The Gridiron Prospects

With fall and football in the air, the experts plunged last week into their annual mid-September gridiron forecasts. The best guesses:

East. Princeton and Penn are the pick of the Ivy League. Gone is the 1951 Tiger backfield, but standout Linemen Frank McPhee and Brad Glass are still around, and replacements look promising. Princeton's chances for another undefeated season depend on how close the quarterback hopefuls come to filling Dick Kazmaier's shoes. Penn, with many of 1951's regulars on hand, will have an edge on Princeton in experience and reserves. Navy should better its poor 1951 record. So should Army.

South. Maryland, say the experts, is the best in the nation. Quarterback Jack Scarbath, already hailed as "Back of the Year," and 245-lb. Tackle Dick Modzelewski are enough to make a good team great. In the Southeastern Conference, Georgia Tech, with 36 lettermen returning, is rated a notch ahead of Tennessee. Mississippi has a dangerous running offense; playing an easy schedule that bypasses both Tech and Tennessee, it might wind up conference champion.

With Maryland and Clemson suspended for accepting bowl bids last year, Duke has prospects of copping Southern Conference honors. Independent Virginia, with Passer Mel Roach, should win most of its games.

Midwest. In the Big Ten, Illinois and Wisconsin are rated one-two or two-one, with Purdue third. Illinois, the Rose Bowl champ, is weak in reserves because of graduation-day losses, but its starting offensive team is fast, hard-hitting and splendidly quarterbacked by Tom O'Connell. Reserve-rich Wisconsin has a pair of remarkable ground-gainers, Fullback Alan Ameche (774 yards rushing last year, as a freshman) and Wingback Jerry Witt (top Big Ten scorer last year). Purdue looked good at season's end last year, and most of the regulars are still on hand.

Michigan State, waiting outside the Big Ten gates for membership next year, is generally ranked No. 1 in the Midwest, No. 2 in the nation. Its 1951 backfield is nearly intact. With its none-too-rigorous schedule, Michigan State could win them all again. Notre Dame has a fine backfield, a green offensive line and a hard schedule. Much depends on Sophomore Quarterback Ralph Guglielmi.

Big Seven. Oklahoma has seasoned backs (notably fleet Billy Vessels), sturdy linemen (notably Linebacker-Center Tom Catlin), and a tradition of five straight Big Seven championships. No. 2: Kansas, with 1951's able backfield improved by experience and the presence of Army's 1950 quarterback, Gil Reich.

Southwest. The experts see Texas, Rice and Texas Christian battling it out for the conference title, but they cautiously give a respectful nod to both Southern Methodist and Arkansas.

Pacific Coast. With a powerful running attack and plentiful reserves, California is ranked tops on the Coast, among the top ten in the nation. U.C.L.A., lacking depth, holds two aces: Runner-Passer Paul Cameron, tabbed by "Red" Sanders as "the best tailback I've ever coached," and Center Donn Moomaw. Southern Cal is rated close behind U.C.L.A. Washington, with above-par linemen, has great expectations if Passer Don Heinrich's shoulder, injured last season, holds up. Stanford, with most of the Cinderella team gone, has Bob Mathias.

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