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Media Days are upon us, the summer heat is melting folks all across the South, and we are ~50 days till the season starts. So it must mean it's time for wild speculation to fill the days with until we have actual practice reports to look at and read! We can all guess and think we are right because no one has played. LET THE UNBRIDLED OPTIMISM BEGIN. (this is clearly unbiased scientific data we're reporting here mmmhmm) I didn't really mean to include a poll, but it was there when I hit post so I rolled with it. My basic outline looks like this so it's easier to read. Date - Opponent - (% to win/% to lose) Virginia Tech Hokies  Sept 3 - vs Liberty (99/1) : That would be basically unforgivable right? Sept 10 - Bristol vs Tennessee (30/70) : If the Vols are the top 10 team they're supposed to be this will be our typical SEC opener, hang tough for 3 quarters then bow out. Never know though, Hokies aren't talentless, but this isn't one we should win. Plus Tenn has to prove they really can be that top 10 team which they've struggled with during the first 6 weeks of the season. Sept 17 - vs Boston College (70/30) : So the team that lost its star DC, has a 1 year transfer QB with no real offensive talent around him and Scot Lolfer as the OC is scary? We should be better than them. Sept 24 - vs ECU (55/45) : I've felt like we should have won the past 2 years and haven't so this is close to a coin toss. Oct 8 - @ UNC (40/60) : I like Bud vs Fedora, but they should be the more talented comfortable team at home so they should be favored. But the coastal is wacky so not that far off. Oct 15 - @ Syracuse (60/40) : We should be the more talented team, still Dino Babers could quickly make this a scary game in combination with the Carrier Dome. I dunno 2 new coaches sorta hard to how to have a grasp of they'll develop to this point of the season. Oct 20 - vs Miami (50/50) : Despite losing the last 2 years, this is always a toughly contested game outside of a few years. Thursday night at home doesn't mean as much as it used to, but I hope Fuente can deliver a quality rivalry win in his first one. Oct 27 - @ Pitt (25/75) : Tough close games since they joined the ACC, but we just can't win at Heinz Field. They could be the worst ACC team and I'd still assume we lose this game up there.We can win, but man that would be a streak breaker. Nov 5 - @ Duke (50/50) : Games vs Duke were generally tough for us for some reason and now with Cutcliffe they're actually getting good. Toss up, although I think we have some better overall talent for now. Nov 12 - vs Georgia Tech (60/40) : They won't be as bad as last year and we still barely won. That said I think we generally keep them limited offensively at this point so I feel like we should be favored. Nov 19 - @ Notre Dame (25/75) : More talent, more tenured coaching staff. Only saving grace is we've been a good road team the past few years (for all the other ineptitude). They will probably be a top 15 team, so it could be close but we probably shouldn't win. Another signature opportunity in S1 of the Fuente files. Nov 26 - vs Virginia (100/0) : gently caress UVA we've had the Commonwealth Cup for 12 years and a new coach won't change that this year. Book it another season ending loss for UVA. ACCCG - Unlikely, but if we reached it that would be overachieving for us. It would also likely mean underachieving from UNC/Miami/Pitt. But a likely chance to upset FSU/Clemson and ruin the ACC's national title chances maybe who knows. Ceiling 10-2 Overall 7-1 ACC - I think 10 wins is the ceiling for this team. I cannot see with the schedule as it is that the team could win more than that in the season. I would expect an ACC loss (Miami, Pitt, or UNC being most likely) and an OOC loss probably to UT early so we could rebound for a chance at ND late in the season to get to 10 wins. Expected Outcome 8-4 Overall 6-2 ACC - I feel like if Fuente wants to show that he's the caliber of coach to instantly elevate this team, then 8 wins is what I would expect him to hit. A victory over the Vols or ND would be a huge bonus, but they shouldn't be expected wins, and then this team at 6-2 would be in contention for an ACCCG berth, but I think one of UNC/Miami/Pitt will step up. This could be good enough though depending on how the rest of the division works out. Go Parity! Floor 6-6 Overall 4-4 ACC - We've hovered around this mark for the past few years. At the least I don't expect us to miss a bowl game. It may take until the final week again to secure the bowl bid, but I think this team will continue the bowl streak. Fuente has to be able to score enough points to get us 6 wins. Tennessee Volunteers  Sept 1- vs Appalachian State (95/5) : They're up with the big boys now and they're certainly not your worst Sun Belt team, but this Vols squad will still be far more talented and deep than they are. Should be a comfy home opener before the Bristol game to start the season off. Sept 10 - Bristol vs Virginia Tech (75/25) : If they Vols are going to be the top 10 SEC East Favorite team the hype is ramping up for them they should handle my Hokies by a couple scores. UT struggles with high end performance consistency early on tho so it's not a guarantee. Early OOC is a ripe upset spot. Sept 17 - vs Ohio (90/10) : One of the better MAC programs, but again they should be at a large enough deficit for the Vols to smother them and win comfortably at home. Sept 24 - vs Florida (45/55) : Look the Vols are the more exciting team on paper, but they also haven't won in 11 years. They should have one one of the past few and haven't been able to close it out. So they need to prove it before I'll believe it. Edge Gators until proven otherwise. Oct 1 - @ Georgia (55/45) : Okay Kirby Smart is shiny and new but they're probably starting a Freshman QB, and I'll take the more experienced team/staff most days. Plus these games have been edging towards the Vols the past few years. Fingers crossed for no ruined knees. Oct 8 - @ Texas A&M (60/40) - Chavis improved them a lot, and they have some good talent, but the program turmoil may finally explode this year. Sumlin seems almost out of control over there, coupled with their QB being Trevor Knight and I think the Vols can get a W in their first trip to a Texas SEC game. Oct 15 - vs Alabama (40/60) - This team has been inching closer and closer in the Third Saturday of October rivalry game. Much like the Gators they're gonna have to prove it, and while I don't think most expect a W here, it would signal that Butch really has delivered the Vols back to the top (at least showing he can get you into contention). This game is big time, it and the Florida game are the 2 most important on the schedule to win. Oct 29 - @ South Carolina (70/30) : Muschamp teams and offense, gonna have to prove it. Plus we're way more talented and seasoned. Nov 5 - vs Tenn Tech (100/0) : FCS november tune up, BORING Nov 12- vs Kentucky (90/10) : Smoked em last year, and without Dooley much like UVA the Vols should never worry that much about the Wildcats. Doesn't help they lost their best player in their QB to Boston College ugh. Nov 19 - vs Missouri (70/30) : This team has given Butch fits regardless of how good they are or aren't. So should win, new coaching transition plus the same whatever offensive skill. Nov 26 - @ Vanderbilt (90/10) : I can't see them having a let down vs this iteration of the Commodores. SECCG - A rematch with Bama or LSU perhaps? Win this and you're into the CFP. Ceiling 12-0 Overall 8-0 SEC - This team is very close to big time contention I think. This year or next year will be big for the Big Orange imo. So while I don't think this is likely, I do think it is possible. Shoop is a strong upgrade at DC, and Jones continues to recruit like a madnik. This would be a huge step forward but I don't think it's out of reach. Expected Result 10-2 Overall 6-2 SEC - This team has a tough stretch starting at the end of September until their bye week. Until they prove they can beat FL/AL those are sure losses, but I do expect them to nab one of them this year. This would be a strong finish that would likely still result in an SECCG birth provided they beat at least Florida. Even if they can't win the SECCG, this would show that 2017 could be the year to win big. It'd also be nice to match preseason expectations. Floor 8-4 Overall 5-3 SEC - This would be a disappointment I think for most fans, but this team has some tough games. An early loss to VT could be disruptive enough to set off a streak of losses through that early Oct run which would let the team finish on a winning streak, but leave them away from where they wanted to be. Or the SEC could just SEC and despite a hot start they could still end up dropping games. Worse than 8 wins would be very bad at this point. Think that's a good start, have at it! The Notorious ZSB fucked around with this message at 15:08 on Jul 14, 2016 |
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Jul 14, 2016 04:34
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Baylor Bears Probable Wins - Northwestern State, SMU, @ Rice, @ Iowa State, Kansas [5-0] Toss Ups - Kansas State, Oklahoma State, @ Texas, Texas Tech, @ WVU [3-2] Probable Losses - TCU, @OU [0-2] Let's say 8-4, with the possibility of going on an all-timer of a "gently caress you" season and going like 10-2 in probably their last decent season for a while. Once again their season is incredibly back loaded, with a strong chance of starting 6-0 before they get to the tougher half of the conference. Texas Aggies Probable Wins - Prairie View A&M, New Mexico State, @ South Carolina, @ Mississippi State, UTSA [4-1] Toss Ups - UCLA, @ Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss [2-3] Probable Losses - @ Alabama, LSU [0-2] 6-6, probably with a ceiling of 8-4, and a possibility of 4-8 with a lot of bad breaks. 6-6 Sumlin is probably fired, any better than that any he gets another year, but not with a lot of bitching from the fans. General Dog fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Jul 14, 2016 |
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Jul 14, 2016 14:56
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Your 2016 Ohio State Buckeyes Last Year: 12-1, 2nd Big 10 East, Fiesta Bowl Champions After an exceedingly fun 2014, the Buckeyes proved that it's really hard to repeat, and that there absolutely is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen. The QB derby last year gave us quite a few games of Cardale Jones being asked to run a very West-Coast style spread that demanded exacting accuracy and pinpoint touch out of a guy who (briefly) looked like he could be the greatest vertical passer in Ohio State history. This, along with bizarre playcalling and confusion from the Co-OCs and the lack of a true deep threat, led to an Ohio State team that lived and died with the run in a way they haven't since Luke Fickell's year as HC. Despite this, the talent was so absurd on that team that they won 12 games and had a season most teams would kill for, leading to a lot of wishful thinking. This culminated in one of the greatest modern draft classes out of a single school and leaves us where we are now. Key Losses Offense: QB Cardale Jones, WR Michael Thomas, RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR Jalin Marshall, T Taylor Decker Defense: DE Joey loving Bosa, DT Adolphus Washington, DT Tommy Schutt, SLB Darron Lee, WLB Joshua Perry, CB Eli Apple, FS Vonn Bell, SS Tyvis Powell Jesus that's a lot of defenders to lose. Returning Starters: Offense-4 Defense-4(ish) On offense, returning QB JT Barrett as the unquestioned starter is the best thing possible for this team since it gives them an offensive identity right off the bat. H receiver Curtis Samuel is poised for a breakout year with extra carries now that Zeke is gone and some additional comfort in the passing game. OC Pat Elflein and OG Billy Price return to the middle of the line, giving some stability in the two most critical spots for the inside zone plays the offense lives and dies on. Defensively, DE Tyquan Lewis returns after leading the team in sacks last year, while MLB Raekwon McMillan is expected to run the defense and CB Gareon Conley will be the CB1 and likely play the boundary. DE Sam Hubbard also returns with some