2015 Season Prediction Thread

[7Samurai13]

We can tag people on here now?

Start with @ then type name. @BoiseStateFan27

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Psst they play Alabama week one

well of course, what do you mean sir? I have them playing Alabama in week one

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Start with @ then type name. @BoiseStateFan27

Hmmm

@7Samurai13

 

[7Samurai13]

well of course, what do you mean sir? I have them playing Alabama in week one

Stop making up quotes for me.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Think I figured that out

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Penn State Nittany Lions

Preview: Penn State struggled in their first year under James Franklin, the main reason why is the offensive line was terrible. Penn State struggled to a 7-6 record, but one of their better offensive performances was in a win in the Pinstripe bowl over Boston College. The offense features a future NFL QB in Christian Hackenburg, he struggled last year thanks to being on the run a lot with the offensive line struggling, but if the offensive line can improve he will be dangerous. Akeel Lynch has showed some promise and now he is the number one RB, DaeSean Hamilton was one of the Big 10s better receivers last year, and the tight end position is very deep. The offensive line returns 4 starters from a group that struggled, but with another year together they should improve. The defense meanwhile was the star for this team last year, and with the return of Bob Shoop it’s the first time in several years that the defense will have the same coordinator back to back years. The defensive line should be strong with two of the best defensive tackles in the Big 10, the linebackers are pretty good, but Mike Hull will be a tough player to replace there, the secondary should be solid also, free safety Marcus Allen was terrific there as a freshman. The schedule is about as good as it could be, San Diego State is the most threatening non-conference opponent, and it sets up very well for Penn State to start 6-0, the tough part is they get Ohio State and Michigan State on the road. Overall Penn State will have an improved year, and could potentially hit 10 wins.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ Temple: This is a road game, but Penn State will easily have more fans at the game, Penn State’s struggling offense scored 30 on Temple last year, and Temple’s offense doesn’t have a great QB like Penn State does, Penn State takes this one. W

Sept. 12 Buffalo: Buffalo has an exciting new head coach, and will certainly be better coached, it could make Buffalo a little more pesky, but Penn State will be too talented to actually lose this game. W

Sept. 19 Rutgers: For the second straight year these two play to open Big 10 play, I’m not sure why they both are the only Big 10 teams to play before October, perhaps it’s because they both play Army? That’s the only thing I can really come up with, weird. Anyways for the game itself Rutgers does return the defensive line that absolutely harassed Hackenberg last year, but Rutgers will not have it easy trying to score on Penn State, and Hackenberg when he does get time will take advantage of Rutgers new secondary. W

Sept. 26 San Diego State: San Diego State will challenge Penn State with their good defense, but San Diego State doesn’t have an offense that will score much on Penn State, at least not enough for Penn State to lose. W

Oct. 3 Army: Army improved quite a bit last year under Monken, but they lose a lot from that team and won’t be much of a threat to Penn State in this one. W

Oct. 10 Indiana: Indiana’s offense will be a threat, but Penn State will be able to score on Indiana very easily, and win this one. W

Oct. 17 @ Ohio State: Penn State turned out to give Ohio State the toughest time out of anyone in the Big 10 last year and their defense gave Ohio State all sorts of fits, Ohio State powered through and won the game though, Penn State’s offensive line will be improved but Ohio State’s defense will again give Hackenberg a tough time, causing Penn State to lose.

Oct. 24 Maryland(Baltimore) : Forgot I had Penn State losing this game in an upset. L

Oct. 31 Illinois: Illinois actually upset Penn State last year, in one of my better upset picks!! This year I think Penn State will take this game. W

Nov. 7 @ Northwestern: Northwestern will be a tricky team for Penn State to face, they’re right before a tough two game stretch to end the year, and I think at this point in the year Northwestern’s offense will be playing really good allowing them to pull off the upset. L

Nov. 21 Michigan: Like I said in the Michigan preview, the home team has a good winning streak in the series between these two, I’m going to ride that in this one, but seriously how much fun is the Big 10 East going to be soon? Harbaugh, Franklin, Meyer and Dantonio, all in the same division? Wow. W

Nov. 28 @ Michigan State: Michigan State will be very tough to beat, their defensive line is one of the best in the country, so Penn State’s offensive line will have to be a whole new line basically compared to last year to keep Hackenberg comfortable, still Penn State puts up a good fight but loses late. L

