Neuheisel and Ducks coach Mike Bellotti haven't liked each other since the 1996 Cotton Bowl, when Bellotti accused Neuheisel of running up the score.)

On Oct. 9, Washington faces Oregon State and Dennis Erickson, the former coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

And on Nov. 13 in the Rose Bowl, Neuheisel meets his alma mater and former employer, UCLA, for the first time. Although Neuheisel and Bruins coach Bob Toledo never coached on the same staff, their paths are intertwined.

Neuheisel was an assistant coach in 1994 when he was passed over for UCLA's vacant offensive coordinator post. Frustrated, he left Westwood for Boulder and began his climb.

The departure vexed Bruins fans, who considered the bright, dashing Neuheisel the logical successor to Terry Donahue. The man Donahue hired instead of Neuheisel: Toledo.

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne needs 1,717 yard to break the Division I-A rushing record, set last season by Ricky Williams.

2. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden needs eight victories to reach the 300-win plateau. He's scheduled to get the Big One on Oct. 23, at Clemson. His son, Tommy, will be the opposing coach.

3. On Dec. 4 in Philadelphia, Army and Navy will play for the 100th time.

4. The nation's three best players are Florida State receiver Peter Warrick, Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington and Louisville quarterback Chris Redman. Give the Heisman Trophy to Warrick.

5. South Carolina's rookie coach, Lou Holtz, has 11 starters returning from a 1-10 team.

6. The Sugar Bowl hosts the national title this season. The Orange Bowl gets it next year. Then, in Jan. 2002, it's the Rose Bowl's turn.

7. Four teams on the upswing are Georgia Tech, Alabama, Arizona State and Brigham Young. Watch for Syracuse, Missouri and Auburn to falter.

8. Tennessee defends its title with 13 returning starters, including star tailback Jamal Lewis, who missed most of '98 with a knee injury.

9. The Big Ten is the best conference, with four teams (Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin) ranked in the top 10.

10. Oregon State first-year coach Dennis Erickson has a mighty challenge: The Beavers hold the Division I-A record with 28 consecutive losing seasons.

- Jon Wilner

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BOX: Ten Things You Need to Know (see text)