starting experience and heavy playing time, and he's notable for being a guy who was 6'6" 225 in high school while playing safety who started out at LB and moved to DE last year. He's potentially the most athletic guy on the team, and learning behind Joey for a year while adapting to the position has a lot of us hopeful for him as a full-time starter. Depth Chart QB - JT Barrett is the unquestioned starter this year, and he's a heisman-caliber player if he's healthy. He rarely makes boneheaded throws, and his accuracy and running threat open up the passing game to its ideal level that 2014 had. There remain concerns about his arm strength/deep ball ability though. RS FR Joe Burrow is the current backup after passing for like 10,000 yards in Ohio University's backyard while playing D4-D5. He looked really good in the spring game, but he'll be challenged for the backup spot by FR Dwayne Haskins when 2-a-days start. Burrow is similar to JT, with more arm and slightly less wheels. Haskins has a fantastic arm but hasn't quite shown the same level of running ability Burrow and Barrett have. RB - Farewell Zeke, you will be missed. SR Brionte Dunn is the elder statesman of the position, but he's in a dogfight with SO Mike Weber for the starting gig. I'm not sure that either is going to be the all-around nightmare that Zeke was to defend, but Weber is likely a slightly more complete back at the moment with a little more speed to him--more of a Carlos Hyde style that Zeke. Dunn is really talented but doesn't block as well and has some ball security issues that Urbz has issues with. Similar situation happened with Rod Smith a few years ago where he had the talent to be Beanie Wells but absolutely no brain or desire to do what Urban wanted in the offense, leading to him leaving during his senior year after his "best summer". Hopefully, Dunn lives up to his recruitment and makes this a 2-man show. FR Antonio Williams was an early enrollee and is likely getting the carries in mop-up duty. He's drawing comparisons to Carlos Hyde as well. 7/19 edit: Brionte Dunn was kicked for team rules so it's Mike Weber's show now. Williams and Curtis Samuel will likely split the backup carries. WR - This may be the deepest position on the team in terms of raw talent, but I have no idea who gets it done here. Realistically, enough of these guys work out that it's all fine, but this is the most crowded the room has been since Urban's been here. I'll break it down for the moment. RS SO Noah Brown - Would have been the starting X last year if not for a broken leg in the summer. He's probably the best pure receiver on the team and runs like a goddamn steamship when he gets moving. The hope is that he can fill a lot of the role Michael Thomas did last year in being the most consistent receiver on the team while occasionally masquerading as a deep threat. RS SR Corey Smith - Goddammit. Ohio State has this fun tradition of getting a receiver with all the potential in the world who makes stupid, bonehead plays that give fans ulcers to watch. When I was growing up, it was Ginn's dropsies. Then it was the Ray Small experience watching him refuse to ever fair catch a punt and drop wide open passes. Then we had guys like Philly Brown who looked like they had never run routes in their lives until Urban came in. Then we had the magic of Jalin Marshall's freshman year as we watched him drop punt after punt while doing just enough good to stay on the field. But now, we have a 6th year senior who fits in this category. Then there's Corey Smith. He could legitimately be an NFL receiver in terms of his speed and route running ability. He also blocks better than any receiver we've had not named Evan Spencer or David Boston. However, he has possibly the most finicky hands this side of Ted Ginn where he'll drop routine catches and timely big plays. Similarly, he's not always great at getting after the ball, to the point where he almost cost OSU the game against Oregon at least once during the championship year. I really really hope he does what the boneheads before him did and flips the switch this year, but man am I not thrilled about his as the Z receiver JR Curtis Samuel - Urban has been drooling all over his potential since he was a true freshman, and to his credit there's maybe one guy on the roster as agile and quick as he is. He's probably not the absolute fastest guy on the team, but he's close, and that's at dangerous as the H in the offense. He'll get a lot of varied touches and some time as a returner, and if he breaks out, he could put up some Percy Harvin-style performances. SR Dontre Wilson - The other/forgotten H who can't stay healthy. He was better than Marshall when they both got on campus, but he's had a hell of a time staying up on the depth chart. Another hybrid threat, but he's coming off foot surgery so who knows what he's got in him. RS SO Parris Campbell - He played a lot last year but couldn't stay healthy. His hands are a bit suspect, but he's lightning quick and only like 19, so he could do a lot of damage in the right usage/backing up Smith. FR Austin Mack - Early Enrollee who drew a lot of comparisons to Buckeye greats in terms of what he showed up accomplishing. Might have the best hands on the team. He's fast enough to win 1v1, and his routes are improving. His blocking looked good in practice, but I'll hold my breath until he's on the field. For him, it's a matter of getting enough burn to consistently play. Others: KJ Hill got a lot of praise last year but couldn't stay healthy when needed. Johnnie Dixon flashes every year as a deep threat/burner but has grandpa knees that haven't been healthy yet in college. Torrance Gibson is a freak of nature but still fairly new to the position--to the point where you could tell me he's starting or bottom of the depth chart by the end of the year and I'd believe either. Terry McLaurin and James Clark are both burners who have dealt with injuries but are finally healthy and having good camps. 7/26 update: Noah Brown and Corey Smith have both been named as starters. This means H is what's up for grabs, likely Curtis Samuel there, but Wilson if it's not him. KJ Hill has been described as next man up at the moment. TE - Marcus Baugh finally got his act together when blocking last year and looks like he could be the best TE that Urbz has ever had at OSU. Considering he's put Vannett and Heurman into the NFL and Jake Stoenburner close, that's saying a lot. Baugh is more athletic than any of those guys and much more gifted as a receiver, and his blocking was excellent in 2-TE sets last year. He's backed up by converted WR AJ Alexander who redshirted and is known for his leaping ability and hands as a former basketball player. No clue if he can block. They're followed by 3 true freshmen. Jake Hausmann is the best of the true frosh and will likely play a lot since he was a monstrous run blocker with solid hands. OL: Bringing back the middle two guys for a team that runs inside zone as much as we do is very handy. C Pat Elflein could easily be the first center taken next year, and G Billy Price has proven to be a fantastic mauler on the inside. Jamarco Jones takes over for the stalwart Taylor Decker at LT, and he got a lot of experience the last couple years in clean-up. He's much quicker and more of a pass-protector than Decker which will be interesting to watch. Isaiah Prince is the favorite at RT but will be pushed by JUCO transfer Malcolm Pridgeon who is built like a freight train. Both are crazy long, mobile guys who could slide inside and pull if needed. Currently, the other G position is one of Demetrius Knox, Matt Burrell or true freshman Michael Jordan, which shocked Urban since OL is almost always redshirted here. Pridgeon is the wild card since he's already big enough to play anywhere on the line and has been hinted by Meyer to be better than we're thinking since this is the first JUCO we've taken in years. 7/26:LG is Michael Jordan's to lose according to Urbz. Meaning unless Pridgeon is absolutely incredible, that battle is over. DE: Losing Bosa sucks, but the depth here is better than anywhere on the team. Sam Hubbard will be manning the SSDE/Viper in the defense, meaning he's going to be asked to do everything under the sun. Given that he's the most athletic guy on the DL and studied under Bosa for 2 years, I'm excited to see what he does with the opportunity. Tyquan Lewis is a more pure pass rusher, though I'm a bit worried about his moveset since he got a lot of benefit from Joey being doubled every play last year. Jalyn Holmes is the top backup and will likely see a lot of time like Hubbard did last year, given that he's good in either situational. Jonathan Cooper and Rashod Berry will likely see the field in pass-rushing situations since they're the fastest guys on the line and utterly demolished guys in the spring game. Most fans are expecting that to come in situations like last year when the 3-3-5 or some other hybrid looks got used that increased line pressure late in downs. I'm expecting a lot more rotating sub units out of the ends since there likely won't be one guy dominating playing time like Bosa did last year, meaning a lot of guys play and stay fresh late into games. DT: Here's the position I'm most concerned about on the team. WR may have a lack of track record, but name one Urban Meyer team that hasn't been at least average in the receiving corps. DT at OSU consistently play 0-tech, 1-tech, and 3-tech and in rare circumstances 5-tech. Having Hubbard and Lewis means we probably won't see a lot of DTs sliding out to 5 this year and will probably see more DEs sliding in if anything, but it means that guys in the middle have to be really good at what they do. Michael Hill is most likely to start at NT and has the size, quickness, and lateral ability to handle the run-stuffing and clogging needed, though he'll be pushed by Davon Hamilton who is slightly bigger with more of a motor but far less technical. Robert Landers is also in the mix though he's undersized but plays instinctively and fast. If none of those 3 are playing at the nose, it means that either the true freshman we have is amazing or we're utterly screwed. 3-tech/Rush DT is far better. Tracy Sprinkle is the current favorite to start there, and he's certainly fast and big enough, though I'm concerned about his moves since he hasn't had to play extensively and hasn't gotten a great amount of penetration. I think if any position is likely to have a starter emerge from nowhere, it'll be here. The real question looming over this position as well as SSDE is where Nick Bosa is going to play. He lined up all over the line in high school and is better than his brother was techinically at this point, with some people thinking he could move inside to a 3-tech and others (myself included) thinking he'll be splitting time between the inside and outside based on the rotations. The depth here and at SSDE means that getting him snaps is going to have to be a goal, but given that Sprinkle is unproven and there aren't a lot of great run-stuffers at DE for when subs are needed, I see him playing a lot. Dre'Mont Jones and Jashon Cornell both moved in from DE and looked completely unblockable in the spring game, but depending on what happens with Bosa and if Sprinkle is able to put it all together finally, they could be playing a bunch or not at all. They looked a bit lost in run coverage which could be a problem if NT underwhelms. LB: All-Name MVP Raekwon McMillan returns for a second year as starting MLB and easily the best returning defender on the team. He's probably a first-rounder in 2017 and the best MLB we've had since Laurenitis at least. He's going to be in charge of a lot of the signaling and has pushed to expand the on-field reads and calls by the defense which should help the team to play a little faster against the Indiana's of the world (which my heart is thankful for). WLB Chris Worley has backed up Darron Lee the last two years and barely lost out to him for the starting job prior. He's very fast and should step into coverage just like Lee did, though I doubt he'll be the pass rusher Lee was. Dante Booker is probably the starter as SLB given that he's the most experienced and is tracks the ball very well. Jerome Baker impressed in the Spring though and will see time at either OLB spot, while