2015 Season Prediction Thread

[BoiseStateFan27]

Pittsburgh Panthers

Preview: Another year, another new coach for Pittsburgh, ok this is actually the first coaching change in a few years but it feels like it. Pittsburgh had a pretty disappointing 6-7 season last year, which included a loss at home to Akron and a game against Georgia Tech where Pittsburgh fumbled the ball away on their first 5 possessions. Chryst has now left for a better fit at Wisconsin, and now Pat Narduzzi the heralded former Michigan State defensive coordinator is now the head coach. Pittsburgh had a good offense last year, at least at times, Chad Voytik is a good QB and should continue to improve, James Conner is a great tailback, and Tyler Boyd is one of the best receivers in the country, although he might get suspended for some time this year after a DUI arrest. Pitt also has some pass catching tight ends and a pretty experienced offensive line. Pittsburgh’s defense was terrible last year, especially late, and while Narduzzi’s scheme will allow for some improvements, he won’t be able to work miracles; the defense doesn’t have the best of talent at the moment. Pittsburgh’s non-conference schedule isn’t easy, with a potential Tyler Boyd suspension opening against Bo Pelini’s Youngstown State Penguins, and then on the road against the Akron team that beat Pittsburgh last year, are massive landmines. Pittsburgh also gets Iowa on the road and Notre Dame at home. Pittsburgh gets Louisville and Syracuse from the Atlantic division. With a promising offense and a defense that will have at least some improvement, I think Pitt will have a winning record, and perhaps contend for the Coastal.


Predictions:

Sept. 5 Youngstown State: Youngstown State is one of the most publicized FCS schools after their hire of Bo Pelini, and they should be solid at the FCS level next year, if Tyler Boyd is suspended I do believe that Pitt is in serious trouble of taking an upset loss here, I’m picking Pitt to win it in a close one. W

Sept. 12 @ Akron: One of the most quiet yet surprising results from last year was when Akron stunned Pitt at home, and Akron would go on to have a worse record in the Mac than Pitt did in the ACC. Akron might be improved from last year, but I don’t think they will repeat the upset. W

Sept. 19 @ Iowa: Iowa is a little more talented than Pitt is, and I think Iowa will edge them out in the most Iowa vs Pitt score possible 24-21. L

Oct. 3 @ Virginia Tech: I’ve got Pitt upsetting Virginia Tech in this one, Pitt having a bye week prior allows Narduzzi to come up with some more complicated schemes that confuse Michael Brewer of Virginia Tech and Pitt forces turnovers and wins. W

Oct. 10 Virginia: Virginia has a lot of time to prepare for Pitt in this one, which doesn’t make things easy, but I don’t think Virginia will quite have enough offense to pull off the minor upset. W

Oct. 17 @ Georgia Tech: While I think Pitt will actually not fumble the ball away on at least one of their first 5 possessions unlike last year, they will still lose, like they did last year. L

Oct. 24 @ Syracuse: Pitt may have a tougher time with Syracuse than most teams will but Pitt’s offense will be able to score a lot of Syracuse’s rebuilding defense. W

Oct. 29 North Carolina: Pittsburgh will win this one in a shootout as Pitt will be able to score at will and Narduzzi’s defense will pick up a key turnover late. W

Nov. 7 Notre Dame: Despite the large amount of coaching changes, through it all Pitt seems to give Notre Dame a rough time each and every time, so I’m going to ride that and pick Pitt to pull a pretty stunning upset over Notre Dame. W

Nov. 14 @ Duke: The road team is on a winning streak in this series, I’m still picking the home team to win as Duke catches Pitt on a bit of a hangover after their big win the week before. L

Nov. 21 Louisville: Both these teams will be playing good at this point, but I think playing Louisville at this point of the year will be like running into a buzzsaw, Pitt loses. L

Nov. 27 Miami: Pitt has success on offense in this one and outscores Miami for the win. W


Record: 8-4(5-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Syracuse Orange

Preview: Syracuse had a rough year last year, a rash of injuries hit the offense, making it very ineffective, the defense actually was solid and had Syracuse in a lot of games before they lost. Syracuse’s offense could have been good last year and can be this year but it has to stay healthy, QB Terrell Hunt was hurt 5 games into the year and was gone for the year, the offensive line seldom had the same lineup each week thanks to injuries. There are some solid starters back on the offensive line, but all of them had a bad history of injuries. The offense will need to be good and avoid injuries because the defense that basically kept Syracuse competitive last year loses 7 of its top 8 tacklers and only returns 3 starters overall. The secondary is especially concern as the member with the most experience was also the weak point of last year. Syracuse at least doesn’t have the worst schedule, 5 of the first 6 games are very winnable, the only one that isn’t is an odd home game against LSU. Syracuse should win at least 4 of those first 6, making a bowl isn’t likely, but if they make very good progress maybe it is possible.


Predictions:

Sept. 4 Rhode Island: Rhode Island is a bad FCS team, Syracuse will win this one. W

Sept. 12 Wake Forest: Battle of two rebuilding ACC teams, Syracuse has a little more talent right now than Wake Forest does, so I have them winning. W

Sept. 19 Central Michigan: Central Michigan will have an offense that can score some points in this one, but Syracuse, still healthy at this point will outscore them. W

Sept. 26 LSU: Still can’t get over how random of a game this is, furthest north a SEC team has traveled non-conference in a while, Syracuse will lose this one though. L

Oct. 10 @ South Florida: South Florida has been rebuilding for a while, Syracuse has a bye and will manage to win this game. W

Oct. 17 @ Virginia: Virginia while they have struggled, are a lot better positioned than Syracuse right now, Syracuse’s offense won’t have much success against Virginia’s defense and lose this one. L

Oct. 24 Pittsburgh: This is probably Syracuse’s last chance to win an ACC game other than Wake Forest, as a brutal stretch of games is ahead, I don’t think Syracuse will win this one, Pitt is too good. L

Oct. 31 @ Florida State: This won’t happen. Syracuse will lose. L

Nov. 7 @ Louisville: Louisville will be playing well at this point, Syracuse won’t be. L

Nov. 14 Clemson: Syracuse doesn’t have the players to pull the upset here either. L

Nov. 21 @ NC State: Syracuse unfortunately will not be able to win this one. L

Nov. 28 Boston College: Syracuse has a slight chance here, but I don’t see it happening. L

Record: 4-8(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Virginia Cavaliers

