Might as well put the USF preview here.
Offense:
I am much less than 100% sold on Daniels. In fact, I think he sucks. While his stats (2,585, 13/7, 58.9%) are not terrible, he seems to do just enough to lose almost every close game. They have 5 losses last year by 6 points or less, and they beat Notre Dame by 3. The ND game was actually not that close, with USF up 10 until 21 seconds left. In the 5 close losses, BJ Daniels had back breaking mistakes in 4 of them. He basically played a half against Miami. He couldn't move the ball against UConn, but then exploded against Cincinnati the next week. He had a back-breaking fumble against WVU that cost them that game. He just isn't a winner. He tries to do too much, and he seems to get too amped in big moments of a game, making huge mistakes as a result.
Demetris Murray begins his 15th year as a member of USF. Or maybe it just seems that way. He is nothing special, but they don't have anyone else on this team. The WR corps is going to be excellent, and finally healthy. This unit will not be an excuse for Daniels' mistakes. Griffin could be a star. The one complaint about the receivers is they are all small. USF doesn't have that go to guy on 3rd down where the QB can just throw it up and expect the receiver to come down with it.
USF has an experienced line that had a great year last year. Eatmon will be playing on Sundays in a few years. Only the Center is really new.
Defense:
McCaskill is the only major loss on the line. Giddens will be in the NFL next year, and Forte should be an improvement over the departing Hampton at DE. The interior will be good, and I expect this line to build on an impressive 3.0 ypc and 39 sacks from last year.
The linebacker corps is very good too, and returns the top 3 tacklers on the team. I like it when a defense's top 3 tacklers are linebackers, because that means running backs and even underneath receivers are not getting to the second level of the defense. You usually see a safety in the top 3 tacklers, but not here.
The secondary was OK last year, but returns 2 starters and FS Jenkins got a lot of playing time. With the front 7 expected to be so strong, this unit will have a lot of help.
The one complaint I have with the defense is its tendency to make back-breaking stupid penalties. I have said in the past that USF seems to lead the nation in personal fouls after the whistle when they have just stopped a team on 3rd down. This was a problem under Leavitt that has continued under Holtz.
Schedule:
USF has a tough schedule. @ Nevada, Florida State at home, and at Miami, are as tough a non-conference slate as any Big East team other than Syracuse. Even @ Ball State will not be a cakewalk. USF does get 4 Big East home games. USF could play well and still go 2-3 out of conference.
Conclusion:
Holtz blew it last year. He had one of the better teams in the league and went 1-6 in conference and lost 6-3 to Miami at home on a last second field goal. Daniels has issues, but that is an unacceptable performance by the coach. He has all the tools this year, and may have the best defense in the Big East. While the non-conference is tough, it is also an opportunity for a good team to shine with several national games.
Daniels problems are fixable with coaching, but he is also a 3 year starter that continues to make huge mistakes, so he may just not be coachable. I will predict some better discipline, but ultimately USF is still USF and they will lose a couple they shouldn't. Prediction:
9-3 (5-2)