Record: 8-4(4-4)

fixing an error

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Big 10

East

1. Ohio State Buckeyes 12-0(8-0)

2. Michigan State Spartans 11-1(7-1)

3. Michigan Wolverines 8-4(5-3)

4. Penn State Nittany Lions 8-4(4-4)

5. Indiana Hoosiers 6-6(3-5)

6. Maryland Terrapins 5-7(2-6)

7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4=8(1-7)

West

1. Wisconsin Badgers 10-2(7-1)

2. Nebraska Cornhuskers 8-4(5-3)

3. Northwestern Wildcats 8-4(5-3)

4. Iowa Hawkeyes 7-5(4-4)

5. Minnesota Golden Gophers 7-5(4-4)

6. Purdue Boilermakers 2-10(1-7)

7. Illinois Fighting Illini 3-9(0-8)


Big 10 Championship: Ohio State over Wisconsin, Ohio State will take down Wisconsin in the Big 10 championship for the second year in a row, it will be more competitive than the last one though.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Baylor Bears

Preview: Who saw this coming around 7 years ago? Baylor was a program at the bottom of the Big 12, even Kansas and Kansas State were having more success than they were, suddenly in came Art Briles and his innovative offensive system and here we are, Baylor is now a playoff contender, and at the top of the Big 12, they beat Oklahoma and Texas by a combined score of 76-21 last year, again 7 years ago this would have been mind-blowing. Last year Baylor went 11-2, with a big 61-58 comeback win over TCU in one heck of a game, but they were upset on the road against West Virginia, and blew a 20 point lead in their New Years 6 game against Michigan State. The offense was of course excellent again last year, though at times it wasn’t as efficient as usual, Bryce Petty now is in the NFL and now in comes Seth Russell who has received a lot of playing time in his first two years at Baylor, thanks to big halftime leads, he is a faster runner than Petty was making the offense trickier to defend. The talent around him is great as well, Shock Linwood one of the top RBs in the Big 12 returns, and an absolutely loaded group of receivers in Corey Coleman, Jay Lee and freshman sensation KD Cannon, don’t be surprised if some new receivers come on to the scene also, the TE position is an intriguing one with the absolutely massive former offensive lineman LaQuan McGowan, most likely the only TE who is over 400 pounds, wow that will be fun to watch. In addition to that, the entire offensive line returns, Baylor is just filled with talent and experience on the offensive side of the ball. Their defense could possibly be the best in the Art Briles era, the defensive line brings everyone back including scary defensive lineman Shawn Oakman who is a ridiculous talent, the linebackers replace some players but return Taylor Young who was amazing as a redshirt freshman, the secondary was a weakness last year but does return everyone, meaning there should be some improvement. The schedule as usual features no challenges out of conference, and overall doesn’t really face any challenges until November, but that’s where things get tough, especially a stretch where Baylor goes on the road against Oklahoma State where they haven’t won in years, and then 6 days later they go on the road to play their biggest conference rival in TCU. The issue with all of this is it’s in November, and despite how good Baylor is, I can’t see them getting through November without at least one loss, and with it being that late in the year Baylor likely will be eliminated from playoff contention.

Predictions:

Sept. 4 @ SMU: Well with Chad Morris as head coach, SMU should at least score a point against Baylor this year. W

Sept. 12 Lamar: Lamar is mediocre at best in FCS, Baylor should hit at least 40 by halftime. W

Sept. 26 Rice: Baylor wins in a blowout. W

Oct. 3 Texas Tech(Arlington) : Texas Tech actually very nearly upset Baylor last year, I think Texas Tech will be improved this year, but Baylor will win this game. W

Oct. 10 @ Kansas: Baylor will win this in a blowout. W

Oct. 17 @ West Virginia: Baylor will get revenge on West Virginia in this game, their offense won’t have near as much trouble as it did last year, and they take this one in a shootout. W

Oct. 24 Iowa State: Baylor will dominate Iowa State in a blowout here. W

Nov. 5 @ Kansas State: Interesting Thursday night matchup here, Kansas State usually will give Baylor a tough time at home, so Baylor won’t have it easy in this one, but they escape with the win. W

