2015 Season Prediction Thread

[BoiseStateFan27]

Colorado Buffaloes




Preview: It’s a long road back for Colorado, they have been completely uncompetitive for several years, and currently Mike MacIntyre is tasked with getting them better, the good news is last year while they went 2-10, they did have several close losses, notably a 2OT loss to UCLA. Colorado returns an underrated QB in Sefo Liufau he was good last year as a sophomore, Colorado’s run game struggled though last year, they’re hoping to improve there, the receivers are good though, Nelson Spruce is a star receiver, and there’s promising talents in Shay Fields, Bryce Bobo and Devin Ross. The offensive line brings back 3 of 5 starters. The defense meanwhile struggled, especially against the run, they brought in a former head coach in Jim Leavitt to coach the defense now, the defensive line returns 3 starters and the new spot will be filled by a touted JC transfer. The linebackers are good and deep led by Addison Gillam. The secondary looks like it could be decent too. The schedule is just brutal though, they play Hawai’I on the road which allowed them a 13th game, and they scheduled themselves a win against Nicholls State. Overall though Colorado will be improved, Colorado was better at home last year, but this year they have the issue of playing Arizona, Oregon, USC and Stanford at home this year, none of those look all that winnable, Colorado will have a better record and be more competitive though, unfortunately it’s tough to see them making a bowl.

Sept. 3 @ Hawai’I W

Sept. 12 Massachusetts W

Sept. 19 Colorado State(Denver) L

Sept. 26 Nicholls State W

Oct. 3 Oregon L

Oct. 10 @ Arizona State L

Oct. 17 Arizona L

Oct. 24 @ Oregon State W

Oct. 31 @ UCLA L

Nov. 7 Stanford L

Nov. 13 USC L

Nov. 21 @ Washington State L

Nov. 28 @ Utah L

Record: 4-9(1-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oregon Ducks




Preview: Last year was a very successful year for the Ducks of Oregon, wasn’ t as successful as it could have been, they were expecting a championship, but they lost to Ohio State, they went through injuries early and then were on a roll late, especially during a destruction of previously unbeaten Florida State. The offense is always excellent, but Oregon loses their Heisman winner in Marcus Mariota, but not to worry, they brought in a talented transfer in Vernon Adams Jr. from Eastern Washington, he was a star there, leading Eastern Washington to an upset over ranked Oregon State in 2013, and last year putting up 52 points in a loss to Washington and their defense with lots of NFL talent, now he is surrounded by much better players. Oregon also returns a great running back in Royce Freeman, but they will miss Thomas Tyner who was lost for the year due to injury, Tony Brooks-James showed a lot of promise during the spring, so the injury could just end up giving him an opportunity. The Ducks are just loaded at wide receiver, so stopping this pass game will be tough to do, the offensive line loses Jake Fisher and Hroniss Grasu to the NFL, there are more players with experience thanks to injuries. The Ducks defense got better as the year went on, to the point where they seemingly had invisible defensive linemen against Florida State and Ohio State, but the ones you can see are talented, especially DeForest Buckner. The linebackers are a great and deep group, the secondary took a lot of losses with only one starter back, Oregon recruited a lot of talent here, so we’ll see how they produce, I’d expect them to perform well, but make mistakes early. The schedule won’t be easy, they play Michigan State on the road out of conference, they also draw Arizona State(on the road) and USC who are perhaps the two best teams in the Pac-12 South. I think Oregon will drop one game on this schedule, that’s enough for them to make the playoff, Oregon is still a title contender.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Eastern Washington: Vernon Adams’ first game at Oregon is against his former team, it won’t be close. W

Sept. 12 @ Michigan State: Tough place to go on the road, this will be a great close game, and Connor Cook makes the plays this time allowing Michigan State to edge out Oregon in a close one. L

Sept. 19 Georgia State: Ouch this won’t be close. W

Sept. 26 Utah: Utah’s defense will test Oregon in this game, but Oregon still wins. W

Oct. 3 @ Colorado: Oregon might struggle early in this game before pulling away. W

Oct. 10 Washington State: Washington State’s offense has a lot of success against Oregon’s defense and they threaten to pull the upset until the 4th quarter. W

Oct. 17 @ Washington: Washington hasn’t been able to stay close with Oregon in a while. W

Oct. 29 @ Arizona State: Oregon hasn’t lost to Arizona State in over a decade, though this is probably the best chance Arizona State has had to beat Oregon since 2007, but I don’t think it will happen. W

Nov. 7 California: Oregon outscores California in a shootout. W

Nov. 14 @ Stanford: Both teams will be playing great at this point, but I don’t think Stanford will be able to contain this explosive Oregon offense, and if the game between the two is higher scoring, usually Oregon wins. W

