BoiseStateFan's 2017 College Football Predictions/Preview Thread

[AlaskaGuy]

Washington and Boise State - gusgustheguru

 

[Boise4Life]

Washington and Boise State - gusgustheguru

I'd love to see it. I think it would be great for both teams for the reasons that the article stated. Four years ago Boise got their doors blown off in Seattle, but in 2012 and 2015 Boise won games that went right down to the wire. I sure wish it was a conference rivalry, but alas.

 

[Boise4Life]

What is the outlook for Boise State's future?

Don't overlook rarely under-the-radar Boise State

For that second article, I for one will be overlooking them in 2017. I see four regular season losses minimum and likely no conference title for the third year in a row. The level is falling off. It's understandable considering Petersen's departure and the widening gap between the have and have nots.

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Where did they go? 2007 Fiesta Bowl champ Boise State players

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Temple Owls

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Preview: For the longest time Temple was one of the most miserable football programs, pretty much destined to go nowhere. Suddenly they made a few hires and things have changed. Matt Rhule the last of those great hires was probably the best one, he brought Temple in the top 25 several times and in 2015 even had Temple at a level where they hosted Notre Dame on college gameday and nearly won the game. Suddenly you can't talk about the American without Temple being a threat to win the title. Geoff Collins is the next hire in line and he fits a similar mold to Matt Rhule as a tough defensive minded coach. It should be interesting to see how Collins keeps the momentum going.

Last year actually got off to a bumpy start as Temple opened the year with a surprising 28-13 home loss to Army, they did easily beat Stony Brook and then they lost competitively 34-27 to Penn State, at the time that didn't look too good, now of course you look at it and are amazed by their performance. Temple blew out Charlotte and SMU. Then Temple lost by a touchdown to Memphis and needed a touchdown at the very last second to get past UCF. Then Temple figured things out, they dominated South Florida and Cincinnati. Then they shutout UConn and Tulane and blew out East Carolina. Temple made the American championship and crushed Navy. Rhule took the job at Baylor after and Temple dropped a dud with an interim coach against Wake Forest in a game where Temple took a 7-0 lead then Wake Forest rattled off 31 unanswered points before losing their QB for the game and Temple rallied but fell short.

Temple hasn't had much of a good offense lately, but the last two years especially the offense has at least been good enough to compliment the defense. Now we get to see how Collins' offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude does. Patenaude has been the offensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina the past 5 years, he had very strong running offenses and recently tried to have more of a passing attack, it didn't work because Coastal Carolina had to cycle through about 5 QBs thanks to injuries, the offense was still productive somehow despite that. Tons of unproven questions for options at QB, 4 QBs mostly sophomores and freshmen have been battling for the job. Temple loses on good RB in Jahad Thomas, luckily another good one emerged last year in Ryquell Armstead, Armstead actually surpassed Thomas even he was more consistent and was capable of long runs. The good news is Temple gets their entire trio of 6'3" WRs back, all 3 were quite solid last year. Temple brings back 5 linemen with starting experience the one loss in Dion Dawkins was a big one though, he ended up being a 2nd round pick in the NFL draft.

Temple has fielded a strong defense for a while, and you can't see it taking too much of a step back under Collins. The defensive line will certainly have some retooling as there is a lot of production gone, Haason Reddick was good enough to be picked in the top 15 of the NFL draft, he had a ridiculous 22.5 TFL and 10.5 sacks last year, also gone is Praise Martin-Oguike and his 10 TFL and 7.5 sacks. Two of he leading backup defensive ends are gone as well, at least two solid defensive tackles return. Temple also loses their top 3 linebackers. The secondary is the strong point of this defense with two fantastic safeties, and 3 really good corners returning, plus for good measure Temple added a transfer from NC Central named Mike Jones, he was a star for them and also a fantastic punt returning, should be interesting to see how he does. The losses in the front 7 are a cause for concern, Temple won't collapse completely but repeating the performance of the last few years might be a big ask.

Temple's schedule is quite tricky, the non-conference includes games against Villanova and UMass, but also another game against Army and a tough season opener against Notre Dame. Temple draws Houston, Navy and Tulsa from the West and has to deal with South Florida on the road. Overall Temple will take a small step back this year, but in the old days of Temple football it would still be a good year.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Notre Dame: Pretty much Temple's only hope in this one is to keep it close, perhaps if it's a close game in the 4th quarter Notre Dame will get the "oh no not again" syndrome and collapse late to lose like last year, I think Notre Dame will keep a safe gap to prevent that from happening. L
Sep. 9 Villanova: Villanova was a FCS playoff team last year so they're pretty solid, and they always bring their best against Temple, Collins better make sure he doesn't overlook them. W
Sep. 15 UMass: Temple rolls past UMass in this one. W
Sep. 21 @ South Florida: Their rebuilt front 7 gets tested again and struggles to stop a strong Bulls offense. L
Sep. 30 Houston: Temple rebounds though, a weakness from Houston's offensive line means they have to pass too much against this Owls secondary, and they take full advantage. W
Oct. 7 @ East Carolina: After the big performance Temple has a major letdown. L
Oct. 14 UConn: Temple might shut them out again. W
Oct. 21 @ Army: Army once again has a great performance against Temple. L
Nov. 2 Navy: Never a good thing when Temple has this much time to prepare for the option, after struggling with it against Army they take the lessons learned and stop Navy's option. W
Nov. 10 @ Cincinnati: Temple dominates this game. W
Nov. 18 UCF: Temple once again survives a close defensive game against UCF. W
Nov. 25 Tulsa: Tulsa spreads Temple out and it works as the Golden Hurricanes win. L

