BoiseStateFan's 2017 College Football Predictions/Preview Thread

[mrwallace2ku]

where in the hell is the Table of Contents here…OP?


post link to the OSU Beavers please.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

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

I believe after the Texas home and Home. SC has a home and home with BYU. Doubling up on Mormons for two years sir. Looking forward to the rest when you have time of course great work as usual

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oklahoma Sooners

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Preview: Oklahoma has had one of the more dramatic off-seasons in the nation, first their QB Baker Mayfield was tackled by cops but that dulled in comparison to one of the most surprising announcements of the off-season as long time head coach Bob Stoops has chosen to retire. Stoops has long been one of the steadiest coaches in college football, every year under his watch you knew Oklahoma was a threat and with the right answers they were a national title contender. Now Oklahoma ventures into the unknown, naming offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley as the head coach, he is incredibly young and has never been a head coach but he rose through the ranks pretty quickly, and there's a reason Stoops trusted him to take over the program. Still, Stoops knew exactly how to beat a lot of teams in the Big 12, with him no longer in charge Oklahoma is slightly less predictable.

Last year didn't get off to the greatest of starts, Houston beat Oklahoma in their season opener which was a bit of a surprise, Oklahoma of course easily beat UL-Monroe after. Then Oklahoma had first half struggles against Ohio State causing them to fall too far behind to ever having a prayer of catching up against Urban Meyer. Oklahoma then got in some shootouts beating TCU 52-46, then beating Texas 45-40, Oklahoma led by more than that in those two games but allowed comebacks in both. Oklahoma did easily beat Kansas State, and then had just an absurd meeting with Texas Tech where they had 854 yards, not total...both teams EACH had 854 yards of offense, final score was 66-59. Oklahoma easily beat Kansas, and believe it or not the biggest challenge they received in the 2nd half of the year was a 10 point win over Iowa State. Oklahoma blew out Baylor, absolutely destroyed West Virginia 56-28 on the road in the snow, and then Oklahoma once against crushed Oklahoma State to win the Big 12. Oklahoma ended the year easily beating Auburn in the Sugar bowl.

Oklahoma had one of the nation's best offenses last year led by Baker Mayfield who probably should have won the Heisman last year, this offense scored on most teams. There is a lot of turnover this year but having Mayfield back really helps...and if he goes down Oklahoma has talented Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray waiting in the wings. Oklahoma loses two incredibly talented backs in Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, they both were two of the best running backs in the nation. Oklahoma certainly won't be able to match that again but they have Abdul Adams who played well in garbage time and Rodney Anderson who starred in the Spring but staying healthy has been a big issue for him. Oklahoma loses a great receiver in Dede Westbrook and now they must find a new top target. Oklahoma has a few decent veterans who could step up. Jordan Smallwood is solid but senior Jeffery Mead looks ready to have a breakout year. They also bring in Kentucky transfer Jeff Badet to solidify things. They have a good tight end in Mark Andrews as well. Perhaps the biggest asset of this offense is the offensive line where all 5 starters return including Orlando Brown who's one of the best offensive tackles in the nation.

Oklahoma's defense really had its issues last year, obviously there were several low points, the worst of course was giving up 59 points and 854 yards to Texas Tech. After that game Oklahoma improved a little bit defensively. Oklahoma loses some players on the offensive line but they have a strong defensive tackle in freshman Neville Gallimore, the star of this defensive line though is Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (I feel sorry for anyone who has to try to pronounce this) he had an impressive 9 sacks last year. Oklahoma has a little more turnover at linebacker but there are a lot of highly rated freshmen who could contribute right away. Oklahoma's secondary should be better, they lose safety Ahmad Thomas, but that's it... pretty much everyone else is back including corner Jordan Thomas who was solid most of last year.

Oklahoma's schedule definitely has a few games circled on it, Riley's 2nd game as a head coach will be on the road against Urban Meyer and Ohio State, the rest of the non-conference is easy as they play UTEP and Tulane. They also face Oklahoma State and Kansas State on the road, the Red River Shootout will be the first of Herman vs Riley so that's big. I expect Oklahoma to once again be the favorite to win the Big 12, and if they manage to only lose once a playoff birth is certainly possible, but with a first year head coach and the 4 biggest games all away from home there's a lot that can go wrong as well.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 UTEP: This should be an easy win. W
Sep. 9 @ Ohio State: This game will be a tough one, Oklahoma should be able to play a little better than they did last year against Ohio State, but playing Urban Meyer in your 2nd game as head coach? That is a tough ask. L
Sep. 16 Tulane: Tulane runs a tricky offense...that's something I guess. W
Sep. 23 @ Baylor: Oklahoma easily rolls past Baylor in a blowout. W
Oct. 7 Iowa State: Oklahoma returns to the usual routine of blowing out Iowa State. W
Oct. 14 Texas (Dallas): UPSET! Herman has proven to be an excellent big game coach, and in his first year it doesn't get much bigger than this, Oklahoma suffers an upset loss to the Longhorns. L
Oct. 21 @ Kansas State: This game will be tough as well, but I think Oklahoma wins it. W
Oct. 28 Texas Tech: Oklahoma won't give up 854 yards this time, but I wouldn't be surprised if their offense racked up 854 yards again. W
Nov. 4 @ Oklahoma State: Despite this being a road game Oklahoma has absolutely had Oklahoma State's number most years, I think they beat them again. W
Nov. 11 TCU: This is another tricky game since it comes right after Bedlam, but Oklahoma manages to win. W
Nov. 18 @ Kansas: W
Nov. 25 West Virginia: Whether it's at home or on the road Oklahoma has made a habit of beating West Virginia since they joined the conference. W

Predictions: 10-2(8-1)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

where in the hell is the Table of Contents here…OP?


post link to the OSU Beavers please.

There's only 4 pages in this thread sir

I haven't gotten to the Pac yet, but I will give you a hint I am a little more optimistic about the Beavers than most this year

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I believe after the Texas home and Home. SC has a home and home with BYU. Doubling up on Mormons for two years sir. Looking forward to the rest when you have time of course great work as usual

Those dadburn mormons are doing home and homes with everyone these days. I'm kind of jealous I sort of wish we would go independent.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Those dadburn mormons are doing home and homes with everyone these days. I'm kind of jealous I sort of wish we would go independent.

I'm wondering if it works out to BYU and Utah.Back to back when that series hits.If USC is busy invading the mormons.Will the dadburn Friars attack?