Nov. 21 USC: Oregon actually lost the last time they played USC at home, don’t expect a repeat, Oregon has owned Steve Sarkisian. W

Nov. 28 Oregon State: Oregon once again pummels their rivals. W

Record: 11-1(9-0)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oregon State Beavers




Preview: For the first time in well over a decade Oregon State has a new head coach, long time head coach Mike Reilly has left for Nebraska, but the hire was a surprise when Oregon State brought in Gary Andersen from Wisconsin, Andersen was successful at Wisconsin but wasn’t a great fit there, he’s a better fit here, but they have some rebuilding to do. Oregon State’s offense overall just seemed off last year, this year will feature changes a good QB in Sean Mannion is now gone, and Oregon State will start a freshman at QB this year, that’s all they have on the roster. Storm Woods returns at RB and he is a good runner, Oregon State’s top receivers return as well. The offensive line though will return everyone including star Issac Seamalo who was lost due to injury. The defense will have a good coordinator, but loses a lot, the defensive line will need star Kyle Peko(cousin of Bengals DT Domata Peko) to be elibible. The linebackers are pretty athletic, the secondary only returns one starter who was inconsistent at times. Oregon State will have some transition this year, they’re going to have a big drop off this year, before springing back next year.

Predictions:

Sept. 4 Weber State: Weber State is a pretty bad FCS team, Oregon State wins easy. W

Sept. 12 @ Michigan: Michigan will be tougher this year, and they down Oregon State in this game. L

Sept. 19 San Jose State: San Jose State is a tricky opponent, but Oregon State handles them and wins. W

Sept. 25. Stanford: Oregon State actually threatens to pull the upset in this one before falling short. L

Oct. 10 @ Arizona: Oregon State gets downed by Arizona in this game. L

Oct. 17 @ Washington State: Oregon State ends up getting pummeled in this one. L

Oct. 24 Colorado: Oregon State’s slide continues as they are taken down by an improved Colorado. L

Oct. 31 @ Utah: Oregon State puts up a good fight but doesn’t have enough offensively to win. L

Nov. 7 UCLA: Oregon State threatens the upset, but loses. L

Nov. 14 @ California: Oregon State is unable to handle Cal’s offense in a loss. L

Nov. 21 Washington: Oregon State loses a low scoring game. L

Nov. 28 @ Oregon: Unfortunately Oregon State loses yet another one to their rival. L

Record 2-10(0-9)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Stanford Cardinal






Preview: After being so consistent at the top of the Pac-12 for so many years Stanford had a drop off last year, Stanford struggled terribly on offense at the start of the year, mostly in the redzone and they ended up losing 5 games, but their offense finally found its stride late. This offense returns its QB in Kevin Hogan, he’s had good and bad moments but with how he played late perhaps he will finally be consistently good. The running game was the worst it had been in a long time, the late emergence of Christian McCaffrey improved the running game late in the year, he Remound Wright and Barry Sanders Jr. are back. Stanford returns WR Devon Cajuste who is a great player, along with some talented tight ends, the offensive line will miss Andrus Peat, but Kyle Murphy is next in line at left tackle. Stanford’s defense will have to hope it reloads, not rebuilds this year, they only bring back 4 starters. The defensive line has one of those starters back in Kevin Anderson, the linebackers bring back the team’s top tackler in Blake Martinez, the secondary will bring in new starters too, so far Stanford has been able to reload, they need to here as well. Stanford has one of the toughest schedules in the nation, they play Northwestern, UCF and Notre Dame out of conference, none of them are scrub opponents, they at least lucked out and drew Colorado from the South division. Stanford I think will still be good on defense, and they will make a run at the Pac-12 championship again, or at least be improved.

Predictions:

Sept.5 @ Northwestern: This is a potentially tricky opener for Stanford, they have to play this at 9am their time too, I think they struggle early but take over late. W

Sept. 12 UCF: Stanford dominates UCF in this win. W

Sept. 19 @ USC: The road team has won the past few, I think that ends here, USC’s offense has too much early success against a rebuilt Stanford defense. L

Sept. 25 @ Oregon State: Stanford struggles but survives this game. W

Oct. 3 Arizona: Stanford’s defense is disciplined in this game and they take down Arizona. W

Oct. 15 UCLA: Stanford has absolutely had UCLA’s number lately, they win this one. W

Oct. 24 Washington: Stanford’s defense won’t let Washington’s struggling offense do much in this game. W

Oct. 31 @ Washington State: A stunner, Washington State’s mixed up offense keeps Stanford’s defense uncomfortable and Washington State pulls off a big upset. L

Nov. 7 @ Colorado: Stanford struggles early but rolls past Colorado. W

Nov. 14 Oregon: Stanford’s defense will find it difficult to stop Oregon’s great offense, and they usually lose to the Ducks in that situation. L

