Official 2013 UCONN Football Season Prediction Thread

[uconndogs]

First, my official 2013 prediction is what it is before every season. 12-0 and on to the national championship game where UCONN will win its first college football championship. I go to every game expecting the guys to win and, therefore, prior to every season, this is my official prediction.

Reality, well.....I have never been less sanguine heading into a season. The improvements to make on offense to have a successful season are daunting. Despite what many feel will be a defense as good as last season, I just don't see how that can be given the talent from last season that now resides in the NFL. Maybe Weist turns the offense around, but he'll need a rejuvenated running game to do it which to my eye means another back needs to step up to compliment McCombs, the blocking schemes need to change dramatically and we need to do that with the same group that struggled mightily last season and without NFL caliber TEs.

Hope I am wrong, but it could be absolutely bloody by the time the team returns to the Rent to host Rutgers and Memphis at the end of the season. I see a 3 or 4 win season, so I'll say 4-8.

Postscript: P will be gone and a new chapter will begin for UCONN football. I like P in a lot of ways. But, he left too many games on the field the last two seasons. Even the 2011 team had bowl potential (see Vandy, WMU and Iowa State games). Last season was tailor made for a run given the defense, a good QB and the schedule. So he's got no one but himself to blame for being on thin ice and, frankly, I don't think he's a good enough coach to skate through this season.

 

[rich1122]

Not ready to make a prediction, but I'll ive 2 cents. We obviously had talent on the defesive side of the ball. Edsall left us no D1 QB. Say what you about the rest. We had no D1 QB.. We get Whitmer who was very capable during the last half of the year. No doubt he got better as time progressed. Beating Louisville on the road told me that we had made progress. The Cincy game told me that we still had plenty of work to do. We will be able to run if they respect the pass.

I am absolutely sold on Weist making us better on O. Whitmer will be the key. If he begins to throw picks again then I am not sure. He if is steady then we have a good year. Based on the camp feedback Whitmer has had a good camp.

Many more poitives than negatives this year. Cautiously optimistic for now.

 

[uconndogs]

"We will be able to run if they respect the pass."

We see last season differently. For the first time I can really ever remember teams did not respect our running game and pinned their ears back. Had we established anything along the lines of even an average running game there was eight wins on the table for the taking. I am bullish on Whitmer. In a balanced offense I think he has the potential to be very good.

I do agree that the play towards the end of the season improved (absent whatever the duckk that was against Cincy).

 

[weyuo]

To say there is a lot riding on this season is an understatement. The coaches realize that if they aren't bowling come late December then they are looking for other employment. I believe that's going to be the measuring stick for this season. Hughes and Wiest know there is opportunity here to establish themselves as a HC in waiting should their individual squads excel past everyone's expectations.

As far as the players, well the offensive line can't stink it up any worse than they did last year and I don't think they will. There is a legit #1 QB going into preseason camp so no more "who's the starting QB" controversy lingering like last year. No more Wildcat...YAY!!! The D lost some and others are now in the system for another season so I don't see that much of a drop off. I think the recruiting will be the difference maker. The depth chart seems to be better than in years past. So my prediction is:

8-4 Why 8-4? Because the whole team has to have that us vs the world chip on their shoulder especially when playing teams leaving after this season. Maryland & Michigan, those games are to prove to the world that UConn belongs with the big(or B1G) boys and if they can't beat Towson, Buffalo, SMU, Memphis, Temple and USF then they don't belong there anyway.

 

[SubbaBub]

Towson - W
Maryland - W
Michigan - W
at Buffalo - W
USF - W
at Cincinnati - L
at UCF - W
Louisville - L
at SMU - L
at Temple - W
Rutgers - W
Memphis - W

9-3 (5-3)

A more rational version of myself would predict a loss to Michigan but this program deserves some good fortune. I also refuse to predict loses to RU or Temple as a matter of pride. But there needs to be a P/GDL type loss in there and our first conference road trip to Texas seems like as good as any. 7-5 would be a complete disappointment unless the bowl win was a good one.

 

[uconndogs]

I so hope you guys are right and I am dead wrong..........