Predicted Record: 7-5(5-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Tulane Green Wave

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Preview: Tulane has struggled in football for years now, it's hard to believe at one point they were in the SEC. Tulane occasionally had some highlight seasons after but ever since the unbeaten season in 1998 Tulane has been awful and made one bowl appearance. Willie Fritz was a great hire by Tulane last year and in year one he's already done a decent job. Typically his year one's are ok, but Fritz's year twos are reason to get Tulane excited. Fritz has a history of year 2 surges, but there's one issue, is Tulane really in position to surge this year? It may take Fritz a little longer, which could potentially be bad news for Tulane (with Ole Miss' situation they could potentially be looking to snag Fritz once this year is over.) For now it should be interesting to see how this year goes, Tulane plays in the West division of the American which is absolutely loaded with good coaches and good teams.

Year 1 got off to a solid start, Tulane got in quite the defensive battle with Wake Forest in the opener, the final score was 7-3! Tulane did blow out Southern, barely lost to Navy and then took some big wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and UMass. Unfortunately conference play was where it all fell apart, Tulane was somewhat competitive against Memphis in a loss, got blown out by Tulsa, lost at home to SMU, and were easily beaten by UCF, Houston and Temple. Tulane did get one last highlight as they absolutely crushed UConn on the road to end the regular season.

Tulane has had an awful offense for a very long time, typically they are near the bottom of college football's offenses on a yearly basis, they even struggled on offense back when they had future NFL star Matt Forte on the roster! So it was interesting to see what could happen with Willie Fritz's spread option offense. Last year's expectations were low as Tulane didn't really have the personnel for this offense. Neither QB that played last year did all that well, but Tulane had some added competition in JUCO transfer Jonathan Banks, it could be good news that he came in and immediately seized the starting job in the spring. The RBs should be solid seniors Dontrell Hilliard and Sherman Badie return, and both proved to be solid, they have some young unproven players who they will have to hope emerge this year. The receivers are a problem, they are bad... there's some returning players with experience but simply catching the ball would often prove to be too much for them. Tulane needs some transfers and freshmen to emerge. Tulane's offensive line will mix and match they have a group of players that consists of juniors. sophomores and two transfers.

Tulane did manage to field a solid defense last year, unfortunately some injuries took their toll later in the year and the defense was no longer able to keep Tulane in games. Tulane's defensive line is going to badly miss Tanzel Smart who was drafted in the NFL, he had an incredible 18.5 TFL last year, but everyone else is back from the line including Ade Aruna who added 10 TFL and 5 sacks himself. Linebacker is a similar story, the star of the unit in Nico Marley is now gone...and yes if you're reading that last name he actually is Bob Marley's grandson. Everyone else at linebacker returns, though not quite as much past production at this spot. The secondary is led by some really good corners in Parry Nickerson and Donnie Lewis Jr, both safeties return as well so the secondary could be a strength.

The schedule is rough, Tulane's FCS opponent took a 21-3 lead on Arizona last year, and Tulane has to play Butch Davis' FIU on the road. Tulane also has to play a bowl team in Army and an impossible game on the road against Oklahoma. They get the misfortune of drawing South Florida from the East division, but it would be tolerable if they at least got UConn but they don't instead they face Cincinnati and East Carolina. Playing in the tough West division doesn't make it better. Tulane should be a better team this year, but thanks to the schedule it will not show up in the win column.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Grambling State: This is quietly a tough opener, as I said before Grambling State was good enough to take a 21-3 lead on Arizona last year before losing their QB and eventually the game. Tulane might struggle but I'll take them for the win. W
Sep. 9 @ Navy: Tulane's defense could help test Navy, and perhaps they keep it close and lose close like last year. L
Sep. 16 @ Oklahoma: L
Sep. 23 Army: Tulane's defense once again comes up big and their offense finds enough success to win. W
Oct. 7 Tulsa: Tulane did struggle against Tulsa's wide open offense last year, they might not be able to keep up this time either. L
Oct. 14 @ FIU: Tulane does have a strong game here and beats FIU. W
Oct. 21 South Florida: L
Oct. 27 @ Memphis: L
Nov. 4 Cincinnati: Tulane comes very close to grabbing a win in this game but falls just short. L
Nov. 11 @ East Carolina: Tulane falls short here too. L
Nov. 18 Houston: L
Nov. 25 @ SMU: Tulane loses this one as well. L

Predicted Record: 3-9(0-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

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Preview: Tulsa has long been a consistent and tricky mid major program, often giving top teams a tough time and contending for conference titles. Philip Montgomery took over the program at it's lowest point in a while and quickly made them good again. Last year Tulsa had one of their best teams in a long time. Now we'll have to see if they can start contending for a conference title or fall back to the pack as there's some good players to replace. A good year may mean losing Montgomery to a bigger program but due to the Baylor scandal and Montgomery being a former Briles assistant, programs may shy away and if they do it would be a good thing for Tulsa.

