Five Things To Look For

1 Band on the run. Stanford may have the only marching band in the country with its own public relations firm--gee, isn’t that sort of anti-hip?--yet because of this we can report the bawdy band will return to Oregon this week for the first time in 11 years. A spokesman (the drummer) reports the band was exiled in 1990 for a spoof on the Spotted Owl, which didn’t go over real big with the environmentalists. Warning: The USC band already has caused enough problems at Oregon this year, Stanford, so don’t get any wise ideas.

2 A good game at Austin. Colorado travels to Texas this week in a matchup of the two best one-loss teams in the country. Texas probably got what it deserved against Oklahoma, losing a tough 14-3 decision in Dallas on Oct. 6, but Colorado has to be kicking itself for the one that got away in its season opener against Fresno State. Flashback: Colorado, down by two near the goal, needed a field goal to take the lead, but instead quarterback Craig Ochs elected to throw and his pass was intercepted in the end zone. Fresno State prevailed, 24-22.

3 The Curse. Whoa, all this hex and voodoo talk coming out of Tuscaloosa is starting to give us the creeps. Penn State Coach Joe Paterno needed seven wins last year to pass Bear Bryant on the major college all-time win list and still hasn’t done it. Paterno is stuck on 322, one behind Bear’s mark of 323. At 0-4, there’s a chance Penn State, at Northwestern this week, might not win a game this year. What’s more, Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden is sitting at 318 wins with his most mediocre team in years. With Florida State still having to play Clemson, Maryland, Florida and Georgia Tech, there is a chance neither Bowden nor Paterno will eclipse Bear’s mark this year. .

4 The best darn 2-3 team in the country. Oregon State? No, we were thinking Troy State, which plays a schedule that would give Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder a severe case of the shakes. Troy State, in its first year in Division I, pulled off this year’s stunner with a 21-9 victory at Mississippi State last week. Troy State also held tough in losses at Nebraska and Miami. The Trojans have an upcoming date at Maryland and next year play at Arkansas, Iowa State, Maryland, Mississippi State and Nebraska. A longtime Division I-AA power, Troy State is trying to earn its way into the new Sun Belt Conference and appears to have made a sizable credibility down payment.

5 Stoops makes the right move. After waffling a bit, Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops has given the Sooners their best shot at repeating as national champions by naming sophomore Jason White as this week’s starting quarterback against Baylor. White replaces Nate Hybl, who started the first six games, but has not finished the last two. Hybl and White were neck-and-neck for the starting job coming out of spring, with Hybl eventually earning the job as Josh Heupel’s successor. Why White? The sophomore’s running ability rescued Oklahoma against Texas and he adds a dimension the Sooners will need for the Oct. 27 showdown against Nebraska in Lincoln.