 

[huskyblooz]

3-9 with wins over Towson Buffalo and Memphis

 

[Dooley]

8-4. My way-too-early game-by-game predictions:

Towson - W by 30+ points
Maryland - W by 1-7 points
Michigan - L by 10-14 points
@ Buffalo - W by 10-14 points
USF - W by 7-10 points
@ Cincinnati - L by 10+ points
@ UCF - L by 3-7 points
Louisville - L by 7-10 points
@ SMU - W by 10+ points
@ Temple - W by 3-7 points
Rutgers - W by 1-7 points
Memphis - W by 14+ points

We must win the 6 games on our schedule that we *should* win: Towson, Buffalo, USF, SMU, Temple and Memphis. That leaves splitting the 4 tough home games 2-2 and dropping the two tough road games. Anything over 8 wins, I'd consider playing with house money although possible if things all fall into place. Anything less and I think Warde really needs to start going down his "dream football head coach" list and see if there are any nibbles.

8-4 would be enough to get us to the Pinstripe (or better) bowl where it would be on us fans to load up on tickets and show that we travel. It would also be nice to get the extra practice days going into 2014 so we can start to dominate this crappy new conference of ours. I think the players, coaches, and fans are incredibly frustrated with being thought of as a football afterthought and 2013 will be the year of redemption. I, too, am sold on TJ Weist bringing an aggressive energy and positive effect to the offensive side of the ball that we saw with Don Brown's defenses the last few years. We will be ringing the bell more often in 2013 than 2012. I am also confident that Hank Hughes will keep the defensive ship steady.

Concerns: OL and defensive secondary. I have zero faith in GDL doing anything within our program and expect our OL to struggle against the better defensive fronts that we play against. I'm hoping that stunting and blitzing won't be such an issue this year as it appeared to be last season with our 2013 OL unit. But where I think GDL will begin to look better is the aggressive playcalling from Weist to open up the running game. Once we get to Buffalo and USF, I expect the unit to be more in-sync.

The secondary lost two NFL players but I still see talent back there. Like the OL, it's just a matter of time for the unit to gel together. I like our front 7 in traditional defense sets and think the front will be able to pressure QBs enough to give our back 4 some needed time. Like the OL, I think the unit will be more cohesive once we get to the quarter mark of the schedule.

The roster turnover has refreshed enough times that there are now enough "Pasqualoni guys" in the two-deep. The talent IS there (it was there last year too) so there are no excuses this year. Barring a wave of injuries never seen before, there is enough talent on the two-deep to maintain and remain competitive all season. We all know that, for the most part, football drives CR. I think the program has a sound understanding of this and will be motivated to prove everyone wrong. A few short seasons ago, this program was seen as one of the fastest growing programs in the country. Two consecutive 5-7 seasons derailed us off of that fast-track trajectory and now it's time to get back on it.

Go Dahgs!

 

[Husky68]

Last 2 years were 7-9 win teams that won only 5. Bad turnover ratio, poor red zone defense, poor play calling, poor running game. Even punt return and punt return defense seemed we always lost position as too many punts were let to bounce and run by Williams. This year expect return to average to good turnover ratio, more holds to field goals, more pressure on other team to cover whole field on each down, less carries by LM, no wildcat.
I'm picking UConn again @ 7-9 type team with some "over achievement/game luck" gets to 9-3 and win bowl game.

 

[Stinger92860]

One small step back for the defense and 2 steps forward on offense. 8 wins and a bowl game. We are in the hunt for the AAC title but fall short.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I really don't have any feel to this team right now. The past two seasons have shown that the players and coaches are each equally capable of blowing wins on the field.

By the end of September we fans should know if this is a 3 win team or an 8+ win team. A few good wins and an exciting normal scoring offense could be the inertia needed for the team to get on a roll. A boring, non-existent offense and sporadic defense could cause the team to fold since they know the coaches will be cleaned out by December.

All of us fans are in a wait and see show me state.

 

[Palatine]

13-0

 

[EJHarrington]

Towson - W
Maryland - W
Michigan - W
at Buffalo - W
USF - W
at Cincinnati - L
at UCF - L
Louisville - W
at SMU - W
at Temple - W
Rutgers - W
Memphis - W

10-2 (6-2)

I have us winning all of our home games and losing our two toughest road games. We win AAC on a tiebreaker with Louisville.

 

[ktuck911]

7-5, go bowling and get a win there...

 

[rich1122]

Win all home except Lville. Lose Cincy UCF.

9-3

In Whitmer I trust.

 

[B1GEast]

Anyone who puts a W against Michigan might as well put us as undefeated, they are the best team on the schedule by far. Not saying we can't beat them, but when I make my list, I'm putting us down for a loss.

