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Category: College Football (Page 2 of 4)

Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In 130 Days: UCF

May 13, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

The Knights had a good year in 2022 finishing the regular season at 9-3. They lost their last two games, the AAC Championship vs. Tulane and the Military Bowl vs. Duke. UCF was a very good team on both sides of the ball. On Offense they were ranked 31st in points per game and Defense they were 46th. The Knights were the second best team in the AAC and they showed that on the field.

Head Coach:

Coach Gus Malzahn is one of the most successful head coaches in college football. He has a National Championship under his belt as well as an SEC, and Sun Belt Championship. Malzahn also won the Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award in 2013. Malzahn is known to be one of the best Offensive minds in all of college football as well. In his 2 years so far at UCF he has led them to back to back 9 win seasons and at the top of the AAC. His hurry up no huddle offense has been adopted by most of major college football. What I am saying is Gus is a top ten active coach.

Key Players:

Everyone knows their can not be a college football preview without talking about the most important position. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee is back for his senior season. Last year Plumlee threw for 2,586 yards on a 63% completion percentage with 14 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 856 yards and 11 more touchdowns. He split time in 4 games with QB Mikey Keene but this year it will all be up to him. Plumlee has his two leading WR from last year back. Javon Baker and Kobe Hudson combined for 1,437 yards on 95 catches with 12 touchdowns. R.J. Harvey is back in the backfield bringing his 6.7 yards per carry and 5 touchdowns from last year. Last year he split time but he will be the load carrier all yer for the Knights running game. The defense has a lot of senior leadership on it this year for UCF. Big time playmakers are back like LB Tre’mon Morris-Brash who had 52 tackles, 13 TFL and 6 sacks last season. Along with Brash 4 of the 5 leading tackles are back for the Knights. LB Jason Johnson, DE Josh Celiscar and LB Walter Yates combined last year for 234 tackles, 17.5 sacks and 17.5 TFL’s. Most of the defensive production is back for the Knights and that is a scary thought for their opponent’s.

2023 Prediction:

The Knights will be playing their first Big 12 schedule this year and that will be tough. I do think however they will go 3-0 in the non-conference with their games vs. Kent State and Villanova at home and Boise State away. I honestly think they can go 5-4 or 6-3 in conference this year and surprise some critics. UCF is 20-1 to win the division and I may take a flier on that. Most of their production on both sides of the ball are back and they have Coach Malzahn. UCF will be going to a pretty decent bowl and will be in the talk to winning the conference year one.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In 130 Days: Tulsa

May 12, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

This college football preview I am going to be nothing but honest. Tulsa was a bad team last year that showed it could be a good team. I mean this team lost to Wyoming but somehow beat Houston on the road. Like how the fuck did that happen? How do you let Navy score 56 points on you? But then play Ole Miss very close at the Grove and almost pull an upset. When I see scores and stats like this it tells me this is a young team with talent and no experience.

Head Coach:

New Head Coach Kevin Wilson takes over for Phil Montgomery this year after another losing season under Montgomery. Wilson comes into Tulsa after being the Offensive Coordinator at Ohio since 2017. He was the head coach at Indiana from 2011 to 2017 and boasted a 26-47 record there, not great but it is Indiana. Wilson has been a successful Offensive Coordinator at 4 other schools since 1988. Wilson runs an up tempo run and shoot offense that could help Tulsa and moved them out of the old Veer style they were running. Wilson’s quick paced offense could help an undersized line and less athletic skill players make bigger plays because of the scheme. I think this might be a perfect fit for Tulsa who is looking for someone to change the culture and the offense of the Hurricanes.

Key Players:

The two most important parts of a college football preview are the players back and the schedule. Here are some play makers coming back for Tulsa. Jordan Ford is the leading rusher coming back for the Hurricanes. He had 288 yards rushing, 20 catches and 2 touchdowns last season. As the third back last year used sparingly. They don’t have any WRs coming back from last year that contributed more than a catch here or there. Tulas will need to find their guys to replace huge numbers from Keylon Stokes who had 1,224 yards on 76 catches and 8 touchdowns. They have young WR who will have to gel with a brand new QB and new RB. The offense is very young and will look to Coach Wilson for guidance in a new system. That new QB is former 3 star recruit out of Decatur Texas. Looking at his high school tape he does throw a very catchable deep ball and has nice touch. Not an elite arm on sideline throws so timing will be critical for the first year starter. On defense they have to replace 200 tackles and 4 sacks with Justin Wright and Bryson Powers moving on. Graduate Student Kendarin Ray comes back as the leading tackler last year with 86 tackles, 3 TFL’s and 1 int. They have a ton of graduate and transfers starting on the defense as of now. They lack depth LB and Safety going into fall camp they will need to work on those positions.

