football predictions

[Bullschmutz]

10-2, Undefeated at home.

[alumna1210]

9-3.

We'll crack on a few away games, most likely against BE opps.

Also, anyone know where I can look at atleast a tentative FB schedule for us? I can't find one.

[smazza]

4-3 OR 3-4

MIDDLE OF THE PACK maybe a notch closer

why would anyone expect  first or second? based on what?

3 conference losses that were within 7 points.

doesnt matter how many points we lost by we were favorite to win  all  3 games

what is your  answer for oregon game?

[Bullschmutz]

With fans like smazza, we don't need UCF fans.

[deters]

Clear wins:

Tennessee-Martin - D1-AA or FCS for you technical people, eaither way if we lose this we will be laughed at forever ie. (Michigan vs Appalachian St.)

FIU - They have like the worst losing streak ever.

Syracuse - Orange have blown for the past 20 yrs.

Probable wins:

Pittsburgh - Will be a tough game, but since its in Tampa i see a win.

Rutgers - Rice is gone, in Tampa, and the staff/players should want to wreck this team sooo bad for last season.

NC State - State has been in a downward spiral since Rivers left them for the NFL. Should be a relative simple win.

Louisville - UL has the worst luck of all BE teams, they have a terrible season, then lose starting RB, QB, WR's, and some of their best pass rushers. Can u say blowout?

Connecticut - We choked in their place last season, but this is in Tampa and i fully expect a huge win over this overrated team.

UCF - No Kevin Smith = UCF will be bad. He was their workhorse, without him they were a flat out bad team. Their QB's suck, Defense isn't anything special. I say we win big again by atleast 30.

Toss-ups:

Kansas - Jayhawk are gonna be a tough game. With their QB returning and a majority of the team as well it will be a hard fought game. 50/50 odds.

Cincinnati - Mauk denied another year is good for us, bad for us is its an away game. USF should pull this one out, but their D is more experienced this season.

Possible losses:

West Virginia - Tough game always b/c of the things at stake, even more so this season. With a USF win it should put us in place to take the cake. With White returning and Devine the new back it should be interesting. But our new size and JUCO skill at major D positions should help us and give us the slight edge, but it can go either way. 60/40 odds.

With a season record of 10-2. The only two games i'm worried about are Kansas and WVU. If we lose it will be those two.

[theman123]

I say we go 10-2, 6-1 in the Big East

We lose to the Mountaineers in WVU, and Kansas.  Thats the only losses i see happening. 

[Bullshiznitz]

10-2, 6-1 in Big East.  Losses: Kansas, Cincy

Don't see us losing to WVU, even in Morgantown.  They lose their bruiser in Schmidt.  We can handle their speed of White and Devine.  I think we have their number just like Cincy has ours. 

Blowouts vs FIU, Tenn-Mart, Syracuse, Louisville & UCF

[Henry Jones Jr.]

FIU - They have like the worst losing streak ever.

Not to nit pick, but they are on a 1 game winning streak.

[Henry Jones Jr.]

4-3 OR 3-4

MIDDLE OF THE PACK maybe a notch closer

why would anyone expect  first or second? based on what?

3 conference losses that were within 7 points.

doesnt matter how many points we lost by we were favorite to win  all  3 games

what is your  answer for oregon game?

We were ROAD favs for 2, and didnt show up for 30 minutes against Cincy. We were not ready to play the Sun Bowl, and were so hyped up we let it get to our heads. If you want my prediction, we should be no worse than 10-2 next year, and if we can solve the Cincy problem, and handle WVU again we can easily go undefeated.

[hbryan]

Clear wins:

Tennessee-Martin - A nice, relatively easy FCS opener for the Bulls.

FIU - Yes, they will be pumped for the first game in their renovated stadium, but the talent difference is just too big for the Panthers.

Syracuse - We all know that Oranges in Florida get squeezed.  It will happen again.

Probable wins:

Pittsburgh - The Wannstache brings the Panthers to Tampa with a good RB, but that's about it.  This game will look a lot like the last two.

Rutgers - No Rice. No Ito. In Tampa. Bulls looking for revenge against the Scarlet Knights.  The ACC added a little more highlight to this game.

NC State - The Wolfpack are still rebuilding.  If the game were in Tampa, USF would win this going away.  However, a trip to Raleigh between Kansas and our Big East opener could be a trap.

Louisville - So many players left the Cardinals this year, it's a wonder they have a team left.  Top receivers, top rusher, starting QB... And their defense was already suspect.  This game could be ugly if USF is clicking on all cylinders.

Toss-ups:

Connecticut - The only reason I put the Huskies here is the number of players returning: 20.  USF should have won the game last year, despite the hangover effect.

Kansas - The Jayhawks will be a Top 10-15 team next year.  They will still have a lot of talent from last season.  If the game was in Lawrence, it would be a probable loss.  In Tampa, USF can win this game.

Cincinnati - No Mauk, but Grutza has beaten USF.  The Bearcats return as many starters as USF, and the game is in the Queen City.

UCF - Most people will probably put the Knights in a category above, but the entire school will want to make a statement with this game. They will be showing off their prize OCS. It's on national TV.  It's the last scheduled game.  It's also USF's 2nd game of the season, and we know USF has shown problems shaking out the cobwebs for a few weeks in the season.

Possible losses:

West Virginia - I know, we have pwned the Mountaineers for two years.  There's no real reason to think the streak will be stopped, especially with their losses.  However, White and Devine will still be operating the same offense, and the game is back in Morgantown.  To some extent it could come down to when the game is played during the year.

Great analysis Jim.  I really feel that there are no probable losses, just toss ups that may go the wrong way.  I personally think that NC State is more of a toss up and would have it trade spots with UConn, who I would view as a probable win (they got lucky last year, real lucky).  Otherwise, spot on analysis.

I feel that 2008 will be a great year for us and I am looking for us to go 11-1 with a BCS bid and our first BE Championship.  The one loss? Well, it could be anyone from the toss up side but if I had to pick one I guess it would have to be WVU, reluctantly.