My college football previews 2014

[Codaxx]

Did you see that article you linked? It was something about Texas wanting i
ts gold back. Hence the bad joke...

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damn, wrong article.

Xs and Os: Notre Dame's new defense a complicated overhaul - SBNation.com

this is probably makes a little more sense.

 

[bigred472]

Bottom line: Last season, I followed a column on Deadspin.com called "FBS 125 teams ranked" (I can't remember who wrote the column), and the guy said in one of the latest columns that "If Brian Kelly gets fired, they'll point to 'Irish played in the Pinstripe Bowl' as Exhibit A".
That won't happen this year; the Irish will get to a fine bowl. But if Notre Dame wants in on a "Big 6 Bowl", the faster Everett returns to form, the better chance they'll have. -------
The biggest problem as I see it with Kelly, he has a tendency to pull players too soon. If he doesn't stop that, with Kelly as HC ND will never see a Big 6 bowl

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Okay... looks like I kicked a bee's nest with my Notre Dame predication... Fine with me! As long as you guys have something to say about it, I'm cool with it.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Georgia State

Preview segment: The Georgia State Panthers

Last season: Appalling. 0-12 with losses to teams like Samford and Chattanooga in their Sun Belt debut season. And for some reason, this team strokes me the wrong way; probably because they jumped straight to the FBS after 2 years. Yes, I know that UTSA, South Alabama, and Old Dominion did it, and that Charlotte will be doing it in 2015, but if Georgia State don't start winning games, maybe they should go back down to the FCS to get some experience.

Good news: There are some good junior-college transfers that could help the team get some needed victory's.

Bad news: Depth is an issue everywhere, especially with 27 seniors gone from last year's team.

Key games: 8/27 vs. Abilene Christian (Wait... here's a chance for these guys to swipe a win that the team really needs).
9/6 vs. New Mexico State (A perfectly winnable conference opener).
11/8 @ Troy (By this time, I'll know if the Panthers have something going for them).

Bottom line: Maybe I was a little harsh at the beginning of this. Maybe Georgia State needs some time to be fully ready for the FBS. But if they go through another 0-12 campaign, maybe the school will be thinking about going back to the FCS.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Louisiana-Monroe

Preview segment: The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks

Last year: An average 6-6 with no bowl. But the Warhawks were the preseason favorites to win the Sun Belt, so they had to be feeling a little low.

Good news: Coach Todd Berry has his best defense ever at Monroe, and the offense has some play-makers like RB Centarius Donald.

Bad news: One of those play-makers is NOT a quarterback, as Todd must find one in fall camp. And Donald has had injury problems in the past, so a backup is necessary if he falls again.

Key games: 8/28 vs. Wake Forest (How can Todd alleviate some of the fans' concerns? Stun the Demon Deacons for the 2nd straight year).
9/6 vs. Idaho (Right after that, the Warhawks has to be the one to welcome back straggler Idaho to the Sun Belt).
11/15 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (The Warhawks won this rivalry game last year, but the Cajuns won the conference. Both teams will be hot for this one).

Bottom line: If a QB is found, the Warhawks will be fine. But how they survive a VERY hard non-conference slate with trips to Texas A&M, LSU, and Kentucky will determine if a bowl berth comes to Monroe.

 

[NDHoosier101]

-

damn, wrong article.

Xs and Os: Notre Dame's new defense a complicated overhaul - SBNation.com

this is probably makes a little more sense.

Bottom line our defense is going to have issues next year, I'm not sure we're going to be able to put it all on the new scheme. Interesting article though. Much better than the first.

Bottom line: Last season, I followed a column on Deadspin.com called "FBS 125 teams ranked" (I can't remember who wrote the column), and the guy said in one of the latest columns that "If Brian Kelly gets fired, they'll point to 'Irish played in the Pinstripe Bowl' as Exhibit A".
That won't happen this year; the Irish will get to a fine bowl. But if Notre Dame wants in on a "Big 6 Bowl", the faster Everett returns to form, the better chance they'll have. -------
The biggest problem as I see it with Kelly, he has a tendency to pull players too soon. If he doesn't stop that, with Kelly as HC ND will never see a Big 6 bowl

Pull players too soon? Only example of that I can think of is the 2012 season when he would pull Golson and throw Rees out there. It worked great in every game he did it except Pitt, when Rees threw a pick...

