The View From Section 241 -- Preseason Prediction

[sdhusky]

I am predicting a 9-3 regular season with a bowl win putting us just at #24 in the final polls.

Unlike you, BL, I see PP as a clear upgrade at coach and I think our passing game will be more effective almost immediately. Our running game will be decent to good. I expect more big plays on offense and more turnovers.

On defense, we will score points, cause turnovers and big up big plays.

Scoring is going to be up on both sides of the ball and there will be a more exciting brand of football in the Rent.

I think we'll lose to someone we expect to beat and I think we might just win in Morgantown.

Best season...so far.

 

[BlueMAB]

I am predicting a 9-3 regular season with a bowl win putting us just at #24 in the final polls.

Unlike you, BL, I see PP as a clear upgrade at coach and I think our passing game will be more effective almost immediately. Our running game will be decent to good. I expect more big plays on offense and more turnovers.

On defense, we will score points, cause turnovers and big up big plays.

Scoring is going to be up on both sides of the ball and there will be a more exciting brand of football in the Rent.

I think we'll lose to someone we expect to beat and I think we might just win in Morgantown.

Best season...so far.

What conference record do you predict? And in what place do we finish?

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I like the analysis and I agree with what's said. However, I can see the question marks having us lose 2 games out of nowhere that we are not going to see coming. Last season those games that could have gone either way just happen to bounce our way. I'm not discounting the hard work and determination that went into that, but sometimes happens and we can't continue to be as fortunate as we have been. 6-6.

 

[NEforceUConn]

i think its going to be a long long season. Who are our leaders on O? Some think our best offensive player is one of the OR's at TE. Damn. 5-7 is my call. But experience will be gained and I think our QB at the end of the season, and a couple new existing WRs who break out will bring hope for next year.

 

[BugsyCT]

8-4 is really optimistic. QB position is a virtual guessing game at this point and this is probably the weakest we've been at RB since before Terry Caulley. D & special teams should hold their own weight, but unless at least one of the new pups at QB pleasantly surprises, I think we're about a .500 team.

 

[whaler11]

5-0 + 4-3 (WVU/USF/Pitt losses) = 9-3. If I have to spend much more time reading posters give Vandy and Iowa State the Lou Holtz treatment I might lose it. If UConn who has a dozen all-conference players returning can't beat those two pathetic programs then I will go Waylon and predict they don't win another game.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Vanderbilt is awful. AWFUL. Their OL might be even worse this year than it was last year, and they have nothing at QB or WR. They have nothing in the front 7, except for Marve, and must endure a coaching change. We should win that game easily.

Iowa State will be OK if they replace Arnaud. WMU is averag-ish. Buffalo and Fordham are slam dunks.

In conference, the only "should" wins are Rutgers and Louisville. WVU and USF are likely losses. The other games are toss-ups, though I feel that we will lose to Cincy.

4-1 OOC, and 3-4 in conference. We are the most talented team in the league, but it won't matter that mucy with the coaching change. Don't forget what having good lines can do for a team though...

 

[mattp]

In conference, the only "should" wins are Rutgers and Louisville. WVU and USF are likely losses. The other games are toss-ups, though I feel that we will lose to Cincy.

4-1 OOC, and 3-4 in conference. We are the most talented team in the league, but it won't matter that mucy with the coaching change. Don't forget what having good lines can do for a team though...

i don't get USF. personally i haven't seen anything from Daniels to lead me to believe he'll be as great as some people are predicting. to me he's just a bigger Grothe. at home i think should win.

 

[-Huskiediehard-]

I think we will win the OOC games and start 5-0, in the BE I expect 4 wins but 5 is very possible. I also expect that we will win our bowl game if we're not in a bcs bowl. so 10-3 and overall a great year anything less then 3 loses it will be a magical year

 

[ZooCougar]

Your prediction Wisky?

I am going with 7-5.

 

[UCHuskies08]

I don't think I've been this excited for a tune-up game. A lot to find out.

 

[spsct]

I'm thinking 7-5. 4-1 hiccup OCC and 3-4 in the conference. I wouldn't be shocked at 4-3 in conference and 8-4.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

i don't get USF. personally i haven't seen anything from Daniels to lead me to believe he'll be as great as some people are predicting. to me he's just a bigger Grothe. at home i think should win.

I think a lot of it is just giving credit to Skip Holtz and his ability to build a program. You may vaguely recall he helped out a state D-II school back in the day.

 

[pepband99]

5-0 + 4-3 (WVU/USF/Pitt losses) = 9-3. If I have to spend much more time reading posters give Vandy and Iowa State the Lou Holtz treatment I might lose it. If UConn who has a dozen all-conference players returning can't beat those two pathetic programs then I will go Waylon and predict they don't win another game.