Nov. 21 California: Stanford’s defense finally plays well and they take down their rivals. W

Nov. 28 Notre Dame: Stanford comes through with yet another great defensive performance in this one, they force Notre Dame into turnovers and take them down in this game. W

Record: 9-3(6-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

California - Los Angeles Bruins





Preview: Can’t help but to be impressed with what Jim Mora Jr has done at UCLA, he has been successful every season there so far, and has revived what has been an underachieving program. UCLA was off to an interesting start, they struggled in many ways in their first 3 games, nearly losing to Virginia, Memphis and Texas, they survived them all, and then destroyed Arizona State, it was a one off performance though, they were upset by Utah, downed by Oregon and then struggled against lower opponents, finally they pummeled Arizona, Washington and beat USC to have control of the South, but then lost it by getting pummeled by Stanford. Still a 10-3 record is nothing to sneeze at. The offense will be interesting, QB Brett Hundley is gone, but now there’s a lot of optimism around true freshman Josh Rosen, who learned quickly and is now the starter. They also bring back a great RB in Paul Perkins, and a group of good receivers, though not explosive ones. The offensive line had struggled badly lately, but is now an experienced group that could be pretty good. The defense will be good too, they brought in Tom Bradley as the defensive coordinator and he has coached some excellent defenses, the defensive line looks good, so are the linebackers led by two way star in Myles Jack, he is one of the greatest linebackers in college football. The secondary looks good too, especially with a top corner in Ishmael Adams. The schedule is tough, UCLA plays Virginia and BYU out of conference, and of course has the 9 team Pac-12 schedule, they do avoid Oregon from the North division. UCLA is a contender for the Pac-12, as are several teams.


Predictions:

Sept. 5 Virginia: Virginia will test UCLA’s young QB in this one, but after some struggles UCLA still pulls through to win. W

Sept. 12 @ UNLV: UCLA will have no trouble winning this game. W

Sept. 19 BYU: BYU does test UCLA, but is unable to win such a big game allowing UCLA to win. W

Sept. 26 @ Arizona: Jim Mora Jr has had Rich Rod’s number so far, so I’ll be safe and take UCLA to win this one. W

Oct. 3 Arizona State: UCLA has star play from Josh Rosen in this game and they beat Arizona State. W

Oct. 15. @ Stanford: Stanford has just had UCLA’s number for a while now, I’m picking that to continue as UCLA loses this one. L

Oct. 22 California: UCLA struggles in this game, they don’t have the easiest times stopping California’s offense and Rosen makes some freshman mistakes. L

Oct. 31 Colorado: UCLA should down Colorado in this one. W

Nov. 7 @ Oregon State: UCLA dominates Oregon State in this win. W

Nov. 14 Washington State: UCLA has a tough time with Washington State in this game, but their defense makes a big play late allowing them to win. W

Nov. 21 @ Utah: UCLA has a rough time in this one, they get caught looking ahead to USC a little bit and are upset by Utah. L

Nov. 28 @ USC: The one thing is Mora has done a great job getting his teams ready for USC, he continues that here and UCLA beats their rivals on the road. W

Record: 9-3(6-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Southern California Trojans




Preview: Here we go again, USC is once again being hyped as a title contender, will they answer the bell this time? They were good last year, but sure has their troubles with discipline, they were absolutely gashed in an upset loss to Boston College, they also lost at home to Arizona State thanks to a lazy effort defending a hail mary, they also were beaten late by Utah and on top of it all weren’t able to beat their rival UCLA. The offense though is very good, QB Cody Kessler is about the least hyped great USC QB I’ve ever seen, he’s quietly been very good. The RBs are the question of the offense, they have to find a starter there, they bring back Tre Madden who missed last season, but how good will he be? The receivers will be good again despite taking a big loss in Nelson Agholor, Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick is a talented tight end. One solution to the running game will be this, the offensive line is great, all 5 starters are back and it’s definitely one of the best in the nation. The defense meanwhile may struggle a little bit, the defensive line will sorely miss Leonard Williams, he was an amazing talent there, some good players are there still. The linebackers are led by Su’a Cravens who has the making of a star. The secondary has great corners Adoree’ Jackson is absolutely dominant at his spot, while Kevon Seymour is good too, and they add in star freshman Iman Marshall. While the depth isn’t great USC is getting better there, the schedule is of course tough, USC has the 9 game Pac-12 schedule and Notre Dame, the tough part is they get Oregon and UCLA right at the end of the year. Like about half the Pac-12 you could be convinced that this is the team to win it.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Arkansas State: Yes USC will roll in this one. W

Sept. 12 Idaho: USC doesn’t believe in playing FCS foes, but they got about as close as they could to playing one here. W