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Oklahoma State Cowboys

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Preview: Mike Gundy has been very successful at Oklahoma State and while it seems like he pops up as a coach rumored to go elsewhere he has been at Oklahoma State for 12 years now. Gundy has had some fun offensive teams in the past and this year should be no different. 2011 was his best year where Oklahoma State lost one game and had a strong argument for the championship, only to be left out for an all-SEC dud that pretty much led to the playoff. This year has been hyped to be perhaps their best team since that year. We will see about that, but make no mistake Oklahoma State will be good this year.

Last year started rather rocky, Oklahoma State easily won their season opener before losing at home to Central Michigan in a wildly controversial game where Central Michigan took a 24-20 lead late, Oklahoma State then scored a touchdown to take the lead on 4th and goal, but then a flag was thrown for holding until somehow the flag got picked up despite it being a clear hold on the replay, Central Michigan went nowhere and Oklahoma State looked set to run out the clock, on their 4th down play they threw the ball out of bounds to run out the clock but were called for intentional grounding and Central Michigan incorrectly got awarded an untimed down where they ran an absolutely wild hail mary then toss the ball to a receiver play for an unlikely win. Oklahoma State then had a very underrated fun and wild 45-38 win over Pitt. Oklahoma State then lost on the road against Baylor. They took advantage of several gaffes by Texas to beat them, and needed needed a 4th quarter comeback to beat Iowa State and another 4th quarter burst to pull away from Kansas. Oklahoma State then ended the season strongly, they crushed an unbeaten at the time West Virginia, beat Kansas State on the road in a shootout, also beat Texas Tech 45-44 in a wild game where Tech lost due to a missed extra point at the end. Oklahoma State blew out TCU on the road but then was blown out by Oklahoma. Oklahoma State did end the year very strongly as they thoroughly dominated a good Colorado team 38-8 in the Alamo bowl.

Oklahoma State had a very fun big play offense last year and with a lot of those players back, this looks like the best offense in college football. QB Mason Rudolph was absolutely phenomenal last year, he doesn't make many mistakes and after taking about a week or two to warm up he throws a near perfect deep ball. Rudolph threw 28 TDs and 4 picks all of last year, I mean that is a crazy ratio, and on top of it all he threw over 400 passes...just 1 pick for every 100 passes he throws, simply amazing. For the past few years Oklahoma State struggled to run the ball but sophomore (then freshman) Justice Hill's emergence fixed that and gave this offense a good run game, the top 3 backup RBs are gone so Hill could very likely be backed up by a freshman this year, it could pose some trouble. This receiving corp is easily one of the best in the nation, it includes perhaps the best deep threat in the nation in James Washington, who surprisingly decided to forego the draft and return this year, Washington is capable of breaking a long TD on any play, he had nearly 300 yards receiving against Pitt last year and had 171 yards against Colorado's amazing secondary in the bowl game. He isn't the only good receiver, there's solid possession receivers in Jalen McCleskey and Chris Lacy, and this receiving corps was this good despite losing a key receiver from 2015 in Marcell Ateman, who was out all last year with a foot injury and now he is back. Just for good measure there's the addition of LSU transfer Tyron Johnson who was a promising talent entering college but never got time on the field in LSU's conservative offense. Not everyone is back Oklahoma State loses their best offensive tackle but replaces him with Cal transfer Aaron Cochran who should be solid.

There's a reason for concern for this Oklahoma State team and that's the defense. Oklahoma State has some concerns on the defensive line as they lose two good defensive tackles. It should help that they have a trio of solid ends in Cole Walterscheid, Jarrell Owens and Tralund Webber. Oklahoma State loses two starting linebackers but the one returnee Chad Whitener is a solid player and will be able to make a lot of tackles, former backups look ready to step up and there's some young linebackers who could contribute as well. Oklahoma State's secondary struggled last year and now they lose a lot especially at corner, they lose both their starters there. Oklahoma State should be ok at safety at least but they will absolutely need Clemson transfer Adrian Baker to step in and immediately play well, they also need a young corner such as A.J. Green to play well.

Oklahoma State has one of the tougher schedules of the teams in the Big 12. They have potentially dangerous non-conference games against Tulsa, @ South Alabama and @ Pitt. The conference schedule is full of land mines as well, Oklahoma State has to face Texas, West Virginia and Iowa State on the road and all 3 of those have been tripping points for Oklahoma State in recent years. Oklahoma State also hosts Oklahoma which is obviously a big one for them. Oklahoma State is definitely a Big 12 contender, I wouldn't consider them a favorite because of how questionable the defense is but they should be a very fun team to watch this year.

Predictions:

Aug. 31 Tulsa: Tulsa is often a tricky opponent and they're definitely dangerous to play in week 1 as it might take a week or two for Rudolph to hit on the deep ball. Tulsa loses too much for me to pick them for the upset though. W
Sep. 8 @ South Alabama: South Alabama has proven capable of pulling upsets so this is another potential upset alert game but once again Oklahoma State survives. W
Sep. 16 @ Pittsburgh: I already felt like Pitt was going to once again have a difficult time containing this Oklahoma State offense, and that was before their best player in the secondary Jordan Whitehead was suspended for this game. W
Sep. 23 TCU: Oklahoma State's offense outscores TCU in a shootout. W
Sep. 30 @ Texas Tech: I don't know how Texas Tech gets any stops in this one. W
Oct. 14 Baylor: Oklahoma State has rather surprisingly lost 3 in a row to Baylor, I think that ends. W
Oct. 21 @ Texas: Here's where Oklahoma State first struggles, Tom Herman comes up with a good gameplan and Texas pulls off the upset. L
Oct. 28 @ West Virginia: Oklahoma State beat West Virginia last time they played them on the road, but usually struggle, I think West Virginia pulls the upset. L
Nov. 4 Oklahoma: The skid continues as Oklahoma State loses to Oklahoma yet again. L
Nov. 11 @ Iowa State: Oklahoma State struggles but gets passed Iowa State to break the losing streak. W
Nov. 18 Kansas State: Oklahoma State takes down Kansas State for a big win. W
Nov. 25 Kansas: W

Predicted Record: 9-3(6-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I'm wondering if it works out to BYU and Utah.Back to back when that series hits.If USC is busy invading the mormons.Will the dadburn Friars attack?

Yes sir, yes they will

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

TCU Horned Frogs

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Preview: TCU has been rather interesting to watch these past few years. They had an amazing year in 2014 and nearly made the playoff, and then 2015 was a good year despite getting hit with a ridiculous amount of injuries, it seemed like with some better luck that 2016 could be a good year...it wasn't. Now we'll see what Gary Patterson has in store this year, he's struggled to find his players on defense lately. I feel like it's a risk to count one of his teams out, but I don't think they quite have the pieces for a Big 12 title run, but a return to a bowl should happen.

