BoiseStateFan's 2017 College Football Predictions/Preview Thread

[BoiseStateFan27]

Really hard to argue with this. And the bolded part is my biggest concern.

My only sign of hope is that the frosh QBs are supposedly the stars of camp so far. Maybe one of them can be any good.

I do think that Edsall being the only coach that has succeeded there can turn it around, but as seen with most coaches taking over a program and changing the schemes it typically means the first year will be one where they go through a full reset and strip it down to the foundation and start over.

With how badly UConn fell last year it really is the only way to move back up

 

[The Q]

I do think that Edsall being the only coach that has succeeded there can turn it around, but as seen with most coaches taking over a program and changing the schemes it typically means the first year will be one where they go through a full reset and strip it down to the foundation and start over.

With how badly UConn fell last year it really is the only way to move back up

I was a big Diaco fan.

And making a bowl game with no QB and no offensive line is actaully somewhat impressive.

But it's not a model for sustained excellence.

Also, he had basically zero recruiting class coming in when he was fired. Edsall brought in every single starred recruit in their ESPn recruiting class.

I still hate the guy, but frankly Idk who else can do the job....although to be fair, he only had ONE single good QB his entire time there too, and he was a local boy. You don't get 5 star QBs from CT all that often.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Fresno State Bulldogs

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Preview: Fresno State has long been known as one of college football's most solid programs in the Mountain West and early on in the Tim DeRuyter era it seemed like they were going to be good enough after they sort of fell apart late in the Pat Hill era. Things started to unravel fast though and Fresno State plummeted to being one of college football's worst teams last year. DeRuyter is now gone and Fresno State has turned to Jeff Tedford to turn things around. Tedford had a good run at Cal for a while, they were consistently solid and he had some fantastic players there though at times he took inopportune losses but Cal was good under his watch until he seemingly ran out of energy and Cal dropped off. Question is does Tedford have the energy to dig this program out of the mess it's currently in? It's going to take quite the rebuilding effort to get Fresno State back on track.

Last year started with Fresno State being blown out by Nebraska and then they easily beat Sacramento State. Fresno State was blown out by Toledo and then finally had a very good shot at winning as they somehow got a 31-0 lead against Tulsa, but promptly blew it and lost 48-41 in overtime. Fresno State was blown out by UNLV, lost to Nevada and San Diego State. They were easily beaten by Utah State, Air Force and Colorado State. I guess they can take some sort of moral victory in their close losses to Hawai'i and San Jose State to end the year.

Early in the DeRuyter era Fresno State had a fantastic offense with Derek Carr as the QB, Carr is now well established in the NFL and off his rookie contract already and yet Fresno State hasn't had a good offense since his departure. QB Chason Virgil was the starter last year despite only being a redshirt freshman, he's mobile and showed some promise when he could. Fresno State had one of the most pathetic running games in college football, at least every running back returns I guess and if none of those work out freshman Ronnie Rivers was a highly rated recruit and might get a shot. Fresno State returns their top receiver in KeeSean Jackson and their big play receiver in Jamire Jordan, there's also a solid receiver in Da'Mari Scott who missed all of last year but is now back. The offensive line returns almost all it's starters so that should be a positive also.

Fresno State also hasn't been good defensively in quite a while, last year at least there was a sign of progress as they improved late in the year. Fresno State mostly had troubles against the run. Almost their entire defensive line returns, although they will be mixing in more 4-3 defenses which will at least mean there's a lot of heft up front. Fresno State loses their top linebacker in Jeff Camilli but almost everyone else is back and James Bailey and Nela Otukolo are both quite solid. Fresno State's secondary was probably the highlight of the defense but now about half the two-deep in the secondary is gone. The leader of this group will be safety DeShawn Potts, but some younger players will be forced to step up.

Fresno State has such a rough schedule. Their non-conference schedule opens with something called Incarnate Word, but then Fresno State plays two of last year's college football playoff participants in Alabama and Washington back to back, then they play BYU later in the year. Fresno State draws New Mexico, Wyoming and Boise State from the Mountain division. Look for this to be a rough reset year for Fresno State, wins will be few and far between.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Incarnate Word: I seriously can't believe this is a real college. W
Sep. 9 @ Alabama: This one will hurt. L
Sep. 16 @ Washington: Seriously playing these two back-to-back is inhumane. L
Sep. 30 Nevada: Both these teams are rebuilding, I think Fresno State is at least slightly better positioned to succeed. W
Oct. 7 @ San Jose State: Another toss-up between rebuilding teams, I think San Jose State takes this one. L
Oct. 14 New Mexico: New Mexico likely rolls. L
Oct. 21 @ San Diego State: Fresno State does give San Diego State a tough time usually, that likely means they lose by a little less here. L
Oct. 28 UNLV: I think UNLV manages to dominate this game. L
Nov. 4 BYU: L
Nov. 11 @ Hawai'i: Hawai'i wins in a blowout. L
Nov. 18 @ Wyoming: L
Nov. 25 Boise State: L

Predicted Record: 2-10(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

I'm going to reduce the size of some of these previews of struggling teams or ones with less proven players in order to focus on some of the better teams

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors

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Preview: Nick Rolovich was inexperienced in terms of being a head coach entering this job last year but what he did have was experience with the Hawai'i program. Immediately the hire has paid off as Hawai'i made a bowl last year despite the most brutal opening stretch in college football, and finally for perhaps the first time in nearly a decade Hawai'i football is fun again.