Tulsa opened the year with an easy blowout win over San Jose State, and then Tulsa took on Ohio State on the road and during the first half they played very well except they made a lot of mistakes. Tulsa tried to be aggressive and it didn't work, their defense was fantastic as Ohio State struggled miserably to move the ball, while Tulsa's offense did move the ball well but went for it on 4th down several times in the redzone and failed to convert each time...all told they made one field goal and that was it, then for some reason Tulsa tried throwing the ball in a driving rainstorm at the end of the half and threw 2 pick 6s as a result, Ohio State took off from there. Tulsa destroyed their FCS opponent, and then in the first half against a bad Fresno State team they somehow fell behind 31-0 and then Tulsa charged back to win in overtime. Tulsa won another overtime game over SMU the following week and then were stopped an inch away from the game tying TD on the last play against Houston. Tulsa went on a rampage, blowing out Tulane, surprisingly putting up a 59-30 beating of Memphis on the road, and blowing out East Carolina. Tulsa took a 2 point loss to Navy when their defense couldn't find a solution against the option, Tulsa did roll past UCF. Then Tulsa pulled off yet another comeback to beat Cincinnati in overtime. They destroyed Central Michigan in their bowl game to cap off a 10 win season.

Tulsa's offense was great last year but now we'll see just how plug and play this offense can be for a lower program. QB Dane Evans was solid but is now gone, Chad President is a sophomore who was a solid recruit for this program, he is mobile and now is his chance to live up to the hype. It will be key for him to do so. Tulsa had two RBs combine for a stellar 3,000 rushing yards last year, James Flanders was a little better than D'Angelo Brewer but this year Flanders is gone and Brewer returns, Tulsa will be hoping another back emerges to join Brewer. Tulsa loses some of their top receivers, but Justin Hobbs was one of the starting 4 receivers last year so he seems ready to step up, there's other unproven options who may step up as well. Tulsa does have a strong offensive line with 4 starters back and 3 of them were all-conference last year.

Tulsa had a defense that mostly did exactly what a team with this kind of offense wants it's defense to do, it was solid at forcing 3 and outs and turnovers. Tulsa was solid against the pass and run, but a little worse against the run though most of their bad running performances consisted of 3 games, Ohio State, Navy and Tulane. Tulsa's defensive line loses it's starters on the interior of the defensive line but they do get two senior ends that are good, Jesse Brubaker had 13.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks and Jeremy Smith had 8 TFL and 4 sacks. Only one of Tulsa's top 4 linebackers is back but senior Craig Suits was also solid with 9 TFL. The pass defense could be a strength though, Tulsa returns almost everyone in the secondary though Jeremy Brady the one starter that does depart was a good one.

Tulsa does have a tough schedule, all 4 of their non-conference opponents played made a bowl last year, they open with a tough road game against Oklahoma State, then play Louisiana-Lafayette, then Toledo on the road and New Mexico. Tulsa gets UConn at least from the East division but they also pay for it as they also happen to draw South Florida and Temple. There's enough starters gone and the schedule is tough enough that Tulsa could have a bit of a dropoff this year, but it sure wouldn't be surprising if they are able to compete for the division crown again.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Oklahoma State: If you're going to play Oklahoma State you might as well play them in week 1, Rudolph usually takes a few weeks to connect on the deep ball so that makes Oklahoma State a little more vulnerable but they could use their run game to survive the upset bid. L
Sep. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette: Tulsa rolls past the Ragin Cajuns. W
Sep. 16 @ Toledo: This game should become quite the shootout but Toledo takes this game in a close one. L
Sep. 23 New Mexico: Tulsa struggles to stop the option but their offense still leads them to the win. W
Sep. 30 Navy: Same as the previous week except Navy makes enough stops to give Tulsa no chance of coming back. L
Oct. 7 Tulane: This is the 3rd option based team in a row for Tulsa, they might be getting tired of it, this time their offense outscores the opponent. W
Oct. 14 Houston: Tulsa comes up big here as they get revenge for last year's one inch line loss and this time around they upset Houston. W
Oct. 21 @ UConn: Tulsa rolls to an easy win. W
Oct. 27 @ SMU: Tulsa loses in a shootout. L
Nov. 3 Memphis: Tulsa comes close to upsetting Memphis but they don't quite pull it off. L
Nov. 16 @ South Florida: Tulsa really struggles against the run here, South Florida outscores them. L
Nov. 25 Temple: Tulsa ends the late season skid against this tough schedule by pulling off the upset over Temple, amazingly with defense this time. W

Predictions: 6-6(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

UCF Knights

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Preview: UCF is a program that has its ups and downs. After they were for a while one of college football's worst programs George O'Leary started to find success and had teams that contended for conference titles. UCF had a period where they seemingly would have one good year then a bad year then a good year. UCF hit a peak though, as they managed to even win a Fiesta bowl, they were decent the following year and then suddenly plummeted to 0-12 in 2015...I mean what a stunning collapse that was. Frost came in last year and immediately made improvements, and UCF at least was back to being competitive again.