Preview: Virginia yet again has an uphill battle this season. Mike London is still firmly on the hot seat, and this is likely his make or break year after Virginia got off to a promising 4-2 start last year only to go 5-7 and miss a bowl once again. The offense is a likely reason why, QBs Matt Johns and Greyson Lampert switched out throughout the year, neither was any good but Johns was at least a little better, he is now the starter this year as he won the starting job and then Lampert transferred. The offense in general lacked punch, former 5 star recruit at running back, Taquan Mizzell has been a disappointment so far in his career, the receiving corps may have gotten a boost from explosive former North Carolina receiver TJ Thorpe joining the team. The offensive line does have experience and should be solid this year. Virginia’s defense was great last year, especially early on, it forced turnovers and got lots of sacks, about half the starters are gone now from that defense including defensive end Eli Harold and all the linebackers. Sophomore Quin Blanding looks like he will be the star of this defense and is a bright spot on the whole team. I would say Virginia will definitely make a bowl game and keep London around for another year, but the schedule is absolutely brutal, the non-conference schedule is the toughest in the country with games against UCLA, Notre Dame and Boise State, there’s a distinct possibility that all 3 of those teams could be in New Year’s 6 bowls at the end of the year, add in Georgia Tech from conference play and we’re talking about possibly 4 New Year’s 6 bowl teams on the schedule this year, that is absolutely brutal. If Virginia can avoid getting too beat up from the non-conference schedule maybe they could make a solid run in ACC play and save London’s job but I don’t see it happening, there’s a chance they may have kept him around this year to avoid making a new coach face that non-conference schedule.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ UCLA: Virginia came oh so close to upsetting UCLA last year, in fact had they started Johns instead of having Lampert throw two pick 6s , Virginia would have won. This year though UCLA’s offensive line that got absolutely destroyed by Virginia last year is much improved, and while Virginia could possibly force some turnovers on freshman QB Josh Rosen, I can’t see Virginia having much success scoring themselves, they end up losing. L

Sept. 12 Notre Dame: These non-conference games sort of have a pattern to them, yet again another tough opponent with a new QB that Virginia could force turnovers on, but Virginia’s own offensive problems will likely prevent them from an upset. L

Sept. 19 William & Mary: William & Mary is a decent FCS team, but I don’t think Virginia will blow their early opportunity to win. W

Sept. 25 Boise State: Similar to UCLA and Notre Dame, Boise State is breaking in a new QB that could allow Virginia to force turnovers, but yet again Boise State like UCLA and Notre Dame features a great defense that won’t allow Virginia’s offense to do much. L

Oct. 10 @ Pittsburgh: Virginia has some time to recover after that brutal opening stretch, I think they come close but can’t quite upset Pittsburgh in this one. L

Oct. 17 Syracuse: Finally an easier opponent for Virginia allows them to pick up a win. W

Oct. 24 @ North Carolina: North Carolina’s high flying offense reminds you that Virginia did lose some good defensive players, and Virginia loses despite one of their better offensive inputs of the year. L

Oct. 31 Georgia Tech: I’m calling for a random upset here, with Georgia Tech coming off a big game against Florida State the week before, Mike London puts up his last stand and stuns Georgia Tech in the ACC’s biggest upset. W

Nov. 7 @ Miami(fl): Al Golden is on the hotseat too, and while this matchup actually turns out to be pretty intense, Brad Kaaya amazingly doesn’t make many mistakes for a sophomore and Miami wins. L

Nov. 14 @ Louisville: Louisville will be playing very good at this point and Virginia won’t stand much of a chance at winning this one. L

Nov. 21 Duke: By now Mike London is fired, and with an interim coach Virginia loses. L

Nov. 28 Virginia Tech: Virginia does put together an inspired effort here, but still can’t beat Virginia Tech. L

Record: 3-9(2-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Virginia Tech Hokies

Preview: Virginia Tech has struggled compared to their standards in the past few years, and last year was just an overall disappointment. What made it most disappointing was how promising the season started, Virginia Tech went on the road and stunned Ohio State for a 2-0 start, Ohio State would go on to win the national championship, Virginia Tech on the other hand would lose the next two and eventually finish the regular season with a 6-6 record, they barely beat rival Virginia to keep their streak of bowl eligibility alive, and the only reason they needed to win that game for bowl eligibility was the worst game of the college football season. I can’t help but to mention the fact that Virginia Tech and Wake Forest couldn’t even score a single point during regulation, and Virginia Tech lost 6-3 in overtime, honestly they should have been forced to take a tie, neither team deserves a win for that and everyone deserves to know what happened there. The good news is the offense actually should maybe, just maybe improve, Virginia Tech had absolutely horrific injury luck at running back last year with so many injuries, and two of the more promising ones missed spring ball too, but if they can get healthy and stay that way Virginia Tech will have a lot of help from the running game. QB Michael Brewer who was inconsistent last year is back, and he does have more to work with, tight end Bucky Hodges is a tough matchup for anyone and Virginia Tech actually has some good receivers in Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips. The offensive line had injury issues to but so far it’s made it healthy through the spring, it would be really helpful if Virginia Tech can have a consistent lineup there. Virginia Tech’s defense went through some injuries in the offseason but it should be excellent this year. The front 7 is great and deep, if there is a weakness maybe the secondary where they lose some starters, but they should still be good. Virginia Tech’s schedule isn’t bad, the season opener against Ohio State is tough, but the rest of the non-conference is manageable. Virginia Tech could possibly work their way back to the top of the ACC, the offense has to finally be good again though as the schedule is full of land mines.


Predictions:

Sept. 7 Ohio State: Last year Virginia Tech handed Ohio State it’s only lose, and it was on the road. Ohio State is a completely different animal now and this time around Virginia Tech will lose. L

Sept. 12 Furman: Furman is a mediocre FCS team, so they aren’t a threat here. W

Sept. 19 @ Purdue: Virginia Tech is simply more talented all around than Purdue and they will win this one. W

Sept. 26 @ East Carolina: East Carolina always gives Virginia Tech a tough time every year, I think this will be a close one but Virginia Tech escapes. W

Oct. 3 Pittsburgh: Random upset here, Pitt’s defense will be aggressive enough to force some Virginia Tech turnovers. L

Oct. 9 NC State: Virginia Tech does rebound though by taking down NC State. W

Oct. 17 @ Miami(Fl): Virginia Tech ends up struggling here and Brad Kaaya leads Miami(Fl) to an upset.

