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Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#47 - Tulsa Golden Hurricane 9-4 SU; 10-3 ATS

Fargo's Take Despite a move to the tougher C-USA last season, Tulsa put together a remarkable season, going 6-2 in the conference, winning the inaugural C-USA Championship and defeating Fresno St. in the Liberty Bowl. After losing the first two games of the season against Minnesota and Oklahoma, the Golden Hurricane went on to win nine of their final 11 games and most of those victories were not even close. Taking a step back is the norm for most mid-major teams after successful seasons but Tulsa has a chance to be even better this year. The Golden Hurricane return 16 starters overall plus two more who were former starters, have a schedule that is very manageable and possess one of the best young coaches in the game in Steve Kragthorpe. Repeating in the very tough West Division will be a challenge but the pieces are in place for back-to-back championships.

Returning Starters on Offense - 7 Tulsa finished 39th in the country in total offense and 23rd in scoring offense and it really came alive down the stretch, averaging 39 ppg over its last five games. Junior quarterback Paul Smith had an excellent season with 2,835 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions while completing 62.4 percent of his passes. He will be looking for new targets as his top three receivers have departed but three seniors look to carry the load. Also gone is leading rusher Uril Parrish but depth is a plus as the Golden Hurricane bring back three players who combined for 1,062 yards and 6.2 ypc. They will be running behind an offensive line that loses just one starter as the four returnees are all seniors. The 33.1 ppg averaged last season was the most they have put up since 1975 and it could be better this year.

Returning Starters on Defense - 9 As good as the offense played down the stretch, the defense played even better. After allowing 30 or more points in four of its first five games, Tulsa allowed that much only once in its final eight games while yielding just 21 ppg over that eight-game span. The secondary was one of the best in the country and with everybody returning, it should remain the strength. Tulsa finished 17th in passing defense, 11th in passing efficiency defense and picked off 22 passes, third in the country. All three starters return at linebacker led by leading tackler Nelson Coleman. The concern on the unit is the defensive line as it was bullied around a lot last season. The rushing defense finished 77th in the nation and if the Golden Hurricane can find a way to stiffen up in the trenches, this defense can be the best in the conference.

Schedule The non-conference schedule was tough last season but it didn't hurt Tulsa going into conference action. This year, the out of conference games are much easier but will still prepare it for the difficult C-USA slate. Two home games will be easy wins against Stephen F. Austin and North Texas but the two road games will be challenging as it heads to BYU and Navy. The conference schedule starts out with a tough home game against Southern Mississippi but then its three consecutive weeks with a little break, comprising of a bye week and two winnable road games at East Carolina and Memphis. Following that stretch is where the West will be decided as the Golden Hurricane host UTEP and travel to Houston in back-to-back weeks. They miss Central Florida out of the East Division.

You can bet on... Despite signing a six-year extension, Kragthorpe will be in high demand for bigger schools if Tulsa puts together another solid season. He has led the Golden Hurricane to bowl games in two of his first three years and this season will make it two in a row. Tulsa was one of the most profitable teams in the country last season, going 10-3 against the number including a perfect 8-0 ATS in road games. If there is one drawback to their recent spread record, it's that the Golden Hurricane are just 7-14 ATS in non-conference action. The games will be difficult to cover this year for the simple fact that they might be overvalued based on last season's performance. It might be a wise move to lay off early in the season.

About the Author

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm