Five Questions

[Go Coogs']

(least concern to most concern) Post your team if you want.

Houston Cougars:

#5 - Can Case Keenum return to pre-ACL injury form?

Well, he might not be as elusive and the duel threat as he once was, but I don't think it's a huge issue. As long as he can still sling it and read that offense like no ther QB, he'll be fine. Also, the running game is supposed to be one of the best in the country this season, so they might not need to rely on Keenum as much. He just needs to get out of the way if he throws an int.

#4 - Is the front seven ready to stop the run and put pressure on the QB?

The run defense was awful last season (114th). The personnel wasn't fit to run the newly installed 3-4 that was brought in by new DC Brian Stewart. Now with some senior leadership, JUCO transfers, recruiting, and a year of the 3-4 scheme under their belt, the 3-4 front seven should be much improved. They won't be knocking on top 25 door in rush defense, but going from 114th to 60th would be acceptable. Bend, don't break.

#3 - Can the special teams group return back to 2009 prominence?

TD returns were supposed to be a normal thing last season, but Tyron Carrier wasn't his normal self last season. It's like he lacked the vision he had in 2009 or perhaps it was unit as a whole, I don't know. What I do know is a special teams play here or there is needed if the Cougars want to win a C-USA title. They have to bounce back.

#2 - Without James Cleveland can this WR group give Keenum the targets he needs in order for the passing game to click?

Cleveland was Keenum's favorite target in 2009, so his new target will most likely have to be Patrick Edwards. The first play of their first scrimmage had Keenum connect with Edwards on a 65 yard pass, so that is a good sign. However, Carrier, Lazard, and other WRs need to step up and understand the system in order for the Keenum-Edwards combo to thrive. I imagine the RBs will have a lot to do with passing game as well. We'll see.

#1 - In a pass heavy conference can the JUCO transfer CBs stepup and at least not look embarassing?

Not no, but HELL no. This is what scares me the most, the Coogs secondary looks as solid as a bowl of soup. They will we bruned and burned often unless they somehow play out of their minds. The safeties are in decent shape, but those CBs are being put in a position to fail. A lot of zone will have to be played. It doesn't look good. This could cost the Coogs a couple of games unless Keenum and Co score on every drive. One can dream, right?

9-3 - C-USA bowl appearance.

[The Seer]

One answer. You will be 0-1 after your first game.

[Go Coogs']

One answer. You will be 0-1 after your first game.

I will fucking murder you where you stand right now.


Oh....and good luck, Seer.

[Screw_Michigan]

I can do two, though I'm 600 yards away and haven't paid too much attention this offseason. For you Big 11 fucktards.


2) Is QB Alex Carter as good as the hype?

Senior QB Carter was one of two MAC quarterbacks named to the Manning List. Dude might be the best since Jon Drach.

1) Can Western finally beat Central this year?

Rumor has it that CMU is going to be really down this year and lack depth at the offensive skill positions while WMU is loaded. Unfortunately, Chips own the Broncos. CMU/WMU is in Kzoo this and is the earliest in the season it has ever been, Week 3. Positives are that it's early in the season and weather will be nice and won't have the season on the line, which is where the Chips have also owned the Broncos. Another positive with it being so early Central-Western weekend will be out of control and hopefully lots of drunk students in attendance.

[Goober McTuber]

Houston? Kalamazoo Tech? I thought this was BIG TIME POWER COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

[Go Coogs']

Houston? Kalamazoo Tech? I thought this was BIG TIME POWER COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

Hey, shitbag, there is a theme to this thread. Either drop your analysis on Whisky or take your schtick elsewhere.

[Screw_Michigan]

Nah, C'o'ogs. Gobbles McTubesteak isn't interested in contributing anything substantial. He's content in bumbling from thread to thread like the ball-sucking, ankle-biting bitch he is.

[Goober McTuber]

We should probaly have small school college football forum for you two.

I've offered my thoughts on the Badgers in other threads. WR is the only serious question.

[Shoalzie]

1. Where in the Bo-to-Lloyd scale does a Brady Hoke Michigan team most resemble?
2. Where in the Vick-to-Tebow scale does Shoelace rate as a pocket QB?
3. How quickly can they transition back to being a run-heavy offense?
4. How quickly can they transition back to have a respectable defense?
5. Can Hoke-a-mania conjure up at least one win against the big 3 (Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State) on the schedule?

I'll be satisfied with a .500 season if this team at least competes and starts to take on the personality of Michigan teams in the past. I'm not expect a miracle turnaround because the talent isn't there this year.


When did Air Force get added to next year's schedule? Quite the non-conference slate with Alabama, Air Force and Notre Dame and still to dates open.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Talk of all teams is welcome here.

1. Offensive line - Probably the biggest question mark for MSU heading into the season. Replacing three starters, but returning two all-big ten caliber guys. By all accounts the line is more athletic than last year, but there is some inexperience there. How quickly can this unit gel?

2. Can the d-line get pressure? The front four's inability to get pressure on the opposing qb was MSU's achilles heel last year, and as a result they were forced to blitz their LBs more than they wanted. Greg Jones was a monster pass rusher, and he's gone, so the d-line has to step up and do its job. This unit is supposed to be a strength this year. Much hype over William Gholston and Jerel Worthy (who is a proven player) but I need to see it happen.

3. Can they win a big game on the road? Games @ Notre Dame, @ Ohio State, @ Nebraska, and @ Iowa. If they can win two of those I'll be happy. Last year the win over Penn St was probably the biggest road victory. Big in a historical context since MSU always plays like ass there, but sort of negated by the fact Penn St was bad at football.

