OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Charleston, Ill.

ENROLLMENT: 11,700

COACH: Bob Spoo, 84-75-1 at Eastern Illinois (14 years)

LAST YEAR: 8-4 overall, 6-1 OVC (2nd)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 14 (5 offense, 8 defense, 1 specialist)

KEY RETURNERS: (QB) Tony Romo, (RB) J.R. Taylor, (DB) Kourtney Young, (DB) John Williams

Toughest to replace: (OL) Dan Fellows, (OL) Matt Gehrig, (DL) Mike Carlin

Audibles

Eastern, which finished last year ranked No. 17 nationally and earned a berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the first time since 1996, is the overwhelming preseason favorite to capture its first OVC championship. The Panthers are the only conference team ranked in The Sports Network preseason I-AA poll, coming in at No. 11.

Chatter

SPOO: "It's nice to get respect, but I don't put much stock in polls. I think we have a solid team, but I really think it's going to be a tight conference race. Week in and week out, the toughness of this league is so obvious. You have to bring your A' game every week."

Outlook

The Panthers' biggest question mark is along the offensive line, where they must replace some of their key players. But the Panthers have plenty of talent. Romo, the 2000 OVC Offensive Player of the Year when he passed for 2,583 yards and 27 touchdowns, leads an offense that averaged 39 points and 453 yards per game last year to rank among the nation's leaders. The defense, which allowed less than 300 yards per game, is loaded. All of that should make Eastern tough to beat.

EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Richmond, Ky.

ENROLLMENT: 14,499

COACH: Roy Kidd, 299-117-8 at Eastern Kentucky (37 years)

LAST YEAR: 6-5 overall, 3-4 OVC (5th)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 14 (5 offense, 8 defense, 1 specialist)

KEY RETURNERS: (DB) Yeremiah Bell, (LB) Nick Sullivan, (DL) Nick Hill, (DL) Marcus Adams

Toughest to replace: (TB) Corey Crume, (QB) Waylon Chapman, (WR) Alex Bannister

Audibles

Kidd needs one win to become just the seventh coach in NCAA Division I-A and I-AA history to collect 300 victories. But Kidd was not happy last year, even though the Colonels' extended their string of consecutive winning seasons to 23. Eastern's fifth-place conference finish was its lowest since 1972. The Colonels are picked to finish third this year.

Chatter

KIDD: "We were very disappointed last year to finish 6-5. We just couldn't seem to get the ball into the end zone. We were really disappointed in our offense and that's an area we have to improve in a great deal."

Outlook

Eastern Kentucky figures to field a formidable defense as many key players return from a unit that ranked fourth nationally in total defense last year at 260 yards per game. But the Colonels have numerous holes to fill offensively and will be using an inexperienced quarterback. Whether they can get back into the upper echelon of the OVC might hinge on the development of returnee Toki McCray and Virginia Tech transfer Travis Turner, who are battling for the QB job.

MURRAY STATE RACERS

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Murray, Ky.

ENROLLMENT: 8,900

COACH: Joe Pannunzio, 6-5 at Murray State (1 year)

LAST YEAR: 6-5 overall, 4-3 OVC (4th)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 13 (7 offense, 4 defense, 2 specialists)

KEY RETURNERS: (QB) Stewart Childress, (RB) Mario Riley, (WR) Michael Slater, (OL) Josh Foster

Toughest to replace: (WR) Shaun Boykins, (LB) Jai Williams, (DB) Beau Guest

Audibles

Murray won three of its last four games last season to finish with a winning record. Childress was a big reason as he had a banner freshman season, passing for the third-most yards (2,928) in conference history. The Racers were tabbed for fourth in the conference's preseason poll.

Chatter

PANNUNZIO: "We have to get better because all the OVC teams are getting better. Last year was my first in the OVC and I was really impressed with the league. You have to come ready to play every week."

Outlook

Moving the football and getting into the end zone was not a problem for the Racers last year as they ranked among the national leaders in total offense and scoring, with 452 yards and 33.3 points per game, respectively. Murray should thrive offensively again, but the Racers need to improve on a defense that allowed more than 425 yards and 30 points per game a year ago. Pannunzio brought in several transfers to try and help stop the bleeding defensively.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI INDIANS

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Cape Girardeau, Mo.

ENROLLMENT: 9,200

COACH: Tim Billings, 3-8 at Southeast Missouri (1 year)

LAST YEAR: 6-5 overall, 4-3 OVC (4th)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 14 (7 offense, 7 defense)

KEY RETURNERS: (QB) Rashad West, (RB/KR) Curtis Cooper, (OL) Eugene Amano, (LB) Corey Mathis

Toughest to replace: (WR) Leslie Weaver, (DB) Joe Williams, (P/PK) Jason Witczak

Audibles

Billings, who came to Southeast last year after 10 seasons as an assistant at Marshall, is looking to rebuild a program that has not posted a winning record since 1994. A big key will the health of West, who suffered a torn ACL during a summer pickup basketball game but is attempting to play with a knee brace. The Indians were picked to finish sixth in the conference.