 

[UConnDan97]

13-0. Here's how we get there:

Towson - W 35-7 (Domination. Towson scores a TD late in the 4th on our third string)
Maryland - W 24-7 (Welcome back Edsall. We just did your "happy dance" on your team)
Michigan - W 17-14 (What? What's that? You got punched in #$king mouth?!? Yes. Yes, you did...)
at Buffalo - W 24 -14 (After two emotional weeks, the boys come out a little flat but finish the job against the University of New York)
USF - W 17-7 (Life without Daniels is not going to be easy for the Bulls...)
at Cincinnati - W 21-20 (A gritty affair, but one that continues the momentum of the now ranked UConn Huskies)
at UCF - W 20-13 (UCF shows a lot of heart, but you can't derail the Nutmeg Train this year, Mr. O'Leary!)
Louisville - W 17-14 (OT) (Oh, it's friggin' sweet when you break the heart of the arrogant kid on your block...twice...)
at SMU - W 21-6 (Without your star running back from last year and with Gilbert throwing 3 picks, it's lights out for June Jones)
at Temple - W 24-7 (This year, we don't miss four field goals. We just ring the bell...)
Rutgers - W 21-17 (Welcome back to The Rent for the last time. Here's your parting gift.)
Memphis - W 28-3 (This ain't the C-USA, Mr. Fuente. And I don't think your team gets more than two victories this year. This ain't one of them.)

Georgia (BCS Bowl) - W 14-13 (We need every ounce that the defense can give, but in the end, it's enough to cap off the Dream Season. We don't get the National Title because Alabama is likely also undefeated, but we make for a great argument and I wear a t-shirt that says "National Champs" anyways...)

There it is, ladies and gents. Enjoy it as it unfolds this year. We all do "The Happy Dance"...

 

[RS9999X]

7-5,
.

Wins over Towson and Maryland get people talking. Wins over @SMU and USF get the conference talking. Memphis and @Temple and @Buffalo are in the bag.

Michigan, @Cincy, @UCF don't go well. Louisville rubs it in before the BBall team throtlles them. Rutgers is the wild card. The Red Dwarf will be mired in scandal and still find some luck throwing Hail Marys. One good pick and they are done.

Bowl-some sort of food bowl. The Purina Nachos Bowl is high on Wards list.

 

[uconnbill]

Not putting up any numbers for wins but I think UCONN is due to get a few breaks this season and will end up bowling somewhere pretty good. UCONN beats Michigan and gets into the top 25 at some point this year.

 

[hthusky74]

Best case 8-4 worst case (I hope it is the worst case) 5-7. The offense needs to control the ball for longer periods of time and give the defense a break. A lot of games were lost late in recent years because the defense was physically exhausted.

 

[jdb50]

I think we can get to 8 wins. Our defense will be solid and there are quite a few players that are pushing starters for time which is a nice place to be in. Obi, W Lee, Andreas, Jahvon, Pruitt, we have answers bigtime. On offense we have got to get great play out of our QB or not be afraid to make a change if the other team is catching our passes. I trust TJ isn't going to put up with a lot of excuses. The home heavy schedule gives us a chance to get more than 8 but we'll see.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Someone answer this question, Does Whitmer have a big arm, or does he throw that Tyler Lorenzen lazy ball? I'm talking about the late season Tyler when I bet his arm was injured.

 

[uconndogs]

I think Whitmer is a fine QB. I did not see him as the problem with the offense last season. Yes, he was prone to INTs, but his decision making improved as the season progressed and a lot of the INTs late in the season were in desperation attempts in losing causes. With no running game, defenses came at him with everything and I saw him take some hits that I was sure he would never get up from. The wildcat certainly could not have helped his rhythm. And that play where he lines up as a wide out is about the most stupid thing I have ever seen in major college football.

Anyway, that's what I saw last season. I think the kid can play and there was no problem with arm strength to my eye.

 

[jdb50]

I think Whitmer is a fine QB. I did not see him as the problem with the offense last season. Yes, he was prone to INTs, but his decision making improved as the season progressed and a lot of the INTs late in the season were in desperation attempts in losing causes. With no running game, defenses came at him with everything and I saw him take some hits that I was sure he would never get up from. The wildcat certainly could not have helped his rhythm. And that play where he lines up as a wide out is about the most stupid thing I have ever seen in major college football.

Anyway, that's what I saw last season. I think the kid can play and there was no problem with arm strength to my eye.

Lining him up as a wide out was stupid, but throwing him ball redefined the word. I did not see an arm like Dan O showed once all year. No deep completions period. We need that threat in our offense. I know the protection sucked but a max protect 3 receiver route should not be out of the question.

 

[CoachUConn]

4-8 with wins over Buffalo, Maryland, Memphis and UCF. and yes, Im picking us to lose to Towson. Underestimating a team that hung tough with LSU for 3 quarters.