2023 Prediction:

I think when I do the college football preview for Tulsa next year it will be a lot different. I love the hiring of Coach Wilson and the scheme change. As for my prediction for this year. I think if they go 2-2 in the non-conference that is a huge win I think 1-3 is more likely. They have Washington and Oklahoma both two very good teams and the Northern Illinois game is hard as well. If they can go 3-5 or 4-4 in conference with all the roster holes and wholesale changes it is a win year one for Coach Wilson. With that being said 7-5 is an amazing year, 6-6 a good year and most likely ending up with 5-7. Next year watch out though.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: Tulane

May 11, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

This Tulane team had a hell of a year last year. The Green Wave Finished at 12-2, 9th in the country, a Cotton Bowl Win and AAC Champions. One word when it comes to the 2022 Tulane squad is balanced. They were balanced in both offense and defense did their jobs. Also their offense was a great mix of rushing and passing. They lost twice and were able to revenge that one loss to UCF in the AAC Championship game. Tulane was the best and most exciting group of 5 team in college football last year.

Head Coach:

Head Coach Willie Fritz has been a mainstay at Tulane for seven years. It has been an up and down tenure in Nola for Fritz, with 4 years of being bowl eligible and 3 years of being bad. That is to be expected at a group of 5 school. Fritz should be the example for all G-5 schools AD’s and fans. You’re not going to win ten games every year and go to a big bowl. But if you can go bowling every other year and once in a while hit a magic recruiting class, where guys over perform you can shoot up the rankings for an amazing run. That is what Fritz has done at Tulane. He has won 3 bowl games and has been to 4. Tulane is usually in play for the top of the AAC, if they have an off year they jump back to the middle and top of the conference the next year. This is a fun college football preview, it is fun when the team is good.

Key Players:

Senior QB Micheal Pratt is back after his terrific season last year. Pratt had 3,009 yards on 63.6% completion percentage, 27 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He was very good at leading his team up and down the field with the help of his running game. The Green Wave will need to replace Tyjae Spears and his 1,581 yards rushing. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry and had 19 touchdowns, also added 22 catches for 256 yards and 2 more touchdowns. Spears was electric for Tulane and will be very hard to replace in the backfield. Iverson Celestine and Shaadie Clayton will split the load this year. Both did contribute last year and between them had 639 yards, and 2 touchdowns in small roles. The Wave do have WR’s coming back to help out Pratt. Jha’Quan Jackson and Lawrence Keys who combined had 63 catches for 850 yards and 5 touchdowns will be the leaders for the younger receiving room The defense has a lot of work to do in replacing their top 5 lead tacklers and top 2 sack leaders. A bright side coming back to Tulane is Jarius Monroe, the teams leading man with 3 interceptions last season at cornerback.

2023 Prediction:

This college football preview has been a love fest for last years team, but how will Tulane answer their best season ever? I think at their ceiling this team can win 10 games with this schedule. I also see if their defense does not play well they can win 7. South Alabama should not be overlooked game 1, they are up tempo and can score. Ole Miss will be a tough one to get even at home. Southern Miss beat them last year, so you can’t sleep on them. And I just like ECU this year. Those are tough games in an AAC conference in which every single team improved this season. I like their wins right at 9 and expect their win total on the books to be 8.5.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: Temple

May 10, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

Another college football review of a bad team. At least Temple won more then one game last year. But lets not kid ourselves this was a very bad team that somehow went 3-9 and not 0-12. The Owls were 106th in points per game on offense. Defense was better, being ranked 96th in points allowed per game. I do believe this is the first college football preview this year I have done where both sides of the ball were ranked 90th or worse. They were blown out in 5 of their 9 loses but the other 4 were competitive if you are looking for a positive. Also winning 3 games means they believe in the coach and just need some time to work in his system.