You, be a pessimist? never.

 

[Excalibur]

I'm not optimistic for this year, and wouldn't have been regardless of the head coach. I think that while assuming that the offense will be better because it can't be any worse seems logical, the reality is that the increase in the passing game has to offset any losses in the running game, which is in my opinion unlikely. Brown's defense is such a change that there is going to be a significant adjustment period -- remember that the MD defense turned around in his second year as coordinator.

I'm going 6-6, with a WTF loss in non-conference and a 2-5 struggle in conference. The soft non-conference schedule pads the record.

 

[freescooter]

Just a comment on the coaching impact. I actually htink that for the program, Pasquolini will long term be an upgrade. The question is what the impact will be in the upcoming season. I think at the college level in particular, and also when a good team changes coaches, a coaching change often means a step back before you move forward. So it is distinctly possible that UCONN will stuggle a bit this year even if there is a long term advancement. Given the fairly dramatic changes in both the defensive and the offensive philosophies, I could see us struggling a bit early, maybe even a big chunk of the season. I'm not saying it will happen, but I do think it is a distinct possibility that it will take a while to adapt to the new approach.

 

[businesslawyer]

Just a comment on the coaching impact. I actually htink that for the program, Pasquolini will long term be an upgrade. The question is what the impact will be in the upcoming season. I think at the college level in particular, and also when a good team changes coaches, a coaching change often means a step back before you move forward. So it is distinctly possible that UCONN will stuggle a bit this year even if there is a long term advancement. Given the fairly dramatic changes in both the defensive and the offensive philosophies, I could see us struggling a bit early, maybe even a big chunk of the season. I'm not saying it will happen, but I do think it is a distinct possibility that it will take a while to adapt to the new approach.

Whether or not you think P is a long term upgrade, it's the struggle with the transition that I was pointing to as a risk to the season. And, as FS says, that could happen even on the way to (what I hope is) a bigger and brighter future.

 

[Rondogg]

6-6 though I would sign up for 7-5 right now if presented to me. Funny how the predictions last year at this time were so off the charts! Bowl will be played at Stankee Stadium where we will win.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I change my prediction to SIX and five

 

[UConn4ever]

I'm going with 7-5

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It is very fair to question the running game, but UConn probably has the best offensive and defensive lines in the league. No matter what is happening elsewhere on either side of the ball, if your lines are doing their job, the team won't suck.

The schedule is so soft, that UConn could go 9-3 and beat 1 team with more than 7 wins, and only 2 with a winning record. Vanderbilt is terrible, and Iowa State is not much better. WMU won't suck. Rutgers, Louisville and Syracuse come to the Rent.

 

[mattp]

It is very fair to question the running game, but UConn probably has the best offensive and defensive lines in the league. No matter what is happening elsewhere on either side of the ball, if your lines are doing their job, the team won't suck.

i think 9 wins is very realistic. if our lines play as well as we think they should, we should be favorites in 9 or 10 of our games. if we get a pleasant surprise in terms of QB play, we could run the table. every other team in the Big East has problems of their own

 

[huskypantz]

I started a thread early in the year about how weak this schedule was and that 10 wins was very possible. I still think it's possible, but it would take a really strong performance by one of our QB's over the course of the season - and based on Spring and practice info, doesn't seem like we're there yet.
So, I'm predicting 8-4, 4-3 in the conference. I think we lose at Vandy. Not because they're better (a la VT vs JMU in 10 or even UVa vs Wyoming 07) but because we will struggle on offense early. We have 4 home conference games, which is a big advantage. We get Rutgers coming off their 10th straight week without a bye. I think we have the D to get by UL and Cuse. I'm guessing that we drop a home game to USF. On the road, we'd then need to win one of Cincy/Pitt/WVU. I think WVU is the toughest because of their home crowd and Smith at QB. I'm going to say that we beat Cincy partly because I don't trust Butch Jones and partly because I think Collaros could be pretty beat up by the time we play them.
Bowl win in Yankee Stadium in front of 25k Husky fans - everyone goes home happy.

 

[uconnbaseball]

6-6 though I would sign up for 7-5 right now if presented to me. Funny how the predictions last year at this time were so off the charts! Bowl will be played at Stankee Stadium where we will win.

If we lose 5 or 6 games with this schedule, I would be FLOORED if we beat a good Big 12 team in the Pinstripe Bowl.

 

[whaler11]

You, be a pessimist? never.

I may have been on to something with the idea that Vanderbilt and Iowa State stink. How many FCS losses does Iowa State get before we have to stop pretending they don't suck?