Sept. 19 Stanford: Despite the fact that the road team has a winning streak in games between these two, I think USC will have a good game offensively and beat Stanford. W

Sept. 26 @ Arizona State: Tough game here, USC goes on the road against Arizona State and they have a tough time on both sides of the ball allowing Arizona State to win. L

Oct. 8 Washington: USC actually has a tough time in this game, Washington puts up a solid offensive showing, but USC still comes out with the win. W

Oct. 17 @ Notre Dame: USC’s passing game lifts them past Notre Dame in this game, while their defense has a good game too. W

Oct. 24 Utah: Utah gives USC their best every single year, that trend keeps up here, but like all years except last year, USC barely escapes with the win. W

Oct. 31 California: USC is able to control California’s passing game thanks to having so many great corners, and while Cal still gets big plays on the safeties, it’s not enough and USC wins. W

Nov. 7 Arizona: USC has an excellent game in this one, both sides of the ball play great in a win. W

Nov. 14 @ Colorado: USC does get caught looking ahead at Oregon in this game, they struggle early, but pull away late. W

Nov. 21 @ Oregon: USC loses this one to a rolling Oregon team, in what at the time is a big matchup for the playoff. L

Nov. 28 UCLA: UCLA has had a lot of success against USC under Mora, with how close these two teams are, that’s enough for me to give UCLA the edge. L

Record: 9-3(6-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Utah Utes



Preview: Utah finally made significant strides in the Pac-12 last year, they improved to a nice 9-4 record, and they did it with a great defense, yet a bad offense, it was actually similar to the combination they had the years they struggled. They didn’t even have the best of luck with injuries, what they did do is keep games close and they won a good share of them. The biggest issue is there’s lots of turnover, Utah’s staff got raided over the offseason thanks to a dispute between Whittingham and the AD that was later settled. The offense returns two senior QBs in Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson, Wilson has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career but has been inconsistent, perhaps with all his experience he can play as a good and consistent starter this year. RB Devontae Booker is an amazing talent, and one of the best running backs in the nation. The receivers are an inexperienced group, but the offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters. The defense meanwhile is going to be a great unit again. The defense will miss Nate Orchard, but there’s still a ton of talent on this defensive line, the linebackers are good too, Jared Norris is the leader of the group, but the other two starters are back after being hurt last year. The secondary looks good as well, this defense will once again keep Utah in games. Their schedule is really tough, the non-conference has games against Michigan, Utah State and a road game against Fresno State who appears to be rebuilding but you never know. Utah does have the misfortune of playing Oregon in Pac-12 play. Utah will return to a bowl this year, but the loss of their coordinators prevents them from possibly being contenders for the Pac-12 south.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 Michigan: Utah’s defense isn’t the best of matchups for Michigan’s retooling offense, Utah gives them fits and wins. W

Sept. 11 Utah State: Utah is tested in this game, Utah State is a tough opponent, but doesn’t quite do enough to win. W

Sept. 19 @ Fresno State: Utah dominates Fresno State in this one. W

Sept. 26 @ Oregon: Utah does get the favor of getting Oregon early, they could keep Oregon’s offense uncomfortable and slow it down, but Utah won’t win. L

Oct. 10 California: Utah gives California’s offense a rare struggle while they run all over Cal’s defense allowing them to win this one. W

Oct. 17 Arizona State: Utah gives Arizona State a tough challenge in this one, but Utah loses in a close one. L

Oct. 24 @ USC: Once again Utah is in a tight close game, but they end up losing. L

Oct. 31 Oregon State: Utah does beat Oregon State in this game. W

Nov. 7 @ Washington: This ends up being a close low scoring game, Washington comes through and takes down Utah in this one. L

Nov. 14 @ Arizona: Utah loses to Arizona in this one. L

Nov. 21 UCLA: Utah does prove to be a major thorn in the side of UCLA as their defense forces Rosen into the freshmen mistakes he wasn’t making most of the year, and Utah pulls off the upset. W

Nov. 28 Colorado: Utah’s defense stops Colorado in this one and they win. W

Record: 7-5(4-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Washington Huskies




Preview: Washington got hit with a culture shock when Petersen took over, he runs a tight ship and the players weren’t ready for that. Now after some transfers and players being kicked off the team it’s time for the aftermath. Despite all those tests it was a decent year for Washington they did go 8-6 last year, but the bowl loss sure put a sour ending to it. The offense is a major concern all over, Washington is still waiting for a QB to emerge from a 3 player battle after their old starter Cyler Miles retired from football. The RB Dwayne Washington came on late last year, and could be a great RB if he gets good blocking. The receivers took a big hit when John Ross got hurt for the year, there’s lots of inconsistency with the other receivers, Joshua Perkins is a pretty good tight end though. The offensive line is a big concern, it was set to only return two starters, but the surprise retirement of Dexter Charles means they’re down to one returning starter and filling a void in an offense that really couldn’t afford one. The defense meanwhile was great but inconsistent at times, and it’s scary what they have to replace. The front 7 returns only one starter, and they overall lose 44 of the 52 sacks their defense had last year. The secondary was incredibly young and inconsistent last year, and returns everyone except Naijiel Hale who quit football. The schedule is really tough too, Washington has non-conference games against Boise State and Utah State, and of course that 9 game Pac-12 schedule. This honestly would be one of the best coaching jobs Chris Petersen has ever done if he can get this team in a bowl somehow, this is a major rebuilding project.