Head Coach:

Stan Drayton had a rough first year in Philadelphia but that is not uncommon. His team did not quit on him and won some games. Drayton has tons of experience coaching, but that is mostly running backs. He has been a running backs coach in the NFL and in college from 1993-2016. Even in his last stop at Texas (2016-2021) he was the Assistant Head Coach and Running Backs coach. I have to be honest I don’t know too much about his scheme or coaching style. I know he prefers running a 3-4 defense and spread on offense. It is hard to give a good bio on the man being a head coach who hasn’t even been a coordinator before. I guess it is a wait and see for the Temple Head Coach.

Key Players:

E.J. Warner is back at QB coming off his Freshman year where he showed signs off his fathers talent. Warner had 3,028 yards, on a 60.8% completion percentage, throwing 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those aren’t terrible numbers for a first year player, and if the interceptions go down a little while the td’s go up he will be a good QB in the AAC. Right now though there is no LT or C listed on the offensive depth chart and only 4 WR’s none who contributed last year. The fall camp will be very important for chemistry in the offense. They will need to put playmakers in key postions to have a winning offense. If you look at the defense depth is also an issue only 5 positions have more than 1 player on the depth chart. They do have leading tackler OLB Jordan Magee back, last year he had 86 tackles, 9 TFL’s and 4.5 sacks. His two partners in crime Yvandy Rigby with his 82 tackles, 5 TFL’s and 2 sacks. Also Layton Jordan with 54 tackles, 18.5 TFL and 9 sacks. It is safe to say Temple has some LB’s that produce! Depth at DL and Defensive Back will be key. I think they could be the best defense in the AAC this year if they add pieces in fall camp.

2023 Prediction:

Looking at the Owls schedule for 2023, I am seeing a way to a bowl game at 7-5 more realistically 6-6. I think they go 2-1 in the non-conference vs. Rutgers, Akron and Norfolk State. I think they can go 4-5 or 5-4 in conference with an improved defense and offense. They will need to fill those roster gaps but I can see the light for the Philadelphia base Temple Owls. Maybe things start turning around slowly.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: South Florida

May 9, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

A college football preview should be straight forward, informative and honest. Well here is USF’s 2022 recap. They were fucking terrbile and not worth talking about. There is literally zero to build on. They were only in 2, one score games. EMBARRASSING. Just I’m now done talking about this team from last year lets proceed in this college football preview.

Head Coach:

Last year Head Coach Jeff Scott was fired after the first 9 games and Daniel Da Prato took over as interim to finish out the year. Now to start the 2023 season the Bulls have Alex Golesh as their new head man. A little background on the Coach Golesh. He is the former Offensive Coordinator at both Tennessee an UCF. He has also been a TE coach at 5 other schools. Look I don’t know that much about Coach Golesh but I do know he just isn’t the guy to turn it around in Tampa. He doesn’t have the experience or the scheme to do anything better in Tampa. He will be there for 3 years, they will win 4 games a year and he will be gone.

Key Players:

No one, look at their roster they have 1 player listed on their depth chart at each position. They barely have a roster, I guess Gerry Bohanan is back for more mediocre QB play. This team is just not good, I apologize for the honesty.

2023 Prediction:

I mean if they can squeak by the Rattlers of A&M they will go 1-11, if not 0-12. I am not being mean in this college football preview. This is all just facts, and the facts say USF might be a bottom 5 FBS team in America. They need an over haul at the program with a big name. Get Coach Bob Stoops, you know he loves fishing and this team can be something. The state of Florida has too much talent for this team to be so damn bad.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: S.M.U.

May 8, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

S.M.U. had a better year then their record would indicate in my opinion. Their defenses was trash, lets get that out of the way. Their 5 losses were not terrible losses. They lost to T.C.U. who played for a national championship. The Mustangs lost to a Big 10 school in Maryland, that is not a bad loss. The Mustangs finished 4th in their conference, they had three in conference losses to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place team. That is not bad, they beat the teams they should have, they just didn’t pull and upset. If SMU wins one of those 3 conference games it is an even better year. I guess what I am trying to say is they were right there to be a better team. If their defense wasn’t 119th in the country they would have, even if they were 80th they would have won 2 more games. SMU college football preview could be a wild one.

