BoiseStateFan's 2017 College Football Predictions/Preview Thread

[BoiseStateFan27]

It's that time folks! The last portion of the off-season is here and it's time for me to throw some darts at a board and hope they stick! With that in mind...


IT'S.....

Yes, last year for the first time since I started doing these predictions I correctly picked the national champion.... Thank you Clemson Tigers for finally making me right!

Will I have a repeat this year?? Will I embarrass myself completely?? Who cares! This is a fun ride to pass the off-season by.

This year I'm going by conferences, I will be doing the conferences in whatever order I feel like.

My goal is to shorten the previews this year without losing too much information on the teams, if I start rambling too much please tell me to stop rambling.

First I will start with the Sun Belt as a nice little teaser...

 

[outofyourmind]

My goal is to shorten the previews this year without losing too much information on the teams, if I start rambling too much please tell me to stop rambling.

OK
STOP

• 

OK
Now go.

• 

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

We'll lead off with the...

Appalachian State Mountaineers

​

Preview: Appalachian State has been remarkably consistent since their jump to FBS. Scott Satterfield has built a solid program that you can assume will be one of the better mid majors every year. In the past two years Appalachian State has lost 5 games combined.

Last year Appalachian State nearly opened with a bang. Taking on a highly ranked Tennessee team on the road on the opening Thursday of the year, Appalachian State took an early 13-3 on Tennessee. They struggled to move the ball in the 2nd half though and Tennessee made a comeback, still Appalachian State could have won the game with a field goal with 5 minutes left. Unfortunately for them the field goal was wide right and in overtime Tennessee recovered their own fumble to score the winning touchdown. Appalachian State crushed a good Old Dominion team before a disappointing blowout home loss to Miami (fl.) Appalachian State won an odd shootout against Akron before dominating their first 5 games against Sun Belt competition. Appalachian State gave up a long touchdown late in the 4th quarter to lose to a Troy team that nearly beat Clemson. Appalachian State crushed UL-Monroe and Texas State to close out the regular season. They ended with a thrilling Camellia bowl win over a good Toledo team.

Appalachian State's offense is a power run based offense. They rely on methodically moving down the field and avoiding 3rd and long situations. For the most part it works against Sun Belt competition and ball control can make them dangerous against top opponents, but if things go wrong they can fall apart quickly like against Miami (fl.) They return a solid game managing running QB in Taylor Lamb, and a solid RB in Jalin Moore. Their top receiver Shaedon Meadors is back, but they lose one of their top RBs Marcus Cox. The offensive line wasn't great last year but they do return 4 players with starting experience, bad news is there's a lot of inexperience behind them and some injuries could make this a rough situation.

Appalachian State's defense was very good last year, especially in the opener when they dominated Tennessee's offensive line. Appalachian State had a strong defense against both the run and pass, their main issue was they had a tendency to give up big plays, it was their downfall in their blowout loss to Miami. Appalachian State returns most contributors at defensive end, but they lose some tackles, but depth could be an issue if injuries hit. Appalachian State loses Kennan Gilchrist at linebacker but most everyone else returns. Appalachian State's secondary looks strong, Appalachian State loses corner Mondo Williams, but Clifton Duck who was fantastic as a freshman returns and there's a chance Latrell Gibbs who was a star in 2015 can return after being academically ineligible last year.

Predictions:

Sep. 2. @ Georgia: I could see this game unfolding just like the opener against Tennessee last year, Appalachian State harasses Georgia's offensive line, but falls just short. L
Sep. 9 Savannah State: A strong effort is required to not score 80 in this one. W
Sep. 16 @ Texas State: W
Sept. 23 Wake Forest: Low scoring game here, Wake Forest prevails in a close one. L
Oct. 7 New Mexico State: W
Oct. 14 @ Idaho: Appalachian State might struggle for a while in this one before pulling away late. W
Oct. 21 Coastal Carolina: Tough to tell what to expect for Coastal Carolina, but I don't think App State loses this one. W
Oct. 28 @ UMass: W
Nov. 4 @ UL-Monroe: W
Nov. 9 Georgia Southern: Short week to prepare for the option but Appalachian State's defense still dominates. W
Nov. 25 @ Georgia State: W
Dec. 2 Louisiana-Lafayette: Appalachian State wins this one to complete an unbeaten Sun Belt season. W

Predicted Record: 10-2(8-0)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Arkansas State Red Wolves

​

Preview: Arkansas State has been a consistent program at the top of the Sun Belt for years now. At first they were having this great run despite being a musical chair for coaches, in 3 years time Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin all came and went. Blake Anderson took over and suddenly he's getting set to enter his 4th year, where does time go!

Oddly enough so far in the Blake Anderson era Arkansas State has pretty much tanked out of conference, the only FBS opponent they've beaten OOC is Utah State in overtime during Anderson's first year. Yet when it comes to Sun Belt play that's when Arkansas State really comes to play, they've lost a total of 4 conference games under Anderson, 3 of those in his first year. Last year was a fantastic example of this, Arkansas State started out 0-4, the first 2 losses were expected blowouts to Toledo and Auburn who simply had more talent, Arkansas State then took a questionable loss to Utah State and a dud against Central Arkansas from FCS. Arkansas State played great in conference play, dominating most Sun Belt opponents on a 6 game winning streak that included an impressive 35-3 road win over Troy. Arkansas State took their only Sun Belt loss 24-19 against their arch-nemesis Louisiana-Lafayette, before beating Texas State on the road and ending their season with an impressive bowl domination over UCF.