Predictions:

Sept 4. @ Boise State: Washington gets a tough one on the road in Chris Petersen’s homecoming, this will be a low scoring and quite ugly game, Boise State pulls off the win though. L

Sept. 12 Sacramento State: Sacramento State is middle of the road in FCS. Washington should win. W

Sept. 19 Utah State: Utah State is a tough opponent, but games like this are usually ones they don’t win, Washington wins this in a close one. W

Sept. 26 California: Here’s where that struggling defense takes its effect, Washington can’t keep up with Cal’s scoring and they lose this one. L

Oct. 8 @ USC: Washington has a decent offensive performance but they can’t keep up with USC’s offense and they lose. L

Oct. 17 Oregon: Washington is downed by Oregon in this one. L

Oct. 24 @ Stanford: Washington struggles to stop Stanford and likewise struggles to score in a loss. L

Oct. 31 Arizona: Washington finally finds some offensive stride in this one, but they lose a close one. L

Nov. 7 Utah: Finally Washington gets another win, they play well in this one and beat Utah in a close low scoring game. W

Nov. 14 @ Arizona State: Washington is pummeled in this loss. L

Nov. 21 @ Oregon State: Washington takes down Oregon State in a close one. W

Nov. 27 Washington State: Washington State will have the more successful season but Washington will feel good after they upset their rival to end the year. W

Record: 5-7(3-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Washington State Cougars




Preview: Last season was a disappointment for Washington State, as injuries, a one-dimensional offense and a defense that couldn’t stop anybody led to their demise. Washington State ended up going 3-9, the highlight was an early upset win over Utah. The offense of course passed the ball very well, Connor Halliday graduates and Washington State got a glimpse of the future when he got hurt and Luke Falk took over late in the year, Washington State beat Oregon State in Falk’s first start. Washington State actually will change the offense a little bit, they’re going to have more snaps under center this year, and actually run the ball. They have a good setup for it, they like Gerard Wicks is a good durable runner, the offensive line also returns all 5 starters so it will block good for the run too, and the receivers are absolutely loaded, Washington State has the potential for 4 receivers to get over 60 receptions this year. Washington State’s defense was pretty bad last year, but this year the front 7 is looking promising, especially the linebackers. The question is in the secondary which by the way Washington State’s defense as a whole only intercepted one pass last year, they’re still young back there too. The schedule of course is tough, they have a tricky road game against Rutgers out of conference, but at least they draw Colorado from the North. I am going to take a chance here and I think Washington State will take a good step up this year.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Portland State: Portland State is a bad FCS opponent, they actuallys played Washington State last year and lost 59-21, expect something similar here. W

Sept. 12 @ Rutgers: Washington State’s offense has a lot of success here and they take down Rutgers. W

Sept. 19 Wyoming: Washington State dominates this game. W

Oct. 3 @ California: Washington State surprises California in this one by outscoring them. W

Oct. 10 @ Oregon: Washington State’s scoring tests Oregon in this one, but Oregon pulls away late. L

Oct. 17 Oregon State: Washington State ends up blowing out Oregon State in this game. W

Oct. 24 @ Arizona: Washington State loses in a shootout in this game. L

Oct. 31 Stanford: Washington State ends up upsetting Stanford in this game, their offense has a lot of success scoring, and their defense stops Stanford enough. W

Nov. 7 Arizona State: Washington State is in a shootout in this one, they come close to upsetting Arizona State but they get upset. L

Nov. 14 @ UCLA: Washington State manages to test UCLA in the first half of this game and they end up losing this one though. L

Nov. 21 Colorado: Washington State beats Colorado in a shootout. W

Nov. 27 @ Washington: Washington State struggles against Washington’s talent, and Washington ends up pulling together a great effort leaving Washington State with a bitter loss to their rival. L

Record: 7-5(4-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Pac-12

North

1. Oregon Ducks 11-1(9-0)

2. Stanford Cardinal 9-3(6-3)

3. Washington State Cougars 7-5(4-5)

4. California Golden Bears 6-6(3-6)

5. Washington Huskies 5-7(3-6)

6. Oregon State Beavers 2-10(0-9)

South

1. UCLA Bruins 9-3(6-3)

2. Arizona State Sun Devils 9-3(6-3)

3. USC Trojans 9-3(6-3)

4. Arizona Wildcats 8-4(5-4)

5. Utah Utes 7-5(4-5)

6. Colorado Buffaloes 4-9(1-8)


Conference Championship: Oregon over UCLA, Oregon ends up rolling past UCLA in this one.