Last year Hawai'i really racked up the frequent flyer miles, as they face Cal in Australia, Michigan on the road, returned home to play Tennessee-Martin and then went on the road to Arizona. Hawai'i as expected went 1-3 with the only win over the FCS opponent, Hawai'i opened MWC play with wins over Nevada and San Jose State and then lost a close game to UNLV before upsetting Air Force. Hawai'i went on the 3 game losing streak before rebounding to win their last two regular season games. Then they had an impressive effort crushing Mid Tenn State in their bowl game...Hawai'i finished 7-7.

Hawai'i found immediate improvement in their offense last year. QB Dru Brown took over as the starter after a few games and immediately found success, he returns. Other strengths for the offense include RB Diocemy Saint Juste, Hawai'i returns most of their receivers and they have an experienced offensive line. Running back depth will be a concern and so will finding a number one receiver as one of the few departing receivers was easily Hawai'i best in Marcus Kemp.

Hawai'i's defense improve a little bit as the year went on, especially against the pass. Good news is middle linebacker Jahlani Tavai who was the star of this defense returns, he had an incredible 129 tackles, 19.5 for a loss last year, safety Trayvon Henderson was good against the pass and even managed 10.5 TFL himself. Linebacker overall is a strength. Bad news is other than Henderson and Daniel Lewis Jr who was injured last year, everyone else in the secondary is gone. 2 of 3 starters on a defensive line that didn't make much of an impact are gone. Another good news thing I can throw out there is some potential young replacements have fantastic names such as defensive linemen Blessman Ta'ala and Manley Williams, and sophomore corner Rojesterman Farris II.

Hawai'i will be going all over again with their schedule as they open in week 0 at UMass, go home to face Western Carolina then travel to UCLA and Wyoming. The opening stretch is tough but if Hawai'i survives that the schedule eases up. Hawai'i should be capable of making a bowl, a conference title is out of reach though.

Predictions:

Aug. 26 @ UMass: Long road trip, UMass could be better I think they take down Hawai'i. L
Sep. 2 Western Carolina: W
Sep. 9 @ UCLA: L
Sep. 23 @ Wyoming: L
Sep. 30 Colorado State: L
Oct. 7 @ Nevada: W
Oct. 14 San Jose State: W
Oct. 28 San Diego State: Having a bye could help but I suspect SDSU runs over them. L
Nov. 4 @ UNLV: W
Nov. 11 Fresno State: W
Nov. 18 @ Utah State: L
Nov. 25 BYU: I'm picking a surprising upset here, because weird things happen on the island late in the year. W

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Nevada Wolf Pack

Preview: Nevada was for a while there a very solid mid major program that bigger schools had to worry about because of the potential for an upset and the latter portion of the Ault era had Nevada looking especially threatening but Ault retired and Nevada hired Brian Polian which honestly seemed like an odd fit to me. The Polian era didn't work out and now Nevada hired Jay Norvell a long time assistant coach at several places to try to turn it around.

Nevada sure needs it, they finished 5-7 last year but the record really doesn't show how bad Nevada was. They opened the year 2-2 but one of their wins was an overtime win over Cal Poly and the other was a struggling Buffalo, losses to fellow non-bowl teams Notre Dame and Purdue were in this stretch, the Purdue loss was especially offensive. Nevada was easily beaten by Hawai'i and beat Fresno State by 5 before they lost 4 straight. Nevada rebounded a little at the end of the year taking advantage of a comedy of errors performance by Utah State to win by 1 and then destroying rival UNLV.

Nevada still ran the Pistol offense it's known for but they seemingly got worse offensively every year under Polian, Norvell made a hire in Matt Mumme that could liven things up as he plans an airraid Pistol attack. Good news is QB David Cornwell an Alabama transfer (YES I know yet another Alabama transfer) won the starting job rather quickly over two inefficient QBs. I guess getting their top receiver in Wyatt Demps back is good, but he struggled at times last year. All-conference left tackle Austin Corbett is back. Bad news is almost everyone else on the offensive line is gone, the receivers on this time are either quite unproven or didn't play well in limited action and worst of all RB James Butler who was easily the best player on this whole team suddenly decided to transfer to Iowa last month.

Nevada's defense was mostly bad last year especially against the run. Good news is the Jeff Casteel hire is a good one and I guess the others are that Nevada's front 7 was very young last year so a lot of players do return at least. Nevada's secondary wasn't strong by any means but it was the best unit on the defense and there is a lot of experience returning, maybe they will play better if Nevada even threatens to stop the run on occasion. Bad news is experience on the defensive line is nice and all but it was incredibly undersized, can some bigger players make an impact to fix that? Have I mentioned Nevada had an awful run defense last year?