Early in the Anderson era Arkansas State had a very high scoring fast paced offense paired with very little defense...last year things changed, Arkansas State's offense tanked. Their run game was one of the worst in the nation, despite a good line and basically their offense consisted of them bailing themselves out with big pass plays. Chad Voytik was the starter at the beginning of the year but struggled, finally Justice Hansen took over and Arkansas State at least had a better passing game. Hansen returns this year and could improve. Arkansas State returns every running back that carried the ball last year, which could help the run game improve but...what will not help is they have the least experienced offensive line in college football. Arkansas State returns 7 of their top 8 receivers from last year, which is an absolutely ridiculous collection of players who are inconsistent but can make big plays. Arkansas State could get back to playing good offense if they can finally find a reliable go-to receiver.

Another thing that changed from the previous years of the Anderson era, Arkansas State's defense was very good! Arkansas State had a lot of depth for a Sun Belt team last year but that will be tested. They lose some players on the defensive line but also return good ones such as Ja'Von Rolland-Jones one of the better defensive linemen in the conference and the very appropriately named Dee Liner who after a rough start really came into his own the 2nd half of the year. Arkansas State loses a few linebackers but they return Kyle Wilson who came in as a JUCO last year and had 16 TFLs last year. Arkansas State has some rebuilding to do at safety after losing their primary starters (including another well named player in Money Hunter.) They should be ok at corner though.

Their schedule is rather typical, they have to take some beatings by 2 really good teams again in Nebraska and Miami (fl) and they have a tough road game against SMU, they do have an easy FCS opponent though, and the conference schedule sets up nice as they avoid Appalachian State but they still have to play Troy.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Nebraska: Season opening blowout loss. L
Sep. 9 Miami (Fl): Very strange game, you usually don't see Miami travel to a program like Arkansas State though they did travel to another Sun Belt program in Appalachian State last year, expect the result to be the same. L
Sep. 16 Arkansas - Pine Bluff: Picked an easy FCS opponent here. W
Sep. 23 @ SMU: SMU is a team I think is in for a big improvement this year, they show their muscle here. L
Oct. 4 @ Georgia Southern: Tricky game but having a few extra days to prepare for the option helps Arkansas State win. W
Oct. 14 Coastal Carolina: W
Oct. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette: Like I said earlier the Ragin Cajuns have been Arkansas State's arch nemesis, Arkansas State's only recent wins over them are the year the Ragin Cajuns tanked and the Gus Malzahn year. I have them losing this one. L
Oct. 28 @ New Mexico State: W
Nov. 11 @ South Alabama: Tricky one because you don't know what to expect from South Alabama, but I think Arkansas State pulls off the win. W
Nov. 18 Texas State: W
Nov. 25 @ UL-Monroe: W
Dec. 2 Troy: Troy gets revenge for Arkansas State's surprising win over them last year. L

Predicted Record: 7-5(6-2)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

​

Preview: Time to welcome the newest member of FBS, Coastal Carolina. After having several years of success in FCS under head coach Joe Moglia, Coastal Carolina is making the leap. Moglia is a coach who definitely hasn't followed a common path, he was a defensive coordinator for Dartmouth in the 1980s before leaving and working for Merrill Lynch. He eventually became the CEO of TD Ameritrade and then in 2008 decided to go back to coaching football. In 2012 he became the head coach of Coastal Carolina a school on the outskirts of Myrtle Beach that only had football for 9 years. Almost instantly he turned them into one of the top programs of FCS. With a great location, a good coach and a teal football field Coastal Carolina could really see some success.

Last year Coastal Carolina went 10-2 in FCS. Their two losses were each by 1 point. Against Jacksonville State they had four yes FOUR QBs attempt a pass due to an absurd amount of injuries, they led 26-20 in the 4th quarter before losing 27-26. Their other loss was in double overtime to Charleston Southern 59-58 after they had their PAT blocked. Overall they dominated most everyone else.

Coastal Carolina has had one of FCS' best offenses during every year of the Moglia era, and it's quite impressive that they continued to have a strong offense last year. By year's end SIX players had come in and played QB, though one of them mostly ran from that position and is moving to receiver this year. Coastal Carolina ran the ball well luckily and their offense was still strong, their offensive coordinator left for Temple so they replaced him with one of the coaches that beat them last year. Charleston Southern's coach former coach Jamey Chadwell takes over, it's not a huge surprise as Coastal Carolina took the leap to FBS plus he and the administration didn't get along and it resulted in a total of 32 players getting suspended for using their financial aid on books. Coastal Carolina returns almost all the QBs that threw passes for them last year but they lose their top 2 rushers and several good players on the offensive line as well as 2 of their top 3 receivers.

Coastal Carolina also had a strong defense last year. They were especially good at forcing turnovers and pressuring the opposing QB. Coastal Carolina returns some solid defensive ends but at linebacker they lose their top player in Alex Scearce but bring back middle linebacker Shane Johnson. The secondary was hit pretty hard with injuries last year and it resulted in a lot of players gaining experience, which is good because other than their top corner in Anthony Chesley, they lose a lot of those players.