Nov. 14 Oklahoma: Now starts a run against the major Big 12 contenders, Baylor has blown out Oklahoma in the past two, but Oklahoma will be improved this year, Baylor still wins but it’s not a blowout this time. W

Nov. 21 @ Oklahoma State: I have Oklahoma State upsetting Baylor in this one, until Baylor can finally beat them on the road, I’m going to pick Oklahoma State every time. L

Nov. 27 @ TCU: Both teams have one less day in the week following a tough game against the Oklahoma schools the week before, brutal stretch for the two, I actually have Baylor winning this game, I just think they’ll be a little healthier at this point, TCU had ridiculously good luck with injuries last year, and that doesn’t happen often. W

Dec. 5 Texas: Texas’ defense was Baylor’s biggest test last year, their offense really couldn’t do much of anything against the Texas defense, the Texas offense on the other hand couldn’t do anything against Baylor’s defense, maybe Jarrod Heard might be the starter by this game, but Baylor will have better success scoring this year, and Texas won’t have the offense to upset Baylor in this game. W

Record: 11-1(7-1)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Baylor should be 8-1 in conference not 7-1

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Iowa State Cyclones

Preview: A rough few seasons has seen Iowa State falling to the bottom of the Big 12, and now Paul Rhoads who was doing an incredible job here, is on the hotseat. Last season was especially a struggle, Iowa State was yet another FBS opponent to lose to North Dakota State, and despite that they were solidly contending early in the year, losing close games to Kansas State and Texas, and not really getting beaten too badly by Baylor and Oklahoma State, along with a win over rival Iowa, and beating Toledo. They dropped off after that, the worst being a 34-14 loss to Kansas. Iowa State stumbled to a 2-10 record. The offense has been at the bottom of the Big 12 for a while, but there’s some promise in the second year of Mark Mangino being the offensive coordinator, Sam Richardson returns and for the first time in his career is undoubtedly the starter, the passing game will be good for this offense as it has some big targets, Allen Lazard was a star last year as a freshman, D’Vario Montgomery is another big receiver, and another great receiver in Quenton Bundrage returns after missing almost all of last year, these could be the best group of receivers Iowa State has had in a long time, provided they stay healthy. The defense could end up losing their entire front seven with the only returning starter up there Luke Knott, possibly having hip issues. The secondary is the only portion of the defense with returning starters. The schedule is overall brutal, Iowa State has a non-conference schedule of Northern Iowa, Iowa and Toledo, they could win all 3 of those, or easily lose all 3. Kansas is the first conference game, so a 4-0 start is possible, finding some wins after that will be tough, and would be a major upset if it happens. I actually think they will improve a little bit, but I can’t see them getting into a bowl game.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Northern Iowa: Iowa State lost to Northern Iowa to start out the year two years ago, and Northern Iowa is still towards the top of FCS, this won’t be an easy matchup, but I think Iowa state wins. W

Sept. 12 Iowa: Despite the recent struggles Iowa State has actually done well against their rivals Iowa, and I think they will keep that off and manage to take down Iowa in this game. W

Sept. 19 @ Toledo: Toledo is towards the top of the Mac and an especially tough road opponent, but they simply have been incapable of beating power-5 schools, so that is an advantage for Iowa state who wins. W

Oct. 3 Kansas: Kansas returns 5 starters, this year will be a mess for them. Iowa State wins this for a great start to the year. W

Oct. 10 @ Texas Tech: Texas Tech will make some improvements this year, and they will beat Iowa State in a shootout. L

Oct. 17 TCU: Iowa State is a tricky place to play, but they won’t upset TCU. L

Oct. 24 @ Baylor: Iowa State will get blown out in this game. L

Oct. 31 Texas: Ok, for all their offensive struggles last year, Iowa State put up 45! 45 points against one of the best defenses in the conference, I think Iowa State might test Texas again, but they will lose yet again. L

Nov. 7 @ Oklahoma: Oklahoma pretty much pummels Iowa State every time. L

Nov. 14 Oklahoma State: Call me crazy but UPSET!! Iowa State is at home against Oklahoma State, in between Oklahoma State hosting Baylor and TCU, this is a prime upset opportunity for Iowa State and I think they take this in a stunner. W

Nov. 21 @ Kansas State: Iowa State unfortunately won’t repeat the magic here. L

Nov. 28 @ West Virginia: And especially not here, West Virginia is a tough place to play. L

Record: 5-7(2-7)

 

[Olyduck]

There's certainly a lot of questions with both teams, honestly it's tough to tell how both will play as their game against each other is their first true test, I just think getting Oregon earlier in the year is better than later.