 

[variousdinosaurs]

:brushteeth:

 

[KansasSooner]

Okay... looks like I kicked a bee's nest with my Notre Dame predication... Fine with me! As long as you guys have something to say about it, I'm cool with it.

Just wait until you do Bama...the board will explode.

 

[bamabear82]

Just wait until you do Bama...the board will explode.

 

[4down20]

Just wait until you do Bama...the board will explode.

0-2 start.

 

[variousdinosaurs]

I'm very confused... in that I just got a private message by fordman84 saying that I've "obviously been here before" and that I'm being banned. I'm unable to reply to him directly.

I'm Dolgevillefootballfan's brother and was just checking in to see what he was posting. =l

 

[WhiteMamba]

You mean tubbs brother. My advice is just come clean.

 

[variousdinosaurs]

Not sure if this is serious or some sort of sarcastic "initiation ritual"?

Did some previous fellow that was banned use to post Dolan smiley faces or something? I had only made a total of 2 previous posts before being told I was banned.. so I'm not sure what was the motivation.

Oh well... I'll check back in later and hope things get sorted out and I don't have to make a new account for no reason just to check in on things. Anyway, I don't want to take away from my brother's discussion, he's very much into College Football (obviously) and I'm sure he'll be a regular fixture here soon. Have fun. <3

 

[bigred472]

Bottom line: Last season, I followed a column on Deadspin.com called "FBS 125 teams ranked" (I can't remember who wrote the column), and the guy said in one of the latest columns that "If Brian Kelly gets fired, they'll point to 'Irish played in the Pinstripe Bowl' as Exhibit A".
That won't happen this year; the Irish will get to a fine bowl. But if Notre Dame wants in on a "Big 6 Bowl", the faster Everett returns to form, the better chance they'll have. -------
The biggest problem as I see it with Kelly, he has a tendency to pull players too soon. If he doesn't stop that, with Kelly as HC ND will never see a Big 6 bowl year
-------
Well the QB issue wasn't the only time and last year, he really had no choice but to stay with the one QB.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Just wait until you do Bama...the board will explode.

I see, KansasSooner... Problem is I still have a bunch of teams to go before I touch on the SEC, as I still want to cover all 128 FBS teams.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Troy

Preview segment: The Troy Trojans

Last year: Stop me if you've heard this before; this team went 6-6 with no bowl last year, and they want to change that this year.

Good news: Play-makers on the defensive side, and good players at the skill positions.

Bad news: Like Louisiana-Monroe, Troy must replace a great QB. Plus the defense may have some play-makers, but also some big holes to fill (especially on the line).

Key games: 9/6 vs. Duke (After a emotional rivalry game at UAB to start, Troy must play last year's Cinderella team from the ACC).
9/27 @ Louisiana-Monroe (This game may be ugly as hell, but it will be a critical one for both of these teams).
10/30 @ Georgia Southern (Like the other stalwart Sun Belt teams, Troy must be careful with these newcomers from Statesboro).
11/29 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (Troy almost beat them last year in Lafayette).

Bottom line: Of all the middle-of-the-road teams in the Sun Belt, I see Troy having the best chance to make a move... if they can fill some pretty big holes.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Arkansas State

Preview segment: The Arkansas State Red Wolves

Last season: A pretty good season for them as they won a share of another Sun Belt title, and upset Ball State in a bowl game.
But wait... Bryan Harsin (the coach of that team) is gone, and Blake Anderson has stepped in? Okay, that's the 5th new head coach Arkansas State has had over the last 5 YEARS! This team is now the musical equivalent of the Prince song "Little Red Corvette".

