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This article is in response in my own article, a list of the "Top Five Biggest Disappointments" in the 2008 college football season. If you haven't read it yet, check it out. I have compiled the counterpart to that article...

College Football: Biggest Surprise Teams of 2008

by Peter Fleischer (Senior Writer)

56

4,717 reads

Preview/Prediction

July 10, 2008


This article is in response in my own article, a list of the "Top Five Biggest Disappointments" in the 2008 college football season.  If you haven't read it yet, check it out.

I have compiled the counterpart to that article.  In this piece, I'll give you five teams that I think will fly under the radar and make a surprising impact on the nation this season, whether it's by making a bigger bowl than expected, or by making noise for a BCS bid.

Note: I'm ranking these teams by the amount of impact they'll make on the national scene, from smallest to largest at number one.

 

No. 5: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Although this team has really been in the dumps the past couple of years, they are also only a few seasons removed from being a very competitive team that had a reputation for producing skilled running backs.

The Gophers started the Tim Brewster era in grand fashion last season, going 1-11 and looking completely terrible.  However, I believe things are looking up for the Gophers, and here's why.

First off, they recruited very well this offseason, landing the number 17 class in the country.  WR Brandon Green and SS Keanon Cooper should all have impacts as true freshmen this fall, and offensive linemen Ryan Wynn and Chris Bunders will shed their redshirts to join three returning starters on the offensive line.

I'm not even sure this team will be bowl eligible this season, but I expect significant improvement from a one-victory year.  I'll project them at 6-6, and if they can steal a game, maybe they'll even sneak into a bowl at 7-5 in what is a down year in the Big Ten, surprising many people nationally and setting up a bright future in Minnesota.

 

No. 4: Ball State Cardinals

Now before you jump down my throat, people, hold your horses.

I don't exactly see the Cardinals making a run at the BCS here, but I think they have a chance to make a big splash outside the BCS conferences.  I think they could be better than more familiar schools such as Hawaii, Central Michigan, Utah, and others.

If you missed the International Bowl versus Rutgers last year, I'll break it down for you in a nutshell.  Quarterback Nate Davis (who is definitely the real deal) kept his team at a respectable margin by hooking up with WR Dante Love (who is also the real deal).  On the other side of the ball, the defense got absolutely torched by Ray Rice—something that is quite understandable.

But back from a 7-6 team are 15 starters, including nine from a very good offense.  The team has a favorable schedule, with their toughest game being probably at Central Michigan or at Indiana.  These are totally attainable games for a team that is certainly on the rise.

I look for this team to make its name more known on the national stage and make a run at the MAC championship—and nobody will have seen it coming.

 

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56 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Justin Goar 12 months ago

    definitely agree with #1 and #2.

    good stuff.

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  2. Tim Pollock 12 months ago

    If Auburn only loses one regular season game to GA, that puts them in the SECCG. Who will they play, and I guess, who will they beat, since they only have one loss? Revenge on GA?

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      I didn't really consider the SEC championship game but I guess yeah, they'd probably have to have a rematch with Georgia, which would be interesting. Thanks for the comment Tim.

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  3. Justin Hokanson 12 months ago

    Here's an Auburn fan's view of Brandon Cox. He was a good quarterback that won a lot of football games for Auburn. He struggled a bit his last two years and definetly was one of the main reasons we lost a couple of games with his interceptions. But he won too many games, and some big games as well, for me to be anything but appreciative of his time there.

    Auburn needs to get their quarterback situation settled. They will be solid across the board, the QB position is the one that they have to figure out. Fall practice should be really interesting.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Thanks Justin. Yeah, I always wondered how Auburn fans felt about him. I think ultimately, they're better off with some of the impressive young kids that will compete for the spot this fall.

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    • Justin Hokanson 12 months ago

      No doubt. Burns and Todd bring a little more to the table than Cox did at QB. Burns with his mobility and Todd with his arm strength and he has some mobility as well.

      They are moving to more mobile QB's. They just signed a mobile spread QB and have another big, mobile QB committed right now. That's the way they are moving.

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  4. Paul Witten 12 months ago

    Great article. I really like the fact that you pointed out Washington. They have got some really good players but played an UNBELIEVABLY hard schedule last year. I mean, they came close to knocking off USC and had Ohio State sweating bullets in the first half. They jsut need to sustain that kind of play and this team may be contending for a Pac 10 title in two or three years. I dont't Mizzou is going to be as neary as good as last year barring another year of parody. If college football is back to normal this year which I bet it will be, Missouri isn't going to be able to flourish like they did last year. I def. see this team as being a contender early on with Maclin, Daniel and such. But in the end, the Sooners will take the Big 12 while Missouri will be heading to something like the alamo bowl or hopefully better. They've got a lot of heart so never count them out, I guess.

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  5. Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

    Well just like last year, Washington's non-conference schedule is loaded, definitely the hardest I've seen yet. They play BYU, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, but all of those games are at home. I think they could have a legit shot at making a move in the Pac-10.

    As for Mizzou, I truly believe that if they hold court, they will be in contention for a national title shot. But Pinkel teams have had a knack for losing games they are very capable of winning in the past, so if that trend returns, they'll struggle to even hold off KU in the Big 12 North.

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  6. Andrew Scott 12