There are any number of college football coaches who love to downplay their team at this time of year.

They will talk at length about how their team shouldn't be ranked as highly as it is and how they expect to struggle even though their roster is loaded with experienced players from a championship team. They do that because they don't want their squad to be in the bull's-eye. They poor-mouth and call their team an underdog.

Not California University of Pennsylvania coach John Luckhardt. He isn't afraid to say the Vulcans are talented.

"On paper, we are as talented as we've ever been," he said. "On defense we have a chance to be very, very good. We're as deep and athletic as we've ever been on that side of the ball."

California opens the season ranked No 5 in NCAA Division II by the American Football Coaches Association and No. 6 by D2football.com. This is the third consecutive year the Vulcans, who were 11-4 in 2009, are ranked in the top 10 at the start of the season.

They have won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title each of the past three seasons -- they were co-champs in 2005 and '06 -- and advanced to the Division II semifinals the past three years.

But Luckhardt knows games are not won on paper and subscribes to the theory that it is harder to maintain success than it is to achieve it.

"This is our 21st day on campus [this training camp] and we've had five different centers," he said. "I had a coach tell me once that you're only as deep as your thinnest position."

OK, so California isn't perfect. What football team is?

Luckhardt does have 17 starters returning -- seven each on offense and defense and three specialists -- and brought in an outstanding group of freshman recruits. But perhaps his best recruit will never wear shoulder pads for the Vulcans.

Former Pitt head coach Walt Harris has joined the California staff as the offensive coordinator. He has added new wrinkles to the passing game and has an outstanding quarterback to work with in Josh Portis.

A transfer from Maryland last year, Portis completed 227 of 407 passes for 3,421 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2009. He also rushed for 449 yards on 97 attempts.

"He's making better decisions this year and has picked up on the new things that Walt Harris has installed," Luckhardt said.

California also has gifted receivers returning in Terrance Moore (58 receptions for 1,094 yards and 13 scores), Chedrick Cherry (29 for 518, 3 touchdowns) and Blake Williamson (16 for 213, 3). All the Vulcans have to do to complete the offense is find a tailback.

Windell Brown was supposed to be that guy, but he was in a horrific car accident this summer and was just released from the hospital. Fullback Cody Wilson might move to tailback, but the Vulcans have some good candidates for the job in Bryan Stefanik, a Blackhawk High graduate and transfer from Indiana State; Jordan Scott, a transfer from Idaho State; and Lamont Smith, a Central Catholic graduate who has been shifted to offense from the secondary. There is also true freshman Cody Cook of Beaver Falls, who rushed for more than 4,000 yards in high school.

"All four have had a good camp," Luckhardt said.

California will find out how good it is quickly. The Vulcans play at Saginaw Valley State, Mich., (No. 11 in the AFCA poll, No. 10 by D2Football.com) at noon Saturday, then travel to C.W. Post Sept. 11 and return home Sept. 18 to take on No. 13-ranked (D2Football.com) East Stroudsburg.

Slippery Rock University (6-5, 3-4 PSAC) opens its season at 7 p.m. today at home against Merrimack. The Rock has two players who could be on NFL rosters next year in center Brandon Fusco and place-kicker C.J. Bahr.

Seton Hill University should improve on an injury plagued 1-10 season. The Griffins have been picked to finish sixth in the Division II West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They defeated Bowie State, 20-14, in their season opener this past Saturday behind quarterback D.J. Lenehan, who threw for two scores.

In the Division III President's Athletic Conference, Washington & Jefferson (9-2, 5-1 PAC) is expected to again battle Thomas More for the conference title. The Presidents of coach Mike Sirianni will rely on a stingy defense that was 10th best in Division III, allowing just 13.8 points per game last season. Senior Gino Rometo returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns and completing 65 percent of his passes.

Waynesburg (6-5, 2-4 PAC) has quarterback Brad Dawson back. He threw for a single--season school record of 2,718 yards and passed for 434 yards in a game against Westminster in 2009.

Grove City (5-5, 4-2 PAC) has nine starters returning on each side of the ball but has to find a replacement for record-setting quarterback Andrew DiDonato.

Over in the University Athletic Association, Carnegie Mellon (5-5, 1-2 UAA), was picked to finish fourth in the four-team league. The Tartans have eight starters returning on defense. On offense, fullback Justin Pratt, who scored 11 touchdowns in 2009, is back for his senior season.

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