LSU-The forward pass. Once September ended, the QB's could not complete it at a 50% clip. It even got to the point where calling a pass play, the best they would hope for was an incompletion against Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Why can't the Tigers get a good passing QB? Since JaMarcus Russell left in 2006, Mettenberger was the only real passing threat. Matt Flynn was ok, but no one feared him.
Auburn- Stop someone in conference play. After only allowing 7 points to LSU (see above) in their first conference game last year, the Tigers allowed 38, 35, 31, 41, 34 and 55 to finish up their conference schedule.
Arkansas-Beat one of the big boys on the road. Razorbacks haven't beaten a ranked opponent on the road since 2010. They will get a few chances this year (road games @ Tennessee, Bama, LSU, Mississippi). With their power running game, it is possible and they should get one this year.
Ole Miss- A QB that won't keep both teams in the game. Bo Wallace made some great plays the last few years, he also made some completely boneheaded plays too. There is too much talent in the WR's to only have a 22-14 TD/INT ratio. The end of the LSU game (or the game as a whole) is a reason why Rebels fans should be excited for a new QB.
Soooo.... How did I do?
LSU- Still can't find a QB. There was a little improvement but yet again they were one dimensional
Auburn- Allowed 45, 17, 27, 54, 27, 10, 20, 29 in conference games which I guess is an improvement
Ole Miss- Chad Kelly was very good going 27/12 TD/INT and running for another 10 TD's. He also was 6/3 TD/INT in their 3 losses so he wasn't the problem.
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Quote Originally Posted by BWS77:
Things that I want/need to see this season....
SEC:
LSU-The forward pass. Once September ended, the QB's could not complete it at a 50% clip. It even got to the point where calling a pass play, the best they would hope for was an incompletion against Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Why can't the Tigers get a good passing QB? Since JaMarcus Russell left in 2006, Mettenberger was the only real passing threat. Matt Flynn was ok, but no one feared him.
Auburn- Stop someone in conference play. After only allowing 7 points to LSU (see above) in their first conference game last year, the Tigers allowed 38, 35, 31, 41, 34 and 55 to finish up their conference schedule.
Arkansas-Beat one of the big boys on the road. Razorbacks haven't beaten a ranked opponent on the road since 2010. They will get a few chances this year (road games @ Tennessee, Bama, LSU, Mississippi). With their power running game, it is possible and they should get one this year.
Ole Miss- A QB that won't keep both teams in the game. Bo Wallace made some great plays the last few years, he also made some completely boneheaded plays too. There is too much talent in the WR's to only have a 22-14 TD/INT ratio. The end of the LSU game (or the game as a whole) is a reason why Rebels fans should be excited for a new QB.
Soooo.... How did I do?
LSU- Still can't find a QB. There was a little improvement but yet again they were one dimensional
Auburn- Allowed 45, 17, 27, 54, 27, 10, 20, 29 in conference games which I guess is an improvement
Ole Miss- Chad Kelly was very good going 27/12 TD/INT and running for another 10 TD's. He also was 6/3 TD/INT in their 3 losses so he wasn't the problem.
Ohio State- Unity and Focus. Unity meaning that whoever wins the QB competition between Barrett and Jones, the team is 100% behind the decision and there is no split in the locker room. Focus meaning that it is so hard to repeat, and with the already rocky start with the suspensions (and potentially more coming) that these guys don't slip up against someone they should easily roll over.
Michigan State-Beat a quality team out of conference not named Notre Dame. Spartans get Oregon at home this year and they actually won their last OOC home game vs. a ranked team other than ND (Boise in 2012, 1st game post Kellen Moore ranked #24 and finished unranked), but they need this type of win to take them from a 'good' team to a Playoff contending team.
Penn State- Protect the QB. Hackenberg was sacked 44 times last year. Some of them were his fault as early in the year he struggled to find someone to replace his go-to guy Allen Robinson, but the O-line struggled all around only averaging 2.9 YPC also. It's not often PSU gets an NFL caliber QB, so it would be in their (and his) best interest to keep him upright.
