2007 Next Year Predictions

[smazza]

maybe another 4th place finish if usf plays well

usf will not beat ru in jersey

[theman123]

maybe another 4th place finish if usf plays well

usf will not beat ru in jersey

I dont know why u dont think we can.  I cant see them being any better then this year and we only lost by 2

[twillybull]

maybe another 4th place finish if usf plays well

usf will not beat ru in jersey

Raise the Bull**** flag.  USF did this 2 years ago, they can do it again.  RU will be on a rebuilding year, yeah they'll carry some momentum into next year, but they loose too many starters to expect a repeat performance.  

[cubuffsdoug]

maybe another 4th place finish if usf plays well

usf will not beat ru in jersey

Raise the Bull**** flag.  USF did this 2 years ago, they can do it again.  RU will be on a rebuilding year, yeah they'll carry some momentum into next year, but they loose too many starters to expect a repeat performance.  

twillybull

show me where RU loses more than USF in starters and backups?  One person on here stated that and everyone just started repeating it without checking to see if its true...well its not.  USF returns 16 starters and RU returns 14, but RU has more in the 2 deep coming back than USF.  Also, it is now hard to win at RU because of the home field advantage they are building there.  Sometimes a person has to lie to his or herself to believe something and that something is RU losing a lot, which is not true.  I gone over this time and time again on this forum with exact details of returners and 2 deep, yet USF fans turn a blind eye just to convince themself of a lie.

[fishinBULL]

RU will still be great next year, but there is no reason why we shouldnt beat them in jersey...

[cubuffsdoug]

maybe another 4th place finish if usf plays well

usf will not beat ru in jersey

I dont know why u dont think we can.  I cant see them being any better then this year and we only lost by 2

Think about that statement, "we only lost by 2" and this was after winning by 14 the year before at RU.  See a trend going here...RU close the gap and went ahead.  It should have been an easy victory for USF at home after the easy win at RU's place.  Now what leads you to believe USF will win at RU when RU has made losing at home a tough place with the 12th man atmosphere that has developed.

[usfgrad84]

maybe another 4th place finish if usf plays well

usf will not beat ru in jersey

I dont know why u dont think we can.  I cant see them being any better then this year and we only lost by 2

Think about that statement, "we only lost by 2" and this was after winning by 14 the year before at RU.  See a trend going here...RU close the gap and went ahead.  It should have been an easy victory for USF at home after the easy win at RU's place.  Now what leads you to believe USF will win at RU when RU has made losing at home a tough place with the 12th man atmosphere that has developed.

First of all, even if what you say is true about RU not losing their starters (although even the people on RU's board think they are losing a lot), they are still losing two of their most productive players on offense in Clark Harris and Brian Leonard.  You don't lose two great players like these and expect to stay at such lofty levels. Plus even you are saying they are losing at least 2 from their O line. They will need time to gel as a unit.   Over the last two years anyone that has followed RU football to any degree will be quick to tell you that that Leonard's most valuable role has been his lead blocking ability for Ray Rice.  At a minimum, that's 4 players that have been instrumental in blocking to create a premier running game. That's also 2 very clutch, go to players on third down.

Yep, losing by 2 against Rutgers was a loss for us, but does it show that they went ahead of us by so far?  Keep in mind that we were without 3 experienced starters that were expected to make big contributions this year.  Also understand that our freshman QB was playing in his first conference game, with a patched together OL that was starting 4 out 5 guys that had never played in a game before this season let alone together as a unit before, because of suspensions and injuries we were starting a walk on RB and we still lost on a dropped 2 point conversion.  Play that game in Tampa with the team that came together during the last 3 or 4 weeks of the season and I would believe it's a different team and different story (just ask WVU).

I don't think anyone is saying that RU is going to suck at all.  Quite honestly I have become a huge fan of RU football and especially their coach for a lot of reasons.  I personally believe Kenny Britt will be the next shining star in the BE.  However, just by virtue of losing Leonard and Harris they are losing a couple of guys that are tough to replace.  Enough to drop them back a notch.  They will still be tough to beat at home, but so was WVU.

[Guest BasketBull.]

You take the USF team that beat up WVU and ECU, and you add a powerful back and that's what USF will be next year.

USF will be 1 or 2 in the B.E. and will be on the top 25.

[cubuffsdoug]

USFgrad84

I do agree with you on Leonard and Harris, but USF will be without the starting receiving corp. (all 3 starters-2WRs-1TE) and one of them is your leading receiver in yards/catches/TDs.  That is the same as a Harris and Leonard.  Plus USF will be a lineman short too and the running game wasn't the strongest to start last year.  Other USF posters talk about Ford being the one to come in and change the running game to help USF surpass RU for next year.  Well, has anyone seen the recruits for RU they have to plug in for lost players?  A. Davis is like the #2 or #3 O-lineman in the country.  RU is losing some quality players, but what they are getting back are players further along talent wise before they enter college.  Also, I'm not sure what RU fans you're talking about?  Any knowledgeable fan knows how RU plays their 2 deep and realize they will be just fine.  The perfect example of that was after the '05 season when RU lost 3 starting d-line men (4 total) and every news group said the sky was falling, but the real RU fan knew better.  This talk was after a 7-5 season and a bowl appearance.  Gone were 4 d-linemen with 32 of RU 50 total sacks.  News people knew about Meekins coming back with his 9 sacks, but no one said a about Westerman (a backup) with his 6 sacks, or Foster, or Beckford or  incoming frosh talent G. Johnson.  Coach Schiano had said his d-line would be better because of the depth and greater talent.  Foster went on to be all-BE and AA in publications.  Westerman was all-BE performer and G. Johnson was good enough to take Beckford starting job even though Beckford had 5 sack after 8 games.  Johnson is considered by Schiano to be the best DE returning on the team for next year even though Westerman is a returning all-BE player.  Plus he plays as the 4th LB when RU goes to a 3/4 look.  Meekins is being replace by the #1 DT (W. Thomas) in the state of NJ.  This is the type of player RU would never get in the past.  Instead this type of Jersey kid would be playing as true frosh at Penn St., ND, or Wisconsin.   I'm sure USF has the same situations that outsiders like me don't know about.  I believe that is one of the reasons why USF fans are so high on their team for next year.  That same holds true for RU.  

My entire point is how I get a kick out of some of the people here trying or wishing for failure in order to pass RU.  I for one think RU will continue to climb, but I wish for USF to climb too...just not against RU when the play. ;D  I want USF to get better and add creditability to the BE.  I'm tire of others crapping on RU, UL, USF, or WVU because we are all in the BE.  I can't wait 'til USF ****s on Auburn next year.  The more we can build top 25 teams in USF, RU, UL and WVU the better the confernce.  We talk more about where everyone will place in the BE in August/Sept. when we all have a better handle on the rosters. 8-)

[USFMikeB]

Think about that statement, "we only lost by 2" and this was after winning by 14 the year before at RU.  See a trend going here...RU close the gap and went ahead.

Using 2 points to analyze a trend is poor statistical analysis.