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.

#111 North Texas Mean Green 2-9 SU; 4-7 ATS

Fargos Take Last year was a tough pill to swallow for the Mean Green faithful as it went from being the four-time defending Sun Belt champion to finishing in last place in the conference with a 2-5 record. Total offense and total defense were equally as bad but things should definitely be better in 2006. The running game is healthy and a defensive switch to the 3-4 will improve its horrid rushing defense from last season. Everything will depend however on the play of the quarterback and the bad news is that there is no set starter in place yet. Of its five conference losses in 2005, three were by a field goal, another by four points and the last by a touchdown. It shows that while competitive, it didnt have what it takes to win those close games and that comes back to the quarterback. Things can only get better for North Texas as it should use last season as a learning experience and go from there.

Returning Starters on Offense 9 The running game was a huge disappointment last season as the offense had not only one but two former national rushing champions with Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas. Cobbs is gone but Thomas is back and he is back healthy as hamstring problems limited him to only 361 yards last season. In order for the offense to prosper, the running game needs to regain its 2004 form because the quarterback situation is not getting any better. Daniel Meager started all 11 games last season but threw for only 941 yards and four touchdowns. Another sophomore, Matt Phillips, will be pushing him for the starting nod. The receivers are some of the best in the conference but it wont matter much if no one can get them the ball.

Returning Starters on Defense 6 While the offense couldnt run last year, the defense couldnt stop the run as it allowed 220.9 ypg which ranked 114th in the nation. The linebackers are the strength of the defense this season so those rushing numbers should decrease as long as a formidable defensive line is put into place. The new scheme alone should knock a good chunk of those yards off. In the defensive backfield, things could be a little dicey. Teams didnt need to throw much on the Mean Green last season for obvious reasons but that could change this year and with an unproven and extremely young secondary, we could see a reversal of what occurred last year. Overall, the defense isnt going to improve that much.

Schedule The three top teams in the Sun Belt from last season all host North Texas and that is discouraging news for the Mean Green. They do however get Middle Tennessee, Florida International and Florida Atlantic at home to make up for it. This team never shies away from a tough non-conference slate and that is the case again this season with games at Texas, Tulsa and Akron. The last two might not look intimidating but both should win their respective divisions within their conferences. Home games against SMU and Louisiana Tech round out the non-conference schedule.

You can bet on North Texas will try and re-establish itself as one of the best running teams in the country simply because it has no other choice. Run and you win, if you dont you lose plain and simple. If the young quarterback(s) can take a big step this year, North Texas can win the SBC but that is a big if and that is why this is still a middle of the conference team. Fouts Field used to be an intimidating place but a 0-5 SU record and 1-4 ATS mark last year took away a lot of luster. Thus, we could see some small numbers in home games once again but possibly see the results reversed this season if they can rediscover the formula for winning.