Nick Conner, if healthy, will backup McMillan, and Justin Hilliard will be the third man up for garbage time. CB: Gareon Conley was good in flashes last year but maddeningly inconsistent. If he takes the next step, we shouldn't miss Apple too much here, though I'm always worried about CB in the modern game. Marshon Lattimore, if healthy, could easily be the best corner on the team and will likely be the field corner, with Denzel Ward taking the NB and first sub spot. All three main CBs are blazing fast guys who excel in man coverage. I'm expecting a lot more corner blitzing this year as well, especially from Ward in the nickel. Damon Arnette and Jordan Fuller are the likely backups here. Cam Burrows will likely play NB in running situations/against more physical teams. S: Malik Hooker has one spot all but locked up. He intercepted more passes in the Spring than any Buckeye. Ever. And he looked like the best secondary player in the game during Spring. If he's half as good as that, he gets it done. The other safety is likely one of Erick Smith, Cam Burrows, or Damon Webb, with the first two having the inside track at the moment. They're all great ball skill guys, though I think Smith's instincts and hitting ability get him the job. All 3 have injury concerns so the depth is a nice touch. K: Sean Nuernberger really needs to live up to his hype. I'm tired of having bad kickers when Tressel could make literally anyone hit 85%. Cam Johnston returns for his final season and is secretly my favorite player on the team because he's the most consistent we have. Returners: Likely Samuel, Wilson, and Gibson from what we saw in the Spring, all of whom are very very fast and agile. Schedule 09/03 Bowling Green - (99%W/1%L) We aren't losing to a MAC school at home, especially when that school has a new coach and has been running the offensive system that Cover 4 Press explicitly tries to stop. 09/10 Tulsa - (99%/1%L) See previous game since it's the same drat offense/talent. 09/17 At Oklahoma - (49%W/51%L) Reasons to have hope: Stoops in a big game, no returning secondary players for Oklahoma, they lost all their good LBs, we still have Barrett, their receivers are young. Reasons to fear: at Norman, only one returning starting DB for OSU, replacing 2 LBs, young D-Line, Baker Mayfield. These teams are really similar in terms of holes they need to fill, so I'll be curious what happens. 10/1 Rutgers - (99%W/1%L) Urban isn't losing to a former assistant at home. Much less loving Rutgers when they don't even have Carroo anymore. 10/8 Indiana - (65%W/35%L) I hate the Hoosiers. So. loving. Much. Every game we play against them, our defense forgets how to play, and it turns into a horrifying shootout that makes me more frustrated than just getting outplayed. If there's any game I think of as a trap, it's this, since the following two weeks are at Wisconsin and at Penn State. 10/15 at Wisconsin - (85%W/15%L) I don't see Urban looking past Paul Chryst right now, especially since it's in Camp Randall. New QB for them and the fact that they lost Aranda makes me feel pretty comfortable with this game. 10/22 at Penn State - (65%W/35%L) Losing Hackenberg could prove to be addition by subtraction with how poorly he fit their offense. I still think Franklin is overrated, but I have to give some credit to Saquon Barkley for singlehandedly making me scared of this game. If their OL is better/the passing game improves, this is probably really close. 10/29 Northwestern - (90%W/10%L) This is a night game in the shoe against a team who quite literally cannot pass the ball. After the prior two weeks, I would expect Urban to beat them into the ground just based on how much less there is to think about here. 11/5 Nebraska - (85%W/15%L) I don't know why anyone is thinking Nebraska suddenly pulls it together this year. They looked lost last year, and I don't think the Mike Riley passing game is going to work in that recruiting environment if he can't get a QB who's a superstar out there. Also, their defense remains a shell of its former self, and this is another night game in the shoe. 11/12 At Maryland - (80%W/20%L) Look. I'm sure Durkin will get things better than they've been, but their offense is going to be an absolute tire fire with the QBs they have coming back and the fact that every team will stack the box. There's some potential for hijinks since the next two weeks are brutal, but trap games are usually when the other team has an offense that can score at will and mediocre defense. 11/19 At Michigan State - (70%W/30%L) They'll be a very good team, but no Connor Cook and a young receiving corps makes me feel a lot better about this. Urbz called the worst game of his career last year, and that was barely a win for Sparty, so the revenge factor gives me some confidence as well. I'm also not sold that their secondary is what it was a few years ago and think there could be some vulnerabilities there. Their safeties didn't cover well, and I wonder about the speed of their corners. Still, Dantonio is a scary man. 11/26 Michigan - (65%W/35%L) I'll probably take some poo poo for this, but the fact that no QB emerged in the Spring is a huge driver here. Whether it's O'Korn, Speight, or Morris, that's an offense that needs a new identity and can't have bad QB play to function. Their running game was decent, but I'm not scared of any back on the roster as opposed to the receivers/Jake Butt. Defensively, they'll be pretty stout, but I'm not sold on the secondary outside of Lewis or D-line to the point that I'm sweating bullets. Their LBs scare me some, but Peppers is the only one I think can't be totally neutralized with effective play action/screening. Outlook: Ceiling- 15-0 national champions and big drat heroes. It's been done before, and bringing back a QB and not much else hasn't been prohibitive before. The talent on this roster is absurd, and Urban deserves that level of respect as long as he's coaching. Floor- 10-3, 9-4. Barrett gets hurt or the playcalling stays mediocre. No RB or consistent WR emerges. The D-line has a down year, and the secondary gets picked on as a result giving up huge plays to spread teams on the schedule. Still likely good enough for 3rd or so in the Big 10 East and a mid-level bowl. Likely - 12-2 Big 10 Champions or East Runners-up. I won't be shocked if the Big 10 misses the playoff this year given that the 3 best teams in the conference are all playing in the same division. Iowa will probably be good again, but I don't think there's another run like they just had in that team given the amount of surprise and shock needed to pull it off prior. I think we make a new year's six bowl and run roughshod over some poor bastard just in time for JT to announce he's coming back for his senior year and people to realize this team only graduates 6 guys and will lose maybe a handful to the draft. This team is in a similar place to the start of 2014. The real question is whether they pick things up as quickly as that team did or need another year before getting things moving again. TheGreyGhost fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 14, 2016 16:13
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Texas State Bobcats After a 3-9 season, Dennis "Fran Marcos" Franchione retired, and Everett Withers, then of JMU, was hired to be Head Coach. Who knows what will happen? Probable Wins: Incarnate Word, ULM, Idaho, New Mexico State Toss-Up: Georgia State, Louisiana, Troy Probable Losses: Ohio, Arkansas, Houston, Appalachian State, Arkansas State Either way, I doubt we make a bowl game unless there aren't enough bowl eligible teams.
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Jul 15, 2016 00:41
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Wisconsin Badgers Holy poo poo this schedule. Offensively, I think we actually improve by losing our starting QB, and our OLine is beastly, and we're getting our top RB back in healthy form. The WRs are untested, no dominant TE like we've had every other year in the last 15 years. Defensively the biggest loss is our DC, who got paid more than the entire budget for public teachers in Wisconsin by LSU, who we get to open against. But our front seven is amazing, and hopefully can make up for a younger secondary. Sept 3 - LSU - 30% chance - Wisconsin always holds its own against SEC teams, we haven't had an outright rear end-whupping since Georgia in the '97 Bowl game, and should have won some that we weren't predicted to be close in but had some awful luck with injuries. This game comes down to how good or how bad our new QB (we don't know who is starting, BTW) plays against a fierce LSU defense that knows our offense inside and out thanks to the aforementioned DC defection. Fournette won't have a great game, and sports commentators with their heads up their asses will attribute it to some problem he's having instead of us keying in on stopping him with a fantastic defensive line/LBs. Sept 10 - Akron - 90% - Home opener at Madison, there's always a chance we bungle one, so no gimmies here. Sept 17 - Georgia State - 90% - see above Sept 24 @ MSU - 45% - We suck at MSU. I can't remember the last time we won there, but we're just plain cursed there. No Cook helps, but it's not like they'll fall apart without him. Oct 1 @ Michigan - 35% - We also suck at Michigan. Harbs is finally getting his players rolling, and the talent mismatch is not going to help. Oct 15 vs Ohio State - 40% - Homefield bump, but OSU is similarly talented across the board with no real weaknesses. Oct 22 @ Iowa - 50% - Beathard played very well against us last year, and I expect no different. But our offense will be better than last year as well. Oct 29 vs Nebraska - 60% - Their passing attack is impressive, but the losses on the OLine and Dline are going to hurt against our massive advantages there. Nov 5 @ Northwestern - 55% - Our Achilles' heel, playing at NW is something we don't do well, even when we have a massive talent advantage. We're a lot more even, but our defense is going to be incredible this year. Nov 12 - Illinois - 90% - We always own Illinois at home. Nov 19 @ Purdue - 90% - We own Purdue even when they're awesome. Nov 26 vs Minnesota - 75% - Never a gimmie, the Axe is a fickle mistress, but we should have our passing game together by this point, which will make us very dangerous. Barring injury.
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Jul 15, 2016 05:37
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15-0 Giant Eagle National Title here we come Pennsylvania doesn't have Piggly Wiggly. Actually, I don't have a drat clue. Too many changes in players and coaches and all that. However, its one hell of a soft schedule. Win: Kent State, Maryland, Purdue lol, Indiana Rutgers Probably win: Temple, Pitt Probably lose: Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa Definitely lose: Ohio State, Michigan State There's zero chance of doing better than 10-2, even in the hope against hope get every bounce and pull wins out of nowhere way. Seven wins may be a challenge. Winning only seven will start more grumbling and anything less than that is going to result in some very unhappy things being said. Franklin has had a terrible road record (lost all of them last year) and has yet to beat a top 25 team (closest was taking Ohio State to OT a few years ago). BOB beat a top 15 team on the road in regulation with less! No improvement over the last two seasons and the impatience will start to set in.
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Jul 15, 2016 06:08
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Your 2016 Iowa State Cyclones. Sept 3rd: UNI Win. The Campbell experiment starts 1-0 Sept 10th: @ Iowa Loss. Though it is in Iowa City and Iowa is supposed to be good this year which historically has meant an upset. Sept 17th: @ TCU. Loss. Sept 24th: San Jose State. Win. Though somehow this will be a hilariously bad loss with half the starters going down to injury. Oct 1st: Baylor Loss. Oct 8th: @ Oklahoma State Loss Oct 15th: @ Texas Loss Oct 22nd: BYE . Oct 29th: Kansas State Loss. The wizard doesn't lose to Iowa State. Nov 3rd: Oklahoma Loss. This will be me by halfway through the 2nd quarter.  Nov 12th: @ Kansas Win Nov 19th: Texas Tech Loss Nov 26th: WVU. Win, mostly just because predicting a win will piss off Andichu. 4-8 sounds about right.