The schedule isn't too intimidating. Coastal Carolina does have to face most of the best teams in the sun belt including the main 3 in Troy, Appalachian State and Arkansas State but the non-conference schedule is very winnable except for a November trip to Arkansas. The main difference is they play 11 FBS opponents this year, and they haven't played one since getting crushed by South Carolina in 2013. This is one of the most difficult teams to project, they could struggle badly or settle into life in FBS quickly.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 UMass: UMass might finally manage to be decent this year, they also will have played a game already as they play in "week 0" against Hawai'i. Coastal Carolina loses a close one. L
Sep. 16 @ UAB: Talk about throwing darts at a board, UAB hasn't played football since 2014! I have no idea what to go with here. I'll go Coastal. W
Sep. 23 Western Illinois: Western Illinois went 6-5 last year but that included a stunning win over Northern Illinois. I think Coastal Carolina will beat them though. W
Sep. 30 @ UL-Monroe: UL-Monroe is in year 2 of a tough rebuilding job, I think Coastal beats them. W
Oct. 7 Georgia State: Another rebuilding team makes this a nice 4 game stretch. W
Oct. 14 @ Arkansas State: And then things get difficult. L
Oct. 21 @ Appalachian State: L
Oct. 28 Texas State: They finally grab a win in this winnable game. W
Nov. 4 @ Arkansas: L
Nov. 11 Troy: L
Nov. 18 @ Idaho: The challenges of playing a full FBS schedule really start to hit as they lose this one as well. L
Dec. 2 Georgia Southern: Bye week allows for some rest and Coastal Carolina fights hard in this one but loses in a close one. L

Predicted Record: 5-7(3-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I don't know why the spacing ended up like that. I did nothing different from my previous ones

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Georgia Southern Eagles

​

Preview: Since making the jump to FBS Georgia Southern has been one of the more dangerous programs outside the power 5 (well even before they were dangerous as they beat Florida in 2013.) Georgia Southern's program has been well known as a program that runs the triple option. Last year they hired Tyson Summers to be their head coach when Willie Fritz left. Summers was a defensive coordinator prior but has never really been around a triple option system,

Year 1 didn't work out so well he hired offensive coordinators who never really ran the option to run an option offense. Georgia Southern started strong beating Savannah State 54-0 and beating South Alabama 24-9 the week after they beat Mississippi State. Georgia Southern dropped off after, they barely got by UL-Monroe, were blown out by Western Michigan, gave up a late TD to lose to Arkansas State and then were beaten by Georgia Tech. They ended the losing streak with a 3 point win over New Mexico State before starting another one, crushed by Appalachian State, blew a 21-10 lead against Ole Miss, and dropped duds to Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia State. They ended the year with a nice win over Troy, but were 5-7 with no bowl. Surprisingly Summers got a 2nd year.

Georgia Southern's offense seemingly lacked the flow that option offenses need. Georgia Southern normally is strong at running the ball but last year they struggled badly at running the ball and that was despite the return of two good running QBs in Kevin Ellison and Favian Upshw and well as their RB Matt Breida, all 3 were great runners in 2015 but struggled in 2016 and now they're gone. Summers let go of his offensive coordinators and brought in Bryan Cook to be their offensive coordinator, he has an option pedigree and could get Georgia Southern back on the right track. In addition to the 3 star players they lost they also lose 3 of their top 4 receivers and two offensive linemen. They have quite the rebuilding job this year and wow did they piss away an offense with good players last year.

Georgia Southern's defense wasn't particularly great last year either. Georgia Southern had a solid front 7 but the secondary struggled. Now they have some more rebuilding to do, most of their top contributors on the defensive line are gone, and so are their top 3 linebackers. The positive is that their entire secondary is back and are a year more experienced now.

The schedule isn't too favorable, they have tough non-conference games against Auburn and Indiana and draw perhaps the 4 best teams in the conference. Georgia Southern really missed out with the strong roster they had last year but if they run a smoother option offense this year they should manage to return to a bowl.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Auburn: Georgia Southern will likely be an easy warm-up for Auburn. L
Sep. 9 New Hampshire: New Hampshire was a solid FCS team last year, though they were shutout by San Diego State. They likely won't be a big threat. W
Sep. 23 @ Indiana: L
Oct. 4 Arkansas State: Georgia Southern's offense struggles in a loss. L
Oct. 14 New Mexico State: W
Oct. 21 @ UMass: Georgia Southern struggles but wins a close one. W
Oct. 28 @ Troy: No repeat of last year's upset. L
Nov. 4 Georgia State: With Georgia State having a bigger rebuild than Georgia Southern, the Eagles finally end their 2 year losing streak to them. W
Nov. 9 @ Appalachian State: L
Nov. 18 South Alabama: W
Nov. 25 @ Louisiana-Lafayette: L
Dec. 2 @ Coastal Carolina: Georgia Southern wins to make a bowl. W

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Georgia State Panthers

​

Preview: So far FBS membership has been a struggle for Georgia State as they have struggled to find wins. Other than an amazing month in 2015 where they won 4 games in a row to make a bowl game, Georgia State has hovered around the bottom of college football. They made a change at the top hiring Shawn Elliott as their new head coach, he's most well known as South Carolina's interim coach after Spurrier retired in 2015, so he has some experience but in a no-win situation. Georgia State now has their own stadium as they move from the Georgia dome to their recently purchased and renovated Turner field.