Indiana-Replace Tevin Coleman's production. Coleman was responsible for over 2200 yards from scrimmage and was their only offensive threat. He is now gone, in comes UAB transfer Jordan Howard, but if he is slow to learn the offense or can't repeat his 1600 yards from last year, this team is lifeless on offense and an auto fade.
Nebraska- Be better without Bo Pelini. Personally, I don't think they can. At least not for a while with a new offense and different philosophy all around. Only Pelini and Nick Saban won 9 or more games every year from 2008-2014.
Ohio State- Neither QB performed great.... my biggest miss of this thread was asking how the loss of Tom Herman would affect the Buckeyes. It could have been the single biggest factor in all of college football this year.
Michigan State- They took care of Oregon at home and that win looked better as the season progressed.
Penn State- QB's were sacked 39 times which ranked 118th in FBS
Indiana- Hoosiers used multiple backs for the 31st rushing offense in the country. Jordan Howard ran for 1213 yards playing in 9 games and only being able to finish 7 of those. They finished 7-5 ATS, made a bowl game and gave their toughest opponents good scares
Nebraska- Bad luck and some weird choices made this a 5 win team.
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Quote Originally Posted by BWS77:
Big 10:
Ohio State- Unity and Focus. Unity meaning that whoever wins the QB competition between Barrett and Jones, the team is 100% behind the decision and there is no split in the locker room. Focus meaning that it is so hard to repeat, and with the already rocky start with the suspensions (and potentially more coming) that these guys don't slip up against someone they should easily roll over.
Michigan State-Beat a quality team out of conference not named Notre Dame. Spartans get Oregon at home this year and they actually won their last OOC home game vs. a ranked team other than ND (Boise in 2012, 1st game post Kellen Moore ranked #24 and finished unranked), but they need this type of win to take them from a 'good' team to a Playoff contending team.
Penn State- Protect the QB. Hackenberg was sacked 44 times last year. Some of them were his fault as early in the year he struggled to find someone to replace his go-to guy Allen Robinson, but the O-line struggled all around only averaging 2.9 YPC also. It's not often PSU gets an NFL caliber QB, so it would be in their (and his) best interest to keep him upright.
Indiana-Replace Tevin Coleman's production. Coleman was responsible for over 2200 yards from scrimmage and was their only offensive threat. He is now gone, in comes UAB transfer Jordan Howard, but if he is slow to learn the offense or can't repeat his 1600 yards from last year, this team is lifeless on offense and an auto fade.
Nebraska- Be better without Bo Pelini. Personally, I don't think they can. At least not for a while with a new offense and different philosophy all around. Only Pelini and Nick Saban won 9 or more games every year from 2008-2014.
Ohio State- Neither QB performed great.... my biggest miss of this thread was asking how the loss of Tom Herman would affect the Buckeyes. It could have been the single biggest factor in all of college football this year.
Michigan State- They took care of Oregon at home and that win looked better as the season progressed.
Penn State- QB's were sacked 39 times which ranked 118th in FBS
Indiana- Hoosiers used multiple backs for the 31st rushing offense in the country. Jordan Howard ran for 1213 yards playing in 9 games and only being able to finish 7 of those. They finished 7-5 ATS, made a bowl game and gave their toughest opponents good scares
Nebraska- Bad luck and some weird choices made this a 5 win team.
USC- Depth = More wins. The Trojans sanctions are lifted and will be near full strength with scholarships. They face the 2nd toughest schedule in the country, so we will see if they are able to get back to contending for the Playoff and not fade away late in games like they did last year against BC, ASU and Utah.
UCLA-Jim Mora humble Josh Rosen. Anyone who saw the Elite 11 special will know what I'm talking about. Rosen was a punk. Even Trent Dilfer said he was. Talent wise, the kid could be a great one. Mora has a tough job to do, as Brett Hundley was pretty much the polar opposite of Rosen personality wise. If this kid gets humbled and acts the right way look out, otherwise it wouldn't surprise me if he transfers. Add the fact that Rosen is a doppelganger for 1980's movie prick Billy Zabka... he's just not likeable.
