USA Today College football preview: The American Athletic Conference

[huskymedic]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...review-american-athletic-conference/31298923/

Sigh, no surprises but Meyerberg even took a win away from us... lol

CONNECTICUT

Best case: Progress. It's hard to put a win total on progress. But it'd be nice to see the Huskies improve.

Worst case: Regression. Think that's not possible? It is, technically, since UConn won just once in 2014. Winless would be a bad thing for second-year coachBob Diaco.

 

[whaler11]

Newsome first team all conference return man? That would be nice.

 

[RedSoloCup]

Meyerberg does a great job, always has. I did get a good feel for how the conference is appearing nationally.

 

[Gblow8690]

If the preview plays out we are doomed. Not a single player for all conference other than Newsome at KR. No impact freshman or top assistant coaches and worst QB in the league. We have a long road ahead to even be respectable. Our facilities will be outdated if we don't hurry and get some wins.

 

[Nostical]

If the preview plays out we are doomed

Don't be too concerned. This preview was vastly off target. Unlike the last few seasons when players were privately pessimistic, this year they are much more confident and inspired. My feedback is that we are much improved and will come out strong and beat Nova to start a string of victories. The current hand wringing won't last tor long. Meyerberg will be calling UConn the surprise team of the AAC. Get ready for a great season and a well deserved bowl game. And no, I am not Pollyanna.

 

[History Geek]

Don't be too concerned. This preview was vastly off target. Unlike the last few seasons when players were privately pessimistic, this year they are much more confident and inspired. My feedback is that we are much improved and will come out strong and beat Nova to start a string of victories. The current hand wringing won't last tor long. Meyerberg will be calling UConn the surprise team of the AAC. Get ready for a great season and a well deserved bowl game. And no, I am not Pollyanna.

This is my gut reaction too. Everything I've seen and heard leads me to believe that we are moving in the right direction and this WILL be apparent on the field eventually. However, i thought the same thing last year so i'm spooked. I was not expecting the program tear down and the resultant nightmare. Is it still too early to expect results in 2015? Maybe - a glance at the two deep shows we are still really young. But i think we have talent that will further mature in front of our eyes this year. I think the d will keep us in games early and im hoping the offense catches up as the season progresses. If my optimism is a little premature and we struggle again this year that is ok with me. As long as we show "progress" (tough to define but we will know it if we see it), 2016 will be really fun. However, I'm hoping it comes together earlier than that we indeed are the surprise of 2015.

 

[Arjona]

"Connecticut won at least eight games in each ofRandy Edsall's last four seasons with the Huskies, culminating in a conference title and Fiesta Bowlberth in 2010. The Huskies are since mired in four losing seasons in a row, the program's longest such streak since 1998-2001. The good news? Edsall's solid run began in 2002. The bad news? I'm not sure if Bob Diaco is the next Randy Edsall."

I hope Diaco proves a better coach in the long run than Edsall.

 

[uconnphil2016]

My general rule of thumb is to lend little credence to previews that can't even manage to get last year's win total correct

 

[pepband99]

To be 100% fair, as it's a CONFERENCE preview, the "one win" might be from the conference record, not overall...

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

I honestly think we can get 4-5 wins this year, and with some help 6, and a bowl.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's a little irritating that none of these guys take any chances. I have to wonder how many of them predicted Auburn to bounce back from a horrible season two years ago. UConn isn't Auburn, but there is reason for optimism. I doubt that UConn will be the worst team in the American this year.

 

[huskymedic]

To be 100% fair, as it's a CONFERENCE preview, the "one win" might be from the conference record, not overall...

Thought that at first but not when you look at comments regarding other teams W-L (like Cincy/ECU). He got sloppy and mailed it in on UConn.

 

[mets1090]

It's a little irritating that none of these guys take any chances. I have to wonder how many of them predicted Auburn to bounce back from a horrible season two years ago. UConn isn't Auburn, but there is reason for optimism. I doubt that UConn will be the worst team in the American this year.

UConn isn't Auburn, but the AAC isn't the SEC and UConn can theoretically be Memphis if the offensive line improves to being below average instead of abysmal.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Enjoyed the article, but doing an all-time team that includes ONE single player from all of the teams currently in the AAC is pretty dumb. Either do it about the current teams or don't bother. I don't need a list of a bunch of all-time Big East players who are all in the ACC now.

 

[Justin M]

What do people expect after our past successes, give the article a quick skim. Use it as posterboard material, move on and kick the * out of Nova on the 3rd. All we can do to prove ourselves. We've earned nothing more

 

[whaler11]

It's a little irritating that none of these guys take any chances. I have to wonder how many of them predicted Auburn to bounce back from a horrible season two years ago. UConn isn't Auburn, but there is reason for optimism. I doubt that UConn will be the worst team in the American this year.

Well if you could predict Auburn would you be working at the USA Today?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Well if you could predict Auburn would you be working at the USA Today?

I am merely suggesting that these guys have no idea of the kind of change a coaching/cultural shift can make. They look at the prior year, look at impact freshmen or RS freshmen, and that's their prediction. Any question marks are graded at zero. Take our QB situation, I am 100% convinced that it is vastly better than last year but you wouldn't know it from the predictions. I think all three QBs are likely superior to anyone who played last year, and yes that means Boyle is better than he was. Our young RBs will be better. OL is better. WR remain very good. D may slip a little, but not much. There is zero basis to think that this team, with a year in a new system, new nutrition, new conditioning, with a coach that fires them up, won't be dramatically improved.

 

[noeynox]

This year is starting to feel a little like 2007, absolutely no expectations other than to finish last. An unknown transfer at QB, an underrated defense, an offensive line that struggled mightily the year before and two RBs with different styles that look like they could be exceptional. Now just go out and don't lose to an FCS opponent.

 

[whaler11]

I am merely suggesting that these guys have no idea of the kind of change a coaching/cultural shift can make. They look at the prior year, look at impact freshmen or RS freshmen, and that's their prediction. Any question marks are graded at zero. Take our QB situation, I am 100% convinced that it is vastly better than last year but you wouldn't know it from the predictions. I think all three QBs are likely superior to anyone who played last year, and yes that means Boyle is better than he was. Our young RBs will be better. OL is better. WR remain very good. D may slip a little, but not much. There is zero basis to think that this team, with a year in a new system, new nutrition, new conditioning, with a coach that fires them up, won't be dramatically improved.

Yeah I know, it's one guy previewing 128 teams. I am pretty sure that Meyerberg understands the potential impact of coaching changes though.

It's pretty easy to build a case that they won't be dramatically improved though. You can say there is 'zero basis', but the under 3 wins is juiced to -160 so certainly there are people who don't agree that there is going to be dramatic improvement this year.

You've assumed that the QB play is better, you've assumed that the OL play is better, you've assumed they can replace Davis and Foxx and McQuillian.... it's completely reasonable to assume the opposite on each one of those items. If BS gets hurt for example - you might be wishing for Foxx to play QB.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

A lot of bulletin board material in that article for this team. Team is picked to finish dead last, and zero recognition for any player or unit in this article (save Newsome as a KR)