While the national title spotlight again will burn brightly on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and while the heat of the Austin pressure-cooker again will hover around the Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M enters its 2000 football season again painted as a program on the perimeter of the college football radar.

          Much like the start of the 1997 season, in which A&M was

 considered a has-been by some following the 6-6 stumble in 1996, the Aggies will head into the fall with natural question marks after an 8-4 season that included blowout losses to Nebraska, Oklahoma and Penn State.

          Those question marks, especially at the quarterback position, have most college football observers cautious when sizing up the 2000 Aggies.

          "People outside the program try to put their spin on things every year," coach R.C. Slocum said. "Some years they pick you down here and other years they beat you over the head all season because you didn't live up to someone else's expectations. I never said our team last year was a national championship-caliber team. I never thought that. Other than responding to some questions posed to them, very few of our players thought that. But it became an expectation, nonetheless.

          "Regardless of where they pick you each year, we are always trying to do the same thing - take what we have, get out guys in position and go about trying to see how good we can develop and progress as the season goes along. It's a whole new ballgame every season."

          Coaches don't like to talk about preseason prognostications and rankings, and for Slocum, last season was a good example why. A&M was picked by several media members to contend for the Big 12 title and perhaps even a national championship, as well. But after a 21-19 loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock, the Aggies seemed to back-pedal their way through the season.

          Only a 20-16 victory over Texas amidst unbelievable circumstances following the Bonfire tragedy could be considered a real high point for the season.

          "The preseason rankings impact a team," Slocum said. "I think last year that some of the fallout from the Tech loss really hurt our team. Because of all the things that had been said about us, there was a big letdown following the Tech loss. I thought we kind of floundered around for a while after that because it was like we had lost everything, even though it was based on somebody else's expectations.

          "One of the things I've addressed with the team this year is expectations. Some of the people that may be limiting us this year, saying we're not going to be very good, that doesn't matter, either. It's what we do and how we develop chemistry that matters."

          Last season, team chemistry was lacking, as the Aggies struggled to find leaders in the mold of a Dan Campbell or Dat Nguyen, players now on NFL rosters.

          But A&M players, especially the seniors, seemed to rededicate themselves this offseason, much like they did in 1997. Seniors like linebacker Jason Glenn and receiver Chris Taylor have called meetings to address the leadership issue and became much more vocal during a physical spring.

          "Just looking at from where we were last year to where we are this year. just going through (conditioning) circuits, you could see the hunger," said Taylor, who led the Aggies in receptions last year with 33. "To see guys working that hard, it's a good feeling to know that we're going to be OK next year.

          "I think the senior leadership is way ahead of where it was last year. This group of seniors, we don't want to go through another 8-4 season. We're taking it upon ourselves to lead by example and show these younger guys how to win and how to be a very good football team."

          Added junior center Seth McKinney: "The team chemistry, I can tell, has jumped a whole lot. Last year, I don't know what it was. People are working hard in the offseason, and nobody is afraid to tell someone they're not working hard. I just have a different feel about it than I did last year in the offseason. I can tell it's looking good."

          If the Aggies are to rise from the bottom of the Top 25 to contending for the Big 12 South Division title, an improvement on offense will be the key. A&M relied on the power rushing game of Ja'mar Toombs and the fade passes of Randy McCown to move the ball last fall.

          But in the spring, the Aggies looked as diversified and creative as they've been in years. Granted, spring ball is hardly the college football regular season, but there is a sense the Aggies are determined to be a balanced, yet unpredictable, football team.

          Not only were coaching moves made with the hirings of assistant head coach Larry Kirksey from the San Francisco 49ers and running backs coach Pete Hoener from Iowa State, but the Aggies themselves began to see positive results in just the 15 days of spring practice.

          "I have to go this summer and get in better shape," said Taylor, who is a focal point on A&M's new misdirection plays. "I have to take it upon myself this summer to get in better shape because I know the coaches and this team are counting on me to do different things.

          "This offense, it's going to be a lot of fun. And they said this spring we just scratched the surface."

          Whether or not the A&M passing game improves will hinge on the assimilation of one of its quarterbacks into the starting role. Former minor leaguer Mark Farris has the inside track to take the first snap at Notre Dame on Sept. 2, but sophomore Vance Smith and redshirt freshman Colby Freeman should not be discounted for playing time.

          The only problem is none of the three saw much playing time last fall.

