What to expect this season

[South_Florida_Flip]

Because of solid backup QBs

Solid is not a word I would use for our backup QB's.

[Bull94]

IMO if bj plays well we win the BE

This x 1000

I think Scott is going to take A LOT of pressure off of BJ. If he can manage the games and not turn the ball over, BJ won't have to be the whole offense, he just has to do his job and we'll be tough to beat. I worry about our defense against a power running attack. WVU is good and will be a challenge, but, the individual matchups are always pretty even with them. Cuse with a power running attack could give us trouble as we're not nearly as thick in the middle this year as we were last year (though I have high hopes for Grissom if he can get and stay healthy)

Scott hasn't yet broken the starting lineup.  Hopefully the running game does well and takes pressure off the QB.  But don't put it all on Scott.  The O-line needs to do their part in this as well.  There is no history there for Scott.  Yes, he looks like a beast in photos.  We shall see. 

I'm concerned about the O-line.  Reading the last report from Vero it sounded like there were 3 or 4 injuries already with the head injury to Popek the most worrisome. 

  I agree. o-line is key. if BJ doesn't have time to find his receivers, it doesn;t matter that we improved them. if the o-line can't open holes for the RBs they won't be effective either. it all starts up front.

[dantheusfman]

I was thinking about this yesterday while walking to the library, sometimes football is a lot like chess, and the right pieces just tend to fall into place. In 2007 we not only held the entire Big East in check, but the entire nation in check, but it got ruined by a Knight (and then a Husky, and then a Bearcat). This is the first year since then that the pieces are falling into place: The three teams with the best coaches (Rutgers, Louisville, 'Cuse) are having rebuilding-or-mediocre years, and the two teams with the most talent (WVU, Pitt) are fresh off of messy offseasons involving coaching changes.

So again, all the pieces are in place. This isn't as good of a team as we had in 2007 (That team would have won the BEast last year, and this year), but this isn't as good of a Big East as it was in 2007. We are, from a coaching vs. talent perspective, the best team in the Big East, and anything less than second would be a disappointment. 

[Bulls On Parade]

So again, all the pieces are in place. This isn't as good of a team as we had in 2007 (That team would have won the BEast last year, and this year), but this isn't as good of a Big East as it was in 2007. We are, from a coaching vs. talent perspective, the best team in the Big East, and anything less than second would be a disappointment. 

The biggest change since the 07 team is a huge upgrade in coaches….that team with our current coaches would have won the Big East that year.

I don’t know if this team isn’t as good as that team….if BJ has a breakout season and Scott is as good as some think I expect great things this year. I know the defense will keep us in every game….if the offense just can put up on avg 28-30 points a game I like our chances winning the Big East this year.

That ND game will tell us alot about the team we have.

[88Alum]

This season will rise and fall on BJ's performance.  I hope he's ready. 

[BULLue Schist]

I expect a tough fight with ND, with us looking very disciplined on both offence and defense with the exception of a sloppy OL and loose corners on defense. It doesn’t matter the we didn’t  win, we will gain lots of credibility from the voters and retreat to an easier schedule to continue to build depth and stay healthy.

We enter big east play firing on all cylinders, beating Pitt, UCON, UC, and Rutgers before having our annual "Oh shucks we let that one get away" against Syracuse. No one will see it coming but we will be ranked and get a little too excited about possible national championship game.  Lingering injuries on our OL will also play a role in the loss but we will “Finish strongâ€

We finish off the season with wins against Miami (just after the NCAA comes out with their investigation findings and benching hall of their starters) and Louisville. We then have another epic ESPN game against WVU with the winner crowned the BEAST champs and a long shot for a nation title game (which will not happen of course).

The big thing we keep hearing from the coaching staff all year is leadership, building depth, and staying healthy. This will be key for us for our first BCS Bowl game win Vs (of all teams) FSU in the orange bowl. With Miami on the death penalty, and Florida on the skids, USF emerges as a real force in the state of Florida. Before now it was still up for debate.

Key developments throughout the year…BJ finally becomes a leader of the offence. With a better grasp of offence and more help, he can be more selective about when to run and when to pass.  Speaking about running, Scott will be a beast, but suffers lingering injuries mid-season.  Now worries, cause 2nd and 3rd RB will step up to the challenge. Our defense will be ranked pretty high, with our seniors getting a lot of attention nationally. Recruiting spikes and we land a couple 4 star recruits that makes the future of the bulls look great.

[GaUSFBull]

Scott hasn't yet broken the starting lineup.  Hopefully the running game does well and takes pressure off the QB.  But don't put it all on Scott. 

He's going to have a chance to be the starter.  He is a bit more talented and physically gifted than Murray, imo, but the good thing is that Murray has really stepped up having to compete with Scott.  With Murray having a bunch of experience already in Holtz' system, it's right that Murray is the starter, but if Scott is all we want him to be, he will crack the starting lineup before too long.

It's a great problem to have. 

[dabull80]

IMO if bj plays well we win the BE

This x 1000

I think Scott is going to take A LOT of pressure off of BJ. If he can manage the games and not turn the ball over, BJ won't have to be the whole offense, he just has to do his job and we'll be tough to beat. I worry about our defense against a power running attack. WVU is good and will be a challenge, but, the individual matchups are always pretty even with them. Cuse with a power running attack could give us trouble as we're not nearly as thick in the middle this year as we were last year (though I have high hopes for Grissom if he can get and stay healthy)

I wouldn't worry that much about Cuse and their power running game this year.  They have been decimated by injuries already and that includes their offensive line.

[dabull80]

Because of solid backup QBs

Solid is not a word I would use for our backup QB's.

Why not ?  Got a Soph with game experience and what looks to be a pretty good freshman.  If you get to third string you are probably in trouble no matter who you are.

[feardabull]

Scott hasn't yet broken the starting lineup.  Hopefully the running game does well and takes pressure off the QB.  But don't put it all on Scott. 

He's going to have a chance to be the starter.  He is a bit more talented and physically gifted than Murray, imo, but the good thing is that Murray has really stepped up having to compete with Scott.  With Murray having a bunch of experience already in Holtz' system, it's right that Murray is the starter, but if Scott is all we want him to be, he will crack the starting lineup before too long.

It's a great problem to have. 

Ain't nothin wrong with a two-back system.