Chatter

BILLINGS: "I know we're going to be a lot better football team this year. I feel like we're better at every position than we were last year. But I don't have a clue about how we're going to do. I wish I could say we'll win six games, but I don't know if we'll win two. We have no control over the other teams."

Outlook

Billings believes he landed a bumper recruiting class for this year and a host of true freshmen will either start or see significant playing time. That might signify good things for the future but could cause some problems this season, especially along the offensive line, where three true freshmen and two sophomores will start. The Indians must improve on both an offense that averaged less than 300 yards per game and a defense that allowed more than 440 yards and 36 points a contest.

TENNESSEE-MARTIN SKYHAWKS

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Martin, Tenn.

ENROLLMENT: 5,846

COACH: Sam McCorkle, 2-9 at Tennessee-Martin (1 year), 22-53-2 overall (7 years)

LAST YEAR: 2-9 overall, 0-7 OVC (8th)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 16 (6 offense, 10 defense)

KEY RETURNERS: (QB) Robert Hines, (DL) Nick Stamper, (DB) Vincent Thomas, (DB) Trent Findley

Toughest to replace: (RB) Roland Ogletree, (RB) Jermi Hampton

Audibles

The Skyhawks have finished in the OVC's basement since 1996, which is also the last time they posted a conference victory, although their two overall wins last year was the program's most since 1995. The rest of the league doesn't think things will change much this year as UT-Martin is again the overwhelming choice to wind up at the bottom of the standings.

Chatter

McCORKLE: "Last year we were almost like a JV football team. I feel like we're going to be a better football team. I don't know if that means we'll win any more games, but we're bigger than we've been and hopefully we'll be quicker."

Outlook

McCorkle faces a monumental rebuilding process in trying to turn around a depleted program. It will be a minor miracle if the Skyhawks, who had 20 freshmen either start or see significant playing time in 2000, avoid the OVC basement. They certainly must improve offensively and defensively as those units ranks last in the league with 250 yards and 448 yards, respectively.

TENNESSEE STATE TIGERS

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Nashville, Tenn.

ENROLLMENT: 8,750

COACH: James Reese, 3-8 at Tennessee State (1 year)

LAST YEAR: 3-8 overall, 2-5 OVC (6th)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 15 (8 offense, 8 defense, 1 specialist)

KEY RETURNERS: (WR) C.J. Johnson, (OL) Lawrence Smith, (LB) Walter Reese, (KR) Carlos Wright

Toughest to replace: (QB) Kenton Evans, (WR) Juluis Hull, (DB) Ligaruis Jennings

Audibles

Reese, a former Tennessee State player and assistant coach, had a rough first season in charge of the program as the Tigers fell way down after recording back-to-back conference championships. He vows they'll be back in the title chase, but they are picked to finish only fifth in the league.

Chatter

REESE: "We were disappointed with last season, but we will definitely be back in the hunt this year. We return guys who had an opportunity to play last year and gain valuable experience. We expect a lot of things out of this year's team."

Outlook

There is reason to buy into the coach's optimism as numerous key players return, but if the Tigers are to be a factor in the league race, they must improve a defense that allowed nearly 34 points per game a year ago. Another key will be finding a capable replacement for Evans, who passed for nearly 2,000 yards. Top candidates are returnee Shannon Harris, who threw for more than 600 yards last year, and Marshall transfer Kenny Irby.

TENNESSEE TECH EAGLES

Quick Hits

LOCATION: Cookeville, Tenn.

ENROLLMENT: 8,650

COACH: Mike Hennigan, 28-26 at Tennessee Tech (5 years)

LAST YEAR: 8-3 overall, 5-2 OVC (3rd)

Coming back

RETURNING STARTERS: 17 (10 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist)

KEY RETURNERS: (RB) Travis Rogers, (OL) Joey Bishop, (DL) D.J. Bleisath, (PK) David Collett

Toughest to replace: (LB) Chad Evitts, (DB) Troy Grant, (DB) Jahi Henley

Audibles

Expectations are high at Tech, which is coming off its best season since 1993. The Eagles ranked 22nd in last year's final national poll and are considered the best threat keep Eastern Illinois from winning the conference title as they were picked a solid second in the league's preseason poll.

Chatter

HENNIGAN: "A lot of the recognition we're getting is based on what we did last year. We did have a successful season. But this is a new year. We lost some guys we will sorely miss, but we feel confident with what we have."

Outlook

There appears to be no reason why the Eagles can't make a strong push for the OVC title. Their defense has been among the best in the league in recent years and last season their traditionally mediocre offense improved enough to where it posted the second-highest point total in school history. Replacing OVC Defensive Player of the Year Evitts will be tough, but the offense returns almost everybody.