Nevada has a rather tough schedule with non-conference games against Northwestern, Toledo and Washington State. Drawing Colorado State, Air Force and Boise State from the Mountain division really doesn't help matters. I definitely like the idea of where this program is going, the airraid Pistol offense is creative and creativity has been a big part of Nevada's program, Casteel's defense pairs well with it but wow Polian kind of left a mess here, this will be a reset year, firing Polian after one 5-7 year may have seemed extreme but this year was going to be a struggle with him, if you're going to struggle you might as well have a good way to go forward.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Northwestern: L
Sep. 9 Toledo: L
Sep. 16 Idaho State: W
Sep. 23 @ Washington State: L
Sep. 30 @ Fresno State: L
Oct. 7 Hawai'i: L
Oct. 14 @ Colorado State: L
Oct. 21 Air Force: L
Nov. 4 @ Boise State: L
Nov. 11 San Jose State: W
Nov. 18 @ San Diego State: L
Nov. 25 UNLV: L

Predicted Record: 2-10(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

New Mexico Lobos

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Preview: It's amazing to think about how entering the 2012 season New Mexico had plummeted to being one of the most pathetic programs in college football, they severely lacked talent and were an easy opponent for anyone. Bob Davie was a rather surprising hire at the time, but it has worked out perfectly. Davie decided he wanted to run an interesting version of the triple option by running it out of the pistol primarily but also mixing in other odd formations and it has worked out very well. Suddenly New Mexico is a solid program now.

Last year New Mexico started out 2-3 and it was actually rather disappointing, two of the losses were absolute stinkers losing to rival New Mexico State and blowing a lead to lose to Rutgers. Things sure changed fast though, New Mexico first pulled it together winning a shootout over Air Force and that led off a 5 game winning streak. The win streak came to an end in a shootout loss to Colorado State, that was a loss to regret as New Mexico could have won the division they ended the regular season by surprisingly blowing out Wyoming 56-35. New Mexico closed out an amazing 9-4 year by beating UTSA in their bowl game.

New Mexico's option offense works beautifully as it helps them control the ball and minimize their talent disadvantage, yet at the same time New Mexico is also capable of breaking out big plays. Good news is QB and runner of the option Lamar Jordan is back for his senior year he runs the option very well and also can hit on some play action bombs. An emphasis for Davis has been recruiting running backs so despite the loss of leading rusher Teriyon Gibson New Mexico is still loaded at RB. Tyrone Owens split duties and has proven to be an excellent back himself, so is Richard McQuarley and junior Diquon Woodhouse averaged a ridiculous 8.59 ypc in limited action so he seems ready. New Mexico returns a lot of receivers who all have proven capable of creating big plays out of the play action, and perhaps the best one is 2015 starter Delane Hart-Johnson who missed last year because of a car wreck. Offensive line returns several experienced players. Bad news is slot receiver Dameon Gamblin is one of the few departures at receiver and he was the most consistent receiver. Lamar Jordan has yet to be healthy for a full year and the offensive line could have issues if too many injuries hit.

New Mexico's defense however has been bad for about a decade now. Good news I guess would be that there's quite a bit of experience in the front 7 back, and they're not on the field as much. Bad news is leading tackler linebacker Dakota Cox is gone, and the secondary was very bad and now the top 4 players are gone, but at least due to injuries there was some experience.

New Mexico doesn't have too bad of a schedule, their toughest game isn't until November when Texas A&M randomly decided to bring them in for SEC scrub week. After two easier early games back to back road games against Boise State and Tulsa will be tough, so is drawing San Diego State from the West division. Overall I suspect New Mexico won't be quite as good as last year but a return to a bowl is in the cards.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Abilene Christian: W
Sep. 9 New Mexico State: W
Sep. 14 @ Boise State: L
Sep. 23 @ Tulsa: L
Sep. 30 Air Force: New Mexico out-options Air Force in a win. W
Oct. 14 @ Fresno State: W
Oct. 21 Colorado State: L
Oct. 28 @ Wyoming: L
Nov. 4 Utah State: W
Nov. 11 @ Texas A&M: L
Nov. 18 UNLV: W
Nov. 25 @ San Diego State: L

Predicted Record: 6-6(4-4)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

San Diego State Aztecs

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Preview: San Diego State has suddenly become perhaps the most consistent program outside the power 5, head coach Rocky Long knows his way around the Mountain West and he has figured out how to beat anyone in the conference, other than some random glitches San Diego State tends to beat most everyone in the conference.

Last year started very strongly, San Diego State easily beat New Hampshire and then beat Cal in a shootout to finally shed the label of a program that can't beat anyone in the power 5 after falling short for years, San Diego State then beat Northern Illinois pretty easily for a 3-0 start. They couldn't be perfect as San Diego State yet again dropped a non-conference game they had no business losing as they were beaten by South Alabama. San Diego State did recover as their defense gave up a total of 13 points in 3 games for a dominate start to MWC play. Not that they slowed down any, against Utah State, Hawai'i and Nevada San Diego State also lit it up offensively. Finally they were stopped as they fell behind by 7 to Wyoming late in the game and despite being a run first offense San Diego State defied the odds and drove down for a TD but instead of going for the tie they went for 2 for the win and failed to convert so they lost. San Diego State suffered a stunning letdown to end the regular season as they were destroyed 63-31 at home by Colorado State, I mean the 63 points was out of nowhere, in San Diego State's other 7 MWC games they gave up a TOTAL of 76 points! San Diego State did rebound as they got revenge over Wyoming in the MWC Championship and then they impressed by absolutely dominated a good Houston team in their bowl game.