Oct. 24 Duke: Virginia Tech does take advantage of Duke replacing starters and wins this one. W

Oct. 31 @ Boston College: Boston College has often annoyed Virginia Tech in recent years and they do again here. L

Nov. 12 @ Georgia Tech: This will be a back and forth battle Virginia Tech’s defense will test Georgia Tech’s offense will a long time to prepare, but Virginia Tech comes up just short. L

Nov. 21 North Carolina: Virginia Tech’s defense will frustrate North Carolina’s offense in this one, and Virginia Tech will actually have a pretty good day on offense too in a win. W

Nov. 28 @ Virginia: Virginia will likely be coached by an interim coach at this point, but they will still test Virginia Tech, but Virginia Tech continues their winning streak in this series. W


Record: 7-5(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Preview: Rebuilding jobs are not easy, and this is precisely what Wake Forest is. The good news is they now have Dave Clawson who has been great at rebuilding everywhere he’s gone, the bad news is it takes him some time to get there and this is only his second year. Last year Wake Forest did go 3-9, though it included some ugly losses as well as some ugly wins. The ugliest being the win over Virginia Tech in which neither team could score a single point in regulation. The offense last year struggled, not scoring more than 24 points all year. The offense in general lacked playmaking ability, freshman QB John Wolford was solid for what he had around him and he returns. Some receivers could emerge this year, and perhaps there will be some improved production at running back, the high point of the offense is sophomore tight end Cameron Serigne, who was very good last year. The offensive line should be a little better, and it needs to be as it struggled last year. The defense was the strong point for Wake Forest and actually kept them in a lot of games last year, and this year 6 of a strong front 7 returns. The secondary will have to replace two top corners in first round draft pick Kevin Johnson and Merrill Noel. This year overall will likely feature more struggles, Clawson is a slow rebuilder and Wake Forest won’t start to see improvement until next year.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 Elon: Elon went 1-11 in FCS, so Wake Forest should be able to get a win here. W

Sept. 12 @ Syracuse: Wake Forest is in a worse spot than Syracuse, and they lose this one in a close one. L

Sept. 19 @ Army: Army is rebuilding too, luckily for Wake Forest. Wake Forest will be a little further along and barely take down Army in a rare win opportunity. W

Sept. 26 Indiana: Indiana will once again be good on offense, and maybe a little better on defense too, Wake Forest will lose in yet another close one. L

Oct. 3 Florida State: Maybe anything can happen, but I can’t see this upset happening. L

Oct. 10 @ Boston College: Boston College would have to have a major dropoff to lose here. L

Oct. 17 @ North Carolina: Wake Forest won’t win this one. L

Oct. 24 NC State: Or this one. L

Oct. 30 Louisville: Or this one. L

Nov. 14 @ Notre Dame: Well they do have extra time to prepare; unfortunately the team definitely won’t improve enough to win this one. L

Nov. 21 @ Clemson: Not happening. L

Nov. 28 Duke: Wake Forest will need a major improvement still for this upset either, but next year they will be better. L

Record: 2-10(0-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Atlantic:

1. Clemson Tigers 10-2(6-2)

2. Florida State Seminoles 10-2(6-2)

3. North Carolina State Wolfpack 9-3(5-3)

4. Louisville Cardinals 8-4(5-3)

5. Boston College Eagles 6-6(4-4)

6. Syracuse Orange 4-8(1-7)

7. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2-10(0-8)


Coastal:

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 10-2(7-1)

2. Pittsburgh Panthers 8-4(5-3)

3. Miami (Fl) Hurricanes 6-6(4-4)

4. Virginia Tech Hokies 7-5(4-4)

5. Duke Blue Devils 7-5(4-4)

6. North Carolina Tar Heels 6-6(3-5)

7. Virginia Cavaliers 3-9(2-6)



ACC Championship: Clemson over Georgia Tech.

Clemson wins a close one in a rematch over Georgia Tech.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Illinois Fighting Illini

Preview: Steadily each year Illinois has made small strides under Tim Beckman, improving by two wins each year, this year really should be the year where Illinois makes a jump in the Big 10. That was until the offseason started getting filled with controversy, and now it’s a question if Illinois will improve or fall apart. Illinois should have a pretty good offense at least, Wes Lunt is back at QB, and while he is a good passer, he is injury prone. Josh Ferguson is a solid running back with great speed. Illinois also lost their best receiver Mike Dudek for most likely the entire year to an ACL injury. The offensive line has been bad for quite a few years now and needs to improve. The defense badly needs to improve as it was the worst in the Big 10 last year. The defensive line looks like it could improve this year, and there’s more experience to go around, so perhaps Illinois could improve on defense finally. I would consider Illinois possibly improving to a winning record this year before all the offseason issues, now I’m not so sure. I think they might take a step down and it could possibly get Tim Beckman fired from Illinois.

Record:

Sept. 4 Kent State: Kent State was terrible last year, but they do have an older team with a lot more experience thanks to injuries last year, Illinois could be upset here if they’re not careful but I think they will handle them. W

Sept. 12 Western Illinois: Western Illinois went 5-7 in FCS last year, but was a little better than their record, they somehow held Melvin Gordon to his worst game of the year last year, but Illinois should win. W

Sept. 19 @ North Carolina: This game will be a shootout as neither defense will be all that good, but North Carolina’s offense is much better so that gives them the edge. L

Sept. 26 Middle Tennessee State: Mid Tenn State will be a very solid Conference USA team this year, and will likely give Illinois a run for their money, I think Illinois will escape with the victory though. W

Oct. 3 Nebraska: Nebraska is simply better in every way than Illinois, so Illinois will lose this one. L

Oct. 10 @ Iowa: Iowa’s defense will give Illinois’ offense fits, while Iowa will be able to score a little more than usual on offense, bad combination for Illinois. L

Oct. 24 Wisconsin: Illinois with a bye prior could come out with a spirited effort and come up just short of a win against Wisconsin. L

Oct. 31 @ Penn State: Just a moment to mention how proud I am that I successfully predicted Illinois to upset Penn State last year, not going to make a repeat pick this year, the game is in Happy Valley now, and Penn State will be more improved. L

Nov. 7 @ Purdue: This is where the wheels are officially off, Illinois drops what should be a winnable game to Purdue. L

Nov. 14 Ohio State: Ouch. L

Nov. 21 @ Minnesota: Illinois will likely have an interim coach by now, they lose. L

Nov. 28 Northwestern (Chicago) : I’m for some reason a little optimistic on Northwestern this year, not that I need to be to pick them in this game. L


Record: 3-9(0-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Indiana Hoosiers