Arizona State- If Mike Bercovici is for real. He threw for 488 vs. UCLA and 510 vs. USC, put up 2 of the 6 passing performances in ASU history and beat Stanford. If he can come close to those numbers ASU will contend not just for the Pac12.
Oregon- Toughness. After getting beaten down physically at the end of the NC game last year, did the Ducks work on conditioning to counter the way that Ohio State beat them? Their top defensive lineman were gassed in the 4th quarter and getting run over. We'll have to wait to find out until after their bye on Oct.24th, after that they play ASU, Cal, Stanford and USC in a 4-week stretch.
California- Points! Sonny Dykes offense put up 30+ points in 10 of the Bears 12 games last year and with all major skill players on offense returning except for Chris Harper this team should be an Over machine.
USC- 8 wins, 1 drunken coach scandal, and an appearance in the Pac12 title game, so not bad overall.
UCLA- Rosen played well and acted better.
Arizona State- Bercovici threw for 3400 and had 26/9 ratio, but uneven play by the offense as a whole had them looking lost for much of the early part of the season. One of the bigger disappointments of the college football season as a team.
Oregon- Could have won in East Lansing, overcame some injuries and swept their toughest stretch of Washington, ASU, Cal, Stanford and USC
Cal- They finished 21st at 36.5 points/game, but in conference play they only scored in the 20's in all 5 of their losses.
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Quote Originally Posted by BWS77:
Pac 12:
USC- Depth = More wins. The Trojans sanctions are lifted and will be near full strength with scholarships. They face the 2nd toughest schedule in the country, so we will see if they are able to get back to contending for the Playoff and not fade away late in games like they did last year against BC, ASU and Utah.
UCLA-Jim Mora humble Josh Rosen. Anyone who saw the Elite 11 special will know what I'm talking about. Rosen was a punk. Even Trent Dilfer said he was. Talent wise, the kid could be a great one. Mora has a tough job to do, as Brett Hundley was pretty much the polar opposite of Rosen personality wise. If this kid gets humbled and acts the right way look out, otherwise it wouldn't surprise me if he transfers. Add the fact that Rosen is a doppelganger for 1980's movie prick Billy Zabka... he's just not likeable.
Arizona State- If Mike Bercovici is for real. He threw for 488 vs. UCLA and 510 vs. USC, put up 2 of the 6 passing performances in ASU history and beat Stanford. If he can come close to those numbers ASU will contend not just for the Pac12.
Oregon- Toughness. After getting beaten down physically at the end of the NC game last year, did the Ducks work on conditioning to counter the way that Ohio State beat them? Their top defensive lineman were gassed in the 4th quarter and getting run over. We'll have to wait to find out until after their bye on Oct.24th, after that they play ASU, Cal, Stanford and USC in a 4-week stretch.
California- Points! Sonny Dykes offense put up 30+ points in 10 of the Bears 12 games last year and with all major skill players on offense returning except for Chris Harper this team should be an Over machine.
USC- 8 wins, 1 drunken coach scandal, and an appearance in the Pac12 title game, so not bad overall.
UCLA- Rosen played well and acted better.
Arizona State- Bercovici threw for 3400 and had 26/9 ratio, but uneven play by the offense as a whole had them looking lost for much of the early part of the season. One of the bigger disappointments of the college football season as a team.
Oregon- Could have won in East Lansing, overcame some injuries and swept their toughest stretch of Washington, ASU, Cal, Stanford and USC
Cal- They finished 21st at 36.5 points/game, but in conference play they only scored in the 20's in all 5 of their losses.
TCU- A chip on their shoulder. After the Playoff snub last year I'm looking to see the Frogs blow people out. Leave zero doubt to the Playoff committee. It will all come down to the last 4 weeks where they play OkSt and OU on the road and finish with Baylor at home, but they will be easy 2 TD+ faves in the games leading up to those and they need to show dominance.
Texas- Charlie Strong's approach. Getting rid of the troublemakers is great, but he needs to win this year. I want to see how the players react to adversity (there will be some). Do they buy in?
Texas Tech- Discipline. By far, Texas Tech last year was the most undisciplined team I saw in College Football in a long time. Constant personal foul penalties hurt them, but were great for fading them. A 3 week stretch starting in Week 3 will answer this question as they face Arkansas, TCU and Baylor. They should be faded until they show some mental improvement.