Last year was a mostly rough year for Georgia State. They opened with double digit losses to Ball State and Air Force. Then they had perhaps one of the most random out of nowhere performances of the year when they took a 17-13 lead on the Wisconsin Badgers on the road, and lost by 6. Georgia State played decent for a half against Appalachian State, blew out Texas State and only lost by 10 to a really good Troy team on the road. They would beat a FCS team, and lost another close game to South Alabama before collapsing and being blown out by Arkansas State, then had a comedy of errors performance against UL-Monroe that got previous head coach Trent Miles fired. Somehow the interim coach led them to a 2nd consecutive win over Georgia Southern before getting crushed by Idaho in the finale.

The offense occasionally performed well and has a few decent pieces. QB Conner Manning is back and he had an up and down season. He had some absolutely fantastic performances namely against Wisconsin, but he also missed 2 games due to injury and struggled in the majority of the games. Manning didn't have a lot of help though, the running game was putrid. RB Taz Bateman(what a great name) has looked very good in all 4 games he's played in the past 2 years, RB Kyler Neal struggled most of the time and was hurt most of the 2nd half of last year, perhaps they will improve simply if they can keep these two backs from getting hurt. The other issue was WR Penny Hart who was great late in 2015 caught only 8 passes in 2 games last year because he was hurt the rest of the time. The star of this offense was WR Robert Davis, he is now gone and was drafted in the 6th round by the Redskins. There is some good news? Maybe? The offensive line was mostly bad last year but they return 4 starters and also recruited pretty well here.

Georgia State's defense was overall solid last year, they struggled a little bit against the run but were excellent against the pass and pretty much mastered the art of being a bend but don't break defense. The good news is very little of their two-deep is gone from last year. The star of the defense is linebacker Michael Shaw who had 12 TFL last year. With this experience this could be one of the better Sun Belt defenses, though with the coaching change comes a new defensive coordinator who likes to blitz a lot more. It will be interesting to see how this secondary fares with less players in coverage.

The schedule is doable. Georgia State will have to suffer through some rough games against Penn State and Memphis, but they get an ok FCS opponent and Charlotte is a toss-up game. In conference play they get Troy and Appalachian State, but avoid Arkansas State and UL-Lafayette. This season could be a surprising bowl year for Georgia State if the offense improves, but I think this is more than likely a rebuilding year for them.

Predictions:

Aug. 31 Tennessee State: Tennessee State was a solid but not great FCS team last year. They played Vanderbilt mid year and gave them a tough time for a half before bowing out. Georgia State should handle them. W
Sep. 16 @ Penn State: At least Georgia State gets a week and a few days to prepare for this blowout. L
Sep. 23 @ Charlotte: Georgia State gets a solid performance from Manning in this one to win. W
Sep. 30 Memphis: L
Oct. 7 @ Coastal Carolina: This is a bit of a toss-up, I'm going with Coastal though. L
Oct. 14 @ UL-Monroe: Georgia State's offense fails to take advantage of UL-Monroe's defense in a loss. L
Oct. 21 Troy: L
Oct. 26 South Alabama: Just because South Alabama randomly tanks at times. W
Nov. 4 @ Georgia Southern: Yes I think the winning streak ends this year. L
Nov. 11 @ Texas State: Texas State will be slightly improved this year. L
Nov. 25 Appalachian State: L
Dec. 2 Idaho: L

Predicted Record: 3-9(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Idaho Vandals

​

Preview: Feels weird to say this, but this is most likely the last Idaho Vandals preview I will be doing. The reason of course is that this is Idaho's last season as a member of FBS. After this year Idaho is without a conference, and in a decision most disagree with they decided to drop down a level and join the Big Sky.

Last year certainly will be a year to remember for Idaho. Idaho went 9-4 with a bowl win and it was intriguing how they did it. They were blown out by the teams that were better than them. They blew out a lot of the teams they were better than and perhaps most amazing of all they won every single game against a team that was around their level. That included winning all 4 one possession games.

Idaho's offense struggled early last year but played a lot better after the first few games. QB Matt Linehan is a very solid accurate passer. He has a good arm, but could work on cutting down interceptions. Both of Idaho's top 2 RBs return, Aaron Duckworth could occasionally bust a big run but was mostly inconsistent. Isaiah Saunders was the more consistent runner and Idaho's run game really improved when he became the starter. Linehan will need some new targets to throw to as they had two very good tight ends in Deon Watson and Trent Cowan and both are now gone, so are receivers Callen Hightower and Jordan Frysinger. Alfonso Onunwor is the leading returning receiver. Idaho also loses 6 players players from their offensive line's two-deep, which could hurt the run game but pass protection should be ok thanks to Idaho's quick passing game.

On the defensive side, Idaho had a solid run defense but their pass defense struggled. Idaho didn't have a lot of depth on the defensive line last year, only 5 linemen took a significant snaps and 4 of those are gone. Idaho will still be strong at linebacker, Kaden Elliss, Tony Lashley and Ed Hall all return. Idaho's secondary was hurt by injuries all last year as they seemingly could keep the same group of players out there each week. The good news is that means Idaho has a lot of experience back this year and they could really be a lot better against the pass if they keep the same unit out there each week.