Preview: Kevin Wilson is another coach on the hot seat, and while expectations aren’t as high at Indiana, he needs to eventually make a bowl game sometime soon. Making a bowl at Indiana is a very daunting task, they are widely considered the worst power 5 conference program and they have the most losses in college football history. Kevin Wilson’s teams have often featured a high flying offense and a horrible defense. Last year they were off to an up and down start, being upset by Bowling Green but they upset eventual SEC East champion Missouri on the road the following week, that upset did show some promise for Indiana, that was until the 6th game of the season when both QB Nate Sudfeld and his backup were both lost for the year, thrusting an undersized freshman into the starting job the rest of the year, Indiana suffered the rest of the year, and nearly lost out until Purdue came to the rescue in the final week. A 4-8 record was a major disappointment but Kevin Wilson deserves a pass for this one, because his QB situation was not a good one. This year the offense returns Nate Sudfeld and they badly need him to stay healthy this year, Tevin Coleman was an absolute star last year at RB but he is now in the NFL, not to worry Jordan Howard who is a very impressive RB from UAB transferred in since UAB doesn’t have a football team this year, he will make replacing Coleman a lot easier, the receivers were a spot where Indiana struggled(didn’t help that they had a freshman QB starting) but they lose a lot there again this year, this is the only question mark the offense has because the offensive line Indiana has is actually very good. The defense made improvements for Indiana last year and they have a very experienced defensive line back, but they still struggled last year and will lose former starters at linebacker and in the secondary, the linebackers were a deep group though last year and they will be fine there, if the secondary can be decent this may be Indiana’s best defense under Wilson, which isn’t saying much. Indiana doesn’t have the easiest schedule, the non-conference is mostly filled with wins, only Western Kentucky at home presents a tough task(they will be a lot better than you think) , they also have Wake Forest on the road but Indiana is a lot better positioned than they are right now. The Big 10 East division is a tough one having the top two teams in the league in Ohio State and Michigan State, Indiana is lucky they always get to face Purdue from the West as that’s a very winnable game for them; Iowa is the other west opponent.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Southern Illinois: Southern Illinois was mediocre last year in FCS, Indiana should be able to open the season with a win. W

Sept. 12 FIU: FIU made a little bit of improvement last year and wasn’t terrible, they could even be better this year but I see Indiana winning this one. W

Sept. 19 Western Kentucky: Western Kentucky returns a lot of starters from a team that showed a lot of promise, they will be a dangerous team this year, especially with an offense that when it’s focused is ridiculously efficient. I think Indiana won’t be able to stop them from scoring and loses in an offensive shootout. L

Sept. 26 @ Wake Forest: With Wake Forest in a greater rebuilding project than Indiana is in at the moment, Indiana’s offense will have enough success to win this one. W

Oct. 3 Ohio State: Indiana actually tested Ohio State on the road last year, that could be bad news as that could mean Ohio State won’t take them as lightly this year especially since it’s both teams Big 10 opener. L

Oct. 10 @ Penn State: Penn State will be improved this year, and if Hackenberg has time to throw this year, Penn State might shred Indiana’s secondary, and Indiana will struggle to score on Penn State’s stout defense regardless, bad matchup for Indiana. L

Oct. 17 Rutgers: Rutgers was a little bit of a surprise last year as they won 8 games in the Big 10, they do lose a lot of starters entering this year, as well as Ralph Friedgen the offensive coordinator who really got their offense playing better last year, I think Rutgers takes a step back, and that becomes obvious here when Indiana beats them. W

Oct. 24 @ Michigan State: Overall Indiana is outmatched in this game, they lose big. L

Nov. 7 Iowa: Upset!! Indiana gets a little revenge against Iowa after their last season fell apart against them, Indiana takes advantage of having a bye week prior, their defense has one of its best games of the year after having a week to prepare for Iowa’s same old offense, and the offense has a decent day for Indiana to win. W

Nov. 14 Michigan: Indiana never beats Michigan, won’t start here either. L

Nov. 21 @ Maryland: Maryland has a lot of rebuilding to do this year as well, but I think they’ll be playing a lot better at this point in the year and Indiana loses. L

Nov. 28 @ Purdue: Purdue is struggling with a lack of talent also, and Indiana is a little further along than they are, plus Indiana has their first bowl game in years laying on this game, Indiana comes out and prevents their rival from spoiling that. W

Record: 6-6(3-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Iowa Hawkeyes

Preview: Iowa is going to be the same team they were last year, and the year before, and the year before that, etc. I could really leave this off right here and move on to the predictions because this is basically how Iowa is, but Iowa does have a lot of turnover this year. The offense from last year loses a lot, including some talents such as Mark Weisman and perhaps the best left tackle in the nation in Brandon Scherff. The QB position underwent some changes as well as it was announced that CJ Beathard who played pretty well backing up Jake Rudock had supplanted Rudock as the starter, Rudock promptly transferred to Michigan. Beathard made more explosive plays last year, and perhaps could make Iowa a little less boring than usual this year. Iowa will need to find other playmakers though, they bring back a senior receiver in Tevaun Smith but they also lost TE Jake Duzey to an injury in the spring and he is out until October, Iowa will likely use multiple running backs this year. The offensive line will need some retooling, especially at the tackle positions. The defense loses two really good defensive tackles but the ends return, but the replacements at defensive tackle have the potential to be good, linebacker for the most part looks decent, Iowa still has some battles there, but the secondary should be the strength of the defense. Overall the offense looks mediocre again, while the defense should be good again, Iowa’s schedule isn’t daunting, the non-conference has 3 tricky but very winnable games, and they draw Indiana and Maryland from the East division which is about as favorable of a draw you can have. Still a decent but not great season looks to be in store for Iowa.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Illinois State: This is actually really tricky right off the bat, Illinois State is one of the best teams from FCS, so Iowa has to take them seriously or risk getting the season off to a disaster of a start. I think they will struggle but escape with the win. W

Sept. 12 @ Iowa State: These two teams always get in an ugly dogfight with each other, but they are close games, I think Iowa State actually pulls off a minor upset and wins this one. L

Sept. 19 Pittsburgh: This will be a tight game down to the wire as well, but this time Beathard comes through with some late plays against Pitt like he did last year and leads Iowa to the win. W

Sept. 26 North Texas: North Texas is probably Iowa’s easiest non-conference opponent, Iowa should handle them and win, but they did almost lose to Ball State last year, I’m calling for the win anyways. W

Oct. 3 @ Wisconsin: Wisconsin may not have Melvin Gordon anymore, but they always have a good running game, one that will be too good for Iowa to beat them here. L

Oct. 10 Illinois: Iowa will be able to have a good day offensively on Illinois whose own offense has some troubles with Iowa’s defense, Iowa wins. W

