LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville coach John L. Smith isn't afraid to admit the time has come for program to set its objectives higher than Conference USA championships and automatic trips to the Liberty Bowl.

        It's time to shoot for the Bowl Championship Series, the collection of games that determine the national champion.

        “That's got to be our goal. Even if it's unrealistic, we've got to continue to bang at the door,” said Smith, entering his fifth season in Louisville. “Maybe some day, we can get in there.”

        Hopes for that happening have never been higher for a Louisville program that went 1-10 just five seasons ago.

        Quarterback Dave Ragone and defensive end Dewayne White — Conference USA's reigning Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year — are among 15 starters back from the 2001 team that set a school record with 11 victories.

        Smith said the defense — with 10 starters and four two-year starters back — may have to carry the team early on as Ragone breaks in some new receivers and an inexperienced offensive line.

        That's fine with Ragone, as long as the defense lives up to expectations.

        Graduated linebacker Jeromy Freitag and defensive end Michael Josiah, who left a year early for the NFL, are the only key players missing from a unit that ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense (17.75 points per game) and 12th in takeaways (31).

        “That defense is my best friend right now,” said Ragone, who threw for 3,056 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2001. “They're going to get us field position, they're going to keep us in a lot of games early.”

        Anchoring the defensive line is White, who leads the nation with 27 sacks over the past two seasons. He needs five sacks and four tackles for losses to pass Josiah as Louisville's all-time leader in both categories.

        Senior Devon Thomas, who split time with Josiah at defensive end last season, is looking to take advantage of the extra attention White might draw.

        “Nobody even knows my name,” said Thomas, who had 30 tackles last season. “Hopefully, they'll double-team him and hope that just one guy can stop that other end nobody knows about. If I'm forgotten, that's absolutely great.”

        Inside, junior Scott Lopez and sophomore Bobby Leffew combined for 51 tackles and six sacks at the tackle positions last season.

        Backing up the line is a linebacking corps and secondary rich with veterans. Senior linebackers Michael Brown and Chad Lee combined for 145 tackles, 15 behind the line of scrimmage, in 2001. Junior Rod Day, who appeared in 11 games and had 26 tackles last season, replaces Freitag.

        Senior safety Anthony Floyd enters 2002 with 17 interceptions, already a school and league career record. Senior safety Curry Burns led Louisville with 107 tackles and sophomore cornerback Laroni Gallishaw led the team with five interceptions last season.

        “We've got a lot of expectations on the defensive side. It has the potential to be the best defense that's ever come through Louisville,” White said.

        High-powered offenses are usually the trademarks of Smith's teams, but this year, the offensive side is where his questions lie.

        “Our offense is going to be good,” Smith said. “It's just that some of them are going to play before they're ready.”

        He has no doubts about Ragone, who's thrown 50 TD passes over the past two seasons and is 20-5 as a starter over that span.

        But Ragone's top two passing targets last season, Deion Branch and Zek Parker, are gone, as are offensive linemen Aaron Dardzinski, Rob Eble and Michael Bowers, who had 32 starts between them in 2001.

        Smith hasn't decided the fate of Jonta Woodard, who started 11 games at tackle last season but pleaded guilty to drug charges in January. A detective in the case was later charged with fabricating evidence in other cases, and Woodard is seeking to withdraw his plea. He was practicing with the team as two-a-days started, although his legal case hadn't been resolved.

        Junior center Dan Koons and senior guard Antoine Sims are the only other returning linemen who started games last season.

        “We did have some great guys leave, but we've got some great new guys coming in,” said Koons. “We've got some guys coming up who are bigger, stronger and faster than guys we've had, so we ought to eventually be a better offensive line than last year.”

        Senior tight end Ronnie Ghent was Louisville's third-leading receiver last season, with 34 catches, and was second to Branch with five touchdown receptions. Senior receiver Damien Dorsey, hampered by wrist and foot injuries in 2001, still caught 16 passes.

        The rest of the seven receivers listed on the depth chart have a combined 28 career receptions. Five are underclassmen, but Ragone worked out with the group all summer and liked what he saw.

        “When this group walks off this campus, they'll be the best overall receiver corps that's ever been here,” Ragone said. “They're all very talented, they have everything from height to power to speed. I catch them when they're young, but they can still make plays.”

        The Cardinals got away with being the third-worst rushing team in Conference USA last season, averaging just 122 yards per game. Leading rusher T.J. Patterson returns, along with short-yardage specialist Henry Miller and sophomore Lionel Gates, who's fully recovered from a shoulder injury.

        Juniors Wade Tydlacka and Nathan Smith return to handle the punting and kicking duties, respectively.

        The schedule is demanding, with the Cardinals playing three straight September road games following the season opener with archrival Kentucky. On Sept. 26, Louisville has No. 3 Florida State at home before seven consecutive league games.