Will use this thread to put some of the 126 NCAA college previews here. Completely done now for NCAA, but beginning tomorrow have to devote 100% of time to get ready for NFL. It's a great feeling to have NCAA FB less than two weeks away. NOTE: ACC Previews were already in the other thread that I have here (Power Rankings).
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Random NCAA Team Previews
- Thread starter outhousetim
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- three teams so far
5T. Tennessee
Here’s what we said LAST YEAR:“Derek Dooley replaced Lane Kiffin and was brought in to get the program back on an ethical track. All parties agreed this would NOT be a quick fix but instead a slow,steady approach would be utilized that would reap benefits down the road. In ’11 the Vols had just nine seniors on their ENTIRE team. Four started, two forthe 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time. Fast forward to NOW. Sorry Derek, but slow and steady is no longer acceptable. It’s the SEC and this might be your last chance.” Dooley was let go following a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] consecutive losing season. Is this once proud program ready to make some noise? AREAS TO WATCH: Butch Jones brought his two coordinators with him. Tennessee loses QB Bray and a bunch of great WR’s/TE’s, so expect growing pains in the pass game. The run game will be solid IF RB Lane is reinstated and able to team with RB Neal. The OL appears to be one of the SEC’s best. Eight starters return on D. Those starters need to show improvement after allowing an SEC worst 40 per game in SEC play. The run D was 4.8/196 and that is also unacceptable. The return game will drop a notch with Patterson gone. ’13 PREVIEW: Tennessee opened ’12 with a win over NC St. The Wolfpack have been replaced on the schedule by Oregon. The Vols will likely be 3-2 SU before hosting Georgia. That game and the game vs. SCar two weeks later could make or break the season. Based on schedule situations Tennessee has a chance to split these two and be 4-4 SU to a key game at Missouri. Perhaps ALL November games are tossups? After Missouri, Tennessee hosts Auburn, has a key bye before looking for revenge vs. Vandy and closes at KY. BOTTOM LINE: How bad has it been? Tennessee is 12-28 SU in SEC games the past five seasons. Butch Jones may be the right HC to build this program back up but there are enough concerns for now to predict a stumble or two in his 1[SUP]st[/SUP] year. 6-6 is a reasonable expectation in ’13, giving them the extra practices that go with a bowl game. This record will be reachable with any sort of defensive improvement. SPREAD NOTES: Not included here.
Here’s what we said LAST YEAR:“Derek Dooley replaced Lane Kiffin and was brought in to get the program back on an ethical track. All parties agreed this would NOT be a quick fix but instead a slow,steady approach would be utilized that would reap benefits down the road. In ’11 the Vols had just nine seniors on their ENTIRE team. Four started, two forthe 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time. Fast forward to NOW. Sorry Derek, but slow and steady is no longer acceptable. It’s the SEC and this might be your last chance.” Dooley was let go following a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] consecutive losing season. Is this once proud program ready to make some noise? AREAS TO WATCH: Butch Jones brought his two coordinators with him. Tennessee loses QB Bray and a bunch of great WR’s/TE’s, so expect growing pains in the pass game. The run game will be solid IF RB Lane is reinstated and able to team with RB Neal. The OL appears to be one of the SEC’s best. Eight starters return on D. Those starters need to show improvement after allowing an SEC worst 40 per game in SEC play. The run D was 4.8/196 and that is also unacceptable. The return game will drop a notch with Patterson gone. ’13 PREVIEW: Tennessee opened ’12 with a win over NC St. The Wolfpack have been replaced on the schedule by Oregon. The Vols will likely be 3-2 SU before hosting Georgia. That game and the game vs. SCar two weeks later could make or break the season. Based on schedule situations Tennessee has a chance to split these two and be 4-4 SU to a key game at Missouri. Perhaps ALL November games are tossups? After Missouri, Tennessee hosts Auburn, has a key bye before looking for revenge vs. Vandy and closes at KY. BOTTOM LINE: How bad has it been? Tennessee is 12-28 SU in SEC games the past five seasons. Butch Jones may be the right HC to build this program back up but there are enough concerns for now to predict a stumble or two in his 1[SUP]st[/SUP] year. 6-6 is a reasonable expectation in ’13, giving them the extra practices that go with a bowl game. This record will be reachable with any sort of defensive improvement. SPREAD NOTES: Not included here.