Idaho's schedule features a lot of potential toss ups, and very few games aren't winnable. Their non-conference schedule features Sacramento St and UNLV as the easier games and they face Western Michigan on the road, while Western Michigan was in the Cotton bowl last year they lose their coach and several top players so they won't be as good. Idaho has Missouri as a power 5 opponent, Mid Tenn State beat them last year so they aren't unbeatable. The conference schedule features having to face Appalachian State and Troy, but they avoid Arkansas State.

Predictions:

Aug 31. Sacramento State: Sacramento St was an awful FCS team last year, easy win. W
Sep. 9 UNLV: I actually think UNLV will be improved but Idaho has had a knack for beating MWC teams lately. W
Sep. 16 @ Western Michigan: This turns out to be a back and forth game that Western Michigan wins. L
Sep. 23 @ South Alabama: South Alabama is a tricky team, they have one of their better performances to beat Idaho in this one. L
Oct. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin Cajuns I think will be improved this year, their defense stops Idaho's offense in this one. L
Oct. 14: Appalachian State: L
Oct. 21: @ Missouri: If Missouri's defense is as bad as it was last year Idaho has a solid chance, but I'm going with Missouri. L
Oct. 28 UL-Monroe: Idaho should win this one rather easily. W
Nov. 2 @ Troy: L
Nov. 18 Coastal Carolina: W
Nov. 25 @ New Mexico State: Will be about as bad of a blowout as last year. W
Dec. 2 @ Georgia State: W

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

 

[Cave_Johnson]

Idaho Vandals

​

Preview: Feels weird to say this, but this is most likely the last Idaho Vandals preview I will be doing. The reason of course is that this is Idaho's last season as a member of FBS. After this year Idaho is without a conference, and in a decision most disagree with they decided to drop down a level and join the Big Sky.

Last year certainly will be a year to remember for Idaho. Idaho went 9-4 with a bowl win and it was intriguing how they did it. They were blown out by the teams that were better than them. They blew out a lot of the teams they were better than and perhaps most amazing of all they won every single game against a team that was around their level. That included winning all 4 one possession games.

Idaho's offense struggled early last year but played a lot better after the first few games. QB Matt Linehan is a very solid accurate passer. He has a good arm, but could work on cutting down interceptions. Both of Idaho's top 2 RBs return, Aaron Duckworth could occasionally bust a big run but was mostly inconsistent. Isaiah Saunders was the more consistent runner and Idaho's run game really improved when he became the starter. Linehan will need some new targets to throw to as they had two very good tight ends in Deon Watson and Trent Cowan and both are now gone, so are receivers Callen Hightower and Jordan Frysinger. Alfonso Onunwor is the leading returning receiver. Idaho also loses 6 players players from their offensive line's two-deep, which could hurt the run game but pass protection should be ok thanks to Idaho's quick passing game.

On the defensive side, Idaho had a solid run defense but their pass defense struggled. Idaho didn't have a lot of depth on the defensive line last year, only 5 linemen took a significant snaps and 4 of those are gone. Idaho will still be strong at linebacker, Kaden Elliss, Tony Lashley and Ed Hall all return. Idaho's secondary was hurt by injuries all last year as they seemingly could keep the same group of players out there each week. The good news is that means Idaho has a lot of experience back this year and they could really be a lot better against the pass if they keep the same unit out there each week.

Idaho's schedule features a lot of potential toss ups, and very few games aren't winnable. Their non-conference schedule features Sacramento St and UNLV as the easier games and they face Western Michigan on the road, while Western Michigan was in the Cotton bowl last year they lose their coach and several top players so they won't be as good. Idaho has Missouri as a power 5 opponent, Mid Tenn State beat them last year so they aren't unbeatable. The conference schedule features having to face Appalachian State and Troy, but they avoid Arkansas State.

Predictions:

Aug 31. Sacramento State: Sacramento St was an awful FCS team last year, easy win. W
Sep. 9 UNLV: I actually think UNLV will be improved but Idaho has had a knack for beating MWC teams lately. W
Sep. 16 @ Western Michigan: This turns out to be a back and forth game that Western Michigan wins. L
Sep. 23 @ South Alabama: South Alabama is a tricky team, they have one of their better performances to beat Idaho in this one. L
Oct. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin Cajuns I think will be improved this year, their defense stops Idaho's offense in this one. L
Oct. 14: Appalachian State: L
Oct. 21: @ Missouri: If Missouri's defense is as bad as it was last year Idaho has a solid chance, but I'm going with Missouri. L
Oct. 28 UL-Monroe: Idaho should win this one rather easily. W
Nov. 2 @ Troy: L
Nov. 18 Coastal Carolina: W
Nov. 25 @ New Mexico State: Will be about as bad of a blowout as last year. W
Dec. 2 @ Georgia State: W

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

Glad you used the grumpy Joe logo. At this point I'd mostly agree with your assessment but I have them beating Louisiana.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Glad you used the grumpy Joe logo. At this point I'd mostly agree with your assessment but I have them beating Louisiana.

As you'll notice throughout these previews I like to throw out classic logos here and there.

I think the Ragin Cajuns will make a big step back up this year, as you'll see the record won't show much improvement because they have a brutal non-conference schedule.