Last year the signs of potential struggles showed early as TCU got in a shootout to open the year with South Dakota State. They then moved the ball up and down the field against Arkansas only to turn it over several teams and fall behind, then TCU made a late game comeback only to have a short game winning field goal blocked and then they lost in overtime. TCU easily beat Iowa State and SMU. Then they made yet another comeback that fell short in a 46-52 loss to Oklahoma. TCU struggled against Kansas and pretty much had it lost before Kansas missed a field goal late to lose. TCU then got crushed by West Virginia, lost at home in double overtime to Texas Tech in a game that was surprisingly low scoring. TCU suddenly had an outburst in an absolute destruction on the road against Baylor, then TCU ended the year with a blowout win over Texas on the road that was sandwiched between blowout losses at home against Oklahoma State and Kansas State. TCU's bowl game defined the season well, they dominated Georgia in the first half, but missed some scoring opportunities and then made several mistakes in a disaster of a 2nd half to lose.

TCU had an unsteady offense to say the least. It all starts with the QB Kenny Hill who was sometimes even frustrating to watch. Hill has great feet and can run well and has the arm to make all the throws and stretch out the field, but he just hasn't been able to put it all together as he makes a lot of mistakes, turns the ball over way too much and sometimes misses on a lot of throws. For TCU's offense to go they need Hill to improve or someone else to unseat him. TCU also lost highly regarded offensive coordinator Doug Meacham, but they still have Sonny Cumbie and former Cal head coach Sonny Dykes joins to help coach the offense as well. TCU's RB Kyle Hicks was solid and he returns. Hill may not have been completely at fault, TCU had a rough year at receiver as well, they dealt with a lot of injuries which caused a lot of shuffling in this unit and there became a lot of dropped passes. The good news is the top 10 receivers are all back and perhaps if more reliable receivers like Shaun Nixon (missed all of last year because of injury) and the speedy KaVontae Turpin (played great the first two games and was basically hurt the rest of the year) can stay healthy it will help. Hopefully it calms down there, you notice I mentioned top 10 receivers, yes that's 10 receivers who had a significant amount of targets last year...way too much shuffling. Good news is TCU returns 4 players with a lot of starting experience on what should be a strong offensive line.

TCU's defense was a big disappointment last year, it seemed like with less injuries and shuffling the defense should have been able to make a big step up and it didn't. TCU had a defensive line that performed pretty well on rushing the passer but wasn't quite strong enough to stop the run at times. They now lose their two best pass rushers in Aaron Curry and Josh Carraway, but there is help in UL-Monroe transfer Ben Banogu who had 14.5 TFL last year, there's some promising young and unproven players who could step in. TCU returns everyone at linebacker the starters Travin Howard and Ty Summers are solid and backup Sammy Douglas is good as well. TCU's secondary struggled last year but does return almost everyone, the only loss in fact is Denzel Johnson who is a big loss though. Corner Ranthony Texada is one of the best in the Big 12, Julius Lewis and Tony James are also solid but they need to finally stay healthy for once, but at least sophomore Jeff Gladney will be more prepared after taking a bigger role than expected thanks to the injuries last year.

TCU's schedule is a little tricky, the non-conference headliner is on the road against Arkansas this year, and SMU is at home but they could be trickier this year, TCU also gets Jackson State as an easy opener. Tough part about TCU's conference schedule is they play possibly the top 3 teams in the conference, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State on the road. TCU should at least be improved this year, and there's always the chance of a sudden 2014 like year, but I don't think that will happen.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Jackson State: Should be an easy win, they don't even give up 41 points this time either. W
Sep. 9 @ Arkansas: This game proves to be an interesting back and forth game again, and once again Turpin comes up big as he makes the big game winning play for TCU. W
Sep. 16 SMU: TCU struggles for a half but rolls past SMU. W
Sep. 23 @ Oklahoma State: TCU becomes a little too leaky in the secondary and loses this shootout. L
Oct. 7 West Virginia: The bye week helps TCU play well against the West Virginia offense while Kenny Hill has a decent performance in a win. W
Oct. 14 @ Kansas State: Kenny Hill does as Kenny Hill does and follows a decent performance with an awful mistake filled performance against a turnover forcing Kansas State defense. L
Oct. 21 Kansas: UPSET! For some reason TCU has just struggled with Kansas lately, just teasing that they might lose to them, TCU seems unsteady enough and Kansas sucks just a little less for it to finally happen. L
Oct. 28 @ Iowa State: TCU at least avoids doubling down on upsets as they get past Iowa State. W
Nov. 4 Texas: TCU seems to bring their absolute best for their games against Texas, it continues here as they upset Texas. W
Nov. 11 @ Oklahoma: No I can't see Hill being consistent enough for TCU to upset Oklahoma. L
Nov. 18 @ Texas Tech: TCU's offense has a good day against the awful Texas Tech defense. W
Nov. 24 Baylor: TCU dominates Baylor to win. W

Predicted Record: 8-4(5-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Texas Longhorns

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Preview: It is rather amazing how long this run of mediocrity has lasted at Texas, 7 years ago entering the 2010 season having even one season this bad was something unforeseen, Texas was as steady as they come. Suddenly came the collapse and Texas still has not recovered since. Now Tom Herman is tasked to finally rebuild this program and bring it back to the top, the good news is he seems to fit well here. Great ties to the state of Texas, poised and ready to deal with the pressures of the job, and while some may disagree I feel like he has that "it" factor, like he's a coach that will win a national championship one day. For now we can pump the brakes on that, Herman is definitely an excellent big game coach, but he's only been the head coach for two years and he's been susceptible to upsets.

Last year sure started out strongly for Texas, on a Sunday night before labor day showdown with a much hyped Notre Dame, Texas won a wild game in overtime in what seemed to be a game that indicated that Texas is on the rise, and they blew out UTEP the next week to back it up. That was until they didn't, Texas struggled massively defensively against Cal and lost in a disappointing 50-43 shootout. Texas then made several errors in a 49-31 loss to Oklahoma State, and then lost to Oklahoma in the Red River shootout. Texas did recover and beat Iowa State, before they suffered their typical loss to Kansas State. Texas seemed to be on the path to recovery when they upset a then highly ranked and unbeaten Baylor, turns out Baylor was just ready for a collapse. Texas beat Texas Tech in a shootout and then lost a close game to West Virginia. It seemed like a bowl was at least possible and then Texas committed the worst sin of all, they blew an 11 point 4th quarter lead to lose in over to Kansas, yes Kansas. Texas ended the year with a home blowout loss to TCU.