Oct. 17 @ Northwestern: Northwestern has often been a pest to Iowa, and they will be once again here as they take down Iowa. L

Oct. 31 Maryland: The bye week is helpful, especially when Iowa is already better than Maryland this year, Iowa wins this one pretty easily. W

Nov. 7 @ Indiana: Indiana is coming off a bye week, and they wind up having one of their better games of the year against Iowa, and Iowa gets upset. L

Nov. 14 Minnesota: Minnesota absolutely demolished Iowa last year to a score of 51-14, but with Minnesota’ s two big producers on offense gone, they have a tough time scoring on Iowa in this one allowing Iowa to take this one in a low scoring affair. W

Nov. 21 Purdue: Iowa is all around better than Purdue and that makes winning this one not too difficult. W

Nov. 27 @ Nebraska: This game has so far been close and tough to predict between these two, maybe it is becoming a rivalry of sorts, I think Nebraska takes this one in a close one. L

Record: 7-5(4-4)

 

[WhiteMamba]

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

To tide you over I give you the...

Maryland Terrapins

Preview: Maryland had a pretty good Big 10 debut season, but now they will be forced to rebuild this year. Maryland was expecting a tough transition but some close wins really made the season good for them, close wins over Iowa, Penn State(who they consider to be a budding rival) and Michigan were some great highlights for Maryland. Michigan and Penn State weren’t as good as usual yes, but wins in the Big house and in Happy Valley are definitely nothing to be sneezed at. Maryland has a lot to replace though, the offense only returns 5 starters, the QB will be Caleb Rowe if he can stay healthy, Randy Edsall has been at Maryland for 4 years and still hasn’t had one QB make it the full season healthy, Rowe has already had injury issues playing 13 games in 3 years, so not looking promising there. Maryland brings back a lot of their running backs from last year, but the running game wasn’t all that good last year, Maryland does have some promising targets at receiver, and the offensive line is pretty deep and experienced, wouldn’t be a surprise if Maryland passed the ball more this year. On the defensive side, Maryland brings back just one starter in the front 7, but the secondary brings back most of its starters including one of the best corners in the Big 10 in Will Likely. Maryland is likely in for a long year this year with a lot of teams in the Big 10 East looking like they will improve while Maryland is set to have a young team this year, they will need some upsets to make a bowl game, and Randy Edsall will have to pitch to the athletic director about the young promise of this team in order to survive this year, if he can survive the future definitely looks bright for him starting next season. The schedule really does them no favors with Wisconsin and Iowa from the West division on it.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Richmond: Richmond is one of the better teams in FCS, Maryland’s young team better not open the season with a clunker or they’re really in trouble, I think they’ll win this one though. W

Sept. 12 Bowling Green: Bowling Green is a team with a high flying offense, and is losing a lot on an already mediocre defense, Maryland actually has a great matchup here, as their offense will be able to move the ball at will, while their secondary is strong enough to lock down Bowling Green’s WRs who are probably one of the best if not the best mid major receiving group out there. W

Sept. 19 South Florida: South Florida is one struggling program right now, which will allow Maryland to take a victory in this one. W

Sept. 26 @ West Virginia: The annual rivalry game will be Maryland’s first test against a good running game, West Virginia has two good runners, which can take advantage of a weakness in Maryland’s defense. L

Oct. 3 Michigan: Jim Harbaugh won’t be a miracle worker this year, the best asset of Michigan’s offense will be the run game, which once again will churn up Maryland’s defense here, Maryland’s offense won’t have an easy time scoring either. L

Oct. 10 @ Ohio State: Ohio State blew them out last year, and returns more starters than Maryland does, and despite Maryland’s lack of a homefield advantage it is still better than playing Ohio State at the Shoe, ouch. L

Oct. 24 Penn State(Baltimore) : Bye week prior to this game plays to Maryland’s advantage, and so does the fact that Penn State plays Ohio State prior to this game, despite the fact that Penn State will probably have more fans here than Maryland will, I think that Maryland can pull off the upset in this one. W

Oct. 31 @ Iowa: Maryland will have a tough time scoring in this one, Iowa’s defense shuts them down in this loss. L

Nov. 7 Wisconsin: By this time Maryland will be pretty beat up, they don’t have much chance of winning this one. L

Nov. 14 @ Michigan State: Copy and paste the Wisconsin one here, except Maryland has less of a chance. L

Nov. 21 Indiana: Maryland takes down Indiana in a close one here. W

Nov. 28 @ Rutgers: Maryland ends up losing to Rutgers in a close one here, as Maryland is pretty worn out by the end of the season. L

Record: 5-7(2-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Michigan Wolverines

Preview: Last season was pretty much a trainwreck for Michigan, they plummeted to a 5-7 record that included some terrible losses, they were shut out by Notre Dame, were beaten at home by Utah, Minnesota and Maryland, and also lost to Rutgers, one of their wins was a win over Northwestern in which both teams did everything they could to not score in the first half. The offense mainly was a mess, now graduated QB Devin Gardner was a turnover machine, and Shane Morris wasn’t much better, he does return. Michigan had troubles on the offensive line and they also didn’t run the ball well until later in the year. For most of the year Devin Funchess was the lone highlight of the offense, he’s now in the NFL. Michigan brings back their running back core with the promising Derrick Green and Drake Johnson who played good late in the year. Michigan is hoping Jake Rudock who transferred from Iowa turns out to be a good option, the good news is at least he won’t turn the ball over as much, best case is he’s something similar to a college version of Alex Smith when Jim Harbaugh started coaching the 49ers. The offensive line brings back all its starters so it should be better. Michigan’s defense was the real highlight for the team last year, it was very good and returns most everyone, the defensive line lost some starters, but the linebackers should be good, the secondary lost out with the transfer of corner Blake Countess but Jabrill Peppers who was hurt all last year is filled with promise. Overall Jim Harbaugh won’t turn this team into a national title contender overnight, but he will definitely improve Michigan’s win total this year.