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Jul 15, 2016 17:59
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FSU will be very good
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Jul 18, 2016 03:43
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Georgia will be mediocre to ok like every year
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Jul 18, 2016 04:23
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SDSU has a very real shot at winning 12 games and being the G5 rep in the NY6
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Jul 18, 2016 04:36
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So more about FSU The Team: Our defense is beastly except probably the linebackers. I think we'll have the best secondary in the country, and a top 5 DL. We like to do goofy poo poo like have our safeties rush like a book end while dropping our DEs into coverage, but we have the athletes to be able to do that. We're going to be relying on young linebackers and guys who are just starting to "get it." One such guy is R-Jr. Matt Thomas, former 5* LB who was suspended for weed or something. He's saying all the right things and being a leader now. Cool. We lost the best kicker in NCAA history by far to the draft and we're getting his brother. We also managed to sign the top punter, hopefully they establish a chemistry with the long snappers and holders really quickly so we don't miss a beat with the kicking. The offense is interesting. The RB corps is a known commodity, gaining from the emergence of R-Jr. Ryan Green and Fr. Amir Rasul. The former is above average with good quickness but man does he not trust himself to change direction when avoiding a hit, and slows down way too much to 'juke.' He'll get the job done, and he's effective, but that's annoying because he takes bigger hits than he needs to while not advancing the ball on contact. Dalvin Cook's fantastic, and Jacques Patrick is evolving into Greg Jones part 2. The WRs are good and it appears that the young talent, Auden Tate, Davante Phillips, etc., are getting there. The OL should be ~solid~ this year, finally. The TEs are uniquely individual, one guy is essentially a giant quick dude we really want to flex out most of the time to catch passes, one dude is very sound jack-of-all-trades that does everything really well, one guys is a converted LB who's a great athlete, and the incoming TE is just a straight up football player who'll probably see a lot of playing time this year. All the QBs except the one I hate are serviceable and should win us games. They all have big arms. R-Sr. Sean Maguire - Knows the offense inside and out, and when he's on he's pretty good and a gun slinger, but he's usually pretty late on his passes. We lost the GT game (  ) on the back of being late on passes (by Everett Golson, but still) and he's not particularly good at reading the defense pre-snap. As such, a lot of his plays end up being, I dunno, pensive and slow-developing. It can work when he's on, but he's not, usually. Strangely, he might still get drafted.R-Soph. JJ Consentino - He was the dude that came in for Maguire in the bowl game and was so terrible that we ended up putting Maguire back in, who apparently ended up having a broken ankle. He was similarly terrible in the spring game. That said, he's been interviewed since the bowl game and spring game and insists that the bowl was a wake up call and that he actually had an excellent spring (not just spring game) and understands now just how much he needs to do to get ready. He believes he will win the starting job. Well man, let's see it. R-Fr. Deondre Francois - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP7znaB3Yog is very young but looks to be incredibly talented. He had 3 turnovers in the spring game (1 cool pick, 1 bad throw, 1 hitting the ball out of his own hands with his own knee). The ball zips, it gets where it's going incredibly fast, he shows that he can place the ball on the WR where it would be comfortable to catch. He's already acting like a charismatic leader, like Maguire has been. Fr. Malik Henry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsA7vjat7fw Jimbo tells boosters 1 on 1 that Malik is further along than Jameis is at respective points to their careers. He's really really good, and while unlikely to start as a true freshman because Francois and Maguire are available, it'll be very difficult for Francois to keep the starting job after this year if Malik's potential is quickly realized. The Schedule As percentage chance of winning Monday Sep. 5 Rebels Ole Miss Rebels Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL 8:00pm ET 65% They lost most of their scary talent and have had a pretty noisy off-season. The offense is tough to counter but we have a pretty formidable secondary that'll keep them from going deep too easily, which'll be pretty hard for them without Treadwell. Also Hugh Freeze is a dork. Saturday Sep. 10 Buccaneers Charleston Southern Buccaneers Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL 12:30pm ET 99% I think we schedule them so we get an extra week looking at a facsimile of GT's offense, but the schedule didn't make it happen, so oh well. Sep. 17 Cardinals at Louisville Cardinals Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, KY Noon ET 55% They are really good and hopefully they keep shooting themselves in the foot, but that isn't going to last. Really worried about this game. Saturday Sep. 24 Bulls at USF Bulls 99% I have no idea what's up with this program. They really sunk. Saturday Oct. 1 Tar Heels North Carolina Tar Heels Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL TBA Buy 70% I'm slowly coming around to Fedora being a good coach in most facets outside of game day. UNC fans are pretty stoked about the progress of Mitch Trubisky and Elijah Hood is spectacular. Their defensive coordinator should've been quartered during their bowl game, but UNC can light it up when things are going well. Saturday Oct. 8 Hurricanes at Miami (FL) Hurricanes Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL TBA Buy 80% I have it in my head that Richt is going to have a lot of insurmountable injuries this year as he's made it a point to eschew a lot of the modernizing S&C stuff Golden installed for 'old school' run-till-you-drop eyeball stuff. They already lost very good WR Lawrence Cager with a knee injury. Saturday Oct. 15 Demon Deacons Wake Forest Demon Deacons (HC) Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL TBA Buy 99% I don't know what to expect out of Wake but I don't imagine their new-ish head coach will have everything set to run by now. Saturday Oct. 22 --- OFF --- --- Saturday Oct. 29 Tigers Clemson Tigers Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL TBA Buy 55% I like them at FSU because they lost so much on defense and I like the match ups as long as our paper thing LB corps doesn't lose players. Nov. 5 Wolfpack at NC State Wolfpack Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC TBA Buy 80% I don't know anything about them except this'll probably be the first time in almost a decade they don't have an NFL caliber QB leading them. Nov. 11 Eagles Boston College Eagles Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL 95% Kentucky's QB Patrick Towles transferred here. Addazio is getting a lot of facility upgrades but the general talent is pretty lacking. Saturday Nov. 19 Orangemen at Syracuse Orange 80% I like Dino Babers a lot, their new Head Coach. QB Eric Dungy is really good too, so putting him in a fun-and-gun is interesting. Everywhere Babers went, he put up huge numbers on offense. Nov. 26 Gators Florida Gators 75% It's going to be a long, hard year for Florida with targets on their back after last year, especially from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. They're going to be in bad shape by the time this game comes around and it was a small miracle their depth lasted them to the end of last year. Which rounds to be about 2 to 3 losses. The most worrisome game is Louisville because their QB is sneaky good and Petrino has them getting better really consistently. If Francois or Maguire hits the ground running right off the bat and Dalvin doesn't get injured, then it's 0 to 1 loss. Edit: Explanations added pillsburysoldier fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Jul 19, 2016 |
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Jul 18, 2016 06:43
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Your Virginia Tech Fighting Gobblers This should at least be an interesting season; we have a new head coach for the first time since I was still toddling, which should be fun. He even likes offense! Expect we'll be taking most snaps out of the diamond in an uptempo spread. Hopefully being more productive on offense will lead to more breathing room for Bud Foster to get creative in his scheming again. I'm excited to see what his defense looks like this year, Xs and Os wise, as I think we'll abandon the bear against non-option teams, and hopefully go back to exotic coverages with more zone mixed into the almost-entirely-man secondary we've seen the last few years. Our safeties should be very good, our corners COULD be very good, depending on how star CB Brandon Facyson returns from injury. Our middle linebacker is awful and a tire fire, and there's no hope in sight on the roster behind him unless a T-FR comes in and somehow takes the job. Our outside linebacker and LB/S hybrid will probably both be solid, but unremarkable. We have an obscenely deep roster at DT, and an obscenely shallow one at DE, so hopefully we'll be injury-free at DE and a couple of the younger guys will step up. This unit will probably be a solid B. The offense I don't expect to be hitting on all cylinders, but we have a first-team all-conference WR with potential for All-American this year in single-season receiving yardage record holder Isaiah Ford, one of the most dangerous tight ends in the country in Bucky Hodges, and a potential all-conference level running back in Travon McMillian. The OL is experienced and has a decent amount of depth for the first time in as long as I can remember, and our starting quarterback will likely be #1 JUCO QB Jerod Evans, who should be a natural fit for this spread O. We're shallow at WR behind Ford and opposite starter Cam Phillips, and will absolutely NEED a FR or two to step up as the #3/4 option. Bucky Hodges will also be split out wide some, taking pressure off the lack of depth on the roster. I expect a B/B- effort from the O this year. The schedule: Sept 3 - vs Liberty: W. If we lose this one, I'll have lost interest in the season the first weekend of September... Sept 10 - Bristol vs Tennessee: L. I don't see this going particularly well for us, but should be interesting in a couple ways. The power run game will absolutely destroy our terrible, probably not good enough for D2 Mike LB, but our DTs may be able to slow the rush up the middle enough that he can make a play or two off their effort. If our secondary and DEs perform well, we could keep this close for 3 quarters. Sept 17 - vs Boston College: W. We find ways to lose to BC that we shouldn't, but BC looks to be an absolute tire fire this year with one of the worst offensive coordinators in the country taking the reins. Sept 24 - vs ECU: W. I just can't predict a loss here, I think we'll be a significantly bigger, better, and more talented team than ECU this year, which hasn't always been true recently. Oct 8 - @ UNC: Tossup, likely L. Carolina is good, but not that good. They beat up on the little sisters of the poor, and we played them very close last year with no offense and one of our worst defenses in decades. I could equally see us getting blown out or coming out and just kicking the tar out of the heels. Oct 15 - @ Syracuse: W. Syracuse has been good in the past. That has not been recent. Oct 20 - vs Miami: L. I expect Richt to take Miami's top-15 level talent and wipe the floor with us. But we'll see! Oct 27 - @ Pitt: W. We never ever win @Pitt, but I think a competent offense is enough for us to get over the hump. Guess we'll see if we can reach the mighty standard of 'competent.' Nov 5 - @ Duke: W. Duke has been hitting above their weight for the last few years, and Cut is a good coach, but they've barely squeaked out their wins against us despite us being completely, utterly one dimensional. I think adding an offense will just be too much for the devils. Nov 12 - vs Georgia Tech: W. Bud Foster>Paul Johnson heads up. Add an offense and the fact that their defense is terrible, and I think we have absolutely no problem putting the jackets down this year. Nov 19 - @ Notre Dame: L. Notre Dame's just way more talented than we are at this point. Unless Fuente has the offense hitting on all cylinders by the end of the year, we don't stand much of a chance. Nov 26 - vs Virginia: W. UVA is terrible, their new head coach is awful, they're somehow recruiting worse than us, and we're recruiting terribly. I expect next to nothing out of them this year aside from somehow being even dirtier than they were under Timecop. Ceiling 10-2 Overall 7-1 ACC: We will lose to ND and Tenn, we will lose 1-2 ACC games. I think best case is we sneak one of those two aforementioned games away and lose an ACC headscratcher. Likely 8-4 Overall 6-2 ACC: This would be a slight improvement over the last few years, which would be promising, given that Fuente's reputation as a coach is predicated on his Xs and Os abilities. We need to at least win 8 to not fall completely into the dumpster in recruiting, as Fuente and his C USA level assistant coaching staff have proven completely incompetent as P5 level recruiters. Floor 5-7 Overall 4-4 ACC - Worst case, we come just shy of missing a bowl game. I don't realistically expect this, but in the back of my mind I assume it's going to happen, because that's been the trajectory of the program the last 4-5 years.
