The calm before the storm... (2024 CFB Preview thread)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Shh! ...Hear that? That's the calm before the storm of the 2024 college football season.

I've been posting on SportsHoopla for 10 years now, and I've seen a lot of changes to this sport. A playoff format starting up, overtime rules being changed, Heisman winners that are NOT always doomed to fail in the NFL, a global pandemic, conference realignment chaos, NIL deals, Nick Saban dominating the sport (and then retiring), and now the NCAA putting their hands up and saying "FINE! We'll pay the players so that you boosters can SHUT UP!!".

...But for right now, I'll just get ready for my latest round of CFB preview segments. Stay tuned...

 

[Xeliou66]

Look forward to seeing your insights. I’ll get my college football preview magazines/guides soon and start studying the teams. I can’t wait for football to be honest.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Planned 2024 preview schedule

With all of these new "super conferences", it's gonna be hard for me to nail down an exact preview schedule for the 2024 season. But here is the order which I will do the previews (for now, at least):

Group of Five conferences (on this thread):
This weekend: Independents like UMass, UConn, Oregon State and Washington State.
Week of June 3rd: Conference USA (So Liberty has become the new flag-bearer for this league. Cool! Now... who's gonna rise up and challenge them?)
Week of June 10th: American (Wait, WHAT?! The Army Black Knights have joined the American conference?! What does this mean?!)
Week of June 17th: Sun Belt (12 teams from the Sun Belt made a bowl last season. That's all you need to know.)
Week of June 24th: MAC (At least the Mid-American conference remains at status-quo. Will the state of Ohio rule again?)
Week of July 1st: Mountain West (Hmm... If "EA Sports College Football 25" has a conference adder/subtracter thing, maybe I can create another West Coast conference. Then I can put Boise State and UNLV with USC and Washington and- Huh?! Sorry, I was just thinking aloud.)

Super conferences (on separate threads):
Big 10 (18 teams in this league. People like Oregon and UCLA going to play games in Indiana and Iowa. Michigan without Jim Harbaugh. There are just SO many things wrong here.)
Big 12 (On the other hand, I think the changes made to the Big 12 can work. Colorado is back! So is the "Holy War" rivalry! And best of all, nobody knows who's gonna win the league this year.)
SEC (Okay Oklahoma, you got your wish. Now you're in the SEC. Good luck trying to survive against Georgia and Ole Miss and everyone else. Oh, and les we forget... No more Nick Saban at Alabama!)
ACC (Come on, Florida State! Don't crack up on us now and jump to the Big 12! Look, the new expanded playoffs are here! Surely you'll get in THIS time!)

Of course, this schedule is subject to change.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Washington State

The first preview segment for the 2024 season: The Washington State Cougars

Last season: It started out so well for the Cougars in 2023; they got to a 4-0 start with QB Cameron Ward getting some Heisman love. But then something happened, and they would lose 7 of their last 8 games. Now Washington State must pick themselves up in a strange new world.

Good news: The offense should still be potent, thanks to a good O-line and some strong receivers. John Mateer has sealed up the starting QB job...

Bad news: ...but only because Cameron Ward transferred to Miami in the offseason. 8 starters must be replaced on the defense.

Key games:
9/7 vs. Texas Tech (Wazzu's new defense will be tested in this battle with the Red Raiders.)
9/14 vs. Washington [at Lumen Field in Seattle] (Zero doubt that this will be the biggest game for Wazzu in 2024. ZERO doubt. And imagine the positive vibes that the Cougars will get if they silence the in-state rivals they betrayed them.)
10/26 @ San Diego State (This is just one of 8 games Wazzu will have against the Mountain West this year.)
11/23 @ Oregon State (Aww! Washington State will visit their other friend who got orphaned by the death of the PAC-12.)

Bottom line: This is a team without a conference; a team with a makeshift schedule and a makeshift defense. But you know what? I thing Washington State can make it work in 2024. If John Mateer is as good of a QB as the coaching staff says he is, the Cougars can return to the bowl picture this year.

 

[DJ]

Less than 100 days till college and pro football return!!!

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Connecticut

Preview segment: The UConn Huskies

Last season: A tough 3-9. But at least they enter 2024 on a winning streak.

Good news: Hopes are high that the D-line will be better than last year, and the WR room has talent. QB Joe Fagnano is back from an injury, and the O-line has a lot of experience.

Bad news: But that O-line was quite bad last year, so let's hope it gets better. UConn also needs to do better at rushing the passer.