UCF was rather cooperative last year, they beat the bad opponents on their schedule to get to 6 wins and lost to all the good ones. UCF opened the year easily beating South Carolina State, but were destroyed by Michigan and lost in overtime to Maryland. UCF easily beat FIU and East Carolina before losing to Temple on a last second TD. UCF struggled with UConn but won and then blew a 24-3 lead to lose to Houston. UCF did easily beat Tulane and Cincinnati, and then were easily beaten by Tulsa and South Florida. UCF didn't end on the best of notes, dropping a dud in a 31-13 bowl loss to Arkansas State.

UCF struggled miserably on offense last year, on occasion against some bad opponents we did at least get to see what it could be capable of. It was a young offense though, and perhaps some more trials this year could lead to a good 2018. QB McKenzie Milton is the favorite to win the starting job, he took over as the starter last year after the disaster at Michigan, Milton looked good for a few weeks before opponents adjusted and then he struggled. UCF's run game was a disappointment it was pretty miserable all year, they do at least return their starter and two of their backups, and they do have some good incoming freshmen if that doesn't work. UCF returns most of their receivers also Tre'Quan Smith had 57 catches last year and he's the best of a group that struggled but most of these returnees are juniors and younger. Part of the issue with the run game was that the offensive line was miserable, it was mostly incapable of blocking for the run but 7 players are back with starting experience.

UCF's defense improved rapidly last year, for the most part this defense was capable of keeping this team in games. UCF was ok against the run but very good against the pass. Good news is that every single defensive lineman on the roster returns. Tony Guerad is the leader of that group and he had 10 TFL last year. UCF loses a lot of contributors at linebacker, but if they had to choose only one to return it would be Shaquem Griffin who in fact does return. Griffin is the leader of this defense and he was fantastic last year with 20 TFL and 11.5 sacks. The front 7 looks good, but this secondary is a huge concern. UCF has extreme turnover from a good secondary last year. Their starting corners led by Shaquil Griffin (wow a defense led by two players who could be called Shaq Griffin for short, what are the chances) and both starting safeties are all gone, and if that isn't bad enough Nevelle Clark the best remaining corner is suspended half the year. It will be tough to repeat last year's defensive performance with this much turnover in the secondary.

UCF has a rather tough schedule, their FCS opponent (Maine) nearly beat UConn last year, they get Butch Davis' FIU at home, and have tough games against Georgia Tech and Maryland. UCF has a tough draw from the West playing Memphis, Navy and SMU. UCF fans will be hoping they can hold on to Frost after this year, it will be tough to contend for the conference crown this year but they should return to a bowl and if they can keep Frost around for 2018, they should be in for a very fun year.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 FIU: UCF does well in the opener as they have too much talent and roll past FIU. W
Sep. 9 Memphis: UCF manages to hang around in this game but a rebuilt secondary going up against the Memphis passing attack might be too much. L
Sep. 16 Georgia Tech: Let's go with an upset here, UCF's run defense keeps Georgia Tech in check and their offense does just enough to pull a surprise win. W
Sep. 23 @ Maryland: UCF does not get a repeat though, they lose this game in a close battle. L
Sep. 30 Maine: UCF rolls past Maine just fine. W
Oct. 7 @ Cincinnati: UCF struggles but survives against Cincinnati. W
Oct. 14 East Carolina: UCF has a good performance and easily wins this game. W
Oct. 21 @ Navy: This will be a close loss, UCF does well enough defensively to force Navy into ball control mode. L
Nov. 4 @ SMU: Yet again they lose a close one, in the end UCF won't have any answers for Sutton or the other fantastic SMU receivers. L
Nov. 11 UConn: UCF easily wins. W
Nov. 18 @ Temple: Temple's defense stymies the UCF offense to allow them to win a close game. L
Nov. 24 South Florida: South Florida is forced to pass a little more in this game but they still roll past UCF. L

Predicted Record: 6-6(3-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

American Conference

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East:

1. South Florida Bulls 10-2(7-1)
2. East Carolina Pirates 5-7(5-3)
3. Temple Owls 7-5(5-3) - Temple lost to ECU for tiebreaker
4. UCF Golden Knights 6-6(3-5)
5. Cincinnati Bearcats 4-8(2-6)
6. Connecticut Huskies 1-11(0-8)

West:

1. Memphis Tigers 11-1(7-1)
2. Houston Cougars 9-3(6-2)
3. Navy Midshipmen 8-4(5-3)
4. SMU Mustangs 8-4(5-3)
5. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6-6(4-4)
6. Tulane Green Wave 3-9(0-8)

AAC Championship: South Florida Bulls @ Memphis Tigers - Definitely some intrigue here, these two did not meet in the regular season both have very high powered offenses, Memphis with only one loss is likely in a New Years 6 bowl with a win, South Florida would also have a shot if they can win but with 2 losses against their easier schedule someone from another league could be chosen over them.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Up next I'm going to switch it up and preview one of the power 5 conferences...which one?

