Upon returning to the Panthers, Coach Taylor finds himself trying to mend broken fences between his quarterback and his halfback and attempts to find a little intimate time with his wife. Tim recruits Lila in trying to talk Jason out of the risky surgery he has scheduled in Mexico, while Landry's father tries to put up a fence between his son and Tyra.

The press grills Coach Taylor about the upcoming season while the teachers grill his wife, the new principal, about the budget and the necessary cutbacks, while Buddy and the football team have the best of everything. A new quarterback enters the picture and Matt feels threatened and Riggins is still up to his old game plan about not feeling anything. Tyra's new guidance counselor lays some rather bleak news on her, causing her to walk out of school, only to find some personal resolve within herself to attempt to rectify her situation.

The Taylors are faced with a decision that could end what is already a fragile friendship with the McCoys. Lyla informs her father of her alternate decision after her chances of attending her dream college have fallen through, Landry tries to help Tyra with her college essay, and Matt has dreams of attaining some kind of post-high school education.

Skipping ahead five months in time, Dillon High School finds its graduating class with: Lyla, who's father has come up with a plan for her to still possibly attend Vanderbilt; Matt, who plans to attend a school in Chicago away from Julie; Tim, whose brother tries to get a mechanic's garage going while planning to attend college himself; and Tyra, who's application is still up in the air in wanting to attend TU. Meanwhile, the issue over splitting Dillon High School seems small, compared to the fact that outside influences such as money and a control for power continue to affect Coach Taylor, even while his contract comes up for negotiations.

The East Dillon Lions face the South Kingdom Rangers, the team to whom they forfeited at the beginning of last season. Coach tries to steer the team away from talk of revenge but when the game gets rough and the officiating lopsided, coach reconsiders. Meanwhile Tami bonds with one of the East Dillon teachers in a girl's night in and Julie's relationship with her TA hits a snag. Following the game, Hasting finds an outlaw white-lightning party in the otherwise dry town and bolstered by hooch, talk of college recruitment, and brotherhood the Lions go a bit overboard with the male bonding.