Texas for most of last year was much improved on offense and they were very capable of competing in shootouts, but there were times where the offense struggled during those games even, and it all started to show late in the year. QB Shane Buechele returns after starting his entire freshman season, he was only a freshman so it was an up and down campaign. Buechele showed a lot of promise last year though and now it should be fun to see what Herman will be able to do with him. Texas will sorely miss their workhorse in RB D'Onta Foreman, and now there's a question of who will replace him, Chris Warren III is the favorite and is pretty much the only back with experience, he struggled with hamstring issues last year so Texas hopes that won't be the case again. There's unproven backs beyond that. Texas returns most of their top receivers but it was a rather inconsistent bunch, they were capable of getting open but did drop passes a lot. Sophomore Collin Johnson was the star of the spring back and at 6'6" he looks set to become a dangerous weapon. There's also Dorian Leonard, Armanti Foreman, the speedy but extremely drop prone John Burt and converted QB Jerrod Heard. Texas' offensive line was one of the main reasons for the offense playing worse as the year went on because it went through constant shuffling because of injuries, 9 linemen started games and now 8 of them are back, left tackle Connor Williams is perhaps the best in the nation.

Texas struggled defensively, especially early in the year but it was a very young defense. Texas had a lot of sophomores and juniors playing last year. This defense should be better with so many players returning and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando following Herman to Texas. The defensive line is pretty big, and returns almost everyone from last year, starters Poona Ford, Chris Nelson and Malcolm Roach lead the charge. Texas is absolutely loaded at linebacker, Breckyn Hager and Anthony Wheeler will be good at manning the middle and there's fantastic pass rushers in Edwin Freeman, Naashon Hughes and star player Malik Jefferson. Texas' secondary struggled a lot earlier in the year last year but got better late and the experience should help. They've got some good safeties in John Bonney and Jason Hall corner Kris Boyd is solid as well, but they need a reliable starter on the other side.

Texas has a pretty tough schedule, but Herman is not the one to back away from challenges. Texas opens the year against Maryland, they play San Jose State and have a huge headliner game against USC on the road. They do play the top 3 conference title contenders Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all in the state of Texas. Yet they face some of the trickier solid but not quite title contender teams in West Virginia, TCU and to a lesser extent Iowa State all on the road. Texas is the wildcard of this conference, they have enough good players to beat anyone but at the same time might find themselves losing to some of the tricky but not top teams on their schedule.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Maryland: Maryland might be building into a decent program, but I don't think they will have enough to beat Texas in this one. W
Sep. 9 San Jose State: San Jose State will at least be more interesting with their fast paced offense, but I think Texas rolls past them. W
Sep. 16 @ USC: Now this is a big one, I've got to say Herman's record as an underdog and in big games impresses me, this here is probably the most surprising pick I'm going to make, but I'm taking Texas in a major upset. W
Sep. 28 @ Iowa State: Texas doesn't struggle much with Iowa State and wins easily. W
Oct. 7 Kansas State: Here comes the first step back, Kansas State has a great record against Texas under Snyder, Texas gets caught looking ahead a little bit and Kansas State beats them. L
Oct. 14 Oklahoma (Dallas): It doesn't get much bigger than the Red River Shootout so yes I'm going with Herman's big game preparation once again for another big time upset. W
Oct. 21 Oklahoma State: This time they follow it up by winning another one. W
Oct. 28 @ Baylor: Texas might begin to lose some steam but they should still beat Baylor. W
Nov. 4 @ TCU: Texas fully loses steam here as TCU has a strong record against them, and Texas gets upset. L
Nov. 11 Kansas: No Texas will not lose to Kansas again. W
Nov. 18 @ West Virginia: Yet another upset loss as West Virginia takes down Texas. L
Nov. 24 Texas Tech: Texas gets an offensive revival as they control this game to win. W

Predicted Record: 9-3(6-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Texas Tech Red Raiders

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Preview: When you put together a list of power 5 head coaches that are on the hot seat and most likely to be fired at the end of this year Kliff Kingsbury will definitely be at the top of those lists. He seemed like a good fit coming in, former Red Raider QB and ran the offense this program is known for, the problem hasn't been the offense though. Texas Tech has just completely ignored the idea of playing defense is Kingsbury's time here, and we perhaps saw the best a Kliff Kingsbury team will ever be in 2015, because that offense couldn't possibly be any better than it was but because of the defense they only won 7 games. Last year was a slight step down and because of it they fell to 5-7.

Last year didn't start awful for Texas Tech by any means, but coming into it, they had an opportunity to move up in the Big 12 pecking order. They easily beat Stephen F Austin in the opener, but defensive ineptitude struck as they lost to Arizona State by the ridiculous score of 68-55. Texas Tech beat Louisiana Tech 59-45 and then struggled early but pulled away from Kansas to win easily. Texas Tech lost a 38-44 shootout to Kansas State before a blowout loss to West Virginia at home. Texas Tech then lost another absurd shootout this time a 59-66 loss to Oklahoma where both teams put up 854 yards of offense. Texas Tech beat TCU in overtime in a rather surprisingly low scoring game considering both team's defensive struggles, Tech would lose by 8 to Texas, and then miss an extra point to lose to Oklahoma State. Texas Tech had a complete and utter collapse in a 66-10 destruction at the hands of Iowa State, before Tech took advantage of Baylor's collapse in a 54-35 win to end the year.

Last year's Texas Tech offense wasn't quite as good as the 2015 one but it was still a good offense. They had a QB in Pat Mahomes who was perhaps the most talented air-raid QB of all time, he was more mobile and had a bigger arm than any of them and quite frankly they pissed away his time here and should have won more games with him, he was asked to do too much and it became a problem when he spend most of the 2nd half of last year battling injuries. Mahomes was so talented that despite how this offense doesn't translate in the NFL at all he was picked with the 10th overall pick in the NFL draft. His successor will be Nic Shimonek who's more of your traditional air-raid QB, he's not as mobile and doesn't have as big of an arm. Tech's run game became woefully ineffective last year, Justin Stockton looked like he was ready to step up but struggled last year and now has been dealing with "head injuries", the backups are inexperienced. Texas Tech has a pretty big loss in Jonathan Giles last year's leading receiver choosing to transfer, but they still have a lot of options. Keke Coutee was fantastic late in the year last year, and Dylan Cantrell is a big receiver, Cameron Batson is also pretty good. The offensive line was a disappointment last year, and loses a few starters again.