Key games:
8/31 @ Maryland (At least UConn will get their toughest game of the year out of the way in Week 1. Plus, Maryland doesn't have Taulia Tagovailoa as their QB anymore!)
9/28 vs. Buffalo (UConn's old rival Buffalo will come to visit them this year. Plus, this is part of a 6-game home stand for the Huskies in 2024.)
10/26 vs. Rice (UConn was able to beat Rice in Houston last year.)
11/23 @ Syracuse (Hey! Here's another old rival that UConn will get to see this season.)

Bottom line: Coach Jim Mora is hopeful that UConn will improve from their 3-win season in 2023. And the schedule will help with that goal, as teams like UAB and Syracuse will replace James Madison and Tennessee on the slate. Let's hope the offense gets better.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Oregon State

Preview segment: The Oregon State Beavers

Last season: At this time last year, Oregon State was on the precipice of something great. They had local hero Jonathan Smith as their head coach, a well-rounded offense at their disposal and dreams of a PAC-12 championship (and maybe more).
In early November, the Beavers were 8-2 with their dreams intact and hosting Washington in a main-event game. Life was still good.
And now, it's early June. Their 'boy' Jonathan Smith is now the coach at Michigan State, they have no conference, and (just like Washington State) they're trying to figure out what the f--k has happened.

Good news: The secondary looks impressive, and the O-line should remain strong despite the change in coaching staffs. The WR's have plenty of potential.

Bad news: All of this change has created uncertainty in the program... which is not helped by the fact that the D-line is lacking experience and that there is a 3-way fight for the starting QB job.

Key games:
9/14 vs. Oregon (This is far and away the biggest game for the Beavers in 2024; just ask Washington State with their Washington game. And much like the "Apple Cup", imagine the confidence boost OSU will get if they can pull this off.)
10/26 @ California (It's nice to see Oregon State keeping in touch with their former friends from the PAC-12.)
11/16 @ Air Force (Much like Washington State, Oregon State will also have a makeshift Mountain West schedule to navigate in 2024.)
11/23 vs. Washington State (Oh! And here are those Cougars, ready to visit the Beavers.)

Bottom line: New head coach Trent Bray (the former defensive coordinator for the Beavers) has his work cut out for him. Not really because of what the former coach did in Corvallis, but because of these uncertain times. But OSU has the depth needed to avoid a major slidedown in the CFB standings, so here's hoping the Beavers can find the postseason.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Massachusetts

Preview segment: The UMass Minutemen

Last season: A rough 3-9. But at least it was better than the 2-10 record they had in 2022.

Good news: QB Taisun Phommachanh (say that 3 times fast) is back for his senior year, and he'll have a fair amount of talent at receiver.

Bad news: There's a lack of depth all over the roster, and RB Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams transferred to Michigan State in the spring.

Key games:
8/31 vs. Eastern Michigan (Well well well... Looks like the Minutemen are crawling back to the Mid-American Conference for help [they're rejoining the league in 2025]. In all seriousness, though, this game looks winnable.)
9/14 @ Buffalo (This game looks winnable, too.)
10/12 vs. Missouri (The good news is, UMass will get to host an SEC team this year. The bad news is, Missouri is white-hot right now.)
11/23 @ Georgia (This will be the worst mismatch of the year, no questions asked.)
11/30 vs. UConn (But at least UMass will get to end the season by getting revenge on the Huskies.)

Bottom line: With an offense ready to impress, maybe UMass can get more than 3 wins in 2024. And at least with them going back to the MAC in 2025, they won't have to accept as many "payday games" against the SEC to pay the bills!

 

[redskinsfan1963]

it will be a shock again I bet.always is.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

New Mexico State

The first preview segment for Conference USA: The New Mexico State Aggies

Last season: That fabled 1960 season for New Mexico State now has some company. With Diego Pavia as the QB and Jerry Kill as the coach, the Aggies had an amazing 2023 campaign! They got 10 wins, they beat an SEC team for the first time ever, and they made the C-USA title game in their 1st year in the league! A great time for everyone involved.

Bad news: And now, the fallout; Diego Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt in the offseason, and Jerry Kill is also in Nashville (as an consultant to head coach Clark Lea). Oh, and we also don't know who Diego's replacement as the starting QB will be. The transfer portal also took away some good WR's.

Good news: At least the portal gave NMSU some good pieces to use on defense [like Nick Session from Oklahoma State]. There's continuity on the O-line, which should help out RB Monte Watkins and whoever their new QB is.

2024 X-factor: New head coach Tony Sanchez- So Tony Sanchez is the new head coach. Last time I saw him, he was going 20-40 in 5 years at UNLV. Let's see if he learned anything from that experience.