Head Coach

In his first year at SMU, Coach Rhett Lashlee lead his team to a 7-5 record and a bowl appearance. That is a good start to Lashlee’s head coaching career. He comes into Dallas as a very respected Offensive mind. Lashlee was the Offensive Coordinator Auburn, UConn, SMU and Miami before coming to Dallas as the head guy. Lashlee plays a fast paced high flying Air Raid offense that brought SMU to number 12 in the country in points per game. Once Lashlee figures out a defense that is literally one of the worst in the country SMU will be great. I honestly think with his playbook and play calling the Mustangs could be a very dangerous group of five team. He should have them on top of the AAC every year, especially with the top teams going to the Big 12.

Key Players:

The Mustangs have a big job in replacing QB Tanner Mordecai who transferred to Wisconsin. He had over 3,000 pass yards and 30 touchdowns. Stepping up to that position is Red Shirt Sophomore Preston Stone. Stone is the highest ranked recruit to ever sign at SMU at 111th in the 2021 recruiting rankings. He is a 6’2 210 lb former 4 star pocket passing QB from Dallas. If you have watched his tape you know this kid can be the real deal Holyfield. I think it is a perfect match for him in Lashlee’s offense. Stone has a great arm, great touch and knows how to read a defense. SMU also has to replace a 1,355 yard 10 touchdown WR in Rashee Rice. The number one guy to step into that position is Senior Jordan Kerley who had almost 600 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns himself last year. Being in the Air Raid other WR’s will contribute as well but Kerley will be Stone’s go to guy. I am not talking about their defense because they were 112th in the country. It is not worth my time researching until guys step it up. If they do, if they can find some guys on defense this team will be very good.

2023 Prediction:

Alright I am looking at the Mustang schedule and I might be crazy. I see 10 wins all day for this team. They will lose to Oklahoma, probably, I think they can win that too. But who beats them? TCU? Memphis? I am just saying with Stone balling out and if the defense can just hold teams to under 30 this is a ten win team. Wow I am realizing this as I am looking over the schedule. I will be hammering SMU’s over win total when it comes out at 8. This was an eye opening college football preview, figuring out that SMU is a ten win team.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: Navy

May 7, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

Yeah Navy sucked last year, that is just the honest truth. Their offense was near the bottom in points per game and the defense was in the bottom half of college football as well. Now Navy isn’t some perennial double digit win team but they are always competitive. Last year they just weren’t losing 6 games by a touchdown or more and finishing with a 4-8 record. Navy even fired their long term coach Ken Niumatalolo after the season. We are just use to Navy being the best service academy yearly and they haven’t been in a while and especially last year. They did have sweet jerseys vs. Army.

Head Coach

With the firing of Coach Niumatalolo, Coach Brian Newberry steps in as the new Head Coach at the Naval Academy. Newberry was the Defensive Coordinator at Navy since the 2019 season and was a former cornerback for Baylor in the 90’s. This will be Newberry’s first time as a Head Coach anywhere, but has been a Defensive Coordinator at several stops since 2001. I honestly don’t know much about Coach Newberry other then being nominated for the Broyles Award in 2019. Also he usually always has a top Group of 5 defense in the country. I am trying to give you the best college football preview but there isn’t a lot about coach Newberry.

Key Players:

When you are talking Navy football, you know you are talking running game. This year maybe a little different with the new rules against cut blocking. That will effect the triple option game Navy has ran for a while. They do have Senior QB Tai Lavatai coming back this year. Even in a run heavy offense Tai had 785 yards in the air with 5 touchdowns. He is the leader of this team and has some help at running back coming back. His big bruising dive back Daba Fofana is back after his 769 yards and 6 touchdowns last year. His wingbacks thought will be new guys in the starting position. The line is mostly back and senior laden for the running game to have better cohesion this year. On defense they are losing NFL talent John Marshall who was an absolute unit on defense last year. Navy will have to replace 96 tackles, 19.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception. Marshall was an absolute heat seeking missile for the Naval Academy’s defense. LB Colin Ramos will be a big key for the defense. Last year Ramos had 79 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 4 sacks 2 forced fumbles and an interception.