Texas Tech's defense was just bad, like it pretty much provided no resistance to an opposing offense, almost anyone that played them could move the ball at will. I can keep going on coming up with ways to bash just how horrible this defense was. Injuries did play it's part so there's that. The defensive line does not get much help as several starters are gone, the defensive tackle position at least has some backups who have some experience, but the defensive end position has just one proven playmaker. The linebacker position did deal with some attrition last year, Dakota Allen a top returnee from 2015 was kicked off the team last year and returned after the season ended, D'Vonta Hinton another starting linebacker missed 7 games last year, they both are back. Texas Tech wasn't good in the secondary to begin with and then dealt with a ridiculous amount of injuries back there, at least there's a few players with experience back I guess.

Texas Tech has a pretty tough schedule, their FCS opponent Eastern Washington loves getting in shootouts with Big programs and has proven to be a thrown in their side in recent years, they also have tough matchups against Arizona State and Houston out of conference. 9 game conference schedule is tough when a lot of those teams are better. Texas Tech looks like they're set for a rough year.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Eastern Washington: The one thing that makes this game a little easier is Eastern Washington lost their head coach Beau Baldwin, with that I think they fall short of upsetting Tech. W
Sep. 16 Arizona State: Arizona State embarrassed this Tech defense last year, and I wouldn't be too surprised if they did it again. L
Sep. 23 @ Houston: Houston's defense with give Tech's offense fits while once against Texas Tech doesn't make many stops defensively. L
Sep. 30 Oklahoma State: Texas Tech fails to keep up with Oklahoma State in a shootout. L
Oct. 7 @ Kansas: The one game where Texas Tech might be able to outscore their opponent so they at least win this one. W
Oct. 14 @ West Virginia: L
Oct. 21 Iowa State: Yes even Iowa State manages to beat Texas Tech again. L
Oct. 28 @ Oklahoma: L
Nov. 4 Kansas State: L
Nov. 11 Baylor (Jerryworld): This game ends up being a close one between two struggling teams and Baylor ends up outscoring Texas Tech. L
Nov. 18 TCU: L
Nov. 24 @ Texas: L

Predicted Record: 2-10(1-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

West Virginia Mountaineers

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Preview: After a few disappointing and mediocre seasons Dana Holgorsen finally had his first breakthrough year since West Virginia joined the Big 12. It was much needed as Holgorson was almost let go after 2015 and after a promising start to his tenure here he struggled as soon as West Virginia entered the Big 12. Now hopes are high for West Virginia, but this year it could be bad news. There's some exciting additions to the roster but it's really causing a lot of people to overlook that West Virginia has a very different roster this year.

Last year started off very well, West Virginia opened the year handling Missouri and winning 26-11, they beat Youngstown State the next week. Then West Virginia won a thriller over BYU and beat Kansas State by 1 point. West Virginia really got on a roll as they won in blowouts over Texas Tech and TCU. It came to an end though as West Virginia was taken down by Oklahoma State in a 37-20 loss, West Virginia recovered and kept their Big 12 title hopes alive with wins over Kansas and Texas. West Virginia was set to host Oklahoma in their biggest game of the year and in the snow West Virginia laid an absolute dud, they moved the ball well but failed to score and they were destroyed 56-28. West Virginia easily beat Iowa State after and then they struggled and were nearly upset by Baylor to end the regular season. The season ended with a dud of a bowl performance against Miami-Florida.

West Virginia had a decent offense last year and they were quite run heavy. QB Skyler Howard was more prone to scrambling and was a rather inconsistent QB, West Virginia brings in an assumed upgrade in Will Grier who is mostly the center of this year's hype. Grier was solid when he started at QB for Florida, he was only a freshman at the time and he's still the best Florida has gotten from the QB position since Tim Tebow was around, Grier hasn't played for a year but he should be an upgrade. West Virginia had a committee of RBs last year, Rushel Shell started most of the games and he is gone but Justin Crawford was the best back in the committee and he returns, Martell Pettaway is promising he was going to be redshirted as a freshman last year but had the redshirt removed as injuries started to hit the position, he looked promising in that time. West Virginia is going to look different at receiver as they lose a great big play receiver in Shelton Gibson and a great slot receiver in Dalkiel Shorts Jr, but they at least return some solid experienced receivers in Ka'Raun White and Jovon Durante, the breakout star of the spring was QB turned WR David Sills. There's a lot gone from last year's offensive line including two all-conference starters, but there's some transfers that could help and getting back a great lineman in Yodny Cajuste who missed all of last year with an ACL injury should help.

West Virginia has done a very solid job fielding one of the more consistently solid defenses in the Big 12, this year could put that to the test. They didn't deploy a big rotation on the defensive line last year and now they lose all 3 starters up front, now there's a lot of inexperience and JUCOs that will have to patch this up. Linebacker was supposed to be a strength but West Virginia has one starter gone and now the potential star of the defense David Long got injured just recently and will miss at least the first month of the year, the lone starter back for the full year Al-Rasheed Benton is solid. West Virginia has some questions in the secondary because there is a lot gone, Rasul Douglas and Jarrod Harper hurt, but there is some good news. Kyzir White is a fantastic safety/linebacker hybrid player and safety Dravon Askew-Henry is back after missing all of last year with injury. Syracuse grad transfer Corey Winfield joins the mix to potentially help out the secondary.

West Virginia's non-conference schedule has one big headliner game against Virginia Tech, they also get East Carolina who could be tricky and then Delaware State who is just very bad. West Virginia has a tough closing stretch in their conference schedule but hosting Oklahoma State and Texas should be beneficial. The top 25 hype might be a little much for West Virginia, but they still should have a solid team.