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Jul 19, 2016 20:39
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Thoguh posted:Your 2016 Iowa State Cyclones. This continues to be one of my favorite gifs  Your Bowling Green State University Falcons  God I miss those uniforms so much. Good lord this is going to be a tough season. New coach, new defensive formation but same players, almost an entirely new offense. KEY LOSSES: Coach Dino Babers Literally 75% of 2015's offense to the NFL (QB Matt Johnson, WR Roger Lewis, RB Travis Greene) or transfer to Bama (WR Gehrig Dieter). KEY RETURNS Entire O-line QB James Kanapke WR Ronnie Moore RB Fred Coppett 2016 Schedule 9/3 @ Ohio State - L - OSU is replacing drat near everyone but that's not going to matter. There's the slightest prayer we make this interesting since there's zero pressure, but god drat it's a shame we don't have last year's team. Fun fact, this is the first time Urban has faced Bowling Green since he coached there. This is likely going to be a pretty loose and sloppy game since both teams are replacing so many starters, but the most I really expect here is to cover. 9/10 vs. North Dakota - W - BG's never looked past an FCS opponent. A helpful game to get the new offense worked out. 9/17 vs. Middle Tennessee State - W - This should be a really fun one. MTSU had a spectacular QB and WR last year and they were only freshmen. Odds are this is going to be a track meet but we should still out-gun them. 9/24 @ Memphis - Toss-up - BG and Memphis played an instant classic last year, with Memphis pulling it out late. This year both QBs and coaches are new. I have no idea here. 10/8 @ Ohio - W - Ohio's been the 2nd best MAC East team for years, but the gap between them and BG is gigantic. The last 3 games have been BG wins by a combined score of 142-37, including a 49-0 crushing. Their defense has always been pretty good but they have never really found an offensive identity. 10/15 @ Toledo L - gently caress TOLEDO gently caress TOLEDO gently caress TOLEDO gently caress THIS 6 GAME GODDAMN LOSING STREAK gently caress TOLEDO it'sgoingtobe7gamesgoddamnit  I want to say this is a toss-up since they're replacing their head coach as well but christ on a crutch they have had our number for years and I have no faith. Also gently caress that sad-sack road sign trophy. UT can keep it.10/22 vs. Miami (OH) - W - God bless Chuck Martin, he's got an enormous task to handle at Miami, and they're slowly finding an identity, especially on defense. The rebuild there is going to take a drat long time though. 11/1 @ NIU - Toss-up - BG hasn't played NIU in the regular season in like 6 years, but have faced them in the last 3 straight MAC Championships. Weird. They're in a similar reload/rebuild status right now. 11/9 @ Akron -W - This is likely going to be closer than I'd prefer. Akron has quietly improved over the years, step by step, but the school is a huge mess and there's only so much Terry Bowden can do. 11/15 vs. Kent State W - Kent actually is the last MAC East time with a win over BG, back 4 years ago. Paul Haynes is an awesome guy and I'd love to see him get Kent back to respectability, but like Chuck Martin at Miami, he's got a long way to go. Defense has improved but there's still no offense. 11/25 vs. Buffalo - W - The famous Black Friday game in front of a double-digit audience! This game may determine the MAC East champion if we haven't locked it up. BEST CASE SCENARIO - James Kanapke has been here before, and while he can't scramble and gun-sling nearly as well as Matt Johnson (and few could), he's still a very accurate pocket passer, and bringing back the entire O-line is a godsend. Mike Jinks finds his stride and keeps a high-powered offense clicking, if not at the same absurd rate it went last year. Revenge on Memphis. Break the losing streak to UT. Go back to the MAC Championship. Win MAC Championship. Win a bowl game nobody will watch. 11-2 + bowl win. WORST CASE SCENARIO - We come crashing back to earth after a frankly insane 2015. Injuries hurt the line and the offense sputters. Miss the MAC Championship for the first time in 3 years and lose a bowl game nobody will watch. 7-5 + bowl loss. MOST LIKELY SCENARIO - Despite the 2015 personnel losses, the cupboard isn't empty. Jinks did a world class job in a short time to get some Texas and Florida recruits, including a goddamn 6'5" safety. Hyped up redshirt QB James Morgan eventually either takes the job from Kanapke or becomes part of a 1a-1b setup. Lose a heartbreaker to Toledo. Get back to the MAC Championship by the skin of our teeth but fall to MAC West winner. Go to a bowl game nobody will watch. 9-4 + bowl win
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Jul 19, 2016 22:15
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Houston Fightn' Tom Hermans This might be the first time since the late 70s where you can actually say with a straight face you could see Houston winning a national championship. That's how much Tom Herman has done in the 18 or so months he's held the head coaching job at UH. I'm not going to waste any more time talking about the man since everyone already salivates over him already. The offense returns all the working parts, where both RB1 and RB2 graduated. The replacement is going to be Duke Catalon, a transfer from Texas that in every practice has looked to be an every-down feature back UH hasn't had since Antowain Smith in the 90s. RB2 looks to be true freshman Mulbah Car, a straight-ahead power back. The QB remains Greg Ward and his legs. The defense returns most of last year's mighty front seven save now-Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts. However, mike linebacker Steven Taylor moves into the spotlight and he's looking like UH's big Draft prospect this time around, and you'll likely see star recruit Ed Oliver crack the rotation on the d-line sooner or later. The secondary is the biggest mystery on the team at the moment with all of last year's talent graduating. DB was a point of emphasis in this year's recruiting and a lot of things will be asked of some good jucos coming in. But seriously, go 12-0 and add a little chaos and hell, nothing's impossible anymore. At least, this year it ain't. The subsequent years...I don't want to think about them right now. The schedule - Sept 3 - Oklahoma - Functionally a home game at NRG Stadium. Obviously their overall talent level well exceeds UH's, but they have as many question marks in their secondary as UH. Given both offenses are very competent it might come down to individual performances by new members of the two secondaries...unfortunately the odds there favor OU. 33% Sept 10 - Lamar - This is intended to be the last FCS team Houston plays, but given future alignment who knows. 99% Sept 15 - @Cincinnati - On Thursday night, on five days' rest, against the biggest question mark in the American. Who the hell knows what team shows up to take on UH. Sept 24 - @Texas State - It's a return game in a 2-for-1. Texas State gets two weeks to get ready but competent coaching should keep them at arm's length. Plus maybe I'll float the river before the game. 99% Sept 29 - UConn - Another short rest game. Houston's going to be out for blood given UConn ruined the perfect season, and UConn doesn't get two weeks to get ready this time. 80% Oct 8 - @Navy - Houston's going to Annapolis for a big rear end test. Navy's having to replace Keenan Reynolds and all, but they're Navy and they never fully go away. Fortunately, they're running into UH's front seven. 60% Oct 15 - Tulsa - Baylor Junior will light up a scoreboard but they don't have Buckeye Junior's talent level...or Buckeye Junior's defense. Look for this one to play out like last year, where Houston's running game gave Tulsa way too few possessions. 75% Oct 22 - @SMU - This is gonna be SMU's Super Bowl and they're going to play out of their minds accordingly. Their defense still looks ugly though so at least there's that. 75% Oct 29 - UCF - Duck Junior is going to be scary next year when Scott Frost really gets to build that front seven. This year they won't be able to keep up for long. 70% Nov 12 - Tulane - If Houston can beat Navy, then Tulane and whatever bone they choose to use should pose no problem on Homecoming. 80% Nov 17 - Louisville - Beating these guys last year started the hype train. They'll be more organized and will take UH seriously this time, but UH is also much better than last September and will be at home on Senior Day. Very much a test of UH's overall depth...the short rest is going to make UH have to dig really deep on that bench. 50% Nov 25 - @Memphis - Sparky Junior has huge issues at QB and for this year doesn't look to be much of a challenge. Plus, if Houston's got NY6 or greater dreams this has got to be a stylish boat-racing to keep up. 85% Ceiling - It'd be like that scene at the end of the original Star Wars, except it's in Tampa instead of on Yavin 4, and Tom Herman is Han Solo and Greg Ward is Luke, and Bob Bowlsby or maybe Larry Scott is Princess Leia handing out medals, and I'm R2D2 except for shaking in excitement I'm having a massive stroke. What ceiling? Worst Case - 5-7. That's two hot sauce enemas administered by OU and Louisville. A third and fourth from inside the conference and then the usual Houston head-scratcher loss to someone like Tulane. Four teams not named Houston headed to the Big 12, and Tom Herman goes to Baylor. I move to rural northeast Texas and spend my middle years punching cattle. Expectations - By my percentages, 9-3. That assumes losing one of Oklahoma and Louisville, one of Cincy and Navy, and the usual Houston head-scratcher. 9-3 will make a lot of people ask what the hell happened. My prediction - Last year's UConn loss was perfectly explainable; general talent level was low due to injuries and UConn had two weeks to prepare. Houston is deeper this year and I don't think Tom Herman is going to allow the team time for the mental lapse required to play down to a Tulsa or SMU. I say losses to Oklahoma and Cincinnati, and Houston's again the G5 rep at New Year's. 11-2, AAC Champs Bonus Content - Playoff Field - Alabama, Stanford, Michigan State, Clemson National Champions - Alabama over Stanford Piggly Wiggly Champions - Alabama G5 rep - Houston Heisman winner - Christian McCaffery, Stanford Big 12 expansion list - Cincinnati, Memphis, Temple, UConn dirty shrimp money fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Aug 23, 2016 |
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Jul 20, 2016 13:52
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2016 Washington Huskies Last Year: 7-6, 4-5 in conference After being yoooouuuuuunnnnnnngggg last year, UW is a trendy pick to make a big jump in 2016. There are reasons to be optimisitic that UW could challenge the better teams in the Pac-12 North this year. Key Losses: Offense: WR Jaydon Mickens, TE Joshua Perkins Defense: DE Travis Feeney, LB Corey Littleton, DT Taniela Tupou Honestly none of these guys are huge losses. Feeney was pretty good, but the others are kinda JAGs. Returning: Offense (8 returning): UW started off the 2015 season really slow on offense, breaking in a true freshman QB, LT, and not having an established RB. They eventually settled on another true freshman at RB, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a team so young at those essential spots. By the end of the year they were looking much improved – they scored 52, 45, and 44 in the last three games of the season. With almost everyone back with more experience and there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be at least decent in 2016. Defense (8 returning): UW had to replace 3 first round and 1 second round NFL picks from their defense in 2015. They ended with what was statistically the best defense in the Pac-12. In 2016 they return almost everyone. The only real loss is rush end Feeney, but there’s depth there. No reason to suspect they’ll be less effective in 2016. Position Notes QB – Jake Browning struggled early as a true freshman QB – they hardly let him throw in the opener against Boise State. Outside of a clunker of a game against ASU, he had a really solid 2nd half of the season. RB – Myles Gaskin worked his way into the starting position about 5 games into the season and never let go. He ended up with 1302 yards with a 5.7 ypc and 14 TDs. Wasn’t an effective pass catcher last year, but we’ll see what he does in 2016. Dynamic runner, has really great vision and instincts. WR – Was a mediocre position in 2015, will probably be mediocre in 2016. Lost leading receiver Mickens, but I don’t think I’ll miss seeing him dart out of bounds a few yards short of the sticks instead of pushing upfield constantly. Not a lot of impact young guys unfortunately. TE – One of the few starters lost, Perkins was a solid Pac-12 starter but not a game changer. There’s depth here, so whatever. OL – Lost a below average center, everyone else returns. Started a true freshman at LT and a RS freshman at RT, both showed a lot of promise so maybe we can have a decent line for the first time since…. 2001? DL – Lost a decent DT and a rush end, everyone else returns. Lots of talented depth, excited to see what they can do here. Deepest we’ve been at DT for as long as I’ve followed the team. LB – The LB corps was stellar last year and the two biggest impact players in Victor and Bierria both return. DB – Most of the season preview magazines have UW’s DBs as a top five unit in the country. Lots of talent, lots of depth, lots of experience. Schedule Rutgers – Win, Rutgers has a new coach and weren’t that good last year Idaho – Win, it’s Idaho. The last time Idaho beat UW was 1905. Portland State – Win, FCS school. Awful OOC schedule. Portland State beat Wazzu last year though! @Arizona – Win, UW just crushed Arizona last year 49-3. Stanford – Toss up. Series has been pretty tight last few years and Stanford’s replacing their QB. @Oregon – Toss up. Why have we played Stanford and Oregon back to back for 4 of the last 5 years? Honestly think Oregon won’t be as good this year, but we haven’t beat them in 12 years. Bye Oregon State – Win, OSU is trash. @Utah – Loss? Utah scares me, I don’t like playing on the road against them. @Cal – Win, not impressed with Cal recently and they’re replacing their QB. USC – Toss up, USC has a lot of talent ASU – Win, UW somehow hasn’t beaten ASU since 2001 @WSU – Win, UW’s taken 6 of the last 7 apple cups and match up pretty good against their offense. Somewhere between 8-4 (5-4) and 11-1 (8-1). I’m going to be optimistic and say UW goes 10-2 (7-2) and finishes 2nd in the Pac-12 North. Would be the first double digit win season since 2000!