          "I think they made progress last year, at least as much as they could make without playing," Slocum said of his quarterbacks, who have combined for a total of 11 completions in their young careers. "It was really an awkward situation last year in that we had some young, developing quarterbacks who needed desperately to play. But the Big 12 is so competitive that you don't get many big leads.

          "We went into a lot of games last year hoping we could play both (Smith and Farris). It was a disappointment that we didn't get to do that more often. I thought they did well in practice and in meetings, but at that position in particular, you reach a point where just have to play to get better. It didn't work out that way, so we're pretty much starting from scratch."

          Fortunately for the Aggies, there are plenty of weapons on offense to alleviate pressure on the quarterback.

          Redshirt freshman Richard Whitaker and sophomore Joe Weber give the Aggies a solid one-two punch at tailback, with Whitaker poised for a breakout season.

          Whitaker surged to the top of the depth chart at the end of spring practice and has a running style reminiscent of Greg Hill, another redshirt slasher who turned heads early in his A&M career.

          "I think we're really going to be surprising this year," Whitaker said. "With all the different types of backs we have and the different looks on offense, it's going to surprise some people this year."

          The Aggies won't shock people with the bruising style of Toombs, although opponents will see the 265-pounder lined up at fullback more than tailback in 2000.

          And with Taylor and Bethel Johnson returning at wide receiver, along with the much-anticipated arrival of junior college transfer Robert Ferguson, the Aggies possess enough talent to put up more points than the 28.9 a game last season.

          "No one ever gives A&M's offense a chance," said McKinney, one of three starters back on the offensive line. "But things are going to change next year, I know they are. I'm not going to have what we did last year. We're more dynamic on offense, and I know it's going to help us. I have great expectations for next year."

If A&M can average in the 30-point range on offense, expect a lot of victories this season. The Wrecking Crew, after all, returns eight starters, including the entire front seven.

          The linebacking crew was recently voted the top corps in the country by Lindy's preseason annual, and outside linebackers like Glenn and Roylin Bradley are as seasoned as any in the Big 12.

          The Aggie secondary returns just one starter in safety Michael Jameson, but cornerback Jay Brooks has seen plenty of playing time in nickel situations, and sophomore Sammy Davis had one of the most impressive springs of any A&M player.

          The real questions lie in the Aggies' depth at defensive back, where true freshmen like Adam Black and Jonte Buhl could be pushed into early action. Yet, don't expect a drop-off in the defensive backfield like 1996, when the young Aggies were torched by BYU's passing game and never recovered the entire season.

          "We should have a strong group of linebackers this year, and our front seven as a whole should be very good," said Slocum, entering his 12th season as head coach. "We have a big challenge in the secondary, where we don't have much experience or depth. We're going to have to have some guys come through in the secondary and guys stay healthy in the secondary. If we get that, we could have a real good defense."

          McKinney, who battled senior nose guard Ron Edwards and saw the rapid development of sophomore defensive end Ty Warren up close this spring, said A&M's defense will give the Aggies a big edge early in the season as the retooled offense begins to find its rhythm.

          "They had a great spring," McKinney said of his Wrecking Crew teammates who gave up 19.3 points a game in '99. "I haven't seen a spring like that defensively. I think the defense is as good as it's been in a long time."

          Combine this year's Wrecking Crew with some marked changes on offense with a tantalizing home schedule, and the ingredients are there for another memorable A&M football season.

          At the very least, sold-out home games against Texas Tech, Colorado, Kansas State and Oklahoma are strong possibilities. And the Aggies have lost just five games in the Slocum era at Kyle Field and are riding a 19-game home winning streak.

          "A lot of teams are going to overlook us, like the Longhorns, Colorado and Nebraska," Taylor added. "But we have a lot of our tough games at home.      This is my fourth year, and we haven't lost a game at Kyle Field since I've been here. I'm trying to maintain that and keep that streak alive.

          "If teams aren't ready to play, they're going to get surprised because we'll be a good football team."

          Jameson, one of the top safeties in the Big 12, says Texas and its hype machine can enjoy all the spotlight. until it matters.

          "I really kind of enjoy all the exposure being put on them," he said. "Last year, the exposure was on us, and everybody was shooting for us. We didn't handle that real well. But with all the exposure on them, it gives us a chance to be humble, to be focused and to quietly take care of business.

          "And when the games are played, I think we'll show a lot of people that the (spotlight) might need to be shining in College Station instead of Austin."