Predictions:

Sep. 4 Virginia Tech (Landover, MD): This one is a fun an interesting season opener, and is basically a toss up, Virginia Tech has a lot of new pieces on offense while West Virginia has a lot of new pieces on defense, I'm going with Virginia Tech in a close one. L
Sep. 9 East Carolina: I don't think the short week will have any effect, West Virginia wins. W
Sep. 16 Delaware State: Why did they have to go and pick a team this bad? Missouri of all teams beat Delaware State 79-0 last year. W
Sep. 23 @ Kansas: West Virginia should win this game. W
Oct. 7 @ TCU: This is a bit of a toss-up, so I'm going with Kenny Hill to actually have a good game and lead TCU to the win. L
Oct. 14 Texas Tech: West Virginia should run all over Tech for an easy win. W
Oct. 21 @ Baylor: West Virginia should win this one. W
Oct. 28 Oklahoma State: I'm going with West Virginia to upset Oklahoma State in this game. W
Nov. 4 Iowa State: W
Nov. 11 @ Kansas State: Kansas State's offense moves the ball well and wins this one. L
Nov. 18 Texas: West Virginia manages to rebound and upset Texas. W
Nov. 25 @ Oklahoma: Oklahoma has absolutely had West Virginia's number, I don't expect that to change. L

Predicted Record: 8-4(6-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Big 12 Conference

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1. Oklahoma Sooners 10-2(8-1)
2. Kansas State Wildcats 10-2(7-2)
3. West Virginia Mountaineers 8-4(6-3) - beat Texas and Oklahoma St for tiebreaker
4. Texas Longhorns 9-3(6-3) - lost to WVU beat Oklahoma St
5. Oklahoma State Cowboys 9-3(6-3) - lost to WVU and Texas
6. Texas Christian Horned Frogs 8-4(5-4)
7. Iowa State Cyclones 6-6(3-6)
8. Baylor Bears 4-8(2-6)
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders 2-10(1-8) - beat Kansas
10. Kansas Jayhawks 4-8(1-8) - lost to Texas Tech

Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma vs Kansas State - I'm not a big fan of this championship format because of the guaranteed rematch that absolutely will backfire at some point, in this scenario it doesn't at least. Oklahoma is on fire after a strong late stretch, only with an early loss to Ohio State and upset at the hands of Herman, but now they must beat Snyder for a 2nd time in the same season. That will be a tough task.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

This next conference is a tough one, almost every team can have their season go different ways

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Akron Zips

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Preview: The Mac has quite the variety of coaches, there's the up and comers, the coaches on the rebound and then there's a coach like Terry Bowden and Frank Solich, they both had high points in their careers and now seem content to coach in the Mac. Similar to Ohio though to a lesser extent Bowden has helped stabilize Akron. Already Terry Bowden is the most accomplished coach in Akron history since they joined FBS. Bowden has made one bowl appearance, which accounts for half of Akron's total and he won that bowl game, which is Akron's only bowl win. In addition they went 8-5 that year, their best as a FBS school. Now Bowden prepares for his 6th season with the Zips, and there's a lot of ways this season can go.

Last year Akron opened easily beating VMI and taking an expected blowout loss to Wisconsin. This was a pretty good team though, they destroyed Marshall 65-38 on the road and then lost in a 38-45 shootout to a very good Appalachian State team. Akron entered Mac play getting past Kent State in a closer than expected game and then easily beating Miami (OH.) They suffered a setback as Western Michigan destroyed them, but they recovered to beat Ball State. At this point they looked like they had a shot at winning the East division and a bowl appearance seemed certain. Suddenly Akron collapsed, they were blown out by a struggling Buffalo team, and then by Toledo. They were beaten by 10 at home by a bad Bowling Green team and then Akron ended the year with an offensive collapse in a 3-9 loss to Ohio, resulting in a disappointing 5-7 record.

Akron's offense looked pretty good early in the year but in the end QB injuries became too much, they ended the year with a receiver at QB. QB Thomas Woodson was playing extremely well early in the year and he showed some good potential, he got hurt midseason, came back and played well one game then struggled and got hurt again. Woodson had shoulder surgery this offseason and Akron really needs him back. They do at least have some insurance in former Virginia QB Nick Johns, he has a big arm but is more of a pocket passer. Akron got a huge break when RB Warren Ball was granted a 6th year, of course he's had his own issues staying healthy. There's also Manny Morgan who is ok and Van Edwards Jr who can burst out for big plays but he is inconsistent, there's also Deltron Sands a transfer from Oregon State. Akron loses some solid receivers in Jojo Natson and Jerome Lane (who entered the draft for some reason), they moved former backup QB Tre'Von Chapman to receiver to help, as there's not much good experience here. Tight end Mykel Traylor-Bennett has made some good plays when targeted, he perhaps has been underutilized. The offensive line is experienced with 4 of 5 starters back.

Akron's defense also was hit really hard by injuries and after a strong 2015 season this defense just collapsed as a result. Akron's defensive line was hit hardest Jamal Marcus was their best player but he was a senior last year and that year mostly went to waste as he missed about half the season, Akron overall was pretty much starting new defensive tackles every week because they just kept getting injured. Several other defensive linemen are gone this year, they need to keep their tackles healthy because Akron is severely lacking talent at end this year. Akron loses one starter at linebacker but they bring back Ulysees Gilbert III who played very well last year, Akron has some help from transfers here too. Akron's secondary also had a rotating lineup each week as players kept going in and out with injury, they now lose their top 3 corners, Akron has 2 transfers coming in and they desperately need them to be ready to play.

Akron doesn't get the best of breaks with the schedule, they have to open with Penn State and they also play Iowa State and Troy, they at least have an easier FCS opponent. Akron's West division draw is rather unfavorable as they have Toledo and Western Michigan but at least get Ball State. Akron just needs a few things to go right and they could win the East division, but at the same time that defense really worries me and so does Woodson's health.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Penn State: This isn't a fun way to start the year, let's move on. L
Sep. 9 Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Where did Akron even find this team?? Either way they are very bad, went 1-10 in FCS last year and were beaten 57-7 by Prairie View A&M in last year's finale. W
Sep. 16 Iowa State: It's nice Akron gets this game at home, I don't really think it's going to help them, they have no one to cover Allen Lazard. L
Sep. 23 @ Troy: Akron will be crushed in this game as well. L
Sep. 30 @ Bowling Green: Akron has gone over a decade since the last time they beat Bowling Green, last winning in 2006. L
Oct. 7 Ball State: Akron actually might be able to outscore Ball State if everyone is healthy, I'll go with them in this game. W
Oct. 14 @ Western Michigan: Western Michigan is going to have a run game that Akron won't be able to stop. L
Oct. 21 @ Toledo: I suspect Toledo will pass all over Akron in this one. L
Oct. 28 Buffalo: This game is more of a toss-up than most, I'll go with Akron to beat the Bulls. W
Nov. 7 @ Miami (Ohio): The Redhawks easily take this game. L
Nov. 14 Ohio: Akron gets dominated by Ohio as well. L
Nov. 21 Kent State: Kent State will be really bad so Akron does beat them. W

Predicted Record: 4-8(3-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Ball State Cardinals

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Preview: Ball State has struggled lately, but after year 1 we have hints that Mike Neu could turn them around. Ball State will be hoping a full turnaround happens soon, they had a good stretch under Pete Lembo but now haven't made a bowl since 2013 and it's almost been a decade since the amazing 2008 season where Ball State climbed up to 8th in the polls at one point. Neu has shown some promise but will we see some improvements soon?