I'll give you a hint their fans on this board are very entertaining because they literally hate every other team in the conference besides the one they root for with a burning passion...well I guess there's 1 or 2 teams in the conference they don't hate that much, mostly because those 2 are usually bad.

 

[WizardHawk]

Up next I'm going to switch it up and preview one of the power 5 conferences...which one?

I'll give you a hint their fans on this board are very entertaining because they literally hate every other team in the conference besides the one they root for with a burning passion...well I guess there's 1 or 2 teams in the conference they don't hate that much, mostly because those 2 are usually bad.

So the only conf that doesn't describe is the SEC?

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

So the only conf that doesn't describe is the SEC?

Doesn't describe the Pac-12 anymore, thanks to Colorado suddenly being good no one has sucked consistently in that conference. Big 10 and ACC have so many dadburn teams that each of those conferences have at least 4 or 5 teams they don't hate

some of that is because teams from each division will go forever without playing each other

narrows it all down to the Big 12

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Baylor Bears

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Preview: Baylor perhaps surprised a lot of folks when they hired Matt Rhule. For one he has hardly any experience recruiting in the state of Texas, and two it simply didn't seem like Baylor could bring in such a good coach with the absolute mess this program is in. Matt Rhule has made the right moves so far, for one he's about as opposite from Art Briles as it gets and two he brought in a lot of assistants with experience recruiting Texas so he checks the box there. There's still many challenges ahead, changing the culture of a program takes time.

Last year was rather bizarre to say the least. Baylor opened routed their non-conference schedule the only challenge they had was against SMU where they struggled for roughly 3 quarters before pulling away. Baylor opened conference play with a pretty impressive win over Oklahoma State but then needed a comeback to avoid being upset by Iowa State, they recovered and destroyed Kansas for a 6-0 start. Baylor then went on the road and got upset by Texas, and then the wheels absolutely fell off in a 62-22 destruction at the hands of TCU. Baylor was blown out by Oklahoma, Kansas State and even Texas Tech before suddenly having a better effort in a 3 point road loss to West Virginia. Baylor then turned it around end the season on the high humiliating Boise State in their bowl game.

Baylor's offense will have some changes, it seems like there is a plan to have a spread attack with more pro style principals. There will be a QB competition Sophomore Zach Smith took over later in the year after departed QB Seth Russell got hurt, Smith could make a lot of big plays but he was extremely turnover prone. Meanwhile Baylor brought in Anu Solomon from Arizona he is more mobile, and looked good as a freshman several years back but after some injuries he wasn't the same. Baylor has solid RBs in Terrance Williams and JaMycal Hasty. Baylor loses their top two receivers in KD Cannon and Ishmael Zamora, and overall there's not a lot of experience back at receiver. Baylor's best two offensive linemen are gone but 4 players with starting experience are back up front but depth is a major concern here, few misplaced injuries could be an issue.

Matt Rhule will definitely be looking to have a much tougher defense, as Baylor's defense was just awful at times last year. Baylor's defensive line struggled last year but it was extremely young, which does mean everyone is back, then lone upperclassman of the group was K.J. Smith who had 12 TFL and 7 sacks. Baylor loses two starters at linebacker, but they did deploy a deep rotation there last year, so even though a lot of the new starters with only be sophomores they at least will be a little experienced. Baylor does have some losses in the secondary. The two best players Orion Stewart and Patrick Levels are both gone, and one of the other top returnees in the secondary Travon Blanchard has been arrested like 5 times this offseason it feels like, it would be a surprise if he plays this year. Only an injury or two will mean a completely inexperienced freshman or sophomore having to step in.

Because of the 9 game schedule, every Big 12 schedule is rather challenging. Baylor finally gets some competitive opponents on their non-conference schedule and they chose the wrong year for it. They play Duke on the road, as usual there's a FCS opponent and Baylor plays UTSA who might not be that easy of a game either. Overall this is a season for Matt Rhule to rebuild this program off the field, as this looks like it could be a rough year on the field.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Liberty: Liberty is occasionally tricky but Baylor should roll. W
Sep. 9 UTSA: This game could be a challenge but I think Baylor pulls off the win. W
Sep. 16 @ Duke: This is where Baylor's struggles come into play as I think Duke's defense will give Baylor's offense problems and Duke's offense has success passing the ball. L
Sep. 23 Oklahoma: Oklahoma will likely blowout Baylor. L
Sep. 30 @ Kansas State: Kansas State blows out Baylor as well. L
Oct. 14 @ Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State ruined Baylor's fantastic season in 2013, and oddly enough since then Baylor has rolled off 3 straight wins, I think Oklahoma State gets some revenge. L
Oct. 21 West Virginia: Baylor ends up keeping this game close but ends up losing. L
Oct. 28 Texas: Baylor also loses to the fighting Hermans. L
Nov. 4 Kansas: When you need a conference win badly you can usually rely on Kansas. W
Nov. 11 Texas State (Jerryworld): Baylor actually turns it around quite well and blows out Texas Tech. W
Nov. 18 Iowa State: Turnaround doesn't last long, Baylor struggles to stop Iowa State's offense and loses. L
Nov. 25 @ TCU: TCU beats Baylor yet again, though I'm sure Kenny Hill will keep this game closer than expected. L

Predicted Record: 4-8(2-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Iowa State Cyclones

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Preview: When you think about miserable power 5 programs you almost forget about Iowa State. The good thing Iowa State usually has going is at least they can occasionally have some decent years, make bowls, pull upsets...but in terms of actually having peak years? Iowa State never seems to have them, even Kansas has managed to win the Orange Bowl nearly a decade ago but Iowa State hasn't finished ranked in the top 25 since 2000, and that's one of two ranked finishes in their history. They haven't produced a first round pick since 1973! No Iowa State played has been drafted since 2014. It's amazing for a power 5 program to struggle like this, but Iowa State made quite the hire in Matt Campbell who was willing to take on the challenge...last year was rough but watch out Iowa State might actually be better this year.

