Head coach Dick Tomey had a decent first season getting the team to improve as the year went on with the emergence of a running game helping to lead the way to two straight wins to break a 15-game losing streak to D-I teams.

Now the program might have to start from scratch again, at least on defense. Considering San Jose State has come up with one winning season since 1992, any positive steps are great.

The team has to come up with wins over every mediocre team on the schedule. It took care of New Mexico State and Idaho, but lost to Utah State. San Jose State can't give away wins to anyone, and it has to figure out how to pull off more close games after losing three last season by a touchdown against Nevada, Utah State and Hawaii. Swing two of those the other way, and all of a sudden the Spartans are a solid 5-6 and the fan base will start to get into the team more. And that's the biggest hurdle to overcome.

Tomey has been a success everywhere he has been, and he has a lot of work to do to change the culture of San Jose State football to make it more competitive, more exciting, and more relevant. Unfortunately, the lowest attendance of the year for perennial road warriors were for the final two games, both wins, and only more victories are going to bring fans out to Spartan Stadium and get the excitement going.

In the WAC, you have to be prepared to get involved in some firefights, and the Spartans are better equipped. The offense should be appreciably better with one of the best lines the program has had in several years along with a solid backfield with several good options. The quarterback situation will work itself out and the receiving corps shouldn't be too bad after a little bit of time.

The defense, well, the offense should be better. Only two starters return from a D that did nothing against the pass but improved overall with a senior dominated group. The linebacking corps might be the smallest in America, and the line is going to be steamrolled over by decent power running teams. It's a quick group that will fly around the ball, just like Tomey likes, but it's going to need time to be halfway decent.

It'll be another transition year to 2007 when the team will be loaded with experience on both sides of the ball. Until then, any wins are good wins.

The Schedule: San Jose State has seven home games for the first time ever and no absolute killers on the non-conference slate. Washington, Stanford, Cal Poly and San Jose State is about as light as it can possibly get before jumping into WAC play with an absolute must-win against Utah State. Boise State and Fresno State have to come to San Jose, but road trips to Nevada and Hawaii might mean another major struggle to get out of the bottom four in the final conference standings.

What you need to know on offense ... The offense was just starting to find itself over the second half of last year and should be far more effective this season thanks to a strong line with four returning starters led by tackle Matt Cantu. The running game has four good options with the most talented runner of the bunch, freshman Dominique Hunsacker, on the way. The receivers are decent, but nothing special. The real focus will be on the quarterback situation where it'll be a three-way battle into the fall to find someone who can get the completion percentage to over 50%.

Best Offensive Player: Senior OT Matt Cantu. His move from center to tackle in the middle of last year helped the ground game explode. Now he'll be one of the best all-around blockers in the WAC leading a strong line that has get the running game consistently moving.

What you need to know on defense ... The Spartan defense improved immensely last season partially because of the new coaching staff and partially because it was a senior dominated crew. Now the D is starting from almost scratch with only three returning starters, no size whatsoever at linebacker, a shaky secondary that's replacing a crew that finished 116th in the nation, and a defensive line that will have to learn on the fly. All is not completely lost with great all-around quickness and athleticism, but the actual football talent is questionable.

Best Defensive Player: Junior LB Matt Castelo. He might be woefully undersized for a middle linebacker at 5-10 and 210 pounds, but he's the WAC's leading returning tackler and one of the few returning starters to the defense. He'll have to be all over the field cleaning up messes until the rest of the linebacking corps gets a little experienced.

Key player to a successful season: Junior QBs Sean Flynn and Adam Tafralis. Redshirt freshman Chad Bozzo is also in the mix. The quarterbacks have to be much, much sharper at keeping the offense moving and have to be far more accurate on third downs. The defense is going to give up 30+ points a game way too often, and the quarterbacks have to keep pace.

The season will be a success if ... the Spartans win six games. It'll take a few upsets and at least two roads wins, which is harder than it sounds without an away victory since 2003. There can't be any slip ups against teams like Utah State and Cal Poly and wins at New Mexico State and Idaho are a must.

Key game: Oct. 28 vs. Louisiana Tech. Beating Utah State at home won't raise any eyebrows, but a stunner over Louisiana Tech would get the Spartans in the WAC race early on going into a winnable game at New Mexico State followed up with a home showdown with Boise State.

2005 Fun Stats:
- First half scoring: Opponents 228 - San Jose State 125
- Third down conversions: Opponents 81 for 179 (45%) - San Jose State 47 for 167 (28%)
- Sacks: San Jose State: 27 for 185 yards - Opponents 14 for 86 yards