Way Too Early 2015 Season Predictions

The 2015 UConn Football schedule came out this past week, and I figured I’d share my thoughts as I sit inside on this snowy Sunday morning.  A few things that caught my eye initially:

• Home Slate – Might be the poorest we’ve had in years.  6 games, nobody that really makes you get excited.  The reality of our conference situation really set in.  East Carolina game on a Friday night might be the most enticing.
• No December Home Games – Thank god.  Next…
• Tough 4 game stretch – Starting Sept 19th, Uconn plays at Missouri, home versus Navy, then on the road against BYU & UCF back to back.  That is brutal. Realistically, if the team gets through that with one win, I’d be content.
• Two service academies = Two games against the Triple Option – Last year’s Army game made my blood boil.  UConn could not stop the triple option. Responsibilities were blown on almost every play, and allowed Army to run all over them.  Hopefully something gets figured out by Spetember, but I can’t stomach watching that again, twice.

Now a little breakdown and a not-so-serious analysis of the opponents:

September 3rd – Vs. Villanova

• I hate Villanova.  Not as much as I hate Syracuse, but I hate Villanova.  The boys get up for opening night against an old Big East foe and smash the FCS team like you’re supposed to.  Diaco needs to send a message to the fanbase that this year will be different.  This year the program shows improvement. He cannot acheive that by losing to Villanova.  Season starts off 1-0 in impressive fashion.

September 12th – Vs. Army

• As I mentioned before, last year’s game was just disgusting to watch.  Assignment defense beats this team, and I think Diaco has our boys more prepared.  We win this game by double digits.

September 19th – At Missouri

• This would be the first meeting between the two school on the gridiron.  I don’t see the Huskies going into their stadium and beating them, but I’m hoping this game is a primetime, national TV game.  I haven’t checked the national schedule, but since it’s early enough in the season, maybe there is a chance of that.  Our boys will stay in the game in the first half, but Missouri has too much talent to overcome.  We suffer our first loss of the season.

September 26th – Vs. Navy

• Navy seems to always have more all around football talent than Army.  UConn will have to play a disciplined game to even have a chance.  I think playing Army two weeks earlier helps the Huskies prepare for this game.  My gut tells me this is one of those games we’ll look back on saying, “Why did we lose that?”.  Huskies fall to 2-2.

October 2nd – At BYU

• UConn will not win this game.  Cross country, Taysom Hill, reeling from 2 straight losses.  Yah, not gunna happen.  Rumblings about Diaco will become louder.  2-3 after five games.

October 10th – At UCF

• UCF is a weird team to me.  They don’t play defense, but seem to be able to drop 50 any given week.  If UConn becomes the ground & pound, clock controlling team that it looks like they’re trying to become, I think we’re a tough matchup for UCF, even on the road.  Turnovers will determine this game, but I’ll go out on a limb and say the Huskies sneak away with the victory to get it back to .500 and quiet down the naysayers.

October 17th – Vs. USF

• Every year, I scratch my head trying to understand how USF ever wins a game.  Yet we lose to them.  Not this year.  Coming off a huge, season saving win, UConn finally figures out that they need to control the ball and use their best offensive players to win the game.  Blowout city here with 4 TD’s on the ground.  We’re 4-3, and there’s hope.

October 24th – At Cincinnati

• Anddddddddd it’s gone.  We never win at Cincinnati.  We’re 4-4 after this game, despite the excitement we have playing in late Octiber with a winning record.

October 30th – Vs. East Carolina

• My heart wants me to say we’ll win this game.  The crowd will be packed and pumped up.  Friday night, national TV, bowl hopes very much alive, even an outside shot at winning the AAC.  But East Carolina is the best in this conference.  It would take a mistake free game for us to pull this out.  I believe it stays close, but ECU leaves with the victory.  4-5 with 3 to play.

November 7th – At Tulane

• We should have won this game last year.  It’s freakin Tulane. I never want to say the sentence, “UConn just can’t go to Tulane and win.”  UConn wins this game, probably by some weird score because everything about this game is just weird.  We’re 5-5, and we can smell the bowl game.

November 14th – BYE Week

• This BYE week comes at the best time.  Two games left, and we need a win to become bowl eligible for the first time in 5 years.  The boys go to work.

November 21st – Vs. Houston

• Last home game of the year.  A chance to become bowl eligible.  UConn has finally figured out their identity as a ball control offense.  It’s a cold, windy, maybe even snow in the forecast for the first time all year.  Houston can’t function, and UConn wins this game to become bowl eligible.

November 28th – At Temple

• I always feel like UConn and Temple are the same team.  Nothing about either team jumps out at you, but both play tough, hard-nosed football.  UConn may need this game to solidify a bowl invite, but I think Temple pulls it out having their own season on the line.  UConn finishes 6-6.

So, at first glance, I think the UConn team can finish 6-6 and get to a low level bowl.  I’d sign for that right now, no question.  I see this team’s ceiling at 8 wins, and it’s bottom at 2 wins.  So for now, I’ll stick with 6-6 for the 2015 Huskies.  Spring ball is two weeks away, so we’ll know more about the upcoming season then.  Can’t wait.

@UConn813

 

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