That, UNLV and South Alabama are really the only borderline games Idaho has. They could lose to UNLV if UNLV has a big step up this year, if the Ragin Cajuns don't improve like I think that's probably a win, and South Alabama....well I just don't know what to expect from that team on a week to week basis

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns

​

Preview: Just a few years ago Mark Hudspeth was considered a surefire bet to move up to a power 5 job. His tenure at Louisiana-Lafayette started out rather impressive and consistent, each of the first 4 years they went 9-4 with a New Orleans bowl win, suddenly in 2015 everything fell apart and consistency went out the window as the Ragin Cajuns dropped to 4-8. Last year they rebounded to 6-7 with a New Orleans bowl loss, which was still a disappointment by the new standard but it's easy to forgot, the Ragin Cajuns have had 5 bowl appearances in this history and all of them were with Hudspeth at the helm.

2016 didn't start off too well, they were blown out by Boise State and immediately fired their defensive coordinator. They barely got past McNeese State but that's better than a lot of FBS programs fared lately, and surprisingly beat South Alabama. They then took two awful multi-overtime losses, 4OT to Tulane, and 2OT to New Mexico State and were shut out by Appalachian State. They rebounded against a bad Texas State, and were beaten at home by Idaho. Then they found some improvement as they ended the year 3-1, only loss down that stretch was a turnover filled 14 point loss to Georgia and they handed Arkansas State their only Sun Belt loss.

The offense was very bad last year to say the least. They started QB Anthony Jennings who transferred from LSU, he was a good running threat but offered very little in the passing game, the run game could move the ball at times but defenses had a lot of focus on it, it made life more difficult for RB Elijah McGuire who was one of the best runners in Ragin Cajun history, both are gone. The offense is in for a perhaps much needed reset as both aforementioned players are gone, and they have a new offensive coordinator. There's a lot of potential but unproven threats at QB and RB. Receivers has some players who are capable of big plays coming back and the offensive line loses it's center who was perhaps the best player on the line but 7 other players with experience return.

As I mentioned earlier the Ragin Cajuns fired their defensive coordinator one game into the season, it turned out to be a very smart move. The Ragin Cajuns had an excellent run defense, but the pass defense was somewhat iffy, it was better after some rough early games but issues crept back up against Georgia. The defensive line should be strong next year, as almost every meaningful player is back led by Sophomore Joe Dillon who had an amazing freshman year with 12 TFL and 7 sacks. Linebacker will be the biggest question on this defense as good players in Tre'maine Lightfoot and Otha Peters are now gone as well as their top backup. The secondary returns almost everyone from last year so that could lead to some improvement.

The schedule is rough, Ragin Cajuns open with a FCS opponent, but the rest of the non-conference schedule is brutal with road games at Tulsa, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Conference schedule offers one break as they avoid Troy but all the best Sun Belt opponents they face in Idaho, Arkansas State, South Alabama and Appalachian State are all on the road. Their toughest 7 games are all on the road! They have to steal at least one road win just to make a bowl this year. I do think they will be improved this year and will be up to the task.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 SE Louisiana: SE Louisiana was a solid but not great FCS team, they only played one FBS opponent in Oklahoma State last year and lost 61-7, Cajuns should be fine. W
Sep. 9 @ Tulsa: Even if the secondary improves, good luck handling Tulsa's pass game. L
Sep. 16 @ Texas A&M: If only they got A&M in November instead. L
Sep. 23 UL-Monroe: Odd early meeting for these two but the Cajuns win easily. W
Oct. 7 Idaho: Here's one road toss-up they steal, Cajuns play great defense to win. W
Oct. 12 Texas State: W
Oct. 19 @ Arkansas State: Another road win they steal, they've had Arkansas State's number most years. W
Nov. 4 @ South Alabama: Ragin Cajuns have never beaten South Alabama on the road. L
Nov. 11 @ Ole Miss: Ole Miss' bowl ban could really come in handy here, this game is completely meaningless to them and they could have a lackluster effort, that's all the Cajuns can hope for anyway. L
Nov. 18 New Mexico State: W
Nov. 25: Georgia Southern: W
Dec. 2: @ Appalachian State: L

Predicted Record: 7-5(6-2)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

New Mexico State Aggies

​

Preview: New Mexico State joins Idaho in the club of teams that are being kicked out from the Sun Belt after this year. Though unlike Idaho they have chosen a different route and will be attempting life as an independent. Head coach Doug Martin attempted a full rebuild as he stripped down the foundation and attempted to build from there, it looked promising but last year made it clear that it hasn't worked. So goes the life of New Mexico State football.

Last year didn't start off so bad, they lost the opener to UTEP which was disappointing as that was a winnable game, but then they surprisingly upset rival New Mexico by a point. Perhaps most surprising of all New Mexico State gave Kentucky more than they expected as that game was tied 35-35 at the half, it's not often that you can say New Mexico State put up 35 points in a half against a defense of a bowling SEC team. They kept it close through the 3rd quarter (only down 49-42) before finally relenting in a ridiculous 62-42 loss. They didn't follow it up well and were destroyed by Troy, but rebounded to beat the Ragin Cajuns in double OT, the season still had home...and then it didn't. A 55-23 destruction at the hands of Idaho started a 1-6 finish for New Mexico State, though the only break from the losing was an out of nowhere 50-10 beating of Texas State.