Last year started out with some promise. Ball State opened with a win over Georgia State, and then they lost by only 10 to Indiana. Ball State beat Eastern Kentucky and Florida Atlantic for a solid 3-1 start. They had a bit of a drop off they lost close games to Northern Illinois and Central Michigan and then won over Buffalo. Ball State then lost to Akron, and after a solid early start they were blown out by Western Michigan. Ball State lost a shootout to Eastern Michigan, they lost by double digits to Toledo and ended the year with a close loss to a surging Miami Ohio, a strong start ended with a disappointing finish.

Ball State's offense was very solid. They have a solid accurate QB in Riley Neal who returns but really needs to cut down on the amount of picks he throws. Neal is a solid runner and overall Ball State had a good run game thanks to RB James Gilbert and there's solid backups as well. Ball State has one solid receiver back in Corey Lacanaria, but two of their best receivers in Ke'Vonn Mabon and Damon Hazelton Jr transferred after having an excellent freshman year. Ball State's offensive line returns 3 starters and another player with experience.

Ball State's defense struggled especially late last year, they were solid against the run but they were awful at letting teams pick up big chunks of yards via the pass. Ball State has a few starters gone from a defensive line that was good at making plays behind the line of scrimmage, returnee Anthony Wimbush was a fantastic pass rusher who had 8.5 sacks. Ball State is almost completely unproven at linebacker, where all their starters are gone. Ball State's secondary struggled last year but was young at corner, now they return their corners but the safeties are gone.

Ball State doesn't have the worst schedule. They have an easy game against Tennessee Tech, and UAB is a bit of a mystery, they also have tough non-conference games against Illinois and Western Kentucky. Ball State has a decent draw from the east as they get Akron and Buffalo but Miami (OH) will be tough. Ball State still has a lot of questions in Neu's 2nd season, they could do well enough to make a bowl but most likely they might have another year of struggles.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Illinois: Ball State will find it tough to win this one. L
Sep. 9 UAB: This one is tough to tell because UAB is a wildcard but I'll go with Ball State. W
Sep. 16 Tennessee Tech: W
Sep. 23 @ Western Kentucky: L
Sep. 30 @ Western Michigan: L
Oct. 7 @ Akron: This is a toss-up and it should be a shootout, I'll go with Akron. L
Oct. 21 Central Michigan: Another toss up but I'll go with Central Michigan. L
Oct. 26 Toledo: Toledo's offense will torch this pass defense. L
Nov. 2 @ Eastern Michigan: Ball State's pass defense will once again hurt them here as they lose in a shootout. L
Nov. 9 @ Northern Illinois: L
Nov. 16 Buffalo: As Ball State continues to struggle they get surprised by Buffalo. L
Nov. 21 Miami (OH): L

Predicted Record: 2-10(0-8)

 

[belcherboy]

Thanks so much for this thread! I LOVE reading this every year!

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Thanks so much for this thread! I LOVE reading this every year!

Thanks sir! I really appreciate it!

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Bowling Green Falcons

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Preview: Bowling Green made a rather interesting decision when they hired Mike Jinks as their head coach, it was certainly out of nowhere and unexpected. Previously he was the running backs coach at Texas Tech, where they did have some of the best rushing production they've had in a while, but he had no college head coaching experience on any level, very little college experience in general and no ties to the state of Ohio. After a rough start it seems like this hire can work out. This year is an interesting one, Bowling Green collapsed after previously winning the Mac 2 out of 3 years...was it a brief reset followed by a spring back to the top?

It's really difficult to define just how bad this team was to start last year. They opened the season taking a 7-0 lead on Ohio State with a pick 6, and then were promptly outscored 77-3 the rest of that game in a total destruction. Bowling Green was then mostly dominated by North Dakota, not North Dakota STATE, North Dakota, and they barely survived by stopping a 2 point conversion late. In a near monsoon on a flooded field Bowling Green managed to hang with Mid Tenn State for a half mostly thanks to the Blue Raiders mistakes and then were blown out 41-21. Bowling Green then suffered perhaps the most embarrassing loss for anyone during the season falling behind 56-3 at the half against Memphis and losing 77-3. Bowling Green did improve though, losing close games to solid teams in Eastern Michigan, Ohio and Toledo. Bowling Green lost by 2 TDs to Miami (OH) at the beginning of their surge and then was blown out by Northern Illinois. Suddenly the light came on as Bowling Green beat Akron on the road, blew out Kent State and beat Buffalo to end the year with a 3 game winning streak.

Bowling Green's offense struggled miserably a lot of the year, especially early and turned the keys over to QB James Morgan who was a freshman at the time, he was a former 4 star recruit so he's one of the most highly touted QBs this program has had, he had some growing pains but a step up is possible this year. The key to the late season turnaround was that Bowling Green ran the ball a lot late in the year with a triple headed monster at RB in Fred Coppet, Josh Cleveland, and Donavan Wilson, the 3 of them combined to average 300 rushing yards per game in those last 3 wins. Coppet is gone but Wilson and Cleveland return. Wilson is a bigger more powerful back, while Cleveland is more capable of big plays and had the best YPC. Bowling Green returns 5 of their top 6 receivers from last year and the best of the bunch is Scott Miller who emerged last year to be a go-to player, the rest need to be more consistent though and if they aren't there is a 6'5" JUCO transfer in Datrin Guyton who could play a big role. The offensive line is less experienced as they lose 3 starters, but at least they bring back an all-conference center in Tim McAuliffe.

Bowling Green's defense...as evidenced by giving up 77 points not once but twice last year was very bad. Bowling Green wasn't too bad on the defensive line (then again they're usually pretty solid here) they lose two starters but bring back a good one in Gus Schwieterman who had 12 TFL last year. Bowling Green also had a solid set of linebackers but now the best of the bunch Trenton Greene is gone and Austin Valdez transferred. Bowling Green's secondary was the main reason for their struggles, they couldn't stop the pass. There's definitely a reason though as they were missing 3 potential starters almost immediately with injury and other issues, suddenly there were a lot of freshmen and sophomores pushed into action, that will hopefully lead to some progression and should at least make this secondary pretty deep.