 

[VFL1995]

Will you be doing bowl projections after you finish all the conferences?

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I'm hoping to

Currently I'm working on the Sun belt which will be quick as I'm just doing a preview then W/L records, if I can get a lot done today then bowl projections are very much in the cards.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Also I'll need to figure out what bowls we have this year since we probably just added 5 more again

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Appalachian State Mountaineers




Preview: Talk about a team that figured things out and got hot late last year, Appalachian State was terrible early last year they started 1-5 while losing to Liberty, getting blown out by Michigan and South Alabama as well as losing to Southern Miss. They then got on a roll to end the year as they won their last 6 games. The offense looks good, QB Taylor Lamb wasn’t comfortable early but once he did, he was great and won Sun belt freshman of the year. The RBs are good, both Marcus Cox and Terrance Upshaw are good runners and are back. The top 4 receivers are all back, and this group is good and deep, so is the tight end. The offensive line returns 4 starters, and the new starter has experience starting as well. The defense meanwhile was terrible early but got a lot better as the year went on. The defensive line returns 3 of the 4 “starters” but the only “new” starter is Nathan Norwood who actually started the last 4 games last year. The linebackers all return, and the secondary is the only other area that loses starters, but they have options for those spots. The schedule isn’t bad, the only game Appalachian State is really outmatched in is against Clemson in the second week, but they do have to play Georgia Southern, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State who are their 3 biggest competitors for the Sun belt crown. Overall Appalachian State looks really good, they are a true competitor for the Sun Belt, perhaps even the favorite, and they could hit 10 wins, but they likely won’t get to be the group of 5 team to make a New Year’s bowl, since Clemson is their only big opponent, and they likely won’t have a good showing there.


Predictions:

Sept. 5 Howard W

Sept. 12 @ Clemson L

Sept. 26 @ Old Dominion W

Oct. 3 Wyoming W

Oct. 10 @ Georgia State W

Oct. 17 @ UL-Monroe W

Oct. 22 Georgia Southern L

Oct. 31 Troy W

Nov. 5 Arkansas State W

Nov. 14 @ Idaho W

Nov. 28 Louisiana-Lafayette W

Dec. 5 @ South Alabama W

Record: 10-2(7-1)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Arkansas State Red Wolves




Preview: Wow, how about this? Arkansas State for the first time in years actually will be coached by the same head coach a second year in a row. Last year wasn’t as good as the previous years, they did have to play two power 5 opponents, and famously against Miami ran a fake punt where a player pretended to faint in attempt to trick Miami, it failed miserably but sure gained this program a ton of exposure, they were one of the most talked about teams last year despite a 7-6 season. The offense was very good and it could even be better this year. QB Fredi Knighten returns, and he improved greatly as a passer last year, the RB Michael Gordon is a good runner too. Incredibly the top 7 receivers are back, including TE Darion Griswold who makes everyone happy when he lines up next to Jemar Clark who is one of 3 offensive linemen back. The defense meanwhile couldn’t stop teams from scoring at times, they were among the worst teams in the nation at stopping the run. The defensive line should be better with 3 starters back and a new starter in UAB transfer Robert Mondie who was a good run stuffer for the Blazers. The linebackers will miss its leading tackler, but at least Xavier Woodson returns. The secondary loses 4 of last year’s starters, but the good news is the two new starters at safety were starters in 2013 who missed last year due to injury, and the returning starter is the well named Money Hunter. The schedule is tough early, they open with USC and a rare home game against Missouri, and they also go on the road against Toledo who beat them 63-44 last year in their bowl game, they do get the benefit of avoiding Georgia Southern. Overall if Arkansas State can make improvement on defense they could be a contender to win the Sun Belt.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ USC: L

Sept. 12 Missouri L

Sept. 19 Missouri State W

Sept. 26 Toledo L

Oct. 3 Idaho W

Oct. 13 @ South Alabama W

Oct. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette W

Oct. 31 Georgia State W

Nov. 5 @ Appalachian State L

Nov. 14 @ UL-Monroe W

Nov. 28 @ New Mexico State W

Dec. 5 @ South Alabama W

Record: 8-4(7-1)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Georgia State Panthers




