Connecticut was picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Big East in the 2007 media poll, and shocked the experts by earning a share of the conference title. With 17 starters returning from that squad, the same media members showed a little more respect for the team in the 2008 poll.

They picked the Huskies sixth.

That's no great shock, considering that the team earned few believers even as it was upsetting many of the league's top teams a year ago. Always, there was an excuse to doubt -- a rainstorm, poor field conditions, a bad call, or just dumb luck.

If the poor prediction wasn't enough to get his players focused on the upcoming season, coach Randy Edsall fired a shot across the bow early in August by playing quarterback Zach Frazer with the first string and returning starter Tyler Lorenzen with the second. The motivation, as Edsall said afterward, was to show that nothing is etched in stone this season and everyone needs to have the same mindset as they did a year ago, when the preseason was a mad scramble for starting jobs.

Lorenzen tends to start the summer slowly and build toward a stronger finish, and, if that happens he's likely to reclaim the starting role. Whoever wins the job will have a pair of strong running backs to lean on in Andre Dixon and Donald Brown, though the wide receivers are still jockeying for position. The passing attack was a weakness a year ago, and will need to improve for the team to match its 2007 success.

Defensively, the Huskies will once again rely on its linebackers and secondary to make plays. Scott Lutrus is back at strong-side linebacker after working in the middle in the spring, and Dana Deleston moves back to the strong safety slot. UConn thrived, making the most on turnovers and special teams success, and its speed on defense will once again be among the best in the league.

Obviously the media remains unconvinced. But unlike a year ago, when UConn's goal was simply to make a bowl game -- any bowl game -- the team's internal expectations are a lot grander in 2008.

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