San Diego State's offense is geared towards a run first pro style approach and they do this attack they very well. QB Christian Chapman for the most part does simply why he is asked to do, he has a pristine hand-off motion and passes out of the play action and avoids turning the ball over. One thing he needs to work on is taking less sacks, of course when taught to avoid turning it over you tend to prefer taking the sack instead of taking a risk, if he does struggle Rutgers transfer Chris Laviano could threaten to take the job. San Diego State loses one of the best RBs in program history in Donnel Pumphrey who both ran the ball well and was a very good pass catcher, he shouldn't be easy to replace but San Diego State just might have the backs to avoid regression. Senior Rashaad Penny gets his turn and last year he ran for over 1,000 yards AS A BACKUP that is impressive, he also has 5 career kick return TDs so he can break it any time. Sophomore Juwan Washington showed in limited opportunities that he could be the next in line. San Diego State brings back their top receiver in Mikah Holder who didn't catch a lot of the passes thrown his way last year but when he did he averaged over 20 yards per catch. Tight end David Wells meanwhile is very reliable and likely will be more involved in the offense this year, lot's a question marks for receivers other than these two but San Diego State only has to be decent at passing. San Diego State has huge questions on the offensive line after losing 4 long time starters from a fantastic line, they recruited well here though and Rocky Long didn't sign any JUCOs to help out which shows confidence in former backups stepping up.

San Diego State's defense has been very good for a long time now, it's a rare sure thing in the MWC. The defensive line loses a good duo in Alex Barrett and Kyle Kelly, but the defensive tackles that played are back. Other than Dakota Turner there's not much for experience at defensive end. San Diego State dealt with some injuries at linebacker last year which helps because more players are prepared this year as two starters are gone, one of those was a star linebacker in Calvin Munson, history has shown that a new top linebacker will show up though. San Diego State's secondary was hit the hardest with injuries and now it proves to be a benefit with a duo of corners and a safety gone the replacements already have experience. One of the departing corners was one of the better ones in the nation in Damonte Kazee. Youngsters like sophomore corner Ron Smith and Junior safety Parker Baldwin were forced into action and now they are ready to help lead this defense. Joining Baldwin at safety is Trey Lomax who should help make a good safety duo. Smith will hold down one corner spot while converted safety Kameron Kelly is expected to have the other spot.

San Diego State has challenged themselves with their non-conference schedule this year, as they take on Arizona State, Stanford and Northern Illinois OOC, they also have an easier game against UC Davis. San Diego State does have the benefit of playing in the weaker West division which is especially helpful when they are far better than their division competition, drawing Boise State and playing Air Force on the road will be challenges though. Needless to say any less than a MWC title would be disappointing.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 UC Davis: Easy win. W
Sep. 9 @ Arizona State: San Diego State will find a lot of ways to get runs to the weaker levels of Arizona State's defense, while San Diego State's defense will make stops to win. W
Sep. 16 Stanford: This is a huge home game for San Diego State, I think they will be able to hang with Stanford but in the end they both run the same style and Stanford is a little bigger, faster and stronger. L
Sep. 23 @ Air Force: San Diego State stops Air Force's option to win. W
Sep. 30 Northern Illinois: Making a bold move by not predicting a non-conference egg. W
Oct. 7 @ UNLV: SDSU dominates. W
Oct. 14 Boise State: This turns out to be a big game, I'm picking the good Boise State to show up for this one. L
Oct. 21 Fresno State: Fresno State tends to give SDSU a tough time, but SDSU still wins. W
Oct. 28 @ Hawai'i: San Diego State even wins this game in a blowout. W
Nov. 4 @ San Jose State: W
Nov. 18 Nevada: W
Nov. 25 New Mexico: San Diego State overall is well equipped to stop these option teams. W

Predicted Record: 10-2(7-1)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

San Jose State Spartans

Preview: Several times recently it seemed like San Jose State was ready to have a breakthrough and become a consistently good program. There's been spikes of success here and there, a few years ago Mike MacIntrye led them to a fantastic season where they ended up ranked in the top 25. They attempted to keep it going with Ron Caragher, but he didn't keep it going. Caragher was nearing the hotseat when suddenly in the offseason prior to the 2015 season he signed an excellent recruiting class..maybe he could turn them around...he didn't and was fired. Now San Jose State has hired Brent Brennan, a rather inexperienced coach with enthusiasm that draws "Fleck" comparisons.

Last year was a disappointment as San Jose State quickly looked awful in a 1-5 start that featured mostly blowouts and one close shootout loss to New Mexico. San Jose State grabbed wins over Nevada and UNLV with a 42-3 loss to San Diego State in between. San Jose State ended strongly as they took closer than expected losses to Boise State and Air Force and beat Fresno State.

San Jose State mostly struggled offensively with a few decent games. They plan to change that with offensive coordinator Andrew Sowder who is a branch off a branch of the Art Briles tree (Sowder himself was only briefly at Baylor in 2012 for those wondering.) This means you can expect an extremely fast paced spead out offense. Good news is they have exciting receivers and running backs who will fit well in this offense. They have a great TE in Josh Oliver and they return every single starter from the offensive line. Bad news is the WRs/RBs could both stand to be more consistent and the Quarterback, does San Jose State have one that can play well?

San Jose State mostly struggled defensively last year so they will be looking to turn that around. Good news is San Jose State was solid against the pass and returns a lot of their players in the secondary to keep that going, they also have quite a lot of experience back at linebacker and all their defensive tackles are back. Bad news is can San Jose State stop the run? They struggle miserably against the run last year and that made the secondary susceptible to getting burned by the play action. Another issue is they have major holes at both defensive end positions as their top 4 are gone.