Couldn't the same be said the other way as well?

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Couldn't the same be said the other way as well?

Yes but I feel more so for Oregon, I honestly wouldn't be at all surprised with either result

both teams are very good.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Kansas Jayhawks

Preview: Last year Charlie Weis entered the season on the hot seat, he brought in some transfers in hopes of a quick fix, they still struggled to a 3-9 season, one of those wins being after Weis was fired, after Weis was fired Clint Bowen the defensive coordinator took over and actually Kansas played their two best games of the year, they pummeled Iowa State, and then nearly upset TCU in a game where Kansas was ridiculously lucky, recovering almost all their fumbles and scored a touchdown on a pass that was tipped by TCU. Overall the quick fix didn’t work, Weis is gone and in comes David Beaty as the new head coach, he is known as a great recruiter but has no head coach experience, it’s tough to trust coaches known as recruiters where programs aren’t a good recruiting program, but this also means there’s a rough transition here. The offense struggled last year despite having some good receivers who are now gone, and after QB Michael Cummings was lost in the spring, there’s only two, yes two starters returning for this offense. The defense last year was perhaps the better unit of the two, but three players from the defense were taken in the NFL draft, the best returning player, linebacker Jake Love may not be back due to concussion issues, that leaves three starters back for the defense. The schedule won’t do Kansas any favors, nine conference games is tough enough but they play a good Memphis team, Rutgers and a good fcs opponent. This is a recipe for disaster, if Kansas doesn’t win in week one, they won’t win at all, for Beaty it won’t be time to judge until later on, not many coaches could win much with this roster.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 South Dakota State: South Dakota State has never beaten a FBS opponent before, but that could change, they should be one of the better teams in FCS this year, and with Kansas as bad as they are South Dakota State might have the better team, I think they finally do it and pull off the upset, plus some Dakota team has to do it, North Dakota State doesn’t play a FBS opponent this year and of course with a 5(an overall record of 8-3) game winning streak against FBS opponents(3 wins by double digits) why would a FBS team play them? South Dakota State gets their moment they win. L

Sept. 12 Memphis: As sad as this is to say, Memphis has too much talent for Kansas to have a shot at winning this game. L

Sept. 26 @ Rutgers: Well Kansas at least has a bye week prior to this game, and Rutgers has some transition themselves to go through, but there’s no way Kansas will be able to stop Leonte Carroo or Rutgers’ RB trio. L

Oct. 3 @ Iowa State: Last realistic shot for Kansas to win, but they don’t win, Iowa State’s offense will have a great day against the Kansas defense. L

Oct. 10 Baylor: Will Baylor hit 70? L

Oct. 17 Texas Tech: Texas Tech’s offense will be far too much for Kansas, another blowout. L

Oct. 24 @ Oklahoma State: Another blowout. L

Oct. 31 Oklahoma: And another. L

Nov. 7 @ Texas: And another. L

Nov. 14 @ TCU: TCU certainly won’t take them as lightly, another blowout. L

Nov. 21 West Virginia: Yet another blowout. L

Nov. 28 Kansas State: Just to finish it off, here’s another blowout loss. L

Record: 0-12(0-9)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Kansas State Wildcats

Preview: The wizard Bill Snyder has his work cut out for himself this year. After a good 9-4 season last year, in which Kansas State was the best Big 12 team besides TCU and Baylor, they have to rebuild. The offense was good last year, but now loses QB Jake Waters, along with its top receivers Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton. The QB competition is wide open and how Kansas State’s offense operates this year will depend on who wins that competition between Alex Delton a freshman who has great speed but needs development as a passer, or the more experienced Jesse Ertz who is a pocket passer, or Joe Hubener who is a big physical dual threat. The running back situation is good with Charles Jones who played some last year and there’s two redshirt freshmen who are dynamic and could break out for Kansas State. The receivers are an issue, with very little for playmakers there. The offensive line is the one sure thing the offense has with 4 starters back, all of which are seniors. The defense should be decent, the defensive line is pretty good but could improve, linebacker has some question marks but it will help to get the greatly named Charmeachealle Moore back after missing last year due to injury. The secondary will be the strength of this defense. The schedule is pretty weak in non-conference play with Louisiana Tech as the only challenge, but that nine team conference schedule is always tough. Honestly on paper Kansas State probably wouldn’t make a bowl game, but you know Bill Snyder will at least get them there, they will have a big drop off compared to normal Snyder standards though.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 South Dakota: South Dakota actually won their first ever game against a FBS opponent, but they haven’t beaten one since, they are pretty bad now and certainly won’t be a threat. W