Preview: There’s a lot of teams in the Sun Belt who have recently transitioned to division one, and during this set you’ll hear of success stories, and ones who have struggled with it, Georgia State is one of those who have struggled with it. They basically made their program and hopped right up to FBS, so far they have won a single game, last year’s 38-37 win over Abilene Christian who went 6-6 at the FCS level last year. It wasn’t an easy year last year as Georgia State suffered through a lot of injuries, but they did play a lot better, they had close losses, especially early, they opened with a win, lost close games to New Mexico State and Troy, actually somehow led at the half against Washington, and then lost by 3 to Louisiana-Lafayette. The offense does have some promise of improving, Nick Arbuckle is back at QB, and he played pretty well last year, Kyler Neal is back at RB after he was hurt after 4 games last year, the starter during the remainder of the time was Marcus Caffey he’s back too. There’s some good receivers back though, but the offensive line will need to be redone, left tackle Michael Ivory returns after being hurt most of last year, but there’s only one other experienced starter back. The defense struggled miserably last year, but some starters are back and there’s a few UAB transfers to help out. The defensive line returns 2 of 3 starters, and linebackers return 2 starters and will fill the other two spots with redshirt freshman Michael Shaw, and UAB transfer Alonzo McGee. The secondary brings some starters back also. The schedule has 3 non-conference games that aren’t too bad, but you really have to feel bad for Georgia State when they have to play Oregon, ouch. If they can stay healthy and maybe not be as bad on defense they could finally win some games this year, a few wins is a good target.

Predictions:

Sept. 4 Charlotte W

Sept. 12 @ New Mexico State W

Sept. 19 @ Oregon L

Oct. 3 Liberty L

Oct. 10 Appalachian State L

Oct. 17 @ Ball State L

Oct. 31 @ Arkansas State L

Nov. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette L

Nov. 14 @ Texas State L

Nov. 21 South Alabama L

Nov. 27 Troy W

Dec. 5 @ Georgia Southern L

Record: 3-9(2-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Georgia Southern Eagles




Preview: Georgia Southern’s first year at the FBS level was nothing short of incredible. They opened the year by losing to NC State by a single point, putting up 83 on Savannah State, and losing to a great Georgia Tech team by 4 points. What they did after was incredible too, they won the next 7 before losing in a blowout to Navy, about the only unimpressive result of the year, they went undefeated in Sun belt play and won the conference, but had to settle for the 9-3 record because they weren’t eligible for a bowl thanks to being in their first year in FBS, they were easily the best team not to be in a bowl though. The offense was great last year, new head coach Willie Fritz ran a combination of Georgia Southern’s traditional option offense while adding his spread elements to it, it worked out really well. QB Kevin Ellison ran for over 1,000 yards, but he is looking to throw more this year, the RB Matt Breida was incredible and he returns, so do some great receivers which will allow more passing. The challenge is the offensive line that returns 4 starters, but luckily for Georgia Southern, thanks to them blowing out several opponents the backups did get some good playing time. The defense was good at not allowing a lot of yards and it forced turnovers, but they weren’t good at rushing the passer last year, it should improve with 3 of 4 offensive starters back though. The good news is some good linebackers return, but the secondary does lose a few starters at corner. The schedule has some tough points, they have to play West Virginia and Georgia out of conference, but the good news is Georgia Southern avoids Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette in conference play. Georgia Southern is definitely in prime position to contend for the Sun Belt crown, and could contend for a New Year’s 6 spot as well.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ West Virginia: L

Sept. 12 Western Michigan L

Sept. 19 The Citadel W

Sept. 26 @ Idaho W

Oct. 3 @ UL-Monroe W

Oct. 17 New Mexico State W

Oct. 22 @ Appalachian State W

Oct. 29 Texas State W

Nov. 14 @ Troy W

Nov. 21 @ Georgia L

Nov. 28 South Alabama W

Dec. 5 Georgia State W

Record: 9-3(8-0)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Idaho Vandals




Preview: Paul Petrino took on the unenviable task of trying to make Idaho football better and so far it hasn’t gone well, to the point where he has started threatening media members at practice, that isn’t a good sign. Idaho is coming of a 1-10 season(they had a game against Florida cancelled due to weather) but they did have some encouraging close games. The offense certainly had its struggles last year, QB Matt Linehan is back for a second year, and he had some good moments, but was tied for second in FBS for most interceptions last year. RB Elijhaa Perry is back, but the top receiver from last year is gone, they will be helped by the return of Dezmon Epps, he was a good receiver for Idaho in 2013 but was dismissed from the program last year for a violation of team rules. The offensive line returns 4 starters, but it’s best player Mike Marbone is gone, and the line struggled last year. The defense was alright but 3 of 4 coaches bolted in the offseason, that’s going to be a lot of change. The defensive line brings back two of three starters including Quinton Bradley who is perhaps the best player on the team and maybe have NFL hopes, the linebackers will be helped by the return of Marc Millan who led the team in tackles last year, the secondary returns three starters but looks to be incredibly shaky, it was torched in the spring. The schedule has it’s rough moments, they have to take beatings from USC and Auburn this year, and Ohio isn’t the easiest opponent for them to open the year against, they also have Wofford who isn’t the easiest FCS opponent, this season will probably mirror last year.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 Ohio L