San Jose State has a very rough schedule, other than a game against Cal Poly their non-conference consists entirely of possible top 25 teams in South Florida, Texas, BYU and Utah. Of the 3 teams in the MWC with new coaches, San Jose State looks the most poised to succeed, but this tough schedule and program shift likely mean a rough year.

Predictions:

Aug. 26 South Florida: L
Sep. 2 Cal Poly: W
Sep. 9 @ Texas: L
Sep. 16 @ Utah: L
Sep. 23 Utah State: L
Sep. 30 @ UNLV: L
Oct. 7 Fresno State: W
Oct. 14 @ Hawai'i: L
Oct. 28 @ BYU: L
Nov. 4 San Diego State: L
Nov. 11 @ Nevada: L
Nov. 18 @ Colorado State: L
Nov. 25 Wyoming: L

Predicted Record: 2-11(1-7)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

UNLV Runnin Rebels

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Preview: So for those of you that didn't know UNLV apparently has a new logo. I really had no idea about this until I was looking up logos to use for this preview, looks similar to the neighborhood watch logo. UNLV now finds themselves in year 3 under Tony Sanchez, slowly they seem to be getting better and UNLV was one win better last year. Now can they improve again?

UNLV started last year blowing out Jackson State before 3 straight losses to UCLA, Central Michigan and Idaho dropped them to 1-3. UNLV did blow out Fresno State but was shutdown by San Diego State. UNLV beat Hawai'i in a shootout and then lost two straight. Out of nowhere UNLV managed to beat Wyoming 69-66 in a triple overtime thriller in perhaps the best game you didn't watch last year. It was the last highlight as UNLV was blown out by Boise State and Nevada to finish 4-8.

UNLV's offense was pretty inconsistent last year, basically the only constant was if UNLV could surpass 30 points they won the game, problem is they only did that 4 times all year. Good news is UNLV had a steady offensive line and the majority of those starters return. RBs Charles Williams and Lexington Thomas return and WRs Devonte Boyd, Kendal Keys and Brandon Presley are all back. Redshirt freshman QB Armanti Rogers was impressive in the spring and looks set to overtake last years starters. Bad news is, can any of these players stay healthy??? All 3 aforementioned receivers missed time with injuries, Keys and Presley barely played at all last year. Boyd & Keys were limited in the spring.

UNLV's defense meanwhile played solid at times but wasn't great at others. Good news is UNLV has a lot of experience at defensive tackle and corner Darius Mouton is back. Also Syracuse grad transfer Chauncey Scissum should help out. There's a few players that have experienced from rotating in and out of games. Bad news is pretty obvious by what I pointed out, most of last year's starters are gone and there's very little experience left on this defense. Mostly unproven players will be starting.

UNLV's schedule includes some tough non-conference games against Ohio State and BYU, they also host Howard and play Idaho on the road. Drawing Air Force, Utah State and New Mexico from the Mountain division is probably one of the better draws. Tony Sanchez is looking at a young lineup, this year could result in UNLV's first bowl since 2013 if the offense can win some shootouts.

Predictions:
Sep. 2 Howard: W
Sep. 9 @ Idaho: L
Sep. 23 @ Ohio State: L
Sep. 30 San Jose State: W
Oct. 7 San Diego State: L
Oct. 14 @ Air Force: L
Oct. 21 Utah State: L
Oct. 28 @ Fresno State: W
Nov. 4 Hawai'i: L
Nov. 11 BYU: L
Nov. 18 @ New Mexico: L
Nov. 25 @ Nevada: W

Predicted Record: 4-8(3-5)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Utah State Aggies

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Preview: Utah State for a while was a struggling program at the FBS level but just before joining the Mountain West they improved so much that it raised the standards of this program. Head coach Matt Wells had been holding the ship steady for a while, it seemed like he would have moved on by now but problem is it's starting to seem like Utah State is backing slowly in reverse under his watch, can he rebound?

Last year was rather disappointing, Utah State even started 2-1 with an expected loss to USC and even a two touchdown win over Arkansas State who turned out to be one of the Sun Belt's better teams. Utah State started to drop as they lost 3 games in a row to Air Force, Boise State and Colorado State but no loss by more than 11 points and then they dominated Fresno State. Then Utah State just completely collapsed in their last 5 games as they blown out badly by San Diego State and Wyoming and completely pissed away should have been wins against New Mexico and Nevada, then ended with a loss to BYU for a disappointing 3-9 season.

Utah State's offense definitely struggled at times and really was iffy from a play-calling standpoint, naturally they made an offensive coordinator change hiring David Yost, a long time offensive coordinator at multiple stops. Good news is Utah State returns a talented QB in Kent Myers, RB Tonny Lindsey returns and so does receiver Ron'quavion Tarver. Bad news is Utah State's best receiver Rayshad Lewis (Ray Lewis' son) transferred to Maryland, Lindsey wasn't always consistent but it would help if Utah State actually focused on their run game which was superior to their passing game but they passed the majority of the time for some reason. Utah State is darn near starting over on the offensive line.

Utah State did once again have a very solid defense last year. Good news is Utah State returns a lot in what should be a strong secondary and they once again look strong at linebacker. Bad news is the defensive line was a little underwhelming last year and now almost every starter is gone.