Sept. 12 @ UTSA: UTSA has a major rebuilding project, losing a ridiculous amount of players from last year’s team, Kansas State will roll. W

Sept. 19 Louisiana Tech: This will be a challenge, overall Louisiana Tech is one of the better teams outside the power 5 conferences, they give Kansas State a really difficult time here but Kansas State escapes. W

Oct. 3 @ Oklahoma State: The bye week definitely helps Kansas State for this game, they give Oklahoma State all they can handle, but in the end Kansas State takes their first loss of the year in a close one. L

Oct. 10 TCU: Kansas State will give TCU all they can handle here, and falls just short of the upset. L

Oct. 17 Oklahoma: I don’t understand why, but the last time a home team won in a matchup between these two was 2009, so I’ll stick with that and Oklahoma wins. L

Oct. 24 @ Texas: Kansas State has definitely had Texas’ number lately, they keep that going with a win here. W

Nov. 5 Baylor: Both teams get extra time to prepare for this Thursday night matchup and Kansas State gives Baylor all they can handle in this game before falling just short of the upset. L

Nov. 14 @ Texas Tech: I actually think Texas Tech will be improved this year, and they take down Kansas State in this game. L

Nov. 21 Iowa State: Kansas State won’t have too much trouble with Iowa State in this game as Kansas State’s biggest strength in the secondary will be able to minimize the effect of Iowa State’s good receivers, and Kansas State will run all over Iowa State. W

Nov 28 @ Kansas: Kansas State will once again dominate their rival. W

Dec. 5 West Virginia: This will be a back and forth matchup that Kansas State will barely come out with the victory in. W

Record: 7-5(4-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oklahoma Sooners

Preview: Oklahoma sure had a disappointing year last year, one of the most disappointing of the Stoops era, Oklahoma stumbled to an 8-5 record, and had some low moments on the way. Those moments included a blowout 48-14 home loss to Baylor, a home loss to rival Oklahoma State that allowed them to go bowling, and finally the absolute dud that was their bowl game, where Oklahoma just looked terrible in every single way. Stoops was forced to make changes, offensive coordinator Josh Heupel is out, in comes air raid coordinator Lincoln Riley who is a riser, it will be interesting to see how he runs the offense this year. The reason for that is that the offense doesn’t look entirely ready for an air raid approach, one of the biggest concerns is QB where Trevor Knight struggled badly last year, and he will compete with transfer Baker Mayfield who played in the air raid system at Texas Tech before transferring. Another reason for the misfit is the star of the offense is the best RB for a great program that is somehow extremely underrated and not talked much despite breaking the FBS single game rushing record in Samaje Perine, he is the true star of this offense. The receivers are a little disappointing, Sterling Shepard was the best they had there and he got hurt late last year, the good news is he is healthy but some more targets need to emerge to make the air raid work. The offensive line loses a lot of experience but at least is anchored by a great center in Ty Darlington. Oklahoma’s defense struggled mightily to defend the pass last year, the defensive line is led by Charles Tapper, but not much else, someone else will need to emerge as a threat there, the linebackers are very good with Frank Shannon back from suspension, leading tackler Dominque Alexander, and great pass rusher Eric Striker who must remember causing chaos on the Alabama offensive line a few years ago. The secondary was a weak point, but Zach Sanchez was a star back there, everyone else needs to improve. Oklahoma has some tricky games on the schedule their only tough non-conference game is a road game against Tennessee, the last three games are against their three big competitors for the conference. Oklahoma should rebound this year, but they will fall short of a conference championship.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 Akron: What a random game this is, Akron could be pretty solid this year, in the Mac, they will get pummeled by Oklahoma. W

Sept. 12 @ Tennessee: Tennessee will finally be good this year, and they will give Oklahoma all they can handle in this game, but Oklahoma will escape with a close win. W

