Mike Blake / Reuters file

Vince Young will return to lead what should be a potent Texas offensive attack next season.

Vince Young put on a dazzling show in the Rose Bowl. But while his athleticism is breathtaking, Young still hasn’t proven he can throw the ball with any consistency.

Michigan likely will return eight starters on offense, including quarterback Chad Henne and tailback Michael Hart, who made a big impact as freshmen this season. Receiver Braylon Edwards will be a big loss, but the Wolverines look for Steve Breaston, who set a Rose Bowl record with 315 all-purpose yards and caught a 50-yard touchdown pass, to step in.

Texas and Michigan look like favorites from here, but there are plenty of other teams to keep an eye on next autumn.

Start with Florida, which will look like a completely different team under Urban Meyer, dubbed "the Messiah coach" by outgoing Notre Dame president Monk Malloy after the Fighting Irish failed to land him.

Meyer guided Utah to 35-7 rout of Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl. That wasn’t a surprise because the Panthers had no business being in a BCS bowl. But the interesting part about that dreadful mismatch came with Utah leading 28-7 and camped at Pitt’s 18-yard line. The Utes ran a hook-and-ladder play for an easy touchdown.

It was almost as if Meyer was sending a message to his soon-to-be rivals in the Southeastern Conference: Wait’ll you get a load of me.

Slideshow   Orange Bowl See images from USC’s victory over Oklahoma in FedEx Orange Bowl

Meyer inherits better talent at almost every position in Gainesville than he had in Salt Lake City — except at quarterback, which is easily the most important position in his intricate attack. Utah’s Alex Smith was a polished player before Meyer arrived from Bowling Green. Florida’s Chris Leak is a bundle of potential, but his 23 interceptions the last two years raise eyebrows about his decision making.

If Leak struggles in Meyer’s attack, the Gators will be in big trouble when they close the regular season at South Carolina, where former Florida coach Steve Spurrier will be waiting, and then take on Florida State in Gainesville. Oh, and they also get to play Tennessee, LSU and Georgia.

Other teams to watch in 2005 include Virginia Tech, which gave Auburn all it could handle in the Sugar Bowl. The Hokies surprised a lot of people this year, winning the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference by defeating their old Big East rivals, Miami, on the road.

Speaking of Miami, the Hurricanes are way past due for another trip to the BCS title game — they’ve gone two whole years without making an appearance. But coach Larry Coker has to identify a quarterback. Does Ken Dorsey have any eligibility remaining? What about Vinny Testaverde?

Iowa could be a dark horse. The Hawkeyes closed with a rush, winning their last eight games, including a thriller over Louisiana State in the Capital One Bowl.

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