Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-12
First Football Week
Will TEST Maryland,
Sooners and Texas
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK. Sept. 11.-Three |
college football teams that are |
generally rated among the Ma
tons top ten in the preseason
dope may see their hopes wrecked
before the first Saturday is over. /,
That's the prospect as the
major college teams prepare to
go into q new season next week
end.
Maryland, which led the final
Associated Press ranking poll
last season. and Oklahoma.
which finished fourth. are ex-
pected to pick up right where
they left off. Texas. an over
whelming favorite in the South
west Conference, also has been
given a high national rating by
the experts who spend their
summers studying squad lists
and make their predictions while
the leaves still are green.
All three, opening the 1854
season about as early as possible.
run right into the kind of OPP
position that could send them
into ground loops if they're not
fully prepared. The same thing
goes for such well-regarded
teams as Alabama. Georgia Tech,
Rice, Baylor and UCLA,
In fact, only the ultra-con-
sentative East and the Big Ten
area are certain to come through
the first week end without up
sets. They don't have any games
scheduled so early.
Terps Play Kentucky.
Maryland. minus such stars
as Bernie Faloney and Stan
Jones but with plenty of able
athletes to replace them, opens |
against Kentucky at Lexington.
KY, Saturday. Kentucky's Wild
cats aren't expected to finish in
the first division of the South
east Conference. but their new
coach, Blanton Collier, came
into the league with some, of
Paul Browns 'let's win" spirit.
Oklahoma tees off against
California at Berkeley. and that
assignment is not much easier |
than last years opener against.
Notre Dame. Texas first OPP
ponent is Louisiana State, an
other second division team which |
easily could become first-divi-
sion with a little support for its
giant tackle, Sid Fournet, and q
big fullback, Lou Deutschmann. |
Alabama, which had the
doubtful distinction of figuring |
in the first major upset Of 1853
and then won the conference |
Observation-Disclosures out in just |
the same way. On Friday night |
,Bama faces Mississippi South
ern, which won last years
opener, 25-19. Georgia Tech,
considered q title contender this
year. faces Tulane, another team
with a new coach-Andy Pilney |
and some big linemen to put |
his ideas into effect.
Rice and Baylor In Action.
Rice and Baylor, considered
two Of the better Southwestern
teams, after Texas. open against
Florida and Houston, respec-
lively. Houston handed Baylor
37-7 humping last fall but
isn't supposed to be quite as good
this year.
UCLA. the pick in the Pacific
Coast Conference, takes on the
San Diego Navy team in a night
opener, and Wyoming, the con-
sensus pick in the Mountain
States Conference, starts off
against Oklahoma A & NJ, a
team featuring Fred Myers. ex-
Army star. and rated among the
best in the Missouri Valley Con-
ference.
Other important games next
week end include Mississippi VS..
North Texas State and Stanford
VS.. College of the Pacific, Friday
night; and Georgia VS.. up-and-
coming Florida State, Kansas VS..
Texas Christian, Texas Tech VS..
Texas A & M, New Mexico VS..
Brigham Young, Colorado VS..
Drake, Oregon VS.. Idaho and
Washington VS.. Utah Saturday.