Predictions:

Sept. 3 @ Utah: An extremely rare non-Saturday game for Michigan as they open the season at Utah. They definitely aren’t the best matchup for Michigan to open the year with a revamping offense, Utah’s defense makes life difficult for the new Michigan offense, and Utah has decent success to win it. L

Sept. 12 Oregon State: Oregon State has some future hope, but this year is a reset year for them, Michigan wins this one. W

Sept. 19 UNLV: UNLV will be pretty bad this year, so an easy win for Michigan. W

Sept. 26 BYU: BYU will be a tough opponent for Michigan, but Michigan’s home field advantage will come in big here as BYU isn’t ready to win in an environment like this, Michigan wins a close one. W

Oct. 3 @ Maryland: Michigan’s defense dominates Maryland in this game, and Michigan has good success running to win this game. W

Oct. 10 Northwestern: I think anyone who could potentially watch these two hopes that their matchup will be a little less ugly, I mean at one point they went 6 regulation quarters without scoring a single point against each other, but keeping with the trend Michigan wins an ugly one again. W

Oct. 17 Michigan State: It is good for Michigan that they have this one at home, maybe they potentially could pull off the upset, but I don’t see them having enough offense for an upset. L

Oct. 31 @ Minnesota: Michigan gets a bye week prior to this game and prior to last year they owned Minnesota, I say they return to that again this year. W

Nov. 7 Rutgers: Michigan lost to Rutgers last year, but they got a coaching upgrade and Rutgers loses a lot, Michigan wins. W

Nov. 14 @ Indiana: Michigan always beats Indiana, so that trend will continue. W

Nov. 21 @ Penn State: The last time the road team won in this series was 2009, and Penn State’s defense along with its improved offense will cause Michigan to lose this one. L

Nov. 28 Ohio State: This is almost always a close one, Michigan will definitely give Ohio State a tough test here, but comes up just short. L


Record: 8-4(5-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Michigan State Spartans

Preview: Michigan State has had a great run of success under Mark Dantonio lately, and it continued last year with an 11-2 record and a New Year’s 6 Bowl win. Last year featured Michigan State losing to Ohio State and Oregon by double digits and for the most part having no trouble against anyone else except for Baylor and Nebraska. Baylor and Nebraska were in fact Michigan State’s only one score games last year, both saw comebacks, Michigan State almost lost their lead to Nebraska, while Michigan State came back from a 41-21 deficit to stun Baylor. Michigan State’s offense has really changed, just two years ago there were questions in every position except running back, now after a very successful year on offense last year where they only scored below 30 points twice, they return a lot of those players, leaving the potential for the offense to be even more explosive. QB Connor Cook surprisingly denied the NFL to return and he’ll throw to Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings Jr, and some promising tight ends. The offensive line returns most of its starters and should be stout, RB Jeremy Langford is gone but Michigan State is usually good at finding a solution there. The defense for the most part was the usual Pat Narduzzi defense, except for one thing, Michigan State clearly seemed to have a weakness going up against talented high tempo offenses, Michigan State gave up more than 40 points to Baylor, Oregon and Ohio State last year, all three fit that profile. This year features some change, the corner positon has some starters to replace, mainly first round pick Trae Waynes. The front 7 will be one of the best in the country, Shilique Calhoun leads that group and he will be an all-american there. The defense’s biggest change perhaps is that Pat Narduzzi left for a head coaching job. The schedule is one with two big games, Ohio State and Oregon, and some potential stumbling blocks in Nebraska, Penn State and Michigan, but overall Michigan State has a lot of seniors and with two big 6 bowl wins in the last two years the next thing for Michigan State to do under Dantonio is make the college football playoff.

Predictions:

Sept. 4 @ Western Michigan: An odd road game to start out the year for Michigan State, Western Michigan was pretty good last year, but keep in mind they lost to Purdue, they’re certainly a long ways away from upsetting Michigan State. W

Sept. 12 Oregon: Here’s a matchup where Michigan State will be tested by a fast paced offense, Michigan State’s offense will have some success against Oregon’s young but talented secondary, Michigan State though will have a tough time again Oregon’s offense led most likely by the talented Vernon Adams, Michigan State’s defensive line will finally make a big game winning play at the end for Michigan State to win in a close shootout. W

Sept. 19 Air Force: This is a really secret stumbling opportunity for Michigan State, coming off a big game against Oregon, Michigan State has to face the tricky triple option of Air Force, I can see Air Force hanging around for 3 quarters before Michigan State pulls away. W

Sept. 26 Central Michigan: Connor Cook will have a field day against Central Michigan’s bad defense, and while Central Michigan has a pretty decent offense they won’t have much of a chance against Michigan State’s talented defense. W

Oct. 3 Purdue: Purdue somehow scored 31 on Michigan State last year in an odd closer than expected game, I think that Michigan State will end up having an easier time against them this year. W

Oct. 10 @ Rutgers: Rutgers has a lot of changes this year, and that will result in them having a drop off, Michigan State will be too much for them here. W

Oct. 17 @ Michigan: Michigan has a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh, but this year their offense is lacking a QB and that won’t be a good combination against Michigan State’s defense. W

Oct. 24 Indiana: Indiana will be better off than they were last year but still no match for Michigan State. W

Oct. 7 @ Nebraska: This is Michigan State’s trickiest non-Ohio State or Oregon game, on the road against Nebraska who did give them a tough time last year. Michigan State does get the benefit of having an extra week to prepare for this game, and they will be challenged by Nebraska but come out with the win in a close game. W

Nov. 14 Maryland: Maryland will struggle in their second Big 10 season and certainly won’t beat Michigan State. W

Nov.21 @ Ohio State: This is the game of the year in the Big 10 and most likely the winner of it will be in the college football playoff unless they lose elsewhere. This game is a major barrier for Michigan State’s playoff hopes as Ohio State has an absolutely loaded roster, Michigan State gives it their best but loses in a close game. L

Nov. 28 Penn State: Penn State will be improved this year, but Michigan State’s offense will have enough success against Penn State to outscore them. W

Record: 11-1(7-1)

 

[7Samurai13]

Michigan State Spartans

Preview: Michigan State has had a great run of success under Mark Dantonio lately, and it continued last year with an 11-2 record and a New Year’s 6 Bowl win. Last year featured Michigan State losing to Ohio State and Oregon by double digits and for the most part having no trouble against anyone else except for Baylor and Nebraska. Baylor and Nebraska were in fact Michigan State’s only one score games last year, both saw comebacks, Michigan State almost lost their lead to Nebraska, while Michigan State came back from a 41-21 deficit to stun Baylor. Michigan State’s offense has really changed, just two years ago there were questions in every position except running back, now after a very successful year on offense last year where they only scored below 30 points twice, they return a lot of those players, leaving the potential for the offense to be even more explosive. QB Connor Cook surprisingly denied the NFL to return and he’ll throw to Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings Jr, and some promising tight ends. The offensive line returns most of its starters and should be stout, RB Jeremy Langford is gone but Michigan State is usually good at finding a solution there. The defense for the most part was the usual Pat Narduzzi defense, except for one thing, Michigan State clearly seemed to have a weakness going up against talented high tempo offenses, Michigan State gave up more than 40 points to Baylor, Oregon and Ohio State last year, all three fit that profile. This year features some change, the corner positon has some starters to replace, mainly first round pick Trae Waynes. The front 7 will be one of the best in the country, Shilique Calhoun leads that group and he will be an all-american there. The defense’s biggest change perhaps is that Pat Narduzzi left for a head coaching job. The schedule is one with two big games, Ohio State and Oregon, and some potential stumbling blocks in Nebraska, Penn State and Michigan, but overall Michigan State has a lot of seniors and with two big 6 bowl wins in the last two years the next thing for Michigan State to do under Dantonio is make the college football playoff.