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Jul 20, 2016 16:18
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Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa is coming off a magical season where they started 12-0, came within seconds of winning the Big Ten and making the playoff, and went to the Rose Bowl (where I'm sure they did fine; I was drunk). It made no sense at the time and still makes no sense in hindsight. This year they return the bulk of that team, but obviously a perfect regular season is...unlikely. In fact, there's a very good chance that they're actually a better team this year, but take a step back in the win column as their luck regresses in close games (see also the 2005 and especially 2010 seasons). That's football. Depth Chart Offense QB One of the biggest reason to feel optimistic about this season is that Iowa brings back CJ Beathard, who was one of the best QBs in the conference despite playing pretty much the entire season with what was probably a fairly serious sports hernia and hip injury. At the start of the season Beathard was a mobile QB who could get out on the edge and made teams pay with his feet as much as with his arm (shown off most notably in the Iowa State game). But he was badly hobbled in conference play and became mostly a pocket passer. He'll probably have worse turnover luck this year, but he still has a great arm that can fit passes into impossible windows, and if he's healthy he could add 400-500 yards on the ground. On the whole I think he gets a littttle overrated because of the record last year and because people were desperate to move on from the incredibly boring Rudock era, but he's still arguably the most talented QB Iowa has had during the Ferentz era. RB One of our deepest positions even after losing Canzeri. LeShaun Daniels is probably the starter. He's constantly hurt and I think the staff overvalues him a bit (they're still in love with the idea of a big power back because of Shonn Greene), but he still had his moments when the was healthy, especially against Minnesota. In my opinion the real potential star is Akrum Wadley. He had two games last year where he got a starters workload. In the first he absolutely destroyed a very good Northwestern defense for over 200 yards and 4 TDs, and in the second he went over 100 against Indiana. He's small but he has great balance, vision, and quickness, and seems to have solved the fumbling problem that plagued him as a freshman and got him glued to the bench early last year. He seems like he's doing a good job adding weight and earning more trust from the coaching staff too. Hopefully he gets more consistent touches this year, and I'd love to see him more involved in the passing game. The third back is Derrick Mitchell, who looked great as a third down back in his first year playing the position. He looked good when we actually gave him the ball last year, so I'd love to see a bigger role this season. WR Ugh. Tevaun Smith wasn't a superstar, but he was a guy with the ability to make a big play and we're really missing that with the current group as it stands right now. Matt Vandeberg is solid in the "scrappy white possession receiver" role but after that it's ugly. Jermaine Smith had one big game against Illinois last year as a true freshman but otherwise didn't do anything, and beyond that it's a lot of question marks. Adrian Falconer cracked the depth chart as a true frosh, which is impressive, but had all of one catch. Jay Scheel was a big time recruit but has struggled to stay healthy and hasn't played. Ryan Boyle showed flashes in spring, but he's making the transition from QB. Jonathan Parker is fast but was a running back until last year. I have no idea what will happen here. TE Henry Kreiger Coble is a big loss but I think we'll be okay here. George Kittle was really good last year with 300 yards and 6 TDs as the second TE. He's a great athlete and has turned himself into a good blocker. I expect him to be a safety blanked for Beathard and challege for All Big Ten. Beyond that it's a big question mark, but I think we'll figure something out. We usually have solid TE play, and there's some talent there. Jon Wisnieski was a 4* recruit, Peter Pekar was a walkon but has gotten series camp buzz the last two years, and incoming Freshman Noah Fant is super talented if a little raw. OL I think it's getting overhyped in the media. It's not one of the best lines in the country, but it should be solid again. Blythe and Walsh are big losses on the inside, but Iowa returns a ton of guys with starting experience (partially because the line was really banged up last year). Sean Welsh played mostly guard last year and moves over the center where he'll be the rock of the OL. He was very good last year (even playing tackle against Northwestern and dominating) and should be one of the best interior linemen in the conference this season. LT Cole Croston and LG Boone Meyers are both former walkons, but they're both good athletes who have had 4-5 years in the Iowa program to develop, and both saw time as starters last year (Meyers was the starting LT to open the season before getting hurt, losing his job to Croston, and moving inside). Ike Botteger is huge and held his own as a sophomore in his first year as a starter last year. And James Daniels, if he gets healthy, is one of the most talented players on the team. He was a big time recruit with offers from everywhere and forced his way into the rotation last year as a true freshman. All five guys saw significant time on a team that went 12-2, and offensive line in the one position where I trust the coaches to develop whoever they throw in there. Defense DT Jaleel Johnson is a star. He finally got significant playing time after biding his time behind Carl Davis for three years and was all Big Ten. He should be a relatively high draft pick next year. Next to him, Nathan Bazata was okay but nothing special last year, but he was in his first year getting any playing time and was only a sophomore. I expect he'll improve. I also expect Faith Ekakitie to get significant playing time. He was a big time recruit who hasn't been able to find a consistent role, but he finally showed flashes last year. He could be in for a breakout season as a senior. DE Nate Meir graduated and Drew Ott got really hosed over by the NCAA and sadly did not get a 6th year, so this is an area of concern going into the season. Parker Hesse fought last year but he was so tiny for the position at 215 pounds or so. He was only a sophomore so hopefully he's added some weight. Matt Nelson probably gets the other starter spot and he's a guy I've always been really intrigued by. He looks more like a basketball player at 6'8" or so, but by all accounts he's the best pass rusher on the team and did okay last year when he got playing time. If he's managed to add some bulk to go with his height he could be a breakout guy for the team. I don't expect us to have much of a pass rush this year again, but hopefully these guys at least hold their own. LB Should be one of the better units in the Big Ten. Josey Jewell has a strong cases as the best linebacker in the conference and he was only a sophomore in his first year as a starter last year. He does a little bit over everything. He's a tackling machine, a surprisingly effective blitzer, hits like a truck, holds his own in coverage, and is just generally always in the right place. Next to him we return Ben Neimann, who was really solid last year as (yet another) first year starting sophomore. He's really good in coverage and plays the AJ Edds role of linebacker who is asked to constantly cover WRs and still holds his own. The third starter is still up in the air, but will probably be RS Soph Aaron Mends. He's absolute freak athlete who has put up crazy weightroom numbers and had a lot of buzz last year. He played a litttle bit (mostly as a pass rusher on third downs to take advantage of his speed) and looked really promising. He reminds me a lot of Anthony Hitchens. If he doesn't play it'll probably be Bo Bower, who isn't anything special but does have quite a bit of experience, having started for pretty much the entire 2014 season. CB The starters are arguably the best in the country. Desmond King is a fourth year starter who has been great from the moment he got to campus, and won the Thorpe award last year while tying the school record (amazingly still held by Nile Kinnick) for INTs in a season. The INTs will go down, which will inevitably make people view him as a disappointment, but he's still an elite college cover corner and the best tackler I've ever seen at CB. Next to him Greg Mabin is a third year starter who has been overshadowed by King his whole career but is a really solid coverage guy in his own right. I could see him getting some pretty good INT numbers with teams trying to pick on him a lot. After those two there...isn't much. Maurice Flemming was the nickle last year but he transferred looking for a chance to start. Josh Jackson looked pretty good for a freshman last year and gets raves from the coaches (he had pretty much already passed Flemming for the third CB spot) so hopefully he'll slide into the nickle role and continue to develop. Beyond that I don't know. Hopefully King and Mabin stay healthy. S Miles Taylor played pretty well last year in his first as a starter. He had some hiccups in coverage, but he was really good in run support and hits hard. He's still young so he has a lot of room to improve. We'll be breaking in a new starter at FS with Jordan Lomax graduating, and it'll probably be Brandon Snyder, who is the next in a proud Iowa tradition of white walk-ons who become starting safeties. He's been getting a lot of buzz behind the scenes the last couple years so hopefully that works out. Those guys somehow usually do. ST Des King is a great return guy. Beyond that I have no idea. We're going to have a brand new kicker and punter. I'm very scared. Schedule Miami (OH)- Chuck Martin is a good coach but they've been pretty awful lately, should be our easiest W Iowa State- Ugh, gently caress this series. Should be a win, but that's always the case. I'll say W because Iowa State's roster is still pretty depleted and it's at home but I don't feel great about it. Matt Campbell is good. North Dakota State- Probably a W but why the gently caress would you ever schedule this team? So dumb. At least Wentz is gone. Rutgers- Significantly less scary that North Dakota State W Northwestern- They should have a good defense again and they can't possibly be as bad on offense as they were last year. They'll be out for revenge after getting embarrassed last year too. I'll say W because we're at home, but it's probably a toss up. Minnesota- Games at Minnesota have been a horror show recently and they've done really well against us ever since hiring Kill. Toss up but I think this is the first L. Hope I'm wrong. I hate losing the Pig Game. Purdue- Purdue football is so sad W Wisconsin- Should be a close game again, and we get them at home which is cool, but I'll still say L Their defense won't be as good but their offense should be better. They probably should have beaten us last year. Penn State- On paper a good game but I feel weirdly good about this one. They lost quite a bit defensively and their offense doesn't really scare me at all aside from Barkley. Even though I think they made a good coordinator hire. Wouldn't be a shocking loss by any means but I still say W Michigan- I would love to beat Harbaugh, but nah. That defense is gonna be terrifying L Illinois- They gave us a good game last year but that was with CJ at one of his lowest points health wise. Lovie was a good hire but it'll take him a couple years. W Nebraska- They lost a ton of talent up front on both sides, which was probably their biggest strength last year. The bowl performance worries me a little bit because they seemed to finally figure out how to use Armstrong, but it was also counter to what Riley tends to like to do, so we'll see if he sticks with it. Close game but I'll say W if only so I don't have us going 0-fer in our Big Ten trophy games. So that'd put us at 9-3, which would make a lot of people mad but seems about right. They bring a ton back but last year was magic and something you can't recreate. Somewhere between 8-10 wins feels like the most likely result, but I wouldn't be shocked with 7 or 11 either. Iowa football under Ferentz is always just a few plays here and there from either a special season or a middling bowl. MourningView fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jul 25, 2016 |
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Jul 24, 2016 20:27
