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.

#114 Kent State Golden Flashes 1-10 SU; 3-7 ATS

Fargos Take Last year was not pleasant for the Golden Flashes and things arent expected to be too much better in 2006. In order to win, teams must be able to run the football and that is something Kent St. was not able to do. It finished dead last in 1-A in rushing offense as it averaged only 45.9 ypg which was close to 30 yards less per game than the next closest team. The good news is that Michigan St. transfer Tony Howard is eligible so an improvement is likely. Consistency at quarterback is a must, another thing that was not on the field a season ago. Defensively, the Golden Flashes were near the bottom of the rankings in both scoring defense and rushing defense. A lack of experienced linebackers will certainly not help the latter. Last season, Kent St. won just one game and that came against 1-AA SE Missouri St. but if there was any good out of the 10 losses, it was that four of those came by a touchdown or less. Five winnable games dot the schedule but four of those are on the road.

Returning Starters on Offense 9 While the running game was a disaster last season, it is not the biggest concern coming into 2006. Injuries to the top five backs did not help things and new talent is coming in this year to move things forward. The offensive line is going to improve thanks to a vigorous offseason program so it all comes down to quarterback Michael Machen. He was inconsistent last season with two 300-yard passing games but his 18 interceptions killed the offense. After scoring 30 or more points three times in its first six games, Kent St. managed only 40 points in its final five games combined. A lot of experience returns so improvement should be anticipated.

Returning Starters on Defense 9 Because of the inconsistent play of the offense, the defense had it back against the wall much too often. Not only do nine starters return, but Pittsburgh transfer Damian Matuschek will be a big addition to the defensive line. The secondary allowed the 24th fewest amount of passing yards in the country last season but a lot of that can be attributed to teams not needing to throw the ball. Only seven seniors are part of the two-deep rotation showing just how young this team is so more growing pains are inevitable. Turning the ball over was a regular occurrence but taking the ball away was not as the Golden Flashes finished 109th in turnover margin.

Schedule The schedule does not get any easier this season even though the MAC slate is one of the easiest you could ask for. The problem is that the three easiest conference games are on the road along with non-conference games at Army and at Temple. Minnesota is the first Big Ten team ever to invade Dix Stadium and that happens to be the first game of the season. A trip to Virginia Tech is also on the schedule which is sandwiched between three games at the end of the season that can all be won. The problem is that Kent St. could be 1-7 heading into that stretch, meaning the fight will be gone.

You can bet on No win is guaranteed this season like it was last year when SE Missouri St. was on the schedule. The Golden Flashes play five games that they have a chance of taking but the schedule sets up where four of those contests are on the road. However, those are the games to look for some value since they will likely be getting a fair amount of points yet will matching up well. Kent St. covered only three times last season so we should see some progress against the number even though it may not be reflected in the overall win-loss record.