This season's expectations....

[bulldozier1]

It will be up to our offense. Coach Holtz feel that we have pretty good group of o-linemen. Our weakess position on offense is the WR position. The defensive unit will be the strength of the team. It doesn't take long for a defense to come together. Nobody knows how fast the offense can develop. Who will be the starting RB? Who will be the starting TE? Who will play oppsite of Bogans? Looking at all that, USF could still have a good year. This is not the NFL. We do have talent to get by. I just don't want the SAME great upsets and Big East flops. 

[SANJAY]

3-2 OOC (losses to Miami and UF) means we have to be 4-3 in conference just to get 7 wins.  We have never beaten UC or UL on the road.  Lost 4 straight to RU and 2 straight to Pitt.  A lot of streaks would have to end for us to get to 8 wins.  All with little in the way of receivers, rbs and dbs we can count on.

[Apis Bull]

I'll be happy with 9-3, anything worse than 8-4 will be a disappointment for me.

You're going to have to prepare yourself to be disappointed I'm afraid.  6-6 or 7-5 is where I expect us to end up.

[usfgrad84]

My expectations are low this year.  we have lost too much proven talent and too many players that would have otherwise been counted on to be big contributors.  With what we know at this point I am thinking 5-7 or 6-6.  The pivotal games will be UL and Syracuse.  Its a little early to make a solid prediction until we actually know who those transfers that Skip is bringin in and what their playing status will be.

Replacing a two time all american, a first roind draft choice, one of the top safeties in the country, 2 starting LBs, a 2 year starting CB regardless of the athletic ability will be difficult.  So much inexpereince makes it tough.

Right now, on offense, you have 1 expereinced D1 receiver with any significant amount of playing time.  Your two backs that were exp0ected to step up into big roles are gone.  The one expereinced back has been very marginal in his time.

That's a hell of a lot to replace with a tougher schedule than last year.

[BullMedic]

After the past few years I'm going to keep my expectations lower and much more realistic.

My only hope is that we see a consistent team from week to week as opposed to the flops we've seen in recent years. I'd like to see much smarter player rotations so that the best players are on the field. Not to mention much more discipline and just smarter play all around.

[LunchTimeBully]

I just want a team that becomes progressively better as the season continues!

[Rizman]

3-2 OOC (losses to Miami and UF) means we have to be 4-3 in conference just to get 7 wins.  We have never beaten UC or UL on the road.  Lost 4 straight to RU and 2 straight to Pitt.  A lot of streaks would have to end for us to get to 8 wins.  All with little in the way of receivers, rbs and dbs we can count on.

Sanjay,  I think we have a coach now that understands the Big East (Holtz experience at UConn) and yesterday said, teams like Rutgers, Pitt, Uconn that don't play spread offense have our number and we are going to change that. 

If it is coaching I think we have the advantage.

[Bull-by-Marriage]

3-2 OOC (losses to Miami and UF) means we have to be 4-3 in conference just to get 7 wins.  We have never beaten UC or UL on the road.  Lost 4 straight to RU and 2 straight to Pitt.  A lot of streaks would have to end for us to get to 8 wins.  All with little in the way of receivers, rbs and dbs we can count on.

Sanjay,  I think we have a coach now that understands the Big East (Holtz experience at UConn) and yesterday said, teams like Rutgers, Pitt, Uconn that don't play spread offense have our number and we are going to change that. 

If it is coaching I think we have the advantage.

Most people think that you have to big on the interior D-line to stop a power running game. History shows that it can be stopped without the size. Look at Nebraska, and Oklahoma of the 80's they were bigger than UM and FSU, yet the Florida teams beat them more often than not. It's like I said, assignment, disciplined football. Everyone be where they're supposed to you can stop superior opponents. Bend but don't break most college teams will make a mistake if they are forced to drive the ball down the field using short gains only. I'm not saying that it's going to happen, but streaks are broken at some point. Miami's super long home win streak was eventually snapped. Each year there are 2 different teams on the field. A lot of the time it's the attitude of "well they've beaten us for X number of years" that must be overcome. If you go into a game thinking about the streak of losing, then you will press and get out of position etc....New coaching staff, means new attitude.

[SANJAY]

3-2 OOC (losses to Miami and UF) means we have to be 4-3 in conference just to get 7 wins.  We have never beaten UC or UL on the road.  Lost 4 straight to RU and 2 straight to Pitt.  A lot of streaks would have to end for us to get to 8 wins.  All with little in the way of receivers, rbs and dbs we can count on.

Sanjay,  I think we have a coach now that understands the Big East (Holtz experience at UConn) and yesterday said, teams like Rutgers, Pitt, Uconn that don't play spread offense have our number and we are going to change that. 

If it is coaching I think we have the advantage.

Coaching can make a difference no doubt.  Good coaching will take you only so far unless you have the talent to play.  I think there is definitely talent on this team but it is young and unproven for the most part.  The best parts about our team next season are the offensive line, the DEs and BJ Daniels. 

RB- we have Mo Plancher and a bunch of unproven guys.

WR- Landi, Lindsey, Marc, Bogan and Patrick Richardson are your top 5.  None is proven.

DTs- McClain, Grissom and McCaskill.  Ok here but not very deep.  Hope Chandler plays well.

LBs- Outside Sabbath Joseph not a lot of experience but Sam Barrington should turn out to be good.  Unproven.

DBs- Webster may be good (probably better at safety) and Washington is ok.  Raymond, Young and Lejiste have all had moments but not consistently great.

Given that for the most part there is a lot of youth on this team, and a schedule that is @WVU, @UF, @Miami, @UC, @UL, with brand new staffs on both sides of the ball I have a hard time predicting 8 wins before the bowl game.  Now could some incoming players and transfers come in and blow the doors off?  Yes, but I would not predict it happening.

[SANJAY]

I'm not saying that it's going to happen, but streaks are broken at some point. Miami's super long home win streak was eventually snapped. Each year there are 2 different teams on the field. A lot of the time it's the attitude of "well they've beaten us for X number of years" that must be overcome. If you go into a game thinking about the streak of losing, then you will press and get out of position etc....New coaching staff, means new attitude.

Streaks are made to be broken, but I listed 4 streaks and I do not believe they will all be broken in one season.  Hope I am wrong.