LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Conference USA has gone from a league full of NFL-caliber quarterbacks to one filled with unproven young guns.

        East Carolina's David Garrard, Southern Mississippi's Jeff Kelly and Tulane's Patrick Ramsey all were NFL draft picks after last season, leaving Louisville's Dave Ragone as the top quarterback in the conference — and maybe the country.

        Ragone, a two-time league offensive player of the year, completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,056 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. The rugged left-hander is the main reason the Cardinals are ranked No. 17 and expected to win their third straight league title.

        Some of Louisville's pursuers are in better shape than others in the quarterback department.

        Cincinnati sophomore Gino Guidugli was the league's freshman of the year after throwing for 2,573 yards and 16 touchdowns.

        “Hopefully, Gino plays more like a junior than a sophomore and doesn't go through some sort of sophomore blues,” said Bearcats coach Rick Minter.

        Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower has two sophomores and a freshman vying for the spot vacated by Kelly, who set a school record with 2,645 total yards in 2001. Contenders Micky D'Angelo, Zac White and Dustin Almond are a combined 7-of-14 for 73 yards.

        At East Carolina, sophomore Paul Troth emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Garrard, the school's all-time leader in passing yards (9,029) and total offense (10,238). Troth threw 79 TD passes in high school.

        Casey Printers threw for 4,621 yards and 37 TDs in three seasons at TCU, but transferred to I-AA Florida A&M. His replacement, senior Sean Stilley, is 1-1 as a starter.

        Like Cincinnati, Memphis will have a game-tested sophomore. Danny Wimprine passed for 1,329 yards and 14 TDs last season.

        UAB senior Thomas Cox has been the Blazers' starter since the middle of last season. He's 6-1 as a starter. Cox was the league's top rushing quarterback in 2001, with 445 yards.

        Tulane, Army and Houston also have new starters.

        Team capsules, in predicted order of finish:

        LOUISVILLE: Coming off school-record, 11-win season ... Ten starters return for a defense that ranked 10th in points allowed (17.7 ppg) ... Dave Ragone is 20-5 as a starter ... DE Dewayne White leads the nation with 27 sacks over the past two seasons ... Liberty Bowl win snapped three-bowl losing streak for Cards and coach John L. Smith,

        SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: RB Derrick Nix returns after missing '01 season with kidney infection. Nix topped 1,000 yards rushing in his first two seasons ... Eight starters return on a defense that ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense (16.9 ppg) ... Eagles allowed only eight TD passes in '01 ... Nine starters return on offense, including entire offensive line ... Eagles have six home games for the first time in 20 seasons.

        EAST CAROLINA: Pirates' 64-61 double-OT loss to Marshall in GMAC Bowl was highest scoring bowl game in NCAA history ... Pirates have tied for second in final league standings the past three seasons ..... In addition to replacing Garrard, ECU needs to replace RB Leonard Henry (1,432 yards) and LB Pernell Griffin, C-USA's career tackles leader (460).

        TCU: Six starters return for a defense that finished 10th nationally against the run (93.8 ypg) ... WR Adrian Madise finished last season with four straight 100-yard games ... LB LaMarcus McDonald leads the defense after producing 24 1/2 tackles for losses.

        CINCINNATI: Bearcats went to Motor City Bowl for the second straight season, their first back-to-back bowl appearances since '49-50 ... K Jonathan Ruffin is school's all-time leader in field goals made (43) and points via kick (214). He has converted 58 consecutive extra-point kicks, five shy of school record ... Ohio State plays at Cincinnati for the first time since 1911 on Sept. 21.

        MEMPHIS: Tigers haven't had a winning record since '94 ... RB Dante Brown (902 yards) rushed for 11 TDs last season, the most by a Tiger since Dave Casinelli ran for 14 in '63 ... Looking for first bowl berth since '70.

        UAB: Only two starters — S Chris Brown and CB Dio Hill — return for defense that was nation's stingiest against the run (57.8 ypg) ... Has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in two seasons ... Led league in total defense (266 ypg), but finished last in total offense (303 ypg).

        TULANE: RB Mewelde Moore is the school's first player to top 2,000 yards rushing (2,311) and 1,000 yards receiving (1,106) ... QB J.P. Losman tabbed to replace Patrick Ramsey, a first-round NFL pick. Losman completed 31-of-49 passes for 487 yards and four TDs last season ... PK Seth Marler won Lou Groza Award in '01 after converting 15 of 16 field-goal attempts and 39 of 40 extra points.

        HOUSTON: Coming off first winless season — 0-11 — in school history. Cougs haven't won since 33-30 triple-OT win at Memphis on Oct. 21, 2000. QB Nick Eddy replaces Kelly Robertson ... S Hanik Milligan set league record with 174 tackles in '01 ... Fifteen-game losing streak is second-longest in I-A, behind Duke's 23.

        ARMY: Black Knights haven't had winning record since 1996 (10-2) ... Offense set passing records for yards — 2,218 — and attempts — 196 ... Three starters return for an offensive line that allowed a league-low nine sacks. DE Clarence Holmes set school mark with seven sacks in '01.