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The Red Wolves lost a good bit and welp, our run of ruling the Sun Belt with an iron fist might actually be at an end. It was a good run, 4 conference titles in 5 years (ok yeah one of them was shared with those assclowns from ULL but gently caress that) and if everyone would stop poaching our coaching staff maybe we'll get back on top of the hill again. I still have high hopes, Blake is still around, we still have Knighten, poo poo ain't all bad. AR State could still make a bowl game or something this year. #BuildingAMonster Fenrir fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Jul 24, 2016 |
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Jul 24, 2016 20:42
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Alabama Crimson Tide Last Season  Pre-Season Overview Returning depth on the defense is excellent. Once again will have one of the best if not the best defensive line units in the country, both for rushing the passer and defending the run. Secondary will be improved, which is saying something. If there are any questions to be had it will be at middle linebacker with Rueben Foster having to step up with play-calling and adjustment duties. If he is as competent at this as he is at de-cleating Leonard Fournette, the defense will once again be terrifying. There is a coaching transition in that Jeremy Pruitt takes over for Kirby Smart, but that's a side-grade at worst and a probable upgrade, as the main defensive "struggles" for the defense have come in the secondary, which Pruitt specializes in. Offense is more of a question. Starting quarterback is again undecided, with Cooper Bateman as your most likely option. Could be a problem, but then again we just won a national championship with everyone's favorite cave monster Jacob Coker. Lane Kiffin be praised, peace be upon him. Receiving corps is deep with a rising star in Calvin Ridley, who is posting Amari Cooper like stats. Freak of nature athlete OJ Howard is returning at TE, and you saw him in the CFP championship game. Offensive Line has three returning starters but the crucial center position is breaking in new blood. Derrick Henry is an obvious departure but we have spawned a new predator alien named "Bo Scarburough" who wishes to hunt linebackers and hang their scalps on his wall. Offense is definitely reloading, but with all-world talent in the wings and proven dynamite returning. Schedule USC Trojans - W - I am going to admit I have not scouted USC at all. I do know they went 8-6 last year with noted drunkard Steve Sarkesian at the helm. I also know they have a really good WR who has "juice" in his name or something. That being said, unless our new quarterback is a disaster week one, I'm not seeing a super close game here, given I don't know much about USC other than they're above average talent wise and breaking in a new coach. If we're struggling I think nothing but pounding the rock and our freakish defense should bring this one home. Western Kentucky - W - Cupcake Ole Miss - W - Hugh Freeze cheats and I'm having a hard time believing a ball bounces off a helmet for a TD and we turn the ball over 5 times for a third year in a row. Kent State - W - Cupcake Kentucky Wildcats - W - Hell yeah an easy East opponent woop woop Arkansas - W - Bret Beliema flops again, draws red card, ejected from stadium. Our defense is tailor made to eat teams like Arkansas alive. Tennessee - Lean W - Barely scraped by with a win last year, due to a horrendous offensive performance by one swamp thing, Jake Coker. That said, we dominated possession and allowed their offense almost nothing, sans Jalen Hurd with a respectable ninety yards with a 5 YPC. Dobbs with a passer rating under 50, and less than 2 yards a carry. Given their offense improving at the same rate as our defense, which I will grant them, I don't see us languishing on offense that badly again. Hopefully this year we don't bank on missed FGs to get out alive. Oh and gently caress tennessee. Texas AnM - W - Can we beat the 59-0 record? Tune in to find out! LSU - Lean W - The closest thing to gladiatorial combat you can get. Got LSU at a big down swing in momentum last year, but don't expect it to be that easy for a minute this year. Would be a toss up but I'm going to give us the slight edge as, strangely enough, the away team tends to play much better in this series. Mississippi State - W - Usually close for three quarters due to being after the LSU game but there's no Dak this year. Chattanooga - W - Cupcake Auburn - W - Gonna be the towel that smothers the dumpster fire on the plains this year. God willing we will send Gus to Valhalla. Best Case Undefeated, CFP champions. Worst Case Drop 3 of the five to Ole Miss/Tenn/Auburn/LSU/USC. Nine and three. Offense is so bad the defense can't carry them. All the quarterbacks suck. Predicted 11-1 regular season, possible CFP playoff contender. Probably drop 1 of Ole Miss/LSU/Tenn due to offense making GBS threads the bed. SEC west champions. Scionix fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Jul 25, 2016 |
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Jul 25, 2016 12:23
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Scionix you're wrong our depth isn't nearly as good on defense (although our starters may be slightly more outstanding) and it was 59-0, Jesus get it together man
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Jul 25, 2016 16:25
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Auburn Key losses: O-line, LB, WR Strengths (supposedly): D-line, RB/HB, Secondary Question marks: Quarterback - Who will start? Are they good? Can they stay healthy for a whole season? Linebacker - Little depth, Grad transfer and some young guys that will hopefully step up. WR - Very young, but highly ranked receivers. Several upperclassmen that have not really produced. Schedule Clemson - 40% - I think it will come down to Auburn's Defense containing Watson. If that happens I think it comes down to Auburn's young receivers against Clemson's young corners. Being at home plus the possibility that the hype gets to Clemson gives Auburn a chance. Watson and Auburn's tendency to start slow hurts them. Ark St. - 80% - Malzahn's old team. I think they show up and give Auburn a good game, but I think Auburn wins this one. TA&M - 70% - Auburn ran the ball easily against A&M last year. If that continues then they have a shot. It could come down to how A&M's new QB plays though. LSU - 40% - LSU should have a good team this year. They embarrassed Auburn last year, so I expect them to be more prepared for Fournette. If they can contain him like teams were at the end of last season it will come down to Harris. ULM - 99% - Should be an easy win. @Miss St. - 60% - First away game of the season. The media picked them to finish ahead of Auburn this year, but I think losing Prescott hurts them enough for Auburn to win. Arkansas - 60% - Back at home against a team they came very close to beating last year. I think they will be good, but Austin Allen in his first year wont be as good as Brandon in his last. @Ole Miss - 50% - They lose a lot, but Chad Kelly is still a really good QB. This combined with playing them at home after what will probably be a tough game against Arkansas makes it a toss up to me. Vandy - 70% - This would typically be an easy win, but they are starting to get an offense together. This should be a low scoring game and that could send it either way. @Georgia - 60% - I think Auburn wins this, but it's basically a toss up. Having it at the end of the year helps Auburn some if UGA can't keep a RB healthy, but it gives their young QB time to get settled. Auburn probably should have won last year and didn't, hopefully that gives them an edge. Alabama A&M - 99% - Should be an easy win. Will be looking ahead to the Bama game. @Alabama - 40% - Bama's defense should continue to be good, but I think their offense takes a small step back. Auburn kept it close against a Bama team that was much better than them last year so I expect it to at least be close this year. Best Case 10-2, Auburn gets a win against one of Clemson/Bama and a loss to one of LSU/UGA/Ole Miss. Worst Case 6-6, Continued issues at QB lead to another disappointing season. Predicted 8-4, Auburn beats either Clemson or Bama, but loses a couple of games they should have won.
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Jul 25, 2016 17:46
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Your 2016 Georgia Bulldogs! Last season: Somehow 10-3 (5-3), but that included a one-score win over Tech, who sucks, an OT win over Georgia Southern, a 9-6 win over Missouri, a one-score win over Auburn, thwarting a comeback against Vanderbilt...the three losses were two pantsings by Bama and Florida and a blown 24-3 lead against Tennessee. Georgia was not a very good team last season. Also last season:  I'll miss him. I was OK with the decision to move on provided that the Athletic Department was willing to pony up the bucks for a good coach and a good staff and....that's more or less what they did. On paper at least. What's new? Kirby Smart has come in, recruited well, and has set up a staff that extends the Bama philosophy to Athens. Be awesome in the margins and the details. Outwork everyone in the weight room. Be awesome at defense. Be efficient at offense. Win a shitload of games in relatively boring fashion. If it works, it'll be a throwback to the early Richt days at UGA when they were beating South Carolina 13-7 and still going 13-1. The old idea is that if you want to be a good program, you either do something different than everyone else, or you do the same thing but just better. Georgia has the institutional advantages to make Option #2 work, but had slipped on the execution. So Richt was cast aside. But Kirby's never HC'd a down yet, so we'll see. Question marks: Everything, honestly. Will Chubb be ready to go? Will Michel be ready to go? Will Jacob Eason take over at QB? How much Lambertmentum will UGA have to endure again? Is the OL as good as the coaches think it is? Will the DL's lack of depth kill? How will a change in philosophy affect the DBs? Who exactly is going to kick FGs? Can we fire Schottenheimer again? Schedule: (Spoiler alert: I don't think 2016 UGA is going to be very good.) North Carolina (@Atlanta)- UNC was very good last season despite what the gently caress losing to South Carolina and boast a solid offense and a defense that....well, it isn't terrible. Methinks Kirbs will have some opening-day jitters here. 40% Nicholls State- Who? 99% @ Missouri- Mizzou was trash last season but at least showed up on the defensive side of the ball. UGA/Mizzou '15 is the worst game I've ever seen in person; this one will be similarly low-scoring...though hopefully not THAT bad. 49% @ Ole Miss- Thankfully Ole Miss gets Bama the week right before this, so maybe Saban'll do us a solid and rough up the Rebs a little. Still though, conference road game, good opponent... 38% Tennessee- Georgia will benefit from not playing this on Neyland Stadium's turf, but Tennessee is by far a more well-rounded unit. If they don't win the East this year, they never will. 40% @ South Carolina- Greyson Lambert retired Steve Spurrier last season. This is still funny to me. Maybe they should start ol' Lambert just to go for another NCAA record. 90% Vanderbilt- Vandy was spry last season, at least. 95% Florida (@Jacksonville)- Florida excelled last season when they sat around and let the other team shoot itself with a railgun. See: Tennessee's 4th down derpery, or even better, Mark Richt starting the honkin' 3rd string QB and whatever it was the Dawgs were trying to do on special teams. The hope with Kirby is that the keystone koppery comes to an end and the talent prevails. 49% @ Kentucky- Georgia doesn't screw around with UK anymore, which is nice. 85% Auburn- I don't think Auburn is going to be any good this season, and at this point the Gus Bus will be about to exit onto the Unemployment Highway. 70% Louisiana Lafayette- Ahh yes, this particular week when half the SEC plays Sun Belt flotsam. 99% Georgia Tech- Mark Richt was 13-2 against Georgia Tech, and we thank him for that. Kirby knows that this game means a lot even though the fans largely ignore Tech these days. 85% Best case: 10-2, SEC East Champs, get pummeled against Bama in the SECCG. Worst case: 5-7, running game injury-addled, Eason struggles, Kirby loses to most/all of the rivals. My case: 7-5. Year 2 is where it gets good for the Kirby Administration. D.N. Nation fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Jul 26, 2016 |
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Jul 25, 2016 21:53
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Raku posted:Scionix you're wrong our depth isn't nearly as good on defense (although our starters may be slightly more outstanding) and it was 59-0, Jesus get it together man what position do you feel is thinner than last year? And whoops.