Kansas- 1 win. I think they only have 2 chances.... Week 1 vs. South Dakota State (#15 FCS Preseason) and @ Iowa State where they haven't won since 2008. I don't think they will get either one.
TCU- Won their first 8 by having to outscore opponents because their defense was not good. It finally caught up to them late in the season.
Texas- Strong cost his team the Oklahoma State game with a penalty, lost by 43 at home to TCU, got shut out by Iowa State, but beat Oklahoma and Baylor. Good luck getting a read on this team next year....
Texas Tech- They cut down the dumb penalties and became a profitable team for bettors.
Kansas- 0-12 and only 2 of those losses were by single digits. Really pathetic in this day and age
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Quote Originally Posted by BWS77:
Big12:
TCU- A chip on their shoulder. After the Playoff snub last year I'm looking to see the Frogs blow people out. Leave zero doubt to the Playoff committee. It will all come down to the last 4 weeks where they play OkSt and OU on the road and finish with Baylor at home, but they will be easy 2 TD+ faves in the games leading up to those and they need to show dominance.
Texas- Charlie Strong's approach. Getting rid of the troublemakers is great, but he needs to win this year. I want to see how the players react to adversity (there will be some). Do they buy in?
Texas Tech- Discipline. By far, Texas Tech last year was the most undisciplined team I saw in College Football in a long time. Constant personal foul penalties hurt them, but were great for fading them. A 3 week stretch starting in Week 3 will answer this question as they face Arkansas, TCU and Baylor. They should be faded until they show some mental improvement.
Kansas- 1 win. I think they only have 2 chances.... Week 1 vs. South Dakota State (#15 FCS Preseason) and @ Iowa State where they haven't won since 2008. I don't think they will get either one.
TCU- Won their first 8 by having to outscore opponents because their defense was not good. It finally caught up to them late in the season.
Texas- Strong cost his team the Oklahoma State game with a penalty, lost by 43 at home to TCU, got shut out by Iowa State, but beat Oklahoma and Baylor. Good luck getting a read on this team next year....
Texas Tech- They cut down the dumb penalties and became a profitable team for bettors.
Kansas- 0-12 and only 2 of those losses were by single digits. Really pathetic in this day and age
Florida State- Everett Golson minus Brian Kelly. Will Golson flourish without having the raving lunatic in his face after every play? I actually think he will do very well with a fresh start and a schedule that doesn't get interesting until October.
Louisville-1 win in the first 3 games. They play Auburn (in Atlanta), Houston and have a 5-day turnaround for a Thursday game with Clemson to open the season. Houston is not only a sandwich game, but the Cougars are also one of the teams I think is going to be a sleeper.
Virginia Tech- Michael Brewer throwing to his own team. Brewer was Bo Wallace light last year, as he kept both teams in the game with an 18-15 TD/INT ratio. Schedule isn't easy either facing the defenses of Ohio St, Pitt, Miami, Duke, BC and Virginia.
Georgia Tech-A running back to step up. Tech loses 7 of their top 8 and the one guy returning is coming off a broken leg. They will only have 2 weeks to figure something out as Notre Dame visits on Sep19th.
FSU- Golson started well as a game manager not turning the ball over at all until the Georgia Tech game. He got injured and Sean Maguire outplayed him.
Louisville- Couldn't win any of the 3 even though they were all by 1 score.
Virginia Tech- Brewer got hurt opening night and missed over a month... overall VT QB's had a 23/13 TD/INT ratio which was an improvement over last year.
Georgia Tech- Only 1 back had over 500 yards as no one stepped up and Justin Thomas took a step backwards this year as the Jackets only won 3 games.
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Quote Originally Posted by BWS77:
ACC:
Florida State- Everett Golson minus Brian Kelly. Will Golson flourish without having the raving lunatic in his face after every play? I actually think he will do very well with a fresh start and a schedule that doesn't get interesting until October.
