Larry Coker calls No. 1 Miami’s schedule daunting, yet he absolutely believes his defending national champions are poised for another perfect season.

“No doubt it can be done, and we feel like we can win every game,” Coker said of a schedule that includes powerhouses Florida, Florida State and Tennessee. “Is that realistic? Maybe not. But if we win every game it’s a no-brainer we’re going to Tempe.”

Oklahoma quarterback jason white (18) passes while offensive lineman Jammal Brown (55) blocks Sam Sacheck (84). The Sooners scrimmaged Saturday at Norman, Okla.

In the crazy world of the Bowl Championship Series, winning ’em all seems to be the safest way to gain entry to the national title game. This season, the BCS championship game will be in the Fiesta Bowl at Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 3.

Since the BCS began in 1998, it has produced an undefeated national champion every season Tennessee, Florida State, Oklahoma and Miami.

Perfection will be tougher to come by in 2002. Teams are playing 12 games instead of the usual 11 because the NCAA allows it when there’s an extra Saturday between the Labor Day weekend and Nov. 30.

More than a dozen teams are playing 13 games courtesy of “preseason classics,” and a few, like Nebraska, could end up playing 15 games.

“It sure makes it tougher for teams to go undefeated,” Coker said.

Despite the return of only 10 starters, Miami rests its repeat hopes on the accurate arm of quarterback Ken Dorsey and a defense led by hard-hitting linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

“I’m looking for a repeat,” ‘Canes center Brett Romberg said. “You’re only as good as your last game, and I hope to get a ring to prove it.”

Nebraska, meanwhile, is trying to forget humiliating losses at the end of last season 62-36 to Colorado and 37-14 to Miami in the Rose Bowl.

With Jammal Lord replacing departed Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch at quarterback, Nebraska opens Aug. 24 against Arizona State.

“I think we’re a football team that will be coming back with a purpose,” Huskers coach Frank Solich said.

Nebraska isn’t the only team trying to restore the glory days.

Notre Dame tops the list. Tyrone Willingham arrived from Stanford to take over a once-grand football team that has fallen mightily.

A 5-6 season led to the firing of coach Bob Davie, which preceded the embarrassing resignation of his replacement, George O’Leary, five days into the job.

Six players left the team, including three who were expelled after a woman said she was raped. Quarterback Matt LoVecchio transferred, and leading rusher Julius Jones is academically ineligible.

“So many things happened in that one year that don’t even happen to a team for a whole generation,” quarterback Carlyle Holiday said.

Also looking to rise for another national title run are Florida State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

The Seminoles lost four games for the first time since 1986, ending a 14-year run of Top 5 poll finishes and 10-win seasons. But with most of his players back, including quarterback Chris Rix, coach Bobby Bowden is counting on returning to the title game for the fourth time in five years.

“We’re going to be very disappointed if we don’t get right back into the middle of that fight,” Bowden said.

Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas all blew chances to play for the national crown in an incredible late-season sequence. First the 2000 champion Sooners were knocked out of the chase with a loss to Oklahoma State, then the Longhorns lost to Colorado in the Big 12 title game, and the Volunteers fell to LSU in the SEC title game.

Oklahoma is ready to go again, with perhaps the most fearsome defense in the country anchored by tackle Tommie Harris and end Jimmy Wilkerson.

“We’ve got a chance, but we’re not much on all this preseason stuff,” coach Bob Stoops said, referring to his team’s No. 2 ranking.

With Heisman hopeful Chris Simms back at quarterback, along with running back Cedric Benson and wide receivers Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson, Texas won’t have problems scoring.

All the ‘Horns need to do is beat Oklahoma on Oct. 12, and they’ll be in the title hunt.

“The program is walking with a swagger again,” coach Mack Brown says. “We feel like we should be a Top 5 team and now we’re at the point that if we do our jobs, there may come a time when the ball bounces right and we could win a national championship.”

At Tennessee, the pass-catch combo of Casey Clausen to Kelley Washington has the VolNation thinking SEC title, especially with nine games in-state. Two big games are at home against Florida and Miami.

The Vols’ motto this season: “Unfinished business.” The reason? A 31-20 loss to LSU in the SEC title game. “We’ve got something to prove,” Clausen said. “To get to that point and not get it done just talking about it sets a spark in me.”

Florida hopes to maintain the glory days after Steve Spurrier’s departure for the Washington Redskins. Former Gators assistant Ron Zook takes over. And no matter how much he talks, travels and tries to outwork Spurrier, Zook knows the score.

“It obviously comes down to wins or losses,” he said. “It makes no difference what people say now.”

At least he has Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman back. The junior led the nation in passing 3,896 yards and 34 TDs.

Grossman toyed with transferring after Spurrier left.

“It was a difficult decision,” Grossman said. “But as soon as I got all the facts, it was pretty easy. I still wanted to be a Gator.”

Looking for surprise teams? Try Georgia Tech in the ACC, Boston College in the Big East, Michigan State in the Big Ten, Texas A&M in the Big 12, Arizona in the Pac-10, and Georgia in the SEC.

This could be a strong year for quarterbacks. In addition to Dorsey, Simms, Rix, Clausen and Grossman, there’s no fewer than a dozen other big guns out there, including Washington State’s Jason Gesser, Marshall’s Byron Leftwich, Louisville’s Dave Ragone, Mississippi’s Eli Manning, Louisiana Tech’s Luke McCown and Boise State’s Ryan Dinwiddie.

Look West for the best running back Oregon’s Onterrio Smith, who topped 1,000 yards last season. Other top runners include Texas’ Benson, Wisconsin’s Anthony Davis, LSU’s LaBrandon Toefield, Virginia Tech’s duo of Lee Suggs and Kevin Jones, and Colorado’s trio of Chris Brown, Bobby Purify and Marcus Houston.

As for games, there are a few you don’t want to miss: Miami at Florida on Sept. 7; Texas vs. Oklahoma in Dallas, and Florida State at Miami on Oct. 12; and Miami at Tennessee on Nov. 9.

Pac-10 rivals Cal and Stanford both have new coaches Jeff Tedford at Cal, Buddy Teevens at Stanford. Other schools with new coaches include Indiana (Gerry DiNardo), Kansas (Mark Mangino), Navy (Paul Johnson) and Vanderbilt (Bobby Johnson).