Sept. 19 Tulsa: Oklahoma will blow out Tulsa as usual. W

Oct. 3 West Virginia: Oklahoma’s secondary will be tested in this game, with West Virginia’s good young passing options, Oklahoma still comes out with the victory though. W

Oct. 10 Texas(Dallas) : I kind of wanted to pick Texas to upset Oklahoma but Texas’s lack of a passing offense will prevent them from doing so. W

Oct. 17 @ Kansas State: Oklahoma was the last home team to win in a matchup between these two back in 2009, so I’ll keep with the trend and have Oklahoma winning. W

Oct. 24 Texas Tech: Texas Tech will be improved as well this year, but I can’t see them upsetting Oklahoma at home. W

Oct. 31 @ Kansas: This will be a blowout, Oklahoma wins. W

Nov. 7 Iowa State: Oklahoma never has any trouble with Iowa State. W

Nov. 14 @ Baylor: Oklahoma will lose to Baylor again this year, Baylor’s passing offense will again be too much for Oklahoma’s secondary, but this time it won’t be a blow out like last time. L

Nov. 21 TCU: Oklahoma will keep themselves in Big 12 contention by pulling off an upset over TCU. W

Nov. 28 @ Oklahoma State: The road team has a winning streak in this series too, but I think that one will come to an end, Oklahoma State will upset Oklahoma in this game. L

Record: 10-2(7-2)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Preview: What a dropoff Oklahoma State had last year, they started out 5-1 with a close loss to Florida State, and with that start it looked like Oklahoma State was a contender for the Big 12 despite some questions, well all those questions made themselves known and Oklahoma State lost 5 straight and suddenly were a road loss to rival Oklahoma from not going bowling for the first time since 2005, instead of that happening Oklahoma State went and stunned their rival on the road and made a bowl game where they upset Washington in the Cactus bowl and now after a long year last year Oklahoma State looks set for a return to the top of the Big 12. The offense last year struggled more than usual, but it played better when Mason Rudolph burned his redshirt thanks to an injury to Daxx Garman and he played great, now he looks set to be Oklahoma State’s first set starter they’ve had since Brandon Weeden. The running back position is a bit of a question thanks to Tyreek Hill’s arrest and subsequent booting from the team, the receivers were inconsistent last year outside of Brandon Shepard and James Washington, so Oklahoma State started using more tight ends and fullbacks last year, that could remain this year too. The offensive line returns 3 starters and brings in a good offensive tackle from UAB, so it should be improved. The defense could really decide how the season goes for Oklahoma State and that’s because it has to stay healthy, there’s talented starters but their depth is a worry. The defensive line returns playmakers on the outside, but the inside will need to be replaced, the linebackers are solid too, and Oklahoma State has a strong secondary. The schedule is very weak in non-conference play, but the challenge will again be Oklahoma State’s defense staying healthy because the challenges are in November, Oklahoma State also has a lot of tough road games against tricky opponents in the middle of the conference. There’s a lot of tripping points but if they can avoid them they host Oklahoma, TCU and Baylor the three biggest contenders for the Big 12.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 @ Central Michigan: What a weird game this is, good for Central Michigan though, in terms of the results Oklahoma State will win. W

Sept. 12 Central Arkansas: Central Arkansas will be decent in FCS this year, but they certainly won’t be a match for Oklahoma State. W

Sept. 19 UTSA: UTSA is in a major rebuilding effort, so Oklahoma State will roll. W

Sept. 26 @ Texas: Oklahoma State’s offense will see its first struggles against Texas, Texas doesn’t have as good of a defense as last year but they will give Oklahoma State fits, and Texas will have a good day on offense. L

Oct. 3 Kansas State: Oklahoma State struggles against Kansas State but comes out with the win. W

Oct. 10 @ West Virginia: This is a tough trip for teams in the Big 12, and Oklahoma State falls victim to it here in an upset. L

Oct. 24 Kansas: Oklahoma State has a bye week before this, they don’t need one to blowout Kansas. W

Oct. 31 @ Texas Tech: Yet another tough road trip for Oklahoma State against an improved Texas Tech team, but Oklahoma State escapes in a shootout. W

Nov. 7 TCU: Oklahoma State has had great success at home against TCU, but this is a different TCU team, Oklahoma State tests them but loses it barely. L