Louisville-1 win in the first 3 games. They play Auburn (in Atlanta), Houston and have a 5-day turnaround for a Thursday game with Clemson to open the season. Houston is not only a sandwich game, but the Cougars are also one of the teams I think is going to be a sleeper.
Virginia Tech- Michael Brewer throwing to his own team. Brewer was Bo Wallace light last year, as he kept both teams in the game with an 18-15 TD/INT ratio. Schedule isn't easy either facing the defenses of Ohio St, Pitt, Miami, Duke, BC and Virginia.
Georgia Tech-A running back to step up. Tech loses 7 of their top 8 and the one guy returning is coming off a broken leg. They will only have 2 weeks to figure something out as Notre Dame visits on Sep19th.
FSU- Golson started well as a game manager not turning the ball over at all until the Georgia Tech game. He got injured and Sean Maguire outplayed him.
Louisville- Couldn't win any of the 3 even though they were all by 1 score.
Virginia Tech- Brewer got hurt opening night and missed over a month... overall VT QB's had a 23/13 TD/INT ratio which was an improvement over last year.
Georgia Tech- Only 1 back had over 500 yards as no one stepped up and Justin Thomas took a step backwards this year as the Jackets only won 3 games.
Cincinnati- Aerial Assault. Gunner Kiel gets his top 6 WR's from last year back. He threw for 3254 and 31 TD's, I think he goes over both of those easily.
UCONN-Money! 2-10 ATS last year and while arguably a little improved, they are still bad and have a tough schedule.
Houston-Tom Herman and Greg Ward. Herman had 10 days to get a gameplan for JT Barrett in the season opener. Herman had 6 days to get a gameplan for Cardale Jones in the Big 10 Championship Game. He's had 8+ months to prepare Greg Ward who finished strong last year. I'm excited to see the results.
SMU- Overmatched again? One of the worst teams in FBS last year, the Mustangs have a new HC and play Baylor and TCU in the first 3 weeks of the year. No easy games on the schedule, even James Madison is ranked #13 in FCS.
Mountain West:
Boise State-Which one do they lose? The Broncos have lost a conference game as a double digit favorite in 4 of the last 5 years. The question is, which one will it be this year?
Utah State-A healthy Chuckie Keeton. Really wish this kid could have had a healthy career to see how good he would have been. Hopefully this year he plays confident and is able to succeed and the Aggies contend for the MW title.
C-USA
Western Kentucky- Any form of defense. These are the opponents scores from last season: 31, 42, 50, 27, 42, 45, 51, 59, 27, 24, 7, 66, 48. And they won 8 of those games! If they don't show any improvement early in the season, I think they would be a safe fade in 2nd halfs and 2nd half Overs for garbage time points.
Florida International- Just a teeny tiny bit of improvement. Just enough to stay under the books radar as they went 8-4 ATS last year with only 4 SU wins. Their biggest challenge will be exhaustion, as they play their entire schedule without a bye, so late in the season they may not be a good play, but I'll give them chances early on.
Cincinnati- The team passed for 4477 yards, but only 28 TD's and 19 INT's.
UConn- Big surprise here as the Huskies were not only competitive, they actually won 6 games SU, 5 ATS and are going Bowling.
Houston- Herman turned Greg Ward into one of the most dangerous QB's in college and has the Cougars as the best of the rest in the New Years 6 Bowl game
SMU- Only won twice, but there was life on offense this year which is a huge improvement from last year when it was 3 & out every possession.
Boise State- Lost SU as 8, 31, and 11 point favorites.
Western Kentucky- They improved to 54th in points allowed at 25.4/game
Florida International- Only 5 ATS wins this year and they did wear out at the end of the season losing 3 of the last 4, the last two by a combined 115-7 score
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Quote Originally Posted by BWS77:
AAC:
Cincinnati- Aerial Assault. Gunner Kiel gets his top 6 WR's from last year back. He threw for 3254 and 31 TD's, I think he goes over both of those easily.
UCONN-Money! 2-10 ATS last year and while arguably a little improved, they are still bad and have a tough schedule.