2023 Prediction:

Navy is always a pain in the ass to practice for with the triple option. Like I stated earlier though, the new rules for cut blocking may come into play and hurt their option game. Looking at their schedule I see them with a few definite wins and definite losses.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: Memphis

May 6, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

Memphis had what I would call an up and down season in 2022. They started the year hot going 4-1 and 3 of their wins were in dominant fashion. They played North Texas close and lost to Mississippi in Starkville, that is not a bad loss. Then shit didn’t quite hit the fan but they lost 4 conference games in row. Losses are losses but they only lost by a combined 20 points in those 4 games. Three of which were one possession games. Then the Tigers went on to win 2 of their last 3 games to go 6-6 and eventually win their bowl game to end 7-6. This team puzzles me a bit, lets discount the Mississippi State game. Their 5 losses, all conference games the Tigers only lost by a combined 23 points, with 4 being one possession games. Sometimes that is just football, great teams win those games. Good teams split those games and bad teams lose them. I don’t think Memphis was bad, I think it was just that kind of a year. Their Offense was ranked 22nd and the Defense was 60th, that is pretty damn good for a Group of 5 team.

Head Coach:

It is alway hard to step into a coaching job replacing a great coach. Ryan Silverfield has done just that at Memphis. After Norvell left for Florida State, Silverfield was promoted from within to head coach from Assistant Head Coach/O-Line Coach. In his first 4 seasons, he does not have 1 losing record and has 2 bowl victories. No matter what size school you are at that is pretty damn impressive. His defense has been average and the offense has been well above average since he has been there. I think with teams leaving the AAC for the BIG 12 it is only going to make Silverfield look better. Memphis now should always be a top 3 team in the AAC. Silverfield should not have a problem landing great recruits, being positioned in a hot bead of great talent. I can see a way that Memphis turns into that new Boise State/Cincinnati team. By that I mean multiple years with double digit wins and in the playoff conversation under Silverfield.

Key Players:

When doing a college football preview everyone wants to know who the players are that we should watch out for. While again I say I am not an insiders on any of these teams, I can tell you Memphis has a stud at QB. Junior Seth Henigan is back at the helm of the Tigers offense. Last year Henigan completed 64% of his passes for 3,559 yards. Seth had 22 touchdowns and 8 interceptions with his arm and had almost 300 yards rushing with 4 more touchdowns on the ground. Those are damn good numbers for a first year starter. Right now though there is only 4 WR’s on the depth chart. Roc Taylor, Joseph Scates, and Drake Kolby are the only contributors in the passing game that are back. Once again another team whose roster is no where near done and ready for the year. They are thin at the receiver, both tackles, tight end and we don’t know who is playing backup QB. When you go to the defense they have to replace Xavier Cullens, the LB last year had 111 tackles, 7.5 TFL’s, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. That is a lot of production to replace. The do still have stud DE Jaylon Allen who had almost 60 tackles, 10 TFL’s and 5 sacks last year. The same problems exist on defense with depth, they have no strong side line backers and only 1 will and on middle LB on the roster. Also they only have three DT’s and 2 Safety’s on the active roster. I know a lot of these postions will be figured out in fall camp, I just don’t know what level of talent will be in those spots.

2023 Prediction:

First most important thing in a college football preview is the players coming back, then it is the schedule. This team maybe the biggest parameters in wins and losses I have done so far with these college football previews. Memphis can go out and win 9 games and I wouldn’t be shocked or they could 6 it is crazy. Depending on how they fill out the roster in fall camp will determine the season they have. If I were I betting man, and I am I would say 7.5 wins will be there line and I’ll take the over. I think 8 wins sounds perfect for the is team this year, 9 when they win their bowl game.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: Houston

May 5, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

The Cougars had a decent season in 2022, going 8-5 and winning the Independence Bowl. Most would look at the for a Group of 5 team and consider that a winning season. Houston had bigger aspirations last year but when it came to play Big 12 teams they were 0-2. The loss to Tulsa, who was not a good team was bad for them as well. Houston’s Air Raid offense was ranked 17th last year in points per game scoring 36.1. Even when scoring that much it is hard to win when your defense is allowing 32.3 points per game, 112th in the all of college football. They were in a lot of high scoring shootouts it is hard to meet high expectation when it is always down to the last possession.

Head Coach:

One of the best and most respected offensive coaches in the country is Dana Holgorsen. He revamped West Virginia’s offense after Rich Rodriguez destroyed the program. Holgorsen turned the Mountaineers into a high octane offense that no one wanted to play. Coach Holgorsen was at WVU from 2011-2019 when he took the head job at Houston. Guess what? He has done the same thing for the Cougars on the offensive side of the ball. Every 3 or 4 years since becoming a head coach Holgorsen leads his teams to 10 win seasons and playing for conference title. The years in between he has his team right in the middle of the pack. That is exactly what you want to do while at a mid tier college football program. Holgorsen’s team’s are always right there even when rebuilding. If he can go middle of the pack in year one of the Big 12 it will be a success.