Utah State has a tough non-conference schedule that features games against Wisconsin, Wake Forest and BYU. They avoid San Diego State and overall getting teams like UNLV and San Jose State from the West should be helpful. I'm actually going to predict a small rebound for Utah State, we'll see if I regret that.

Predictions:

Sep. 1 Wisconsin: L
Sep. 7 Idaho State: W
Sep. 16 @ Wake Forest: L
Sep. 23 @ San Jose State: W
Sep. 29 BYU: L
Oct. 7 Colorado State: Upset! W
Oct. 14 Wyoming: Yet another upset. W
Oct. 21 @ UNLV: W
Oct. 28 Boise State: L
Nov. 4 @ New Mexico: L
Nov. 18 Hawai'i: W
Nov. 25 @ Air Force: L

Predicted Record: 6-6(5-3)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Wyoming Cowboys

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Preview: After some struggles for two seasons under Craig Bohl last year we finally got to see the real picture of what a Craig Bohl Wyoming will look like. Wyoming surprised everyone and surged to a great year, it was one of their best seasons in a long time, now what happens for an encore?

Last year started with Wyoming beating Northern Illinois in overtime in what seemed to be an upset but turned out to not be, Wyoming hung tough with Nebraska for almost 3 quarters before completely collapsing they beat UC Davis and lost to Eastern Michigan for a 2-2 start. Then Wyoming surged as they won their next 5 games which included handing both Air Force and Boise State their first losses of the year. Wyoming lost to UNLV in a random overtime shootout, rebounded to win a wild game over San Diego State and then out of nowhere got destroyed by New Mexico 56-35 in the regular season finale. Wyoming still made the MWC championship and lost by 3 to San Diego State, and they lost by 3 again to BYU in their bowl for a still satisfying 8-6 record.

Wyoming's offense was very much improved last year. The good news is first of all rather obvious. Wyoming has a fantastic QB in Josh Allen who has all the NFL scouts curious of his abilities, he's mobile and can make any throw, Allen just needs to improve on his accuracy this year. 4 starters return on the offensive line. Bad news is RB Brian Hill was excellent and his is gone, and top receiver Tanner Gentry as well as a few other starters leaves some voids in this offense.

Wyoming's defense was not quite a Craig Bohl defense yet, as injuries helped bring this defense down. Good news is safety Andrew Wingard is back and he's one of the better safeties in the nation, and the secondary overall is a very talented with a lot of experience back. Linebacker Logan Wilson was excellent as a freshman and he returns so does the best player on the defensive line last year Kevin Prosser. Bad news is can injuries stay away this year? And there are a few players gone.

Wyoming will be challenged this year with non-conference games against Iowa and Oregon, or in this case you could consider them "opportunities." The other two non-conference games are easy, Avoiding San Diego State is huge, but playing Boise State and Air Force on the road could trip things up. Wyoming definitely has goals returning to the MWC championship this year and winning it this time.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 @ Iowa: Season opener sounds ripe for an upset, I think Allen puts on a fantastic display for Wyoming to stun Iowa. W
Sep. 9 Gardner-Webb: W
Sep. 16 Oregon: Wyoming loses a close one here. L
Sep. 23 Hawai'i: W
Sep. 30 Texas State: W
Oct. 14 @ Utah State: Upset loss. L
Oct. 21 @ Boise State: L
Oct. 28 New Mexico: W
Nov. 4 Colorado State: W
Nov. 11 @ Air Force: W
Nov. 18 Fresno State: W
Nov. 25 @ San Jose State: W

Predicted Record: 9-3(6-2)

 

[belcherboy]

What is taking so long on getting to the B1G?!!?!?

Last year you skimped on your B10 preview, so I expect big things from your analysis this year.

Regardless, so far so good on the analysis. Keep up the good work!

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

What is taking so long on getting to the B1G?!!?!?

Last year you skimped on your B10 preview, so I expect big things from your analysis this year.

Regardless, so far so good on the analysis. Keep up the good work!

You had a chance to jump the Pac-12 earlier and you didn't respond

Today's your lucky day though!

Teams like Purdue, Rutgers etc. will get the slimmed version. Michigan will get the real deal

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Illinois Fighting Illini

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Preview: Illinois has long been a struggling program in the Big 10, they randomly manage to experience success at times but it's never consistent usually its a year with a quick burst and then they fade back to mediocrity. In 2007 they were ranked in the top 10, won the Big 10 and had the privilege of being destroyed by USC in the Rose Bowl, they were bad the following years until some hope arrived in 2011 when they started 6-0, but promptly lost their last 7 games. Illinois turned to Lovie Smith late last offseason and they mostly struggled. Can they improve?

Last year was bad almost from the start Illinois started 1-4 with their only win being over Murray State from FCS and they lost to Purdue in overtime. Illinois did at least manage to beat Rutgers before blowout losses to Michigan and Minnesota and then a win in a wild game over fellow struggling Michigan State, that was the last highlight as Illinois lost their last 3 games by 21 points or more to end the year 3-9.