Key games:
9/7 vs. Liberty (The schedule should help out the Aggies, as most of their big games are at home. And here's a BIG early one, as they'll host the only Conference USA team they couldn't figure out last year.)
9/28 vs. New Mexico (Here's the annual "Battle for the Silver Spade" between UNM and NMSU. The Aggies are looking for their first 3-game winning streak in this rivalry since 2009-11.)
10/9 @ Jacksonville State (One year in the FBS, and the Gamecocks are thinking about a C-USA title? NMSU needs to remedy that.)
11/30 vs. UTEP ("The Battle of I-10" on Rivalry Saturday? I'm interested.)

Bottom line: I honestly don't know what New Mexico State is gonna do in 2024. Diego and Jerry are gone, which means they're not gonna challenge for the C-USA title again this season. But if the Aggies find a new starting QB quick, maybe the defense can do the rest and get the Aggies back into a bowl.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

New Mexico State

The first preview segment for Conference USA: The New Mexico State Aggies

Last season: That fabled 1960 season for New Mexico State now has some company. With Diego Pavia as the QB and Jerry Kill as the coach, the Aggies had an amazing 2023 campaign! They got 10 wins, they beat an SEC team for the first time ever, and they made the C-USA title game in their 1st year in the league! A great time for everyone involved.

Bad news: And now, the fallout; Diego Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt in the offseason, and Jerry Kill is also in Nashville (as an consultant to head coach Clark Lea). Oh, and we also don't know who Diego's replacement as the starting QB will be. The transfer portal also took away some good WR's.

Good news: At least the portal gave NMSU some good pieces to use on defense [like Nick Session from Oklahoma State]. There's continuity on the O-line, which should help out RB Monte Watkins and whoever their new QB is.

2024 X-factor: New head coach Tony Sanchez- So Tony Sanchez is the new head coach. Last time I saw him, he was going 20-40 in 5 years at UNLV. Let's see if he learned anything from that experience.

Key games:
9/7 vs. Liberty (The schedule should help out the Aggies, as most of their big games are at home. And here's a BIG early one, as they'll host the only Conference USA team they couldn't figure out last year.)
9/28 vs. New Mexico (Here's the annual "Battle for the Silver Spade" between UNM and NMSU. The Aggies are looking for their first 3-game winning streak in this rivalry since 2009-11.)
10/9 @ Jacksonville State (One year in the FBS, and the Gamecocks are thinking about a C-USA title? NMSU needs to remedy that.)
11/30 vs. UTEP ("The Battle of I-10" on Rivalry Saturday? I'm interested.)

Bottom line: I honestly don't know what New Mexico State is gonna do in 2024. Diego and Jerry are gone, which means they're not gonna challenge for the C-USA title again this season. But if the Aggies find a new starting QB quick, maybe the defense can do the rest and get the Aggies back into a bowl.

liberty is pretty good usually.i,ve read at many places on the net if day does,nt win this year at OSU,he,s gone.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Jacksonville State

Preview segment: The Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Last season: Oooo! We got another pleasant surprise in Conference USA, this time in the debuting Gamecocks of Jacksonville State. Expected to struggle, JSU instead got 8 wins. And when not enough bowl-eligible teams were available for the postseason, JSU stepped in and won the New Orleans Bowl in thrilling fashion!

Bad news: But so many players from the 2023 team are gone; QB Zion Webb and DB Jeremiah Wright are just two names that come to mind. The defense is missing a lot of bodies and has a new coordinator.

Good news: RB Anwar Lewis should do well behind a strong O-line, and at least the QB room JSU has now is deep. Watch for Laletia Hale at linebacker to be a leader on defense.

Key games:
8/29 vs. Coastal Carolina (An important opener for the Gamecocks; how well will the new defense look right away?)
10/9 vs. New Mexico State (Let's see if the Gamecocks can solve NMSU this time around.)
10/30 @ Liberty (Not much to say about this game, except that JSU can make a big statement if they shock the defending champs.)
11/30 @ Western Kentucky (Will this decide a spot in the C-USA title game? Maybe, if the Gamecock defense keeps it together.)

Bottom line: With that strong start, coach Rich Rodriguez is looking to make Jacksonville State a perennial C-USA contender. But in order to contend in 2024, they NEED to find a new starting QB. AND fill in some holes on defense.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Texas El-Paso

Preview segment: The Texas El-Paso Miners

Last season: A rough 3-9. Now Dana Dimel is out as head coach, and Scotty Walden is in.