Nov. 14 @ Iowa State: Major stunner here, Oklahoma State gets caught looking ahead to Baylor, and is upset. L

Nov. 21 Baylor: Oklahoma State has dominated Baylor at home for the longest time now, I’ll have them pulling the upset here. W

Nov. 28 Oklahoma: Oklahoma State manages to upset their rival Oklahoma at home in this one. W


Record: 8-4(5-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Texas Christian Horned Frogs

Preview: What a year TCU had last year, after struggling in their first two years in the Big 12 with injuries, poor QB play, and just bad luck in general, all three of those things became complete opposites and TCU emerged to a 13-1 record in which their only loss was one where they blew a lead to lose 61-58 to Baylor. TCU made wholesale changes to their offense, from a conservative offense to the air raid scheme ran by a lot of teams in the Big 12, and wow will it change things, QB Trevone Boykin who struggled previously at QB and even was moved to receiver at times evolved into an absolute star in the system, he will return this year. The running back position was one of the few that actually had injury issues, BJ Catalon was the starter there but he went down with an injury that allowed Aaron Green to emerge and he was fantastic, there will also be Kyle Hicks, and Shaun Nixon is back after missing all of last year. TCU brings back a lot of their great receivers from last year, the best being Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee. Four of five starters return on the offensive line, this offense is loaded. The defensive was good last year like a Gary Patterson defense always is, the defensive line was good last year and should be solid again this year, with Chucky Hunter being the only big loss, both linebackers have to be replaced but there’s been a lot of good things said about the replacements Sammy Douglas and Mike Freeze, Patterson seems excited about them being more athletic. The secondary will be good too. Overall TCU is at least so far a college football playoff contender, it will be interesting to see what happens though, after two years of horrible injury luck they changed it by having extremely good injury luck last year so you have to figure they will have something in between. I see them falling short of the playoff, but a Big 12 championship is still very possible with them hosting Baylor the biggest contender in their regular season finale.

Predictions:

Sept. 3 @ Minnesota: Minnesota should be solid this year, but they definitely won’t have a good chance against TCU’s defense and explosive offense. W

Sept. 12 Stephen F Austin: Stephen F Austin is a pretty good FCS team but they’re no threat to TCU. W

Sept. 19 SMU: SMU will be a little better this year, but they would need the greatest turnaround in college football history to beat TCU. W

Sept. 26 @ Texas Tech: TCU will win, but the good news for Texas Tech is that TCU won’t put up 82 points on them this time. W

Oct. 3 Texas: TCU will dominate Texas in this game as Texas still won’t have much offensive success, and TCU will have even better success against Texas’ defense. W

Oct. 10 @ Kansas State: Kansas State will be tricky but TCU will end up winning. W

Oct. 17 @ Iowa State: TCU could randomly struggle but they will win. W

Oct. 29 West Virginia: West Virginia gave TCU all they could handle last year, but that was on the road, and West Virginia has one of the better homefield advantages in the Big 12, overall TCU brings back more than they do and should win. W

Nov. 7 @ Oklahoma State: TCU will manage to beat Oklahoma State in this game. W

Nov. 14 Kansas: Blowout. W

Nov. 21 @ Oklahoma: Oklahoma will see a return to their homefield advantage this year and one of their biggest examples will be this game, as TCU struggles and is upset by Oklahoma. L

Nov. 27 Baylor: Despite being at home for this game, Baylor beats TCU in what is still a shootout but maybe not as crazy of one as last year. L

Record: 10-2(7-2)

 

[USCDoom]

American Athletic Conference

Overlook:

East Final Predicted Standings:

1. Cincinnati Bearcats 10-2(7-1)
2. Central Florida Knights 8-4(6-2)
3. East Carolina Pirates 6-6(5-3)
4. Temple Owls 7-5(5-3)
5. Connecticut Huskies 2-10(1-7)
6. South Florida Bulls 1-11(0-8)

West Final Predicted Standings:
1. Navy Midshipmen 9-3(6-2)
2. Memphis Tigers 8-4(6-2)
3. Houston Cougars 8-4(5-3)
4. Tulane Green Wave 5-7(3-5)
5. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 4-8(2-6)
6. Southern Methodist Mustangs 3-9(2-6)


Championship Prediction: Cincinnati over Navy, Cincinnati doesn't get it easy in this one having to face Navy and their triple option offense, but Cincinnati's offense led by Gunner Kiel will be able to outscore Navy in a shootout.