Illinois was mostly bad offensively last year, having very few highlights. Good news this year is RB tandem Kendrick Foster and Reggie Corbin return and they're a solid duo. Receiver Mike Dudek is back from injury and last year's top receiver Malik Turner is back as well. QB Chayce Crouch is big and could have been dual threat ability. This offense was dangerous and could break out for big plays at any time. Bad news is a lot of the times that Illinois' offense didn't break off a big play they were going backwards. The offensive line was bad last year and losing 2 starters means there's no guarantee of improvement. Crouch got injured last year after a few games can he stay healthy? Can Dudek stay healthy? He was really good as a freshman in 2014...problem is due to injuries he hasn't played in a game since 2014.

Illinois actually had a decent but not great defense last year, it wasn't helped by the offense's inefficiency much. Good news is they were young last year in a lot of areas such as having two starting freshmen safeties and two sophomore linebackers. That should help for improvement. The bad news is the defensive line was the strength and it's basically starting over this year, highly regarded players such as Dawuane Smoot, Carroll Phillips and Chunky Clements are all gone.

Big 10 schedules are challenging with the 9 conference game schedule that started last year. Illinois has tough non-conference games against South Florida and Western Kentucky and no FCS opponents. Drawing Ohio State from the East is rough but Illinois gets the benefit of playing Rutgers and Indiana as well. Lovie Smith might be able to turn this around eventually, but this doesn't look like the year for it.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Ball State: W
Sep. 9 Western Kentucky: W
Sep. 15 @ South Florida: L
Sep. 29 Nebraska: L
Oct. 7 @ Iowa: L
Oct. 14 Rutgers: W
Oct. 21 @ Minnesota: L
Oct. 28 Wisconsin: L
Nov. 4 @ Purdue: L
Nov. 11 Indiana: L
Nov. 18 @ Ohio State: L
Nov. 25 Northwestern: L

Predicted Record: 3-9(1-8)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

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Mountain:

1. Wyoming Cowboys 9-3(6-2) - Best ranking breaks 3 way tie, I will go with Wyoming to be ranked higher
2. Colorado State Rams 8-4(6-2) - Beat Boise State for tiebreak
3. Boise State Broncos 8-4(6-2)
4. Utah State Aggies 6-6(5-3)
5. New Mexico Lobos 6-6(4-4) - beat AFA
6. Air Force Falcons 6-6(4-4)

West:

1. San Diego State Aztecs 10-2(7-1)
2. Hawai'i Warriors 6-6(4-4)
3. UNLV Runnin Rebels 4-8(3-5)
4. San Jose State Spartans 2-10(1-7)
5. Fresno State Bulldogs 2-10(1-7)
6. Nevada Wolfpack 2-10(1-7) - honestly I didn't do a tiebreak for these three they went 2-10 they don't deserve one

Mountain West Championship: Wyoming Cowboys vs San Diego State Aztecs - I definitely did not realize how wild these conference standings would end up, but this conference is wacky so it fits. In the end it's a rematch of last year's championship, Wyoming with the goal of avenging last year's loss and San Diego State looking to be Mountain West champs once again.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Forgot I didn't post the Mountain West summary yet

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Indiana Hoosiers

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Preview: Indiana is known as perhaps the worst power 5 program in the country, success almost never happens here. Finally the last two years Kevin Wilson managed to get this program to a bowl while threatening some superior programs in the process, Indiana still didn't finish with a winning record but those were better years than they're used to. Wilson and Indiana split at the beginning of this offseason because of a "disagreement on player treatment" and now his defensive coordinator Tom Allen takes over as the head coach. Allen came over to Indiana from South Florida last year and Indiana's defense instantly was the best it's been in a long time, while South Florida's defense absolutely tanked so clearly he is very good as a defensive coordinator now how will he do as a head coach?

Indiana opened last year 2-0 with less than impressive wins over FIU and Ball State. Then they took a home loss to Wake Forest before rebounding to win what at the time was an upset over Michigan State. Indiana as usual under Wilson gave Ohio State a tough time before losing, they did the same against Nebraska as well. Indiana lost by 10 to Northwestern, and then handled Maryland and Rutgers. Indiana led in the 4th quarter against Penn State while Penn State was surging but collapsed to lose by 2 TDs, Indiana also hung with Michigan until Michigan pulled away late, Indiana ended the regular season barely surviving an upset bid by Purdue. Indiana then lost by 2 to Utah in their bowl game.

Indiana surprisingly regressed badly on offense last year, now they will be looking for a rebound. Good news is Indiana should be very strong at receiver with last year's top receiver Nick Westbrook back as well as the extremely talented Simmie Cobbs Jr who got hurt early last year. The offensive line regressed thanks to injuries last year but now that means they're more well equipped for departures this year. QB Richard Lagow is back and at times he showed good potential. Bad news is Lagow wasn't the best of runners and he is incredibly mistake prone as he threw 17 picks last year. One of the departures on the offensive line was one of the best in College football in Dan Feeney. Indiana's running game was a major disappointment last year and that was with RB Devine Redding who still managed to rush for over 1,000 yards despite the struggles up front and now he's gone.

As surprising as it was that Indiana struggled offensively, it was twice as surprising that their defense improved greatly last year. Indiana's secondary returns just about everyone including corner Rashard Fant who is the best player on this defense, there's even a few players back that missed all of last year. Linebacker Tegray Scales returns and he had an incredible 23.5 TFL and 126 tackles last year, Indiana has somehow gone since 1979 without having a single linebacker drafted in the NFL, Scales could change that. Marcelino Ball also returns after being a freshman all-american last year. Bad news is the defensive line will undergo some changes with two of their top defensive tackles gone, and defensive end Nile Sykes got hurt and is out for the year.