Houston-Tom Herman and Greg Ward. Herman had 10 days to get a gameplan for JT Barrett in the season opener. Herman had 6 days to get a gameplan for Cardale Jones in the Big 10 Championship Game. He's had 8+ months to prepare Greg Ward who finished strong last year. I'm excited to see the results.
SMU- Overmatched again? One of the worst teams in FBS last year, the Mustangs have a new HC and play Baylor and TCU in the first 3 weeks of the year. No easy games on the schedule, even James Madison is ranked #13 in FCS.
Mountain West:
Boise State-Which one do they lose? The Broncos have lost a conference game as a double digit favorite in 4 of the last 5 years. The question is, which one will it be this year?
Utah State-A healthy Chuckie Keeton. Really wish this kid could have had a healthy career to see how good he would have been. Hopefully this year he plays confident and is able to succeed and the Aggies contend for the MW title.
C-USA
Western Kentucky- Any form of defense. These are the opponents scores from last season: 31, 42, 50, 27, 42, 45, 51, 59, 27, 24, 7, 66, 48. And they won 8 of those games! If they don't show any improvement early in the season, I think they would be a safe fade in 2nd halfs and 2nd half Overs for garbage time points.
Florida International- Just a teeny tiny bit of improvement. Just enough to stay under the books radar as they went 8-4 ATS last year with only 4 SU wins. Their biggest challenge will be exhaustion, as they play their entire schedule without a bye, so late in the season they may not be a good play, but I'll give them chances early on.
Cincinnati- The team passed for 4477 yards, but only 28 TD's and 19 INT's.
UConn- Big surprise here as the Huskies were not only competitive, they actually won 6 games SU, 5 ATS and are going Bowling.
Houston- Herman turned Greg Ward into one of the most dangerous QB's in college and has the Cougars as the best of the rest in the New Years 6 Bowl game
SMU- Only won twice, but there was life on offense this year which is a huge improvement from last year when it was 3 & out every possession.
Boise State- Lost SU as 8, 31, and 11 point favorites.
Western Kentucky- They improved to 54th in points allowed at 25.4/game
Florida International- Only 5 ATS wins this year and they did wear out at the end of the season losing 3 of the last 4, the last two by a combined 115-7 score
Nice BW great thread. I can assure you Berco will play his best in his last game w the home crowd ROCKIN....but he's never been forrreal. . That team has a solid pipeline in so many areas except OL which is the biggest ? for them next year, possibly for a few years.
- Great find on the rosen punk thing and I'll add after 3 years of Pac-12 champ and playoff hopes without so much as a division, I can see a TD being a bit much for them if they don't have the right motivation. Also Foster Farms is bit of a punchline for us pac-12'ers.
Any interesting bowl game ideas come out of this exercise for you?
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Nice BW great thread. I can assure you Berco will play his best in his last game w the home crowd ROCKIN....but he's never been forrreal. . That team has a solid pipeline in so many areas except OL which is the biggest ? for them next year, possibly for a few years.
- Great find on the rosen punk thing and I'll add after 3 years of Pac-12 champ and playoff hopes without so much as a division, I can see a TD being a bit much for them if they don't have the right motivation. Also Foster Farms is bit of a punchline for us pac-12'ers.
Any interesting bowl game ideas come out of this exercise for you?
Pretty cool stuff...nice job man. Love how postings are logged so well on covers with dates/times,etc. you can return and expound on things like this. Lets crush this bowl season
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Pretty cool stuff...nice job man. Love how postings are logged so well on covers with dates/times,etc. you can return and expound on things like this. Lets crush this bowl season
Bumping this up to those that didnt see it, in my opinion this was the thread of the year last season.
Thanks maf....
Funny, I was thinking about this since college hoops is winding down. I probably won't get this particular thread going again until June but in the meantime I am going to start one about the smaller schools replacing big time players.
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Quote Originally Posted by mafioso:
Bumping this up to those that didnt see it, in my opinion this was the thread of the year last season.
Thanks maf....
Funny, I was thinking about this since college hoops is winding down. I probably won't get this particular thread going again until June but in the meantime I am going to start one about the smaller schools replacing big time players.
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. That team has a solid pipeline in so many areas except OL which is the biggest ? for them next year, possibly for a few years.
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