Bowling Green has a tough schedule, they have 3 out of conference road games and they're against 3 tough teams in Michigan State, Northwestern and Mid Tenn State. Bowling Green would have been wise to avoid schools from the Dakotas after last year's near-disaster but they decided to tempt fate again by playing South Dakota this year. They draw Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and of course rival Toledo from the west. This year is going to have a rough start, surviving that and being ready for conference play will be a huge key, Bowling Green could rebound and win the Mac this year, or they could have another repeat of last year.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Michigan State: Well Michigan State did struggle last year, but this isn't happening. L
Sep. 9 South Dakota: Good news is at least South Dakota was worse than North Dakota last year, Bowling Green should win..hopefully. W
Sep. 16 @ Northwestern: You would think Northwestern is a better chance for them to pull an upset than Michigan State, but unless Northwestern is in a funk like they were early last year it won't happen. L
Sep. 23 @ Mid Tenn State: L
Sep. 30 Akron: Bowling Green at least has a good landing spot here seeing that they've beaten Akron every year since 2006. W
Oct.7 @ Miami (OH): It gets tough again though as the Redhawks will be really good, Bowling Green loses this one. L
Oct. 14 Ohio: Toss up, if Bowling Green is even a bowl level team they typically beat Ohio, if not Ohio usually wins. I'll go with Bowling Green. W
Oct. 21 Northern Illinois: Little bit of a surprise but Bowling Green beats Northern Illinois in this one. W
Oct. 31 @ Kent State: Bowling Green easily wins. W
Nov. 7 @ Buffalo: Bowling Green takes this in a close one. W
Nov. 15 Toledo: Bowling Green hasn't beaten Toledo since 2009. L
Nov. 21 @ Eastern Michigan: Eastern Michigan will still have a strong team this year, and I think they outscore Bowling Green to win this game. L

Predicted Record: 6-6(5-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Buffalo Bulls

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Predictions: The Lance Leipold project hasn't gone much to plan so far, Buffalo made an aggressive hire when they lured him up from Wisconsin-Whitewater a division 3 powerhouse that would probably beat some FCS schools some years. His first year Buffalo needed to beat a bad UMass team to make a bowl and lost, and last year was a collapse. Now suddenly Leipold finds himself struggling here, it was enough of a rebuilding project that he should get a 4th year no matter what, but it will be interesting to see what's in store, improvement isn't impossible by any means.

Last year was just awful though, Buffalo opened the year with a dreadful performance as they lost 22-16 to the Albany Great Danes of FCS, then Buffalo was blown out by a bad Nevada team. Randomly Buffalo got a glimpse of hope as they somehow beat a really good Army team in double overtime, then proceeded to struggle again as they were blown out by Boston College and a very bad Kent State team, Buffalo also lost to Ball State and then was destroyed by Northern Illinois. Once again though they had an out of nowhere great performance as they suddenly blew out Akron 41-20. That would be the last highlight of the year as Buffalo lost to Ohio, Miami (OH), and Western Michigan in convincing fashion, and kept it a little closer in a loss to Bowling Green.

Buffalo had an offense that pretty much struggled to move the ball anywhere, the Akron game was the only time all year that the Bulls surpassed 24 points. There are some reasons it could get better though, one is QB Tyree Jackson who basically became the starter as a true freshman, he had some freshman struggles that's for sure threw as many picks as TDs(9) and barely completed half his passes. He was only a true freshman though and he is massive 6'7" 245lbs, also mobile and seems to be a smart player, he should be better this year...at least if he has help. That is a big question, RB Jordan Johnson was pretty much the highlight of this offense last year and now he's gone, the backup RBs did show some promise though. The two primary targets in last year's offense TE Mason Schreck and WR Marcus McGill are both gone, and there's really not a whole lot of production behind those two. I mean when the lead returnee in terms of catches (21 to be exact) is a backup running back there's not much to go off of. Good news is this offensive line could be one of the best in the conference, 4 starters are back and they have a new massive left tackle in Rutgers transfer Jacquis Webb (seriously 344 lbs!!.)

Buffalo also struggled defensively and the main issue was that they were just completely helpless against the run. The defensive line loses their biggest starter (Remaine Douglas) and their most impactful starter in Brandon Crawford who had 14.5 TFL last year. Pretty much everyone else is back at least and there's still some good size I guess, but someone has to step up. Every linebacker in last year's 2 deep is back and both Khalil Hodge and Ishmael Hargrove played pretty well last year. The secondary actually was pretty solid last year on the rare occasion that an opponent actually threw the ball, almost everyone is back too, if Buffalo can actually at least threaten to stop the run this secondary could make a bigger impact.

The schedule doesn't seem too helpful for a team in a rebuild situation like this, Buffalo has to face Minnesota, and Army to start the year, and Florida Atlantic got an infusion of talent thanks to Lane Kiffin, there is one break in the FCS opponent being Colgate. Buffalo draws Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Ball State. Overall this looks like another rough year, but hopefully some late progress will show. You never know though, Craig Bohl had a similar 2nd year misstep at Wyoming with a very young big QB with a tantalizing arm and great size, and suddenly in his 3rd year he surged to 8 wins and a division title. Is it possible this could happen here? Certainly, but when that's all I have to go off of for that to possibly happen, it's not so promising.

Predictions:

Aug 31. @ Minnesota: Buffalo gets dominated in the opener. L
Sep. 9 @ Army: Buffalo somehow beat Army last year despite a bad run defense, which still was an odd result, perhaps defensive coordinator Brian Boland had an excellent and disciplined scheme to beat Army last year...that could bode well for the Bulls if that's the case but I think Army is out for revenge. L
Sep. 16 Colgate: Colgate was a 5-5 FCS team last year, I think Buffalo could find a way to win this time. W
Sep. 23 Florida Atlantic: Buffalo probably won't be able to hold up to FAU's talent. L
Sep. 30 @ Kent State: Kent State looks to be in for a season of struggles and that shows here as Buffalo beats them. W
Oct. 7 Western Michigan: L
Oct. 14 Northern Illinois: L
Oct. 21 @ Miami (OH): L
Oct. 28 @ Akron: This is a slight chance for Buffalo to win, but I think Akron wins. L
Nov. 7 Bowling Green: Buffalo keeps this close but loses. L
Nov. 16 @ Ball State: Buffalo starts playing a little better and they have a great performance to beat Ball State. W
Nov. 24 Ohio: Buffalo doesn't improve enough to upset Ohio though. L

Predicted Record: 3-9(2-6)