Hard to Disagree with much. I think you are giving Navy too much credit. Here is how I think it breaks down.
1. Cincinnati
2. UCF
3. Temple
4. East Carolina
5. UConn
6. USF

1. Memphis
2. Houston
3. Navy
4. Tulsa
5. Tulane
6. SMU

Memphis over Cincinnati

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Hard to Disagree with much. I think you are giving Navy too much credit. Here is how I think it breaks down.
1. Cincinnati
2. UCF
3. Temple
4. East Carolina
5. UConn
6. USF

1. Memphis
2. Houston
3. Navy
4. Tulsa
5. Tulane
6. SMU

Memphis over Cincinnati

Well how about that, good to see you sir!

I find that option teams rely heavily on QB play, and Navy had a great one in Keenan Reynolds

I certainly wouldn't be surprised if the West shakes out like that though, I did fear that I underrated Memphis a little bit.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Texas Longhorns

Preview: Well it certainly has been a while since Texas was at the top of the college football landscape and in fact really this kind of slide they’ve been on since 2010 was almost unimaginable the year before, yet here we are, the 2009 season was the last time Texas was a contender in the national title race, and it will at least be another year before they do. The offense once again struggled last year, as it once again had troubles with QB play, Tyrone Swoopes started most of last year and is back again, he will try to hold off Jarrod Heard who is the more promising of the two candidates but with Texas trying to run a more up-tempo rushing attack perhaps Swoopes will have another shot, he is a good runner, but hasn’t been able to develop as a passer. Promising RB Jonathan Gray will be the full time starter at running back, Marcus Johnson is the team’s leading returning WR, and Texas will have to hope some of the young receivers develop behind him. The offensive line is more experienced and has more depth. The offense needs to certainly improve because Texas won’t have the top level defense they had a year ago to keep them in game, while defense should still be Texas’ strength there is a lot of great talent gone. The defensive line lost Malcolm Brown a first round NFL draft pick, but it is deep and experienced still, Brown will be tough to replace but they should still be good there. Linebacker is a concern for Texas though, but the secondary should be alright despite the loss of four year starter Quandre Diggs. The schedule Texas has is absolutely brutal, with only one easy non-conference game, the other two are against Notre Dame and what should be an improved California team. Improvement may be hinted by close losses to good teams this year, Texas won’t see much improvement in their record though.

Predictions:

Sept. 5 @ Notre Dame: This game will be pretty telling for how good both teams will be this year, Texas is a team that could exceed my predictions and if they do they will show it right here, but I think they will lose this game, Notre Dame’s defense will give their new offense a tough time. L

Sept. 12 Rice: Texas always enjoys feasting on Rice for an easy non-conference win. W

Sept. 19 California: California is set to make a big step up in their 3rd year under Sonny Dykes, Cal has tremendous success on offense in this game and Texas doesn’t have an offense that is ready to keep up. L

Sept. 26 Oklahoma State: Texas recovers to pull off an upset over Oklahoma State, after struggling with Cal’s offense the week before Texas frustrates Oklahoma State’s offense and wins. W

Oct. 3 @ TCU: Unfortunately this game will look similar to that of last year’s game, TCU rolls. L

Oct. 10 Oklahoma(Dallas) : Texas in this one will put up one of their better performances of the year, and they come so close to upsetting their rival but fall just short. L

Oct. 24 Kansas State: Texas has a bye week prior while Kansas State is coming off a big game against Oklahoma, logic you would think would say that Texas will win, but usually when these two play the only logic that holds is that Kansas State will beat Texas. L

Oct. 31 @ Iowa State: Texas struggles in this game, but escapes with a win. W

Nov. 7 Kansas: This is a much needed confidence booster, Texas rolls. W

Nov. 14 @ West Virginia: So far Texas has seemed to have the edge between these two, I’ll stick with that and say Texas wins in a close one. W

Nov. 26 Texas Tech: Texas continues a nice late season roll and beats Texas Tech. W

Dec. 5 @ Baylor: Texas will put up a good fight in this game but come up short. L

Record: 6-6(5-4)