Good news: All of the back-seven starters on defense from last year's team are back, and Fredi Knighten has settled the QB position.

Bad news: The back is fine, but the front of the defense needs to replace some starters. Plus, the Red Wolves have a rough September schedule.

Key games: 9/6 @ Tennessee (This is one of those hard September games I just mentioned. But we'll see what happens if Fredi shows up).
9/20 vs. Utah State (After a visit to Miami, the Red Wolves will host one of the favorites to win the Mountain West).
10/11 @ Georgia State (Careful Red Wolves, the Panthers nearly beat you guys last year in Jonesboro).
10/21 @ Louisiana-Lafayette (A special Tuesday night game where the winner controls everything in the Sun Belt).

Bottom line: Arkansas State has been through this "coach flies the coop after one year" thing before, and 'most every position seems ready, so don't be surprised if the Red Wolves win another title and bowl game.
But on a personal note, I'm gonna make a suggestion to Arkansas State (again quoting Prince): "You need to find a love/coach that's gonna last".

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Louisiana-Lafayette

Preview segment: The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

Last season: They won the New Orleans Bowl against in-state rival Tulane (which in my opinion was HUGE for the Cajuns), and won a share of the Sun Belt title. Problem is, they could've had the whole championship if they didn't stumble in their last 2 games. Nitpicking aside, the people in Lafayette are expecting to have another title delivered to them this year.

Good news: This is a loaded, veteran team with defensive strength and a QB (Terrence Broadway) and WR (Jamal Robinson) that can make plays.

Bad news: Some help is needed up the middle for both of the lines.

Key games: 9/13 @ Ole Miss (Apologies to La. Tech, but this is the early game the Cajuns are prepping for: To test their strength against a waking SEC giant).
9/20 @ Boise State (Boise won't be the same team without Petersen, but traveling to the "Smurf turf" is never easy).
10/21 vs. Arkansas State (See my Arkansas State preview).
11/15 @ Louisiana-Monroe (Lafayette's lofty expectations got ruined by the Warhawks last year).

Bottom line: Some people have this team reaching 10 wins this year; I'm not sure about that claim. But will the Cajuns win the Sun Belt and be the 2nd-best team in the state of Louisiana this year? Totally.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Idaho

Preview segment: The Idaho Vandals

Last season: 1-11 in a year this team was independent after the WAC dropped football when everybody left.

Good news: This off-season went way better than the last one as coach Paul Petrino tries to get traction in Moscow.

Bad news: Paul has a long way to go, as issues are everywhere including the QB position (a starter hasn't been selected yet) and the defense. Plus, way to support student academics, Idaho! The team's low APR score means they're not edible for a bowl... not that they were going to one, anyway.

Key games: 9/27 vs. South Alabama (Idaho's first home Sun Belt game since their return).
10/18 vs. New Mexico State (At least a rival joined the conference with the Vandals; Idaho may want payback for the Aggies beating them).

Bottom line: Ugh... another team I can't see anything for. If Idaho doesn't finish last in their return to the Sun Belt, it'll be a triumph.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

New Mexico State

Preview segment: The New Mexico State Aggies

Last year: Like Idaho, they were miserable as an independent. Unlike Idaho, they didn't have just 1 win, they had 2!

Good news: A better offense is expected under coach Doug Martin.

Bad news: An awful defense from last year lost some key players, and the Aggies must go through another transition period returning to the Sun Belt.

Key games: 9/6 @ Georgia State (The Aggies should win against Cal Poly in the opener. And this conference opener may be tough, but it is winnable).
9/20 vs. New Mexico (The Lobos crushed the Aggies last year in the Rio Grande rivalry. The Aggies REALLY needs to extract revenge here).
10/18 @ Idaho (A battle of bottom-feeders that could lead to hope for the winner).

Bottom line: Unlike Idaho, I see the Aggies getting some early wins and installing some hope for long-suffering fans in Las Cruces. And for Doug Martin, that would really help his chances with keeping his job.