Last year started about as miserably as it could, Iowa lost their opener to Northern Iowa from FCS and to make it worse they went 0-2 in the state by being blown out 42-3 by Iowa! Almost no one else last year managed to do that. Iowa State was also blown out by TCU before suddenly turning it around in a blowout win over San Jose State. Iowa State the following week entered the 4th quarter with a 14 point lead on Baylor and lost, then the next week they lead Oklahoma State by 10 in Stillwater entering the 4th quarter and lost, Iowa State lost to Texas. Then Iowa State made a comeback to nearly beat Kansas State, and they lost to Oklahoma by only 10 the closest they've come against them in a long time. Finally Iowa State broke the losing streak by beating Kansas and then they unleashed some fury in a 66-10 destruction of Texas Tech, they had a late game meltdown in a 49-19 loss to West Virginia to end the year.

Here's one good thing, Iowa State ended up making improvements on offense throughout the year and now entering this year their offense is actually shaping up to be pretty exciting. QB Jacob Park was only a sophomore last year but he took over the starting job for Joel Lanning(more on him later) around midseason and performed well, he produces fewer negative plays and the offense was really good with him as the starter. There are some good running backs for Iowa State, David Montgomery was excellent as a freshman last year and he was joined in the backfield mostly by Kene Nwangwu who was also a freshman, unfortunately Nwangwu tore his Achilles and likely won't play this year, but Iowa State also has Mike Warren who was amazing as a true freshman himself in 2015, but his sophomore year last year was a struggle as he dealt with injuries and was in Campbell's doghouse, good news is he seems healthier and is getting on Campbell's good side and if he can return to form this running game will be really good. The receivers for this team are really good. Allen Lazard came in as one of the best recruits to come to Iowa State in some time, he is 6'5" and can win a lot of jump balls, he really connected well with Park late last year, they also have a good slot receiver in sophomore Deshaunte Jones and another tall receiver in JUCO transfer Matthew Eaton. The offensive line loses almost every starter from last year, the one returnee sophomore Julian Good-Jones is a great center, and Tackle Jake Campos was a 2 year starter but missed all of last year with a broken leg so he returns as well, also Michigan grad transfer David Dawson joins the mix.

Iowa State's defense is a lot of bad news, Texas Tech was probably the only Big 12 team that had a worse defense last year. Iowa State wasn't as awful against the pass as they were against the run though. Iowa State loses 3 starters and some backups from the defensive line but it wasn't that good in the first place, for one those 3 starters combined for 3 total sacks, Jhaustin Thomas was responsible for all of them. The one returning starter sophomore JaQuan Bailey had 6 TFL and 3.5 sacks so yes he produced more sacks than the 3 departing starters combined. Linebackers Willie Harvey and Reggan Northrup return and the void at linebacker is being filled by former QB Joel Lanning in one of the more unique position changes, Lanning should have the intelligence to lead the defense and it should be fun to watch. The secondary returns almost everyone and it was probably the best unit on the defense. Safety Kamari Cotton-Moya is the leader but has struggled through injuries during his college career, corners Brian Peavy and D'Andre Payne were both solid.

Iowa State has a schedule that might produce 6 wins. They play in-state FCS opponent Northern Iowa who always seems to give them a tough time, and Iowa State as usual plays Iowa, this year it's at home. They complete their non-conference schedule with a road game against Akron which might actually be the easiest of the 3 games. Iowa State was rather tricky at home last year, and it's good to know that 2 of their road games are against Texas Tech and Baylor who look bound to struggle. Making a bowl appearance in Campbell's 2nd year actually looks possible.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Northern Iowa: This year Iowa State manages to avoid being upset by Northern Iowa. W
Sep. 9 Iowa: Other than last year's blowout these two usually have a very close competitive game, it goes back to that this year and to top it off Iowa State pulls the upset. W
Sep. 16 @ Akron: Iowa State rolls past Akron for an easy win. W
Sep. 28 Texas: Iowa State beat Texas the last time they hosted them, of course that's one of two wins they have against Texas all time, despite the bye week no upset here. L
Oct. 7 @ Oklahoma: Oklahoma will continue normal service of blowing Iowa State out. L
Oct. 14 Kansas: Iowa State easily wins this game. W
Oct. 21 @ Texas Tech: Tech's defense does nothing to stop the Iowa State offense in a shootout. W
Oct. 28 TCU: TCU mostly sticks to the run game to beat Iowa State. L
Nov. 4 @ West Virginia: L
Nov.11 Oklahoma State: I was so tempted to pick the upset here, I might regret passing this one up. L
Nov. 18 @ Baylor: Iowa State has the passing game to take advantage of the Baylor secondary. W
Nov. 25 @ Kansas State: L

