The contender no one cares about? Virginia Tech

Whoopty-do.

But hold on. That nugget of information, which hit the presses Wednesday morning, could have national-title implications. If Short were any other overlooked offensive lineman on any other title contender, that might be bigger news - but face it, he's a Hokie.

Don't underestimate the seriousness of that news to Short's redshirt freshman quarterback, Michael Vick, who will be taking snaps tomorrow against Syracuse from a third center this season. Steve Demasi will fill in for Short, who was himself filling

Rick Freeman Freeman of the Press

in for starter Tim Schnecker. And right there, in the middle of the Virginia Tech offensive line is the biggest weakness in the fourth-ranked Hokies' national championship plans.

Some might say it's Syracuse, or Miami, or even Boston College. But Virginia Tech faces the Hurricanes in Blacksburg, B.C. lost to Temple and Syracuse is the Big East's chronically overrated team. So the Hokies have the easiest road to New Orleans, at least among teams that don't get to play Wake Forest and Maryland.

Whoopty-do.

Wait a while, see what happens if Blacksburg - which will host ESPN's GameDay crew for the first time ever tomorrow - finds itself near the epicenter of the college football world. See what happens if Vick and tailback Shyrone Stith make orange and maroon suddenly fashionable.

TV executives would see red. Ultra-hip Virginia would turn green with envy at it's dorkier rival's success (the Cavaliers had their chance and lost, 31-7). The Hokies would bask in the golden glow.

The rest of the country would say ... whoopty-do.

Law of increasing returns: Colorado cornerback Ben Kelly - owner of more than 2,000 career all-purpose yards - will finally see some snaps on offense this week.

The 5-9 190-pound cornerback has accumulated all but nine of those yards by returning punts, kickoffs, interceptions and fumbles. The other nine yards came on a fake-punt reception.

Kelly has taken practice snaps in preparation for tomorrow's game against Texas Tech.

Kelly - who first approached Buffaloes' coach Gary Barnett about playing two ways after spring practice - will not take the place of regular tailbacks Cortlen Johnson or Dwayne Cherrington on the Buffs' roster, but instead be used in experimental situations. His status as a kick returner seems more concrete, since he's the only returner among the nation's top 50 with more than one return for a touchdown this season.

Kelly will continue to play defense, too, where he has seven interceptions - including the one that ended Saturday's game in overtime. After picking off the pass, he stepped out of bounds, saying he had run out of gas. Which might be the only thing keeping Barnett from using him on every play.

Still hope: Quietly, since he plays for a team that departed the national consciousness faster than New Coke, Arizona's Dennis Northcutt has made a name for himself at the school that was once a trendy pick for national champion.

He's second in the country in punt returns, averaging 20 yards per return. He's fourth in receiving yards, with 125 per game.

Last month against Texas Christian, he got the attention of his teammates and helped spark a comeback from 16 points down.

"He does it with his mouth and with his play," one of the Wildcats' two quarterbacks, Keith Smith told the Arizona Daily Wildcat. "He came in at halftime, and basically told us what he was going to do."

No word on whether he can help out the Wildcats' defense.

But is there a "gravelly road" theory?: One thing's clear, Oklahoma State coach Bob Simmons has taken a beating. Exactly how is another story. The Dallas Morning News reported the encounter as happening at halftime. The paper said Simmons was hit in the eye while kickers were warming up at halftime.

"It was like somebody walked up and sucker-punched me," Simmons told the paper. "But I'm fine."

But the Denver Post claims the incident occurred in the first half, and attributed the attack to an errant pass.

Notes: Don't like the teams in the top 5? Here are the obstacles for each of the teams remaining in the top 5. No. 1 Florida State - Florida on Nov. 20. No. 2 Penn State - Ohio State tomorrow, at Purdue Oct. 23, Michigan Nov. 13, at Michigan State Nov. 20. Nebraska - Texas A&M, Nov. 6; Kansas State, Nov. 13; at Colorado, Nov. 27, Virginia Tech - Syracuse, tomorrow; Miami, Nov. 13. Michigan State - at Purdue, tomorrow; Ohio State, Nov. 6; Penn State, Nov. 20. ... Purdue quarterback Drew Brees is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Yes, it seems a little quick, but the phenom's jersey and picture are in the South Bend museum as part of the "Race to the Pantheon" exhibit, which showcases players who could win postseason awards. His jersey and picture will be removed after postseason awards are announced, for now, anyway. ... Southern Cal coach Paul Hackett said he plans to bring extra freshmen on this weekend's trip to Notre Dame so two years from now, they will be able to tell that season's crop what playing in South Bend is like.

- Rick Freeman can be reached via e-mail at rickfree@umich.edu

While Ohio State isn't ranked in the top five this season, they have the chance to screw teams with BCS aspirations, such as Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan.

AP PHOTO

10-15-99