Key Players:

I use Ourlads for depth charts for all of these college football preview. If you look at Houston’s right now on 5/5, it is empty. I am not an insider to any of these team, just giving a brief preview of what to expect. Houston has a lot of postions to fill in fall camp. They are also replacing their start QB Clayton Tune who had a 67.3% completion percentage for 4,074 yards. Tune had 5 rushing touchdowns, 40 passing touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. That is a lot of production to replace for former Friday Night Tykes star and Redshirt Sophomore Lucas Coley. Coley a 3 or 4 start dual threat QB out of high school, depending on what recruiting service you look at has the skills to ball out. He may struggle year one, not because of him but there is not a lot of help on the offensive side of the ball. Houston only has 4 WR on the depth chart and only 2, Sam Brown and Joseph Manjack, caught passes last year. For defense just click the link for their depth chart. There is no free safety’s, nickelbacks, or right corners on the roster. It is a mess right now.

2023 Prediction:

I am not sure what this team is going to be this is a hard college football preview. I love and believe in Coach Holgorsen but the holes in the depth chart on both sides of the ball is crazy. Houston will fill them with the transfer portal and in fall camp but, I just don’t know the talent. Second, they are joining the Big 12 conference this year, a step up in weekly competition. They will go 3-0 in non-conference play, the teams are not that great, although UTSA could give them a game. Then it is all Big 12 football, so maybe 4-5 and that might be generous. If the Cougars make a bowl this coming year it will be a hell of a good season for Coach Holgorsen and the Houston Cougars.

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Ultimate College Football Preview, 130 Teams In A 130 Days: East Carolina

May 4, 2023 /

Welcome to the Ultimate College Football Preview for 2023. Every team in FBS Football will be covered in this daily blog release. All of your favorite teams from the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big 10, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, PAC 12, SEC, Sun Belt & even every Independent. Think of these daily college football previews as a cheat sheet going into next year.

2022 Recap:

The 2022 football season should be considered a good one for the Pirates of East Carolina. They went 7-5 in the regular season and ended the year on a good note winning the the Birmingham Bowl. Besides the loss to a bad Navy team and a blowout vs. Houston, the other losses were close games. The close game loses were vs. top 25 opponents. The Pirates defense was right in the middle of the pack in points per game allowed, while the offense was ranked 36th in points per game. They were lead by record breaking QB Holton Ahlers, he will be hard to replace.

Head Coach:

Coach Mike Houston lead the Pirates to their best record in his 4 year tenure in 2022. You can tell the success of a coach by year 4 in a program. Houston is right on track in making the Pirates an annually good team in the American Athletic Conference. If he keeps this trajectory and the bigger teams in conference moving into the Big 12, the Pirates could be at the top. They could get to the top and stay up there or close each and every year. ECU has great facilities and a history of always improving that Houston can work with to build a great program.

Key Players:

As stated above the loss of Ahlers, the lefty gun slinger, will be a tough one to replace. The man stepping into those very big shoes is Red Shirt Sophomore Mason Garcia. Let me tell you one thing, Garcia is a big, big boy. The former 3-star recruit is 6’5″, 225, and has a cannon of a right arm. The WR position is also losing big time play makers CJ Johnson and Isiah Winstead. Both had over 1,000 yards receiving last year. Jaylen Johnson is the most productive WR coming back and will be the number 1 option for young Garica. They are losing almost 1,500 rushing yards with Keaton Mitchell leaving. Marlon Gunn Jr will be the man in the backfield; last year as a back up he had 344 yards. Lots of new faces on the offense, but the scheme should help that side of the ball. The defense is loaded with players who contributed a lot last year coming back. The one start to keep your eyes out for is Free Safety Julius Wood. Wood lead the team with 87 tackles, 1.5 TFL’s and 2 interceptions. He is always around the ball.

2023 Prediction:

Looking at the schedule, they have a tough first game @ Michigan and then @ App State 2 weeks later. I think 2-2 in non conference would be a win for the Pirates. I really think they can go 6-2 or 5-3 in conference. That is a 8-4, 7-5 year. That is very good with all the changes on offense. The defense will be key this year for the Pirates. If they step up and give the young offense time to gel they can surprise some teams this year in the AAC. Next year the college football preview might even be better at ECU.

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