Sept. 12 @ USC L

Sept. 19 Wofford L

Sept. 26 Georgia Southern L

Oct. 3 @ Arkansas State L

Oct. 17 @ Troy W

Oct. 24 UL-Monroe L

Oct. 31 @ New Mexico State L

Nov. 7 @ South Alabama L

Nov. 14 Appalachian State L

Nov. 21 @ Auburn L

Nov. 28 Texas State L

Predictions: 1-11(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns




Preview: Louisiana-Lafayette is about as consistent as it gets under Mark Hudspeth, every year under him they’ve gone 9-4 and won the New Orleans bowl, it’s simply one of those things you could rely on. Keep in mind how impressive this run is, these 4 seasons are the 4 best years in Ragin Cajun football history. Last year it looked like the run would end, they opened out 2-3, with one of the wins being an unimpressive 3 point win over Georgia State at home, and the losses were all blowouts. All they did after was win 6 straight before taking a loss to Appalachian State that did cost them the conference crown. The offense was pretty solid but it will miss QB Terrance Broadway who graduated, it’s a 3 way battle for the starting job. RB Elijah McGuire is back and he’s a major big play threat, both running and catching. They do lose their top receiver, but bring some others back, as well as Jamal Robinson who was great in 2013 but was hurt early last year. The offensive line returns 3 starters and that includes Mykhael Quave who is a top lineman. The defense is always good under Hudspeth, they have some retooling to do on the front 7, only one starter comes back, but some guys have emerged, and they bring in Otha Peters an Arkansas transfer who started quite a few games at linebacker there before transferring he should provide a boost. The secondary should be strong. The schedule is easier than last year’s Kentucky and Akron replace Ole Miss and Boise State on the schedule, they avoid Georgia Southern too. As always another 9-4 season looks in the cards.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ Kentucky L

Sept. 12 Northwestern State W

Sept. 26 Akron W

Oct. 3 @ Louisiana Tech L

Oct. 10 Texas State W

Oct. 20 @ Arkansas State L

Oct. 31 UL-Monroe W

Nov. 7 @ Georgia State W

Nov. 12 @ South Alabama W

Nov. 21 New Mexico State W

Nov. 28 @ Appalachian State L

Dec. 5 Troy W

Record: 8-4(6-2)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

UL-Monroe Warhawks




Preview: UL-Monroe has dropped a little bit from the highs of the Todd Berry era which amazingly is all the way back in 2012, when they upset Arkansas and made a bowl game. Last year they went 4-8 against a pretty tough schedule, and they actually put up good performances, they opened with a win over Wake Forest, and LSU, Kentucky and Arkansas State were the only teams to beat them by double digits. They nearly upset Texas A&M in a 21-16 loss, as well as giving Appalachian State, Louisiana Lafayette and Georgia Southern a tough challenge. The offense struggled last year, Brayle Brown is expected to be the starting QB, he was supposed to start last year until college journeyman Pete Thomas transferred to UL-Monroe and took the starting job. The running game was miserable last year, there’s not much experience back at RB either. There’s some talented players at receiver though, Ajalen Holley, Rashon Ceaser and Tyler Cain are all great returning receivers last year. The offensive line returns 3 starters and appears to have found options at the openings. The defense meanwhile was very impressive last year and really was what kept UL-Monroe in all those games last year, I mean seriously holding that talented Texas A&M offense to 21 points is very impressive. The defensive line loses only one starter, and all the linebackers return in a great group, the secondary only loses one starter also, so bringing this many starters back from such a good defense is a good combination. The schedule isn’t kind, two of their first 3 games are against Georgia and Alabama, which their defense could keep them from getting blown out in those games, but they’re also more likely to score points on defense than on offense in those games. They also draw the top 4 from the conference. If UL-Monroe can get better on offense maybe they could join the top 4 at the top of the conference, but if they can’t they’re already guaranteed 6 losses, I think it could end up more like last year for UL-Monroe.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ Georgia L

Sept. 12 Nicholls State W

Sept. 26 @ Alabama: L

Oct. 3 Georgia Southern L

Oct. 10 @ Tulsa L

Oct. 17 Appalachian State L

Oct. 24 @ Idaho W

Oct. 31 @ Louisiana-Lafayette L

Nov. 7 @ Troy W

Nov. 14 Arkansas State L

Nov. 19 @ Texas State L

Nov. 28 @ Hawai’I L

Dec. 5 New Mexico State W

Record 4-9(3-5)