Predicted Record: 6-6(3-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Kansas Jayhawks

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Preview: It's hard to believe that after this year an entire decade will have passed since fat man coach Mark Mangino led Kansas to a surprising 12-1 season in that bonkers 2007 season which ended with Kansas winning the Orange bowl. Since then Kansas had one more decent year in 2008, fell apart in 2009 and fired Mangino and they have been a miserable program at the bottom of college football since...meanwhile the corners from that 2007 team Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are two of the best corners in the NFL and paired together to win a super bowl just recently. David Beaty is in year 3 and Kansas and so far he has two wins to show for it, but with the rebuild job he was handed he has done what he can. This year should show a little progress.

Last year was off to a good start simply because Kansas won, it was only over Rhode Island one of the worst FCS teams but they'll take it. Kansas went back to being Kansas losing easily to Ohio and being blown out badly by Memphis and Texas Tech. Kansas was good against TCU, going back and forth with them and nearly winning before losing because of a missed field goal. Kansas got blown out by Baylor, but kept it close with Oklahoma State until later in the 3rd quarter where Kansas fell apart, Kansas was blown out by Oklahoma and West Virginia and blew a late lead to lose to Iowa State. Then for the first time in many years, Kansas had a highlight... they came back from down 11 in the 4th quarter and stun Texas in overtime, it was a huge win for this program while they effectively ended the Charlie Strong tenure at Texas. Kansas ended the year with a typical loss to Kansas State.

This offense might soon find some improvement, it's rather amazing but somehow Kansas managed to pluck Doug Meacham away from TCU to be their offensive coordinator. Meacham is an innovative coordinator and while he may not have all the pieces yet, he should at least create an offense that doesn't make you want to scratch your eyes out when you watch it. Sophomore Carter Stanley wasn't great as a starter but at least got experience and perhaps once you realize what he had around him, he was a little better. Kansas is bringing in former Washington State backup QB Peyton Bender, to battle for the starting job he has experience in an airraid type offense and likely will become the starter. Kansas returns RB Khalil Herbert who is also a sophomore, he can break off long runs, but gets stuffed a lot also, there's also several transfers coming in. Kansas returns a lot of their receivers from last year though most didn't do as well and they bring Alabama transfer Daylon Charlot into the mix. Kansas returns 6 offensive linemen with starting experience and adds former Alabama tackle Charles Baldwin who was one of the better JUCOs in the country he was dismissed from Bama for violation of team rules in 2015.

Kansas did have some improvement on their defense last year which was definitely good. The defensive line is the highlight of the unit. Defensive tackle Daniel Wise was solid with 10 TFL and 3 sacks and lineman Dorance Armstrong Jr is back after having 20 TFL and 10 sacks last year, he is a fantastic defensive end and is perhaps the best pro prospect Kansas has had in a decade. Kansas loses a few of their starting linebackers but also gets one back in 2015 starter Joe Dineen who basically missed all of last year because of injury. Problem is Kansas has a full on youth movement happening in the secondary, almost every starter is gone and so are several backups..the leading returnee safety Mike Lee was good, but he is only a sophomore this year.

Kansas has a doable non-conference schedule with games against SE Missouri State, Central Michigan and Ohio. Unfortunately there's still a 9 game Big 12 slate, and Kansas was so far behind that getting actual wins will still be hard to come by, best Kansas can hope for is to at least get one conference win and perhaps add some moral victories also.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 SE Missouri State: W
Sep. 9 Central Michigan: Kansas actually has a defense that will make some stops in this game while their offense has a solid performance. W
Sep. 16 @ Ohio: Kansas has another good offensive performance thanks to Ohio's rebuilding defense and they ride that to a win. W
Sep. 23 West Virginia: Kansas gets blown out here. L
Oct. 7 Texas Tech: Kansas actually comes close to winning but can't stop Tech's passing offense in a loss. L
Oct. 14 @ Iowa State: Kansas gets dominated here. L
Oct. 21 @ TCU: You know what, Kansas has for whatever reason knocking on the door of beating TCU for a few years now...it's one of those odd things..so I'm going with them to finally pull off the upset here. W
Oct. 28 Kansas State: L
Nov. 4 Baylor: L
Nov. 11 @ Texas: Texas might be out to prove a point in this blowout. L
Nov. 18 Oklahoma: L
Nov. 25 @ Oklahoma State: L

Predicted Record: 4-8(1-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Kansas State Wildcats

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Preview: Every single year I have to say how simply amazing Bill Snyder has done at Kansas State, he has made Kansas State a consistent winner under his watch when this program was perhaps the most miserable program in a big conference when Snyder hasn't been the coach. Chances are Snyder will be the best coach in college football history to never win a national championship, Kansas State is extremely lucky that Snyder is so committed to this program. He could always have had a few good years and moved on to another program (definitely would have won a national championship) and everyone would forget that Kansas State didn't suck, but that didn't happen. Kansas State had a rough year in 2015, but like Snyder does he rebounded for another good year last year. Now this year for the Big 12 title race all the talk is about Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, Herman's Longhorns, West Virginia and their transfer QB, TCU's potential for a rebound, I think we're forgetting about someone...Snyder's Kansas State.