New Mexico State could simply use some health from the offense, as you could tell on occasion their offense seemed capable of scoring a lot of points. QB Tyler Rogers has struggled with a lot of injuries the past two years but he's capable when he plays, he is expected to receive an additional year of eligibility, but he needs to stay healthy. A rare talent for New Mexico State is RB Larry Rose III who struggled as year as he missed the first 3 games due to injury and played hurt until about halfway through the year, he needs to stay healthy as he really helps this offense move the ball and the backups aren't promising. New Mexico State's passing game was hurt from the start as their top receiver transferred to Maryland to become the leading receiver there, this year at least they return almost everyone who caught a pass last year, but they could really use a reliable go-to receiver. The offensive line returns a lot of experience, they started two freshmen tackles last year and they played decent and now they have more experience.

New Mexico State has a rather surprisingly good defensive coordinator in Frank Spaziani, most everywhere he's been he's fielded a great defense. He struggled as a head coach and last year he came here to work with his friend Doug Martin. Last year was still a struggle for this defense as it simply lacked the talent to do much of anything successfully. They were occasionally successful against the run, which did come in handy as New Mexico State did beat the 3 worst passing teams they played in Louisiana-Lafayette, New Mexico and Texas State, otherwise this passing defense was just awful. The pass rush had to have been one of the worst in the nation, no one on this team had more than 2 sacks, some players manage to have more than that in a single game. There's a lot of experience back, and they brought in a lot of JUCO transfers in hopes that Spaziani at least has something to work with, remains to be seen if he does.

The schedule is not favorable, they have to face Arizona State and Arkansas and they don't get the benefit of a FCS opponent this year, the conference schedule is rather cruel, they miss out on potentially beatable teams like UL-Monroe and Coastal Carolina, they get Texas State but that's on the road. If a few things go their way, players stay healthy and Spaziani finds some players to improve the defense, certainly New Mexico State could improve, but this is New Mexico State nothing ever goes their way.

Predictions:

Aug. 31 @ Arizona State: Well there is a glimmer of hope here as Arizona State was just awful against the run last year, maybe they can turn this into a shootout. L
Sep. 9 @ New Mexico: I don't think they can stun their rivals 2 years in a row. L
Sep. 16 Troy: L
Sep. 23 UTEP: Certainly the potential for a win exists here, but New Mexico State hasn't beaten UTEP since 2008: L
Sep. 30 @ Arkansas: L
Oct. 7 @ Appalachian State: L
Oct. 14 @ Georgia Southern: L
Oct. 28 Arkansas State: L
Nov. 4 @ Texas State: This could potentially be a win especially after what happened last year, but I think Texas State will start playing a little better later in the year. L
Nov. 18 @ Louisiana-Lafayette: L
Nov. 25 Idaho: L
Dec. 2 South Alabama: I don't think South Alabama will be bad enough to lose this one. L

Predicted Record: 0-12(0-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

South Alabama Jaguars

​

Preview: South Alabama's time in FBS has been rather strange. For the most part their record has been consistent they hover around 6-6 to 5-7 every year, but they've proven capable of pulling upsets or at the least giving top teams a rough time, while also occasionally losing to the worst teams on their schedule.

Last year was definitely a perfect example. They opened the year by taking down Mississippi State on the road, they were down 17-0 at the half and came back to win 21-20. They took back to back losses to a soon to be 5-7 Georgia Southern and a Louisiana-Lafayette team that was struggling at the time. Then against FCS Nicholls State they went up 14-0, gave up 23 unanswered points, Then outscored them 13-3 before Nicholls State scored in the 4th quarter to take a 7 point lead, South Alabama tied it up with 16 seconds left to bring it to overtime, scored a TD first, then Nicholls State scored a TD and went for two and failed to convert, South Alabama held on. South Alabama then suddenly blew out a really good San Diego State team that was ranked at the time. Of course South Alabama followed it up by losing to Arkansas State and Troy. They barely beat Georgia State in a low scoring game against their backup, and dropped a dud against UL-Monroe. They ended the year beating Presbyterian in a game that happened due to Florida vs LSU getting moved, losing by 7 to Idaho and beating New Mexico State by 7. Naturally in their bowl game they took a 21-3 lead against Air Force and lost 45-21.

The offense itself was rather inconsistent. QB Dallas Davis was part of that, occasionally he was brilliant, he also missed a few games due to injury and also had some bad performances, Cole Garvin was the other QB who played, and he played well against San Diego State but was brutally bad against Arkansas State. RB Xavier Johnson was solid and he returns, both QBs are mobile and can run as well. Only two starters are gone from the offensive line and both missed games last year because of injury. The passing game has a reset at receiver, most players who contributed last year are gone including impressive 2nd round NFL draft pick Gerald Everett.

South Alabama typically fields a solid defense, they have every year in FBS. Last year their defense was solid despite an awful run defense. Their pass defense was very impressive though. The defensive line is sorely going to miss DE Randy Allen who had an astounding 19.5 TFL and 12.5 sacks, though taking over for him is the promising Finesse Middleton who was the team's 2nd leading sack getter despite being the backup. One of South Alabama's linebackers is gone, but Darrell Songy was the team's leading tackler last year and he returns, a backup to look forward to starting is the extremely well named Bull Barge. The secondary that was amazing last year loses a few starters but DBs Jeremy Reaves and Jalen Thompson should keep this secondary strong, provided the new starters are liabilities.