4. Can they beat Wisconsin twice? I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I think the "Legends" division is a toss up between MSU and Nebraska. I give MSU the slight edge here because a) I'm biased, b) I think they're a little more well rounded than NU, and c) I think NU could struggle a little bit with being the new guy in town.

I see MSU beating Wisky at home in the regular season, but if they get to Indy, I believe they will face UW again. Beating a good team twice in the same season is difficult, but I think that'll be the task in order to get to the Rose Bowl.

5. Can Dantonio win a fucking bowl game?

[The Seer]

IF UCLA had a QB, they'd win 10 games this year.


But they don't.

:(

[Terry in Crapchester]

1. How does the QB situation shake out?

ND went from next-to-no depth at the QB position to perhaps too much of a good thing in only a season. Crist has the most experience of the group but has been injury-prone. Rees is the football equivalent of a gym rat, and led ND to four straight wins last season, which no one can take away from him (first time that happened at ND since 2006; ND did win four straight in terms of winning the last two games in '07 and the first two in '08, but that winning streak was spread between two different seasons), but he has less raw talent than anyone else on the depth chart. Hendrix has the strongest arm but is raw; he did not play last year at all as a true freshman. Look for Golson, a true freshman, to get in the game in wildcat situations and/or as a fourth or fifth wideout in obvious passing downs. ND has enough depth at this spot that the coaching staff moved a scholarship QB, Luke Massa, to WR. The hunch here is that Crist is the starter, but he may have a shorter leash than most starting QB's get.

2. What happens with Michael Floyd?

He was reinstated to the team. As I said before, I agree with that decision. ND's administration has a long-standing policy of in loco parentis with respect to students, and most of us who are parents wouldn't write our kid off if he/she picked up a DWI. He is far and away, the most talented WR at ND, and his performance will, to a major extent, dictate the performance of ND's entire WR corps. Can he put the off-field problems behind him and shake the injury bug long enough to shoulder that responsibility?

3. Can Jonas Gray emerge?

Since arriving on campus, he has largely been the forgotten man in ND's RB stable. This year he figures to take on an expanded role, given Robert Hughes' departure, as ND's #1 big back. Can Gray and Cierre Wood become the sort of thunder-and-lightning combo that ND fans were hoping for, but never quite got, with Hughes and Armando Allen?

4. Is this the year Te'o has a monster season?

The defense was resurgent toward the end of last season, and Te'o was a major part of that. But he still has a maddening tendency to run himself out of plays at times. If he can correct that, this could be the year he joins the ranks of the elite college LB's.

5. What happens with Brian Kelly?

After three straight whiffs on coaching hires (four if you count O'Leary), ND really needs Kelly to be successful. Last season presented enough of a mixed bag that the jury is still out on Kelly, I think. There were some really frustating losses, including the blowout loss to Navy and the loss to Tulsa. There were also some off-field tragedies (Declan Sullivan, Lizzie Seaburg) and Floyd's arrest to deal with off the field. On the bright side, ND finished the season with four straight wins, two of which came against "name" programs (USC and Miami), albeit both in somewhat down years. A quick check of the most successful relatively recent college coaching hires (e.g., Stoops, Saban, Tressel, Carroll, Brown) shows that for the most part, there wasn't significant improvement in the program in Year One, but the real results became apparent in Year Two. For that reason, I think this is a crucial season for Kelly.

And since I can't quite make up my mind, I'll add one more:

6. Can ND finally solve its traditional rivals?

A quick check of ND's traditional rivals shows that ND hasn't had a lot of luck in recent years against traditional rivals. For example:

BC: ND has lost six of the last eight meetings (but won the last two).
Michigan: ND has lost four of the last five meetings.
Michigan State: ND has lost three of the last four, and ten of the last fourteen, meetings.
Navy: ND has lost three of the last four meetings after winning 43 straight.
Pittsburgh: ND has lost two of the last three, and three of the last five, meetings (but won last year).
Stanford: ND has lost two straight (first time since the series became an annual) after winning seven straight.
USC: ND has lost eight of the last nine meetings (but won last year).

Fwiw, most ND fans would expect to beat Navy about 90% of the time, and would expect to beat the remainder of the schools, except for Michigan and USC, about 70% of the time. We have to do better, particularly against Navy, although their option offense makes them one of the most difficult teams to prepare for in BTPCF. But there's too much of a talent advantage in favor of ND in that game not to win the overwhelming majority of the time.

[King Crimson]

1. can OU run the ball when the opposing front 7 knows it's coming?

2. can OU win on the road at FSU and Pokey State? Texas will bring it.

3. losing Travis Lewis means Tom Wort has to grow up real fast.....how much out of position, bad middle LB play does one Sooner fan have to endure? like being the drummer for Spinal Tap...OU fan has had soem bad luck at the position the last half-decade: Brandon Crow i'm looking at you (Texas on 3rd down), Ryan Reynolds, Austin Box...having to score 35 to win adds up to 10 win seasons and some L's against the better teams.

4. Landry Jones? does he take the next step or is he the same gaudy numbers with the occasional melt head?

5. replacing Kevin Wilson? Josh Heupel, his own man....how much Leach is still in there? maybe question 1a....and #5 is about replacing safeties. Not a Venables hater, but D has been porous the last couple years. Reesing, Colt McCoy, Chase Daniel, Matt Saracen, and Zac Robinson all graduated...it ain't 07 anymore. Let's get off the field on 3rd down...hey?