Good news: Walden looks to be a energetic and rock-solid coach, so I don't think effort will be a problem for these batch of Miners. The secondary looks OK, and a lot of offensive players were brought in to help get the Miner offense rolling.

Bad news: Thing is, the starting QB is not known, and there's a lack of depth on the defense (especially in the middle). We also have an unproven O-line.

Key games:
8/31 @ Nebraska (Another strike against the 2024 Miners is a hard schedule; not only must UTEP go to Lincoln, they must visit Tennessee later in the year.)
10/3 vs. Sam Houston (These two Texas teams had a ball last year facing each other, with UTEP winning 37-34.)
11/2 vs. Middle Tennessee (Here's a winnable conference game for UTEP.)
11/30 @ New Mexico State (The Miners are looking to get back on the winning ledger of this rivalry.)

Bottom line: With the new head coach, effort won't be an issue in El-Paso. The lack of athletic talent will. You can ignore UTEP in 2024, but expect things to get better for them over the next couple of years.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Middle Tennessee

Preview segment: The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Last season: A 4-8 season that turned out to be the last year of Rick Stockstill's tenure as Middle Tennessee coach.

2024 X-factor: New head coach Derek Mason- With Rick now on the Florida State coaching staff, new coach Derek Mason is filling in. And Derek has ties to the state of Tennessee thanks to being the former coach of Vanderbilt, so let's see how this works out.

Bad news: Derek has a WHOLE lot of work to do during fall camp; the portal drained MTSU of nearly all of their defensive starters, and the O-line will be a work-in-process.

Good news: But MTSU was able to keep their proud starting QB (Nicholas Vattiato), their top receiver (tight-end Holden Willis), and a veteran RB (Frank Peasant). So maybe the offense will do OK in 2024.

Key games:
9/14 vs. Western Kentucky (The Blue Raiders are looking to snap a 5-game losing streak in their rivalry against WKU.)
9/28 @ Memphis (An in-state battle for bragging rights. Should we put out a "Shootout Alert" for this game?)
10/23 @ Jacksonville State (By this time, we should know what kind of defense the Blue Raiders have.)
11/9 vs. Liberty (MTSU almost shocked Liberty last year in Lynchburg. Can they pull off the upset this time?)

Bottom line: It looks like Middle Tennessee will be the "wild-card" of Conference USA in 2024. With the coaching change and a lot of unproven players, the Blue Raiders might stumble. But they DO keep their top QB and other good offensive weapons, so maybe they'll surprise us and make the postseason.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Sam Houston

Preview segment: The Sam Houston Bearkats

Last season: Well, Sam Houston's first year in the FBS went as expected as they went 3-9. But at least the team got better as the season went on, and hey! They only got blown-out 1 time in 2023.

Good news: The defense should be Sam Houston's strength again (as it has been for the last few years), and the WR group looks strong.

Bad news: We got a QB duel between Jase Bauer and Grant Gunnell for the starting job, and let's hope the O-line will be better. The Bearkats also need to do a better job in avoiding the injury bug.

Key games:
8/31 @ Rice (An in-state battle to start the season? Cool! Let's see how well Sam Houston does against a Rice program that now has momentum on their side.)
9/28 vs. Texas State [from Houston] (The Bearkats and Bobcats facing off in Houston... No doubt a lot of high-school Texas players will be watching this one.)
10/29 vs. Louisiana Tech (Here's a winnable game in Conference USA.)
11/16 @ Kennesaw State (And here's another one!)

Bottom line: Expect more struggles from the Bearkats, as they continue to adjust to life in the FBS. But if the team stays healthy this time, maybe they'll do better in the win-loss column.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Florida International

Preview segment: The Florida International Golden Panthers

Last season: For the 2nd year in a row, FIU entered the month of November at 4-4. And sadly, FIU would lose all of their games in the month of November for the 2nd year in a row. Now coach Mike MacIntyre is under a little bit of pressure to break the cycle and get FIU to a bowl.

Good news: QB Keyone Jenkins is back, and if he cuts back on his INT's he'll be even better as a starter. Shomari Lawrence leads a good group of RB's, and FIU has a good O-line.

Bad news: FIU's O-line would have been REALLY good had Phillip Houston not transfer away to Houston. The defense has to do better at forcing turnovers.

Key games:
9/14 @ Florida Atlantic (An important challenge match for the Golden Panthers, as they'll try to beat their arch-rivals for the first time since 2016.)
10/9 @ Liberty (Can FIU push Liberty this time around? Keyone Jenkins looks ready to do so, but he'll need help from his defense.)
10/29 vs. New Mexico State (An important, winnable conference game for the Golden Panthers.)
11/30 vs. Middle Tennessee (Senior Day for this FIU football team.)