Predictions:

Sept. 4 @ Western Michigan: An odd road game to start out the year for Michigan State, Western Michigan was pretty good last year, but keep in mind they lost to Purdue, they’re certainly a long ways away from upsetting Michigan State. W

Sept. 12 Oregon: Here’s a matchup where Michigan State will be tested by a fast paced offense, Michigan State’s offense will have some success against Oregon’s young but talented secondary, Michigan State though will have a tough time again Oregon’s offense led most likely by the talented Vernon Adams, Michigan State’s defensive line will finally make a big game winning play at the end for Michigan State to win in a close shootout. W

Sept. 19 Air Force: This is a really secret stumbling opportunity for Michigan State, coming off a big game against Oregon, Michigan State has to face the tricky triple option of Air Force, I can see Air Force hanging around for 3 quarters before Michigan State pulls away. W

Sept. 26 Central Michigan: Connor Cook will have a field day against Central Michigan’s bad defense, and while Central Michigan has a pretty decent offense they won’t have much of a chance against Michigan State’s talented defense. W

Oct. 3 Purdue: Purdue somehow scored 31 on Michigan State last year in an odd closer than expected game, I think that Michigan State will end up having an easier time against them this year. W

Oct. 10 @ Rutgers: Rutgers has a lot of changes this year, and that will result in them having a drop off, Michigan State will be too much for them here. W

Oct. 17 @ Michigan: Michigan has a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh, but this year their offense is lacking a QB and that won’t be a good combination against Michigan State’s defense. W

Oct. 24 Indiana: Indiana will be better off than they were last year but still no match for Michigan State. W

Oct. 7 @ Nebraska: This is Michigan State’s trickiest non-Ohio State or Oregon game, on the road against Nebraska who did give them a tough time last year. Michigan State does get the benefit of having an extra week to prepare for this game, and they will be challenged by Nebraska but come out with the win in a close game. W

Nov. 14 Maryland: Maryland will struggle in their second Big 10 season and certainly won’t beat Michigan State. W

Nov.21 @ Ohio State: This is the game of the year in the Big 10 and most likely the winner of it will be in the college football playoff unless they lose elsewhere. This game is a major barrier for Michigan State’s playoff hopes as Ohio State has an absolutely loaded roster, Michigan State gives it their best but loses in a close game. L

Nov. 28 Penn State: Penn State will be improved this year, but Michigan State’s offense will have enough success against Penn State to outscore them. W

Record: 11-1(7-1)

I think no Coleman makes Indiana dead in the water against most teams. Probably a top 5 running back in the entire country despite no O-Line and other teams stacking the box against him since first string quarterback got injured and the second string quarterback dropped out right afterwards to avoid the Michigan State game. Indiana may be even worse this year.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I think no Coleman makes Indiana dead in the water against most teams. Probably a top 5 running back in the entire country despite no O-Line and other teams stacking the box against him since first string quarterback got injured and the second string quarterback dropped out right afterwards to avoid the Michigan State game. Indiana may be even worse this year.

Their QB is back, and they lucked out with UAB killing their program as they picked up another good running back

obviously he's no Tevin Coleman, but they'll still be successful at running the ball.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Preview: Minnesota has made steady improvement each year under Jerry Kill, last year being his most successful, and one of the best things was he was healthy throughout the whole year, let’s hope that continues. Minnesota for a while last year held on to the lead in the Big 10 West and was perhaps a contender to make the Rose bowl, unfortunately they were undone by an upset loss to Illinois, and their inability to beat the best teams on their schedule. Minnesota’s highest points may have been a dominant 30-14 road victory over Michigan, who usually has their number, a road win over Nebraska and a 51-14 smashing of rival Iowa. Minnesota’s offense definitely was not the best last year, they had a solid run game, especially behind a great RB in David Cobb but he is now in the NFL. The passing game was one of the worst in the Big 10, and while QB Mitch Leidner is back and he did show some improvement later in the year, their best target in TE Maxx Williams is also gone to the NFL, there is some promising receiver talent and Minnesota is hoping a playmaker can emerge there this year. The offensive line returns a lot of experience and should be good this year. Minnesota’s defense will be very good, defensive line, linebackers and the secondary will all be very deep. The star of the defense is lockdown corner Eric Murray who opposing QBs tend to avoid. The schedule is a bit tricky with Minnesota having a non-conference home game against TCU, and a tough road game against Colorado State, Minnesota also draws Ohio State and Michigan from the East division. Overall this year I’m not sure if Minnesota will have its 4th straight year of improvement under Jerry Kill, but they should make yet another bowl game.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 TCU: Minnesota opens the season with a really tough game against TCU as TCU is a potential national title contender, and while TCU does lose some players on defense, their defense will be very good at handling an offense like Minnesota’s, Minnesota will also have a tough time keeping off with a top offense that returns 10 starters. L

Sept. 12 @ Colorado State: Colorado State loses their QB in Garrett Grayson, and they don’t seem to be having too much trouble to find a replacement, Minnesota being able to have Eric Murray cover Rashard Higgins who is Colorado State’s best player, will help them out a low, Minnesota gets past Colorado State in a close one. W

Sept. 19 Kent State: Kent State was pretty bad last year, but the good news is for them is they return a lot, it won’t help them as much against Minnesota though as Minnesota wins. W

Sept. 26 Ohio: Ohio has dropped off a little bit from where they used to be, they could still be a tricky opponent but I see Minnesota winning this one. W

Oct. 3 @ Northwestern: Minnesota’s defense gives a young Northwestern team fits here, and Minnesota will get past them in a low scoring game. W

Oct. 10 @ Purdue: Purdue gave Minnesota all they could handle last year, but I see Minnesota being simply more talented than Purdue here, and they will take down Purdue in this one. W

Oct. 17 Nebraska: Jerry Kill has had a lot of success against Nebraska lately and while Nebraska changed coaches, I think Minnesota will at least beat them again this year. W