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Jul 25, 2016 23:30
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Scionix posted:what position do you feel is thinner than last year? And whoops. Defensive line lost a lot of pure beef guys that we relied on to stop the run. Pass rush is fine but not nearly as many quality depth guys in the front 7 as we had last year (and our depth guys last year are the starters). I was confident about the secondary but Maurice Smith, others transferring mean we could be in trouble quick with bad injury luck there too. Humphrey and Fitzpatrick played very well last year but who knows if they can fill Cyrus Jones's
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Jul 26, 2016 00:06
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Raku posted:Defensive line lost a lot of pure beef guys that we relied on to stop the run. Pass rush is fine but not nearly as many quality depth guys in the front 7 as we had last year (and our depth guys last year are the starters). I was confident about the secondary but Maurice Smith, others transferring mean we could be in trouble quick with bad injury luck there too. Humphrey and Fitzpatrick played very well last year but who knows if they can fill Cyrus Jones's Cornerback I will maybe give you with Maurice Smith transferring but disagree on the d-line. We don't have "pure beef" guys anymore. It's just a turnstall of freakishly fast dudes that happen to weigh around 300 pounds and can play any down. Plus we tend to just throw linebackers in at DE for funsies and we have about 300 of those.
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Jul 26, 2016 10:57
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Thoguh posted:Your 2016 Iowa State Cyclones. I can't really argue with any of this. I think this year will be rough, but hoping to show improvement into next year. I say there's a 25% chance ISU gets to 6 wins in my list of most likely to win to least likely: Very Likely Wins UNI San Jose State Kansas Tossup Texas Tech Kansas State Iowa Not Likely WVU Texas - I don't think they let ISU get them again. Baylor Okie State Not Happening at all TCU OU
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Jul 26, 2016 14:10
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Oklahoma is going to win every game 77-0. Boomer Sooner.
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Jul 27, 2016 04:44
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KIM JONG TRILL posted:Oregon is going to win every game 77-0. Go Ducks. Fixed that for you.
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Jul 27, 2016 07:32
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Not going to bother with an in-depth breakdown since we're terrible, but in a nutshell: South Carolina has a first-year coach (and it's Muschamp) with tons of young players and question marks, which is typically not a recipe for success. However, this is our easiest schedule in years, so we do have a non-zero chance at a bounceback season. Likely wins Western Carolina UMass East Carolina (including them because they lost a lot, including their coach, so hopefully they're not as much of a pain in the rear end as usual) Pretty much anything outside of this category could be a loss, but I'm going to sort them anyway. Hopeful wins Vanderbilt Kentucky Could steal this one Missouri Mississippi State Likely losses Texas A&M Tennessee Florida Georgia Clemson Best case scenario: 6-6 with a bowl bid would be huge for this team and especially for Muschamp. Worst case scenario: 3-9 again. With this schedule, I don't think we can do any worse than 2015, but it's certainly possible we have an encore. Likely scenario: I'm gonna go with 5-7. I think we'll show improvement because we essentially didn't have anyone coaching this team last year, but we just don't have the depth to be an overnight success story.
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Jul 27, 2016 15:51
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UNLV Rebels Last time: A new regime started headed by HC Tony Sanchez, OC Barney Cotton, and DC Kent Baer. There was a lot of optimism which exploded with a win in the rivalry game at Reno. Sadly, it all went wrong and the team would come undone down the stretch. A 3-9 record wasn't quite the quick fix Vegas was (not so) secretly hoping for. Currently: It is now year two of the Sanchez era, and expectations are getting a little high. It's time to expect a bowl game! Oh how my fellow fans forget the history of this team Schedule: 09/01/16 vs. Jackson State Win 09/10/16 at UCLA Loss 09/17/16 at Central Michigan Win 09/24/16 vs. Idaho Win 10/01/16 vs. Fresno State Loss 10/08/16 at San Diego State Loss 10/15/16 at Hawai'i Win 10/22/16 vs. Colorado State Loss 10/29/16 at San Jose State Loss 11/12/16 vs. Wyoming Loss 11/18/16 at Boise State Loss 11/26/16 vs. Nevada, Reno Win This is an optimistic prediction. It's improvement from last year, but not enough for a bowl game. Of course there's the very real chance of the same or lesser record, but I don't want to be a complete downer.
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Jul 28, 2016 00:01
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Korranus posted:Ceiling - It'd be like that scene at the end of the original Star Wars, except it's in Tampa instead of on Yavin 4, and Tom Herman is Han Solo and Greg Ward is Luke, and Bob Bowlsby or maybe Larry Scott is Princess Leia handing out medals, and I'm R2D2 except for shaking in excitement I'm having a massive stroke. What ceiling? I'm Chewie, ordering the crowd to cheer.
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Jul 28, 2016 00:28
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General Dog posted:
This is more or less how I see it going down. 7-5 and a bowl win with Sumlin staying
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Jul 28, 2016 00:49
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Baylor probably gonna win it all cause I've stopped caring about them as much cause all my teams suck forever and so since theyre not my team theyll just win or something + intangible hillary clinton fired coach motivations + rape causes championships 0-12 National Champs 12-0 who cares
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Jul 29, 2016 05:51
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anne frank fanfic posted:Baylor probably gonna win it all cause I've stopped caring about them as much cause all my teams suck forever and so since theyre not my team theyll just win or something + intangible hillary clinton fired coach motivations + rape causes championships 0-12 National Champs 12-0 who cares I don't know if this is the best prediction or the worst, but it's on that spectrum.
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Jul 30, 2016 07:25
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anne frank fanfic posted:Baylor probably gonna win it all cause I've stopped caring about them as much cause all my teams suck forever and so since theyre not my team theyll just win or something + intangible hillary clinton fired coach motivations + rape causes championships 0-12 National Champs 12-0 who cares hillary clinton isnt in prison ur full of poo poo dude wheres the evidence u promised
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Jul 30, 2016 10:43
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KIM JONG TRILL posted:Oklahoma is going to win every game 77-0. Boomer Sooner. I was going to make this post.
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Jul 30, 2016 15:34
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The Mighty Northwestern Wildcats (Bitch) Last season, Northwestern shocked the world by winning 10 games for just the fourth time in school history. They opened the season with a stunning upset of Stanford, which the LAMESTREAM MEDIA and MEWLING PLAYOFF COMMITTEE tried to take away from them because of  body clocks. Northwestern won with a suffocating defense and a hyperconservative offense that involved giving the ball to Justin Jackson The Ball Carrier 30 times. They also featured a freshman quarterback who led them to one of the worst passing offenses in the country. The Wildcats' strategy of punting and unleashing the defense was good enough to win games in the Big Ten West. A lot of football analysts think last year was a fluke. Northwestern won a bunch of games on last-second field goals, batted-down conversions, and, against Wisconsin, two touchdowns including the game-winner wiped off the scoreboard by ridiculous referee decisions. Their three losses including the Outback Bowl were complete and utter eviscerations, where the offense was so lovely that they wiped the defense out and couldn't score. They also lost three key defensive players from last year's dominant unit. What does Fitzgerald have in store for the 'Cats this year?  KEY PLAYERS: Justin Jackson THE BALL CARRIER: Last year, rushed for 1,418 years and basically is the Northwestern offense. Fourth in the nation in carries. Jackson is not particularly fast and is not the biggest guy, but he is really good at finding the hole and steadily getting down the field. Anthony Walker: One of the best linebackers in the Big Ten, criminally underrated because he plays for Northwestern.  Clayton Thorson: Fitz likes to say Thorson led the 'Cats to 10 wins as a true freshman, but he was more like on the field for ten wins. Big guy whose weird giraffe runs are surprisingly effective, is not very good at passing the ball. It doesn't help that Northwestern's receivers are so bad that this year's corps includes converted DBs and former RB Solomon Vault, but if Northwestern is going to be decent, he needs to make a big leap this year. SCHEDULE Western Michigan: Row this, W Illinois State: ISU is a really good 1AA team, so this game could kill me W Duke: gently caress Duke, please W Nebraska: Technically a home game, but there will be 800,000 Nebraska fans here. L at Iowa: Iowa murdered them last year. It will be closer. L at Michigan State: L Indiana: This is the scariest game on the schedule because I don't know if Northwestern can outscore them. W at Ohio State:  LWisconsin: Do you know Wisconsin hasn't won at Ryan Field SINCE 1999? L at Purdue: W please at Minnesota: Northwestern annihilated them last year. W Illinois: HAT HAT HAT HAT HAT W My optimistic prediction has seven wins, but really Duke, Indiana, and Minnesota are all toss-ups and this team can very well win five games. My hope is for Northwestern to go bowling again, but I don't expect them to be a factor in the West unless Thorson improves significantly.
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Jul 31, 2016 16:24
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KIM JONG TRILL posted:Oklahoma is going to win every game 77-0. Boomer Sooner. I think we could be friends.
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Aug 1, 2016 03:17
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Predictions: 1) I die of alcohol poisoning at the Bristol game
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Aug 1, 2016 14:38
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Shoot, why not do my other team, which is pretty easy because The 2016 Duke Blue Devils football team will beat bad teams, lose to great teams, and maybe beat good teams if they're poorly coached in general or just that Saturday: NC Central- W Wake Forest- W @ Northwestern- L @ Notre Dame- L Virginia- TOSS UP Army- W @ Louisville- L @ Georgia Tech- W Virginia Tech- TOSS UP North Carolina- L @ Pitt- L @ Miami- L A step back for the Dookies and no bowl, though that schedule is too tough on the back end to expect great things.
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Aug 1, 2016 15:32
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 18:50 |
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E: Oops
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Aug 1, 2016 15:42
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