Bottom line: If the defense gets better, maybe FIU can push for a postseason spot thanks to a soft 2nd-half slate.

 

[Xeliou66]

Florida International

Preview segment: The Florida International Golden Panthers

Last season: For the 2nd year in a row, FIU entered the month of November at 4-4. And sadly, FIU would lose all of their games in the month of November for the 2nd year in a row. Now coach Mike MacIntyre is under a little bit of pressure to break the cycle and get FIU to a bowl.

Good news: QB Keyone Jenkins is back, and if he cuts back on his INT's he'll be even better as a starter. Shomari Lawrence leads a good group of RB's, and FIU has a good O-line.

Bad news: FIU's O-line would have been REALLY good had Phillip Houston not transfer away to Houston. The defense has to do better at forcing turnovers.

Key games:
9/14 @ Florida Atlantic (An important challenge match for the Golden Panthers, as they'll try to beat their arch-rivals for the first time since 2016.)
10/9 @ Liberty (Can FIU push Liberty this time around? Keyone Jenkins looks ready to do so, but he'll need help from his defense.)
10/29 vs. New Mexico State (An important, winnable conference game for the Golden Panthers.)
11/30 vs. Middle Tennessee (Senior Day for this FIU football team.)

Bottom line: If the defense gets better, maybe FIU can push for a postseason spot thanks to a soft 2nd-half slate.

FIU is where I got my Bachelor’s Degree from, nice university with a beautiful campus. Too bad they aren’t better at football, they’ve only been to a few bowls in their history - I think MacIntyre is a decent coach, hopefully they can make a bowl this year.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Louisiana Tech

Preview segment: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Last season: Let's see... At this time last year, I said that Louisiana Tech was due for a swing upwards thanks to a potentially strong offense. And that all they needed to do was fix their defense to contend in Conference USA. Well, neither of those things happened; the defense still sucked and the offense was... just average. So it was another 3-9 season for La-Tech.

Good news: The O-line looks solid, and Mykol Clark is back from injury to lead the pass-rush. Jack Turner is locked in as the starting QB...

Bad news: ...but he needs to step up his game. But nobody needs to step it up more on this La-Tech team than the run defense; it ranked 129th last year.

Key games:
9/21 vs. Tulsa (A simple challenge match for La-Tech's new defense.)
9/28 @ Florida International (This is La-Tech's conference opener, and it's a winnable one.)
10/29 @ Sam Houston (Perhaps the most embarrassing loss for La-Tech in 2023 was Sam Houston beating them 42-27... on Senior Day.)
11/9 vs. Jacksonville State (I hope that the Bulldogs offense will be rolling by the time they get to this battle with the Gamecocks.)

Bottom line: There isn't too much star power on this team, but La-Tech will be the only Conference USA squad that doesn't have to face that scary Liberty team. Maybe if their defense gets better THIS time, La-Tech will get more than 3 wins in 2024.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Western Kentucky

Preview segment: The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Last season: Another fine year for the Hilltoppers as they got 8 wins, including an all-time comeback win in their bowl game. Just a shame that teams like Liberty and New Mexico State stopped them from making the C-USA title game.

Bad news: Western Kentucky is another team that lost a LOT from last season; QB Austin Reed and WR Malachi Corley are now in the NFL. The middle of the defense is a little bare, and WKU lost both of their punters.

Good news: Luckily for WKU, their offense should remain it's old, powerful stuff thanks to depth in the WR group and two QB's that can go. The secondary should be strong with Upton Stout and Virgil Marshall leading the way.

Key games:
9/7 vs. Eastern Kentucky (The Hilltoppers will have a busy start to the 2024 season. They'll be the first team to visit Alabama without Nick Saban as their coach, and then they'll go home to face a in-state rival from the olden days.)
9/14 @ Middle Tennessee (And then after that, they start conference play against the rival Blue Raiders [again].)
11/23 @ Liberty (Could this be the first of two meetings between the Hilltoppers and the Flames this season? Most likely...)
11/30 vs. Jacksonville State (...if WKU gets revenge on Rich Rodriguez and Jacksonville State.)

Bottom line: In terms of talent, the Hilltoppers look to be the only ones that can stand up to Liberty in Conference USA. So you can pencil WKU in for the C-USA title game, but they can win it? Well, it wouldn't hurt if the defense improves and gives WKU more margin-for-error.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

they are gonna compete this year with the nfl in round one.dec 21st games