Can anyone tell me why we can't win the NC in 2008?

[Bullschmutz]

yeah but why waste two days of travel.

[#1 BULLMAN]

Being consistent........staying away from the let down games!!!!

Cincy and WVU scare me the most!!!

[smazza]

when Grothe signed up with USF I thought 2008 would be the year we put it all together.

2007 seems like we arrived a year early.

for 2008

A. the schedule is totally doable, there is no game that we will not be favored (Kansas at home)

12-0 is very possible

B. the team is better

the offense returns 10, scores enough 21+ points per game, better run game, better QB, better O line.

the defense play is solid, holds teams to less than 21 pts, will be better vs the run, better D line.

special teams better athletes, delbert is better,

C. the coaching is better more experience (to handle big games) from CJL on down

that leaves LUCK.

LUCK to survive the game that we do not play our best.

LUCK that a refs call (forward pass?) does not cost us a game.

LUCK that the Football God's do not strike at our hubris.

I am optimistic that we will win our first NC this year,

odds  of going 12-0 70%

odds of winning NC game 51%

not a chance

we dont have a balanced offense-if you stop grothe usf loses

we havent demonstrated we can stop of team that pounds the ball like rutgers

we finished off last season weak

[Don Toro]

Because of the kicking game.

[smazza]

It also takes incredible focus.  We have talent.  We don't have so much talent that we can mail it in a few times and still win.  The Floridas and Georgias of the world can put in their second stringers against average opponents and they are experienced and talented enough to win the game.  If their #1 unit isn't 100% focused, their #2s can get it done.  We're not there yet at every position.  George Selvie destroyed our second unit O-Line. 

We have to be healthy, we don't have depth everywhere.

Our ones can't take days off.

That's a tall order, as we saw last year. 

odds of going 12-0 10%

odds of winning NC game 5%

That puts us ahead of 80% of the teams out there, but we have to make progress this year to get into the top 10. 

with all due respect

you are nuts

usf doesnt have close to the talent to win an nc

[TheUpperHand]

B. the team is better

the offense returns 10, scores enough 21+ points per game, better run game, better QB, better O line.

the defense play is solid, holds teams to less than 21 pts, will be better vs the run, better D line.

special teams better athletes, delbert is better,

C. the coaching is better more experience (to handle big games) from CJL on down

We know the offense returns 10. We know the offense scored an average of nearly 35 ppg...LAST YEAR. Do we KNOW that the run game is better? Do we KNOW that QB play will be better? Do we KNOW the O-Line will be better?

Same with defense. All we know is what happened last year.

Luck won't be a factor this season. The factors will be if we have filled the holes from last year and if we will play up to our potential rather than down to our competition. Don't get me wrong. I am very optimistic about this season, but we can't make a case for an NC this year until we've seen how we play the first three games. We'll have an FCS, a mid-major, and a BCS team by then. In short, by Sept. 13 we'll have played nearly every level that NCAA football has to offer and can better gauge where we are.

See you all in the Superdome this January.

[SANJAY]

Winning the national title takes consistency, talent and luck.  We do not have enough talent, depth or consistency to win a National Title.  However, we may get some breaks and a schedule that could break our way.  

But that easy looking schedule has some tough games: at UCF before a short week against Kansas; at NC State before a short week against Pitt and the Louisville (where we have never won) and Cincinnati back-to-back.  

[AUFan]

I can't tell you why you won't win, but I will tell you how hard it will be to win over the powers that really control everything... ESPN.

Until the BCS comes together with a formula for a 4 team or +1 format, it will always be whomever is getting pimped the most at the time.  

Look at LSU, easily could've been a 4 loss team and even lost their final home game, but about 4 weeks out, ESPN started pumping them and Ohio St. up and once Pitt beat WVU, it was all said and done.

Coaches polls or polls in general should be released the 1st week in Oct if you ask me.  Only because if you start the polls unranked or low, and the top 10 stay consistent, it will be hard to crack into the two spots for the MNC game.

I can see you guys going undefeated, but I can also see you guys getting screwed by the polls.  A lot like us in 2004.

my 2 cents

War Eagle

[TheBullies]

WVU will lose 3 games this season.

[EastCoastBull]

Win all the games and the Bulls will earn the National Championship game. 

Not easy, and not likely, but that is what it will take.

Lose just one game might still get us into a BCS bowl, but not the NC.