Indiana has some challenges on their schedule, they have an odd opener on the opening Thursday against Ohio State, their non-conference features games against Virginia, FIU and Georgia Southern. Indiana has the misfortune of drawing Wisconsin from the West division, but they also have the benefit of facing Illinois and Purdue.

Predictions:

Aug. 31 Ohio State: L
Sep. 9 @ Virginia: W
Sep. 16 FIU: W
Sep. 23 Georgia Southern: W
Sep. 30 @ Penn State: L
Oct. 14 Michigan: The bye week definitely gives them a shot, but I'll go with the usual challenge them before fading late to lose a close one. L
Oct. 21 @ Michigan State: L
Oct. 28 @ Maryland: Indiana gets taken down in the close one. L
Nov. 4 Wisconsin: L
Nov. 11 @ Illinois: Late season easing of the schedule allows for a win streak. W
Nov. 18 Rutgers: W
Nov. 25 @ Purdue: W

Predicted Record: 6-6(3-6)

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Iowa Hawkeyes

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Preview: Bob Stoops surprisingly retired this offseason and with that Iowa's head coach Kirk Ferentz is now the longest tenured head coach in college football. Under Ferentz Iowa is usually rather predictable typically they are in the upper portion of a middle of the road team, averaging roughly around 8 wins. On rare occasions Iowa has dropped off and every few years they seemed to surge to a good year. This year could surely end up more of the same.

Iowa Started last year strong at first blowing out Miami (OH) and Iowa State for a 2-0 start, then Iowa suffered the fate of many FCS programs before them as they got upset by North Dakota State, a FCS school but a good one at that. Iowa then struggled to beat Rutgers, lost to Northwestern at home and then won a low scoring game over Minnesota. They promptly followed that low scoring game by beating Purdue in a shootout, then the low scores returned in a 17-9 loss to Wisconsin. Iowa was blown out badly by Penn State and followed it up with an out of seemingly nowhere upset win over Michigan. Iowa ended the regular season with dominating wins over Illinois and Nebraska. Iowa though has proven to be a complete dud in bowl games as they haven't won one since 2010 and got blown out by Florida for their 3rd straight blowout bowl loss.

Iowa's offense had its moments last year but also it's struggles. Inconsistent QB CJ Beathard is now gone, his replacement will either be sophomore Nathan Stanley or junior Tyler Wiegers. Iowa will have a fantastic running game though as they bring back a great RB in Akrum Wadley and they even add another in former Nevada star James Butler. Butler is also a good pass catcher which might be needed because there's not much experience returning. Now Iowa's best receiver Matt VandeBerg is also their only experienced returnee problem is he broke his foot last year and reinjured it in the spring so his status is questionable, Iowa really needs him back. Iowa does at least add former New Mexico receiver Matt Quarells. Iowa will have one of the best offensive lines in the nation with a very good and experienced group of returnees, they need to stay healthier though.

Iowa has fielded at least a solid defense for as long as anyone can remember at this point. Iowa loses two starters on the defensive line but they should still be loaded with big lanky defensive ends like Matt Nelson and Anthony Nelson. Usually freshmen recruits aren't something I mention but Iowa got a rare 5 star recruit in A.J. Epenesa who will likely rotate in. Iowa returns their entire fantastic trio of linebackers in Josey Jewell, Bo Bower and Ben Niemann, there's not a lot of experience behind them as the 3 of them basically would play every snap last year so if one of them gets hurt there's a lot less experience behind them. The Secondary though is a question mark, Iowa loses a great corner in Desmond King and their star free safety Brandon Snyder tore his ACL in the spring. Corner Manny Rugamba impressed late last year as a freshman and now suddenly he's one of the most important components of this secondary.

Iowa's schedule has a tricky look to it. They open with a tricky Wyoming team, face their rival Iowa State who should be improved and then get an easier game against North Texas. Iowa gets a pretty bad draw from the East getting Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, the latter two are the toughest but Iowa gets the benefit of playing them at home. Another solid year with a bowl appearance should be in store.

Predictions:

Sep. 2 Wyoming: I'm calling an upset here, as Wyoming stuns Iowa thanks to a great performance by Josh Allen. L
Sep. 9 @ Iowa State: The tough start continues as an improved Iowa State pulls off an upset as well. L
Sep 16 North Texas: Iowa rebounds as they dominate North Texas. W
Sep. 23 Penn State: Iowa is tough at home so I think their bound to pull an out of nowhere upset on someone, I've got Iowa stunning Penn State. W
Sep. 30 @ Michigan State: Iowa's defense dominates as they win. W
Oct. 7 Illinois: W
Oct. 21 @ Northwestern: Iowa ends up losing this game. L
Oct. 28 Minnesota: W
Nov. 4 Ohio State: Iowa comes close here but fall short. L
Nov. 11 @ Wisconsin: Yet again these two get in a tough fight where points are at a premium, oddly enough the road team has had a good record lately, but that ends. L
Nov. 18 Purdue: W
Nov 24 @ Nebraska: This game actually has a trophy now, Iowa has had Nebraska's number lately winning 3 of the past 4 so I'll go with Iowa. W

Predicted Record: 7-5(6-3)

 

[pitman]

Good reads here, thanks for putting in the time every year.