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

[BDYZR]

There is no reason why we "can't win the National Championship".

I'm not saying we will, just not a reason we can't. I believe we can play with any team in the country. A couple of breaks and we run the table. Show up without the attitude that we have to play our best game, and we lose.

Last year is history. The ONLY thing the BULLS need is to learn from past mistakes.

And maybe not read the papers.

GO BULLS!

[Bullshiznitz]

I think we have the talent to be competitive with any team in the country, but not beat any team in the country. 

With our schedule, its not crazy to think we couldn't go undefeated.  We should be favored in anywhere from 9-11 of our games, and with a little luck could go undefeated. 

But one, if we somehow beat the poll bias that will be hard for us to overcome (realistically could see a 1 loss UGA or Florida or OKL picked ahead of us).....I don't think we have the talent yet to match up head to head with a UGA or USC on a national stage.  Anythings possible, but realistically think those teams would beat us by 10+ points. 

[Guest nybullsfan]

11-1 won't get us to the NC, and unless we win the BE, probably wouldn't get us invited to a BCS game either.

I agree with JewbanBull. I think the team should stay in the Cincy or Louisville area for the whole week. This road trip scares me more than WVU (unless there's a blizzard).

I used to live in Cincy back in the late 80's, and am planning to stay there in between the games, heading back to NY after UC. Anybody else going to be around?

[Bull Dozer]

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.

I agree.  Any talk about units improving is just speculation at this point.  We will have a better idea after we actually see the guys out there against another team and not just beating each other up every day at practice or in a spring game. 

[CousinRicky]

There is no luck.

To me there is only the Cincinatti game which even Nostradamus can see its a loss.

UNLESS we stay the week we play Louisville.

If that's the case, USF should save the money and not go...

There is a reason they play the games... Cincy will be tough... but not as tough as Rutgers last year - and it was the same situation - short week, back to back road games, national TV... And we had a chance to win that game.

But we didn't.  We always seem to lose a game or two that we "should" win.  That game still rips my heart out.  And we had brought our friends who are Rutgers fans.  They came down the year before and we drop the 2 point conversion pass and I had to hear it from them.  And then last year's game..... :cry2

[NAM37]

I HATE this sorta talk before game 1... If we are 9-0, we can start this.

Until then, we don't deserve to talk about championships.  Let's just look toward game 1 for now.

[RicanBull]

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.

Last I checked, you always think we will lose every game. Where is this optimism coming from?

[ahoyboy]

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%

Lack of depth and Grothe's inability to show poise during adverse times.

[MaltLiquorBull]

I HATE this sorta talk before game 1... If we are 9-0, we can start this.

Until then, we don't deserve to talk about championships.  Let's just look toward game 1 for now.

Agreed.  One game at a time.

BEAT TN-MARTIN!

[nobull.Bulls]

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

I agree