How about those Cornhuskers? Brian Anderson Special to the Republic Aug. 20, 1998 Baseball players do not live by baseball alone. We like to think of ourselves as somewhat diverse. That's why this week's stream of consciousness will deviate from the norm. We're going to talk about football. A lot of us in the Diamondbacks' clubhouse are very interested in football. Today, we will restrict ourselves to the college level. I'll admit it. I'm a die-hard college football fan. In fact, I'm making plans to be back here in Arizona the first few days of January, when the national championship game will be played at ASU's Sun Devil Stadium between Florida State and my team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Since I'm from Ohio, some people might wonder why I don't support Ohio State. Actually, I catch grief all the time from the people back home. The reason is related to baseball. Ohio State called me near the end of high school and said, "How would you like to come play for us?" I said, "Sure." Well, they never called me back after that. I figured they were just stringing me along, waiting to see if someone they liked better committed to them. I know that's done all the time, but the least they could have done would to have given me a courtesy call back. So I went to Wright State, about an hour north of Columbus, and I'm glad I did. My tie to Nebraska comes from the time when the Cornhuskers played in the Orange Bowl in 1984. The Huskers went for a two-point conversion to win it late in the game and didn't make it. I was crushed, but I still was a fan. They just seem to do things different there. Here's my top 10 going into the season, done David Letterman-style: No. 10 - LSU. They will miss their star runner, Cecil Collins, but have other guys on the way to help pick up the slack. No. 9 - West Virginia. They start off with Ohio State. They've been putting together a game plan for this one game the whole off-season, so if they can win it, the rest of their schedule isn't as tough. No. 8 - UCLA. Quarterback Cade McNown is back, but they'll have to replace running back Skip Hicks. They always have good athletes, so it shouldn't be too difficult. No. 7 - Kansas State. They have the most cream-puff schedule I've ever seen. They do have something like 19 starters coming back, so that will help. But the bottom line is, they have to get through Nebraska. And until they do that, they won't crack the top five. No. 6 - Ohio State. Their skill positions are awesome, but the lines won't last. I don't see them getting by Michigan. They'll probably end up playing ASU in a bowl somewhere, and I can see ASU getting a little revenge for the Rose Bowl loss a couple of years ago. No. 5 - Michigan. They will miss Charles Woodson, but they will survive. Their offense isn't real fancy, but they don't turn the ball over much. They get the job done. No. 4 - Florida. They have a good coach in Steve Spurrier and will have huge offensive numbers, as usual. Doug Johnson, a draftee of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, should be able to come back after surgery for a cyst. But as good as their offense is, their defense might just be the best in the country. No. 3 - ASU. It's between them and UCLA in the Pac-10. The reasons for this pick are that the Sun Devils have a well-balanced team, and it helps to kiss up to the local fans. No. 2 - Florida State. They have unbelievable talent everywhere. They're losing Andre Wadsworth (don't get me started about his Cardinals holdout), but the drop-off won't be too much. No. 1 - Nebraska. I'm sure you're surprised by this pick. A new coach brings new energy. They lost some players on defense, but the guys coming back can still play. Bobby Newcombe is probably the most athletic quarterback they've had for a while. They usually defeat opponents so soundly that the second- and third-stringers come in and give them real depth when it counts - during the bowl season.