Oct. 31 Michigan: Minnesota finally broke a losing streak to Michigan last year, and they have a bye week to prepare for this matchup this year, for some reason I still feel like Michigan will return back to their dominance over Minnesota , so Minnesota loses. L

Nov. 7 @ Ohio State: Last year Minnesota actually had a close score against Ohio State, but the game was more Ohio State’s way than the score looked, either way I think Ohio State will take this one. L

Nov. 14 @ Iowa: This will be a low scoring game, and Minnesota coming off a tough stretch find themselves losing this rivalry game to Iowa. L

Nov. 21 Illinois: Illinois might be under an interim coach at this point, Minnesota wins. W

Nov. 28 Wisconsin: Wisconsin has a long winning streak over Minnesota, I’m going to ride that until it ends. L

Record: 7-5(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Preview: All good things must come to an end, and that is the case for everyone except some Nebraska fans when Bo Pelini fired, ending a very fun and entertaining tenure of 4 loss seasons. Now in comes Mike Riley, who has long been the coach of Oregon State, and many wondered what he could do with more resources, now we’re about to find out. Riley’s hire was a bit curious because it seemed that he was falling back in the Pac-12, but he did have a great year 3 years ago to remind you that perhaps he’s not done yet. Nebraska was interesting last year to say the least, they nearly lost to McNeese State from FCS, but yet got off to an 8-1 start with their only loss being to Michigan State in a game in which Nebraska nearly made a comeback to win. Then came Wisconsin, who absolutely steamrolled Nebraska to the tune of Melvin Gordon rushing for over 400 yards and until the following week taking the FBS record for rushing yards by a single running back, Nebraska followed that up by losing once again to Minnesota, and perhaps that’s where Bo Pelini’s tenure was over, as everyone thought he was saved after a comeback overtime win over Iowa to end the year, he was fired anyways. The offense returns QB Tommy Armstrong who was a decent guide for the Nebraska offense, but he is turnover prone and isn’t very accurate overall, which will need to change for Mike Riley’s pro style offense, there’s some other candidates who could take the job. Nebraska will sorely miss Ameer Abdullah at running back as he was an absolute playmaker for them, they do have several options there though. Nebraska loses Kenny Bell at receiver, but returns a great receiver in Jordan Westerkamp and a De’Mornay Pierson-El who was an absolute playmaker as a freshman last year. TE Cethan Carter is a good one, but the offensive line will be a question with only two players returning with starting experience. Nebraska’s defense will be strong on the defensive line with 3 of the 4 starters back there(the only one gone is Randy Gregory), that including Maliek Collins who as an all Big-10 player last year. Linebacker is the biggest defensive concern as they had only 6 scholarship players practicing there in the spring. Nebraska will bring back a starter at corner from last year, as well as Charles Jackson who missed last year with an injury, he will compete with Jonathan Rose for the other starting spot. The best player in the secondary is Nate Gerry who is an all-Big 10 player. Overall Nebraska is a tough one to predict, either Riley can take advantage of the best talent he’s had in a while and Nebraska wins the West division or the change could bring Nebraska down for a year. I’m going a little in between.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 BYU: The season opener is a tricky one, Nebraska will host BYU who was very good last year when Taysom Hill was their QB, Hill returns here, and this will be an interesting back and forth game, but I have a tough time seeing BYU coming out of Lincoln with a win. W

Sept. 12 South Alabama: South Alabama is still relatively new to FBS but so far they haven’t been a major concern for major schools, so I see Nebraska not having much trouble here. W

Sept. 19 @ Miami(Fl) : Miami is a team that underachieved greatly last year, and lost all their best players from that team except QB Brad Kaaya, there once was a team where going on the road to Miami was an intimidating environment, but now I’m pretty sure there will be more Nebraska fans at this game than Miami fans, Nebraska will win this one. W

Oct. 26 Southern Miss: I remember a few years ago I thought Nebraska was going to be really good when they looked near perfect in destroying Southern Miss, turned out that was the year that Southern Miss’ program fell off a cliff, what funny times, Southern Miss still hasn’t climbed back yet so Nebraska will have no problem with them. W

Oct. 3 @ Illinois: If Illinois didn’t have so much controversy I could see their offense giving Nebraska a tough time due to their offense, but regardless I see Nebraska coming out of this one with a win. W

Oct. 10 Wisconsin: Wisconsin has had Nebraska’s number for the past few year, actually Nebraska has only beat them once since entering the Big 10, and they got destroyed by Wisconsin in the Big 10 championship later that year, both programs have some change, and while Wisconsin loses Melvin Gordon they still have some great running backs, and unlike Nebraska, Wisconsin will not be changing their system. I have Wisconsin winning this again, at least this year, and no records will be set this time. L

Oct. 17 @ Minnesota: Jerry Kill is a coach who has had Nebraska’s number lately, he only lost to them in his first year, when Minnesota also lost to New Mexico State, Minnesota’s defense will be a tough matchup for Nebraska’s offense in this one, and Nebraska drops a close low scoring game. L

Oct. 24 Northwestern: I think Northwestern will make a little resurgence this year, but in this game they will have it rough in trying to beat Nebraska, they will test the Huskers, but Nebraska comes out with the victory. W

Oct. 31 @ Purdue: Nebraska’s talent will simply be too much for Purdue in this one, the offense will have one of its better games of the year in a victory. W

Nov. 7 Michigan State: Michigan State will overall be Nebraska’s toughest test yet, and while they won’t get blown out of the water, I can’t see Nebraska coming out of this game with a win, but they could get close. L

Nov. 14 @ Rutgers: Rutgers has actually been decently challenging to play on the road in the Big 10, and this is Nebraska’s 11 straight game without a bye, Rutgers loses a lot this year, but they could be playing better by this time, I could see Nebraska having a much tougher time than expected, but still winning. W

Nov. 27 Iowa: Nebraska finally has a bye week before this game, and that will give them so much needed rest at a great time, as they come into this kind of rivalry game refreshed, Nebraska will make the plays they need to win this one. W

Record: 9-3(5-3)

 

[WhiteMamba]

@BoiseStateFan27 I see you have not received a bullshit award yet, so I gave you one for picking Sparty over Oregon.

No hard feelings sir.

 

[7Samurai13]

@BoiseStateFan27 I see you have not received a bullshit award yet, so I gave you one for picking Sparty over Oregon.

No hard feelings sir.

I bullshit your bullshit.

 

[WhiteMamba]

I bullshit your bullshit.

Triple bullshit!!