Comparing today's college stars to yesterday's legends

Here's a look at today's players most deserving of comparison to some of football's legends:

The driving force behind Notre Dame's 1924 national championship squad was its spectacular backfield. Legendary coach Knute Rockne designed a backfield - quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, halfbacks Jim Crowley and Don Miller and fullback Elmer Layden - that was one part brute force, one part electric deceitfulness and two parts devastating speed. While no current backfield contains all those parts, specific active players certainly fit the bill.

2009 version: Tim Tebow (QB, Florida): Stuhldreher was a physical three-time all-American known for his feistiness and leadership. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, matches Stuhldreher in skill, poise and liveliness (Oklahoma fans may remember that Gator chomp Tebow offered last January).

Jonathan Dwyer (RB, Georgia Tech): Crowley lined up at left halfback and used his shiftiness to evade oncoming defenders. Likewise, Dwyer knows a thing or two about leaving opponents grasping thin air. He rushed for 1,395 yards last season to lead the ACC.

Noel Devine (RB, West Virginia): During his time, there was no better open-field threat than Miller, who played right halfback. And in terms of breakaway speed, there is no current running back more explosive than Devine, the Big East's leading returning rusher. He also does damage in the passing game.

Jahvid Best (RB, California): Layden was the fastest of the Four Horsemen, and Best's speed offers a modern comparison. While he might not average 8.1 yards per carry as he did last season, Best's number of attempts should increase, which means he'll be in position to match the 1,580 yards he posted as a sophomore.

Long after Crowley's days as a member of the Four Horsemen and long before Vince Lombardi's tenure as coach of the Green Bay Packers, the two men's paths intersected at Fordham, where Crowley was the coach and Lombardi was part of one of the most famous offensive lines in history.

They were called the Seven Blocks of Granite, and they led the Rams to a 12-1-3 record in 1936 and '37. With the popularity of spread formations and Wildcat packages, few modern teams frequently employ two-tight end sets, but these are the current players who emulate the staunchness of Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz, Ed Franco, Al Babartsky, Natty Pierce and Lombardi.

2009 version: Rob Gronkowski and Jermaine Gresham (tight ends, Arizona and Oklahoma): Gronkowski (6-6, 265 pounds) and Gresham (6-6, 258) are physical specimens with soft hands. Gronkowski hauled in 16 touchdown passes last season, while Gresham nabbed 14.

Russell Okung and Ciron Black (tackles, Oklahoma State and Louisiana State): Okung (6-5, 300) and Black (6-5, 322) are two of the top tackles in the country. Okung is considered a premier pass-blocker; Black excels in the run game.

Rodney Hudson and Mike Johnson (guards, Florida State and Alabama): Hudson (6-2, 283) will attempt to breathe some life into a ground attack that has withered in recent seasons. Johnson (6-6, 305) will be asked to lead a line that lost three starters (two all-Americans) from last season.

John Estes (center, Hawaii): Estes (6-3, 300) earned first team all-WAC honors for the second consecutive year last season.

The Original:

South Carolina's defense, 1983-88

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2009 version: Florida.

Just like South Carolina's defense from 1983 to '88 under coach Joe Morrison, the 2009 Florida defense will swarm to the ball with ferocious impatience. The Gators return 21 of the 22 players who filled the two-deep chart on last season's BCS championship squad, the one that befuddled Oklahoma's record-setting offense in the BCS title game.

Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes led the group with 93 tackles last season, and fellow linebackers Brandon Hicks and Ryan Stamper are equally effective. The unit's backups include two former starters, Dustin Doe and A.J. Jones.

And if there is a better pair of defensive ends in the country than Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham, they have yet to reveal themselves. Dunlap and Cunningham combined for 15.5 sacks in 2008.

Cornerback Joe Haden leads a secondary chock full of future NFL talent. Haden and Janoris Jenkins make life hell for opposing receivers, while ball-hawking safeties Ahmad Black and Major Wright poach for interceptions, combining for 11 last season. Not a single major contributor to Florida's defensive backfield is a senior, either, so offenses can look forward to dealing with this group again next season.

The Original: 1976 Georgia Defense

2009 Version: Alabama

In 1976, a Georgia defense run by coordinator Erk Russell and known as the Junkyard Dogs led the Bulldogs to the Sugar Bowl. Though the nickname generally has been applied to each Georgia defense since '76, it more aptly applies this season to the defensive unit at Alabama.

In the American Football Coaches Association's "Defensive Football Strategies," Russell described a Junkyard Dog as "a dog completely dedicated to his task, that of defending his goal line." Few defenses defended the goal line like Alabama's did last year, and few are likely to perform the task as well as the Crimson Tide this season.

Nine starters return from an Alabama unit that ranked No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense. The group contains at least one stud in each section, beginning with middle guard Terrence Cody.

Rolando McClain leads a corps of linebackers that solidify Alabama's 3-4 lineup, while diminutive cornerback Javier Arenas heads up a hyper-athletic secondary.