The schedule isn't easy the non-conference schedule has an easy FCS opponent but also features tough teams in Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech, while challenging it also provides this odd teams with ample upset opportunities. South Alabama draws Troy and Arkansas State in conference play but avoids Appalachian State. Needless to say South Alabama will probably find their way around 6-6 again, I'll probably get the path there wrong though.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Ole Miss: I don't think they will upset a flagship Mississippi school for the 2nd year in a row, but I might be wrong. L
Sep. 8 Oklahoma State: I absolutely could see an upset happening here, last year in week 2 Mason Rudolph was a bit rusty and missed on a few deep throws and it allowed Central Michigan to pull off a wild and controversial upset, could South Alabama do the same? I don't have it right now. L
Sep. 16 Alabama A&M: Should be an easy win. W
Sep. 23 Idaho: South Alabama has a good performance and wins. W
Sep. 30 @ Louisiana Tech: Here's our South Alabama upset, they stun La Tech. W
Oct. 11 @ Troy: They'll fall short of Troy here. L
Oct. 21 UL-Monroe: W
Oct. 26 Georgia State: South Alabama will drop a stinker at some point, here it is. L
Nov. 4 Louisiana-Lafayette: Naturally they follow it up with this kind of surprising win. W
Nov. 11 Arkansas State: L
Nov. 18 @ Georgia Southern: Another somewhat random loss. L
Dec. 2 @ New Mexico State: W

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I don't know why it randomly adds extra spacing to some posts and others don't, I didn't do anything different

 

[outofyourmind]

I don't know why it randomly adds extra spacing to some posts and others don't, I didn't do anything different

Font looks different too.

 

[outofyourmind]

Predicted Record: 0-12(0-8)

BOLD PREDICTION RIGHT THERE MISTER

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Texas State Bobcats

​

Preview: Everett Withers is yet another new head coach taking his time building a program as he tore it down to the foundation in year 1, Texas State was really bad. Late last year Texas possibly may have been the worst team in college football.

Texas State's season opener definitely is near the top of the list of bizarre games that made absolutely no sense. Texas State opened the year beating Ohio 56-54 in triple overtime on the road. Closest Texas State came to that scoring output again was against the Incarnate word, but against FBS competition they never came close, this was against an Ohio defense that didn't give up more than 29 points to any team the rest of the year. Texas State followed it up by being destroyed 42-3 by Arkansas and 64-3 to Houston and their backup QB. Texas State beat something called Incarnate Word, and then they lost out from there. They didn't just lose though, they didn't look like they belonged on the same field with teams such as Georgia State and New Mexico State, New Mexico State of all teams beat them 50-10!

The offense wasn't given much of a chance last year, they had a QB in Tyler Jones who was a multi year starter but was inconsistent and also missed some games due to injuries, he has now graduated. The QB issue could be solved with a grad transfer from Mississippi State in Damian Williams, he was a backup to Dak Prescott in 2014, and was redshirted in 2015 with a plan to become a starter only to be beaten out by Nick Fitzgerald, who might be the best QB in the SEC this year. Williams might have some potential as he will simply beaten out by some great QBs. Texas State was incredibly young at RB and WR, which now means everyone is back and more experienced. The offensive line was a problem last year with a lot of injuries, sophomore center Aaron Brewer was impressively All-Sun Belt last year and he returns, but the rest of the returnees are mostly inexperienced.

Texas State had a terrible defense last year, they at least didn't give up many big plays but opposing offenses could basically take their choice of running or passing their way down the field, either one worked. Texas State was definitely in close competition with New Mexico State for the worst pass rush in college football, they at least had one player get 3 sacks last year. The secondary had a few seniors but due to injuries a lot of young players had more playing time than expected. Overall they fielded a very young defense last year so there's a lot back, I guess they can't really get much worse?

The schedule isn't great. They at least open with an easier FCS team to get some confidence, but playing Colorado will be tough, Wyoming and UTSA appear to be trending upward pretty quickly so they will be tough. Texas State has the benefit of 3 of the most winnable games in conference play against UL-Monroe, New Mexico State and Georgia State all at home, they have to play Appalachian State, Troy and Arkansas State though.

Predicted Record:

Sep. 2 Houston Baptist: Houston Baptist was a bad FCS team last year, they did play Western Kentucky and UTEP from FBS last year and were blown out in both. Easy win. W
Sep. 9 @ Colorado: Hopefully they stop them from scoring 60. L
Sep. 16 Appalachian State: L
Sep. 23 UTSA: UTSA should be strong this year, and Texas State sure won't like this beating they take from their in-state rival. L
Sep. 30 @ Wyoming: L
Oct. 7 UL-Monroe: Toss up here with two year 2 rebuilds, I'll take UL-Monroe: L
Oct. 12 @ Louisiana-Lafayette: L
Oct. 28 @ Coastal Carolina: Texas State puts up a fight here after having some extra rest but loses. L
Nov. 4 New Mexico State: Texas State finally starts to find something. W
Nov. 11 Georgia State: It helps this week too as they win another. W
Nov. 18 @ Arkansas State: L
Nov. 25 @ Troy: L

Predicted Record: 3-9(2-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Font looks different too.

You're right, like as if it's a size bigger. Been selecting the same size each time though

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

BOLD PREDICTION RIGHT THERE MISTER

I hope I'm wrong on them though, they need a good year more than almost anyone.