5. Purdue
Laughter is the best medicine! Before doing this report last year we thought Purdue had fired HC Hope. Apparently that was not the case, as after running his record to 15-21 and going 6-6 in ’11 he received an extension. Fool me once, shame on you, but Purdue could not fool me twice. Purdue fired Hope BEFORE the bowl game last year after another ho-hum 6-6 record. HC Hazel is a potentially solid hire (we did not like the hiring of Hope) but this will not be a quick fix. AREAS TO WATCH: In somewhat of a shocking stat, Purdue has run 4.3 or more (corrected for sacks) in each of the past 11 years! They ran 4.7-171 in ’12. Our bold projection is just 3.9 in ’13! As we’ve often said, early season success for new HC’s gets buy in from players and leads to a solid record. How will Purdue fare at Cincy (new HC), home to NIU (new HC) and home vs. Nebraska (Purdue off a bye)? Six of seven top tacklers return. Can that help? ’13 PREVIEW: Technically, Purdue has a new QB but oft-injured SR Rob Henry has some skill and could hold off the younger players. Purdue is 6-11 SU hosting ND so a SU loss with the new staff is likely, although this is the 1[SUP]st[/SUP]time in recent memory that ND will play Purdue after facing Michigan, and both games are on the road! HC Hazell’s Kent State team lost a shot at a BCS game with their double OT loss to NIU last year. Maybe that translates into a win vs. NIU now. That actually is a HUGE game for Purdue, as a win here gives the team major confidence and focus with two weeks to prepare for Nebraska. They’ll also have two weeks prior to hosting Ohio St, so maybe Purdue can outperform ’13 expectations. Other November home games include Iowa and Illinois. If all goes well the finale at Indiana might be very meaningful. BOTTOM LINE: The schedule is tougher, especially in September (non-conference). Again, early success would help, but the thinking is that this year will be a learning one, even with plenty of upperclass starters. This looks about 4-8 unless we’re wrong about the run O projection and the promising new staff makes an immediate impact. SPREAD NOTES:
Laughter is the best medicine! Before doing this report last year we thought Purdue had fired HC Hope. Apparently that was not the case, as after running his record to 15-21 and going 6-6 in ’11 he received an extension. Fool me once, shame on you, but Purdue could not fool me twice. Purdue fired Hope BEFORE the bowl game last year after another ho-hum 6-6 record. HC Hazel is a potentially solid hire (we did not like the hiring of Hope) but this will not be a quick fix. AREAS TO WATCH: In somewhat of a shocking stat, Purdue has run 4.3 or more (corrected for sacks) in each of the past 11 years! They ran 4.7-171 in ’12. Our bold projection is just 3.9 in ’13! As we’ve often said, early season success for new HC’s gets buy in from players and leads to a solid record. How will Purdue fare at Cincy (new HC), home to NIU (new HC) and home vs. Nebraska (Purdue off a bye)? Six of seven top tacklers return. Can that help? ’13 PREVIEW: Technically, Purdue has a new QB but oft-injured SR Rob Henry has some skill and could hold off the younger players. Purdue is 6-11 SU hosting ND so a SU loss with the new staff is likely, although this is the 1[SUP]st[/SUP]time in recent memory that ND will play Purdue after facing Michigan, and both games are on the road! HC Hazell’s Kent State team lost a shot at a BCS game with their double OT loss to NIU last year. Maybe that translates into a win vs. NIU now. That actually is a HUGE game for Purdue, as a win here gives the team major confidence and focus with two weeks to prepare for Nebraska. They’ll also have two weeks prior to hosting Ohio St, so maybe Purdue can outperform ’13 expectations. Other November home games include Iowa and Illinois. If all goes well the finale at Indiana might be very meaningful. BOTTOM LINE: The schedule is tougher, especially in September (non-conference). Again, early success would help, but the thinking is that this year will be a learning one, even with plenty of upperclass starters. This looks about 4-8 unless we’re wrong about the run O projection and the promising new staff makes an immediate impact. SPREAD NOTES:
DEATH PENALTY! No we did NOT advocate that verdict, but will stand by our statement that the NCAA should have kept PSU OFF any TV games for two years. In fact, reduction of the overall ban from four to three years would have been correct with such a TV ban. Alas, the NCAA has no clue what to do most of the time. Blessed with TV games all season long, PSU rode this, and a veteran QB to a great 8-4 season. How will year #2 play out? AREAS TO WATCH: 32 lettermen are gone, including a QB with a 24-5 TD-int ratio, and four of their top five tacklers. The coaching staff did a nice job in its initial year and the early ’13 projections are for similar defensive #’s and an increase in the run O from 3.95-155 to 4.4 per carry. Obviously, QB play will be huge. Frosh QB Hackenberg is highly touted but theTD-int ratio won’t be the same. Like with USC in ’12, injuries hurt more when teams are already thin due to sanctions. Watch the health of this team all season long. ’13 PREVIEW: Syracuse won’t be a pushover, and UCF is a bowl team most years, but PSU could start ’13 4-0 even with all the new faces. The Big 10 season starts at Indiana. Which team will make the leap forward? Michigan maybe about a year away from bigger goals, but they have enough talent right now to make this home game a bit more difficult. Perhaps Bill O’Brien is the type of HC that can use the extra week pre-Ohio State to his advantage. PSU however is just 2-8 SU at Ohio St. Minny is also well-coached, so that road game will be a good one. Even with no bowl opportunity PSU will be motivated in their last two games, home to Nebraska and at Wisky. Will they remain injury free enough to compete on an equal level with these two teams? BOTTOM LINE: Watch the turnover ratio early and team depth late. 4-0 could become 4-3 with a loss at Indiana, but the bye makes this interesting. If they win that game, or split games at Indiana/Minny then 7-3 is possible before playing Nebraska and Wisky. 8-4 with this team would be solid. 7-5 could be the result, and that is not such a bad record either.