Last year started out on the big stage and Kansas State opened the year against Stanford on the road, Kansas State was a threat but a late McCaffrey punt return TD sealed the game. Kansas State easily beat Florida Atlantic and Missouri State but then lost a close game to West Virginia. Kansas State then barely beat Texas Tech at home, was blown out by Oklahoma, barely beat Texas as home and then survived a late Iowa State comeback to hold on to a win. Kansas State nearly upset Oklahoma State as they were up by 9 with 8 minutes left but lost by 6, then they ended the year on fire as they dominated Baylor, Kansas and TCU. Kansas State then handled Texas A&M to win their bowl game.

Kansas State's offense struggled pretty often earlier in the year but late in the year this offense really got going. QB Jesse Ertz made it through last year healthy and he is a mobile QB who's also a solid passer and can also hit on some deep passes as well, he is back. Freshman RB Alex Barnes really got Kansas State's run game going late in the year, he was fantastic then got hurt and then sophomore (now junior) RB Justin Silmon played well late. Both RBs return. Kansas State returns almost everyone at receiver including Byron Pringle who became an amazing deep threat receiver late in the year, his play at the end of the year was one of the keys to Kansas State's offensive surge, they also have a solid receiver in Dominique Heath and there's a nice potentially good receiver in Cal transfer Carlos Strickland II. They also have a good fullback in Winston Dimel who by the way scored touchdowns on nearly half of his 30 carries last year. Kansas State also brings back almost everyone on a good offensive line.

Kansas State's defense also improved late in the year last year, and overall had a lot of good players. The defensive line loses its star in Jordan Willis but almost everyone else is back, the most promising is only a sophomore in Reggie Walker who had an impressive 11.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks as a freshman last year. Kansas State loses their two good linebackers in Elijah Lee and Charmeachealle Moore. Kansas State will be hoping some previous backups such as Trent Tanking and perhaps a JUCO like Da'Quan Patton step up. Kansas State returns almost everyone in the secondary, they have some really good safeties back, and corner D.J. Reed is solid. They also have Duke Shelley back and he has experience but lost to the starting job to Donnie Starks late in the year and now Starks is gone.

Kansas State's schedule is perhaps one of the more favorable in the Big 12. Their toughest non-conference game is against Vanderbilt (their other two are against Central Arkansas and Charlotte) and Kansas State has 5 conference home games this year, two of their 4 conference road games are against Kansas and Texas Tech. Hosting TCU and West Virginia is definitely beneficial, they also get Oklahoma at home but that hasn't proven to be beneficial. It's not a huge stretch to see Kansas State make a Big 12 title run, like most teams in this league the Oklahoma game is a huge key.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Central Arkansas: Central Arkansas was a solid FCS team last year as they made the playoffs and even beat Arkansas State, but Kansas State should handle them. W
Sep. 9 Charlotte: W
Sep. 16 @ Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt doesn't end up with enough answers for Kansas State's offense so Kansas State rolls to an easy win. W
Sep. 30 Baylor: Kansas State easily beats Baylor. W
Oct. 7 @ Texas: It's rather incredible how Kansas State has only lost to Texas twice in the past decade, and although those two wins are also the last two times Texas hosted them I'm going with Kansas State in a close one. W
Oct. 14 TCU: Kansas State's defense feasts on mistake prone offenses, and Kenny Hill is one of the most mistake prone QBs in this conference. W
Oct. 21 Oklahoma: This is the one game I considered changing after Stoops' stunning retirement, I mean not once in the entire Stoops era did Kansas State beat Oklahoma at home, considering how long Stoops was there..that is amazing. Might not change this year though. L
Oct. 28 @ Kansas: W
Nov. 4 @ Texas Tech: Kansas State's offense has an absolute field day running against Tech. W
Nov. 11 West Virginia: Kansas State wins a close one over West Virginia, in the end they force a big turnover late to hold on. W
Nov. 18 @ Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State could be in trouble if they fall behind early but I do believe their offense will be good enough to outscore Kansas State. L
Nov. 25 Iowa State: W

Predicted Record: 10-2(7-2)

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Up next I'm going to switch it up and preview one of the power 5 conferences...which one?

I'll give you a hint their fans on this board are very entertaining because they literally hate every other team in the conference besides the one they root for with a burning passion...well I guess there's 1 or 2 teams in the conference they don't hate that much, mostly because those 2 are usually bad.

Great job as always boise.One of the threads I look forward to every year sir

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Great job as always boise.One of the threads I look forward to every year sir

Thank you sir!

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Thank you sir!

Thank you sir I'll be looking forward to your PAC evaluation. And your write up on Texas I'm still not sure what to expect from them sir

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Thank you sir I'll be looking forward to your PAC evaluation. And your write up on Texas I'm still not sure what to expect from them sir

Both should be rather interesting to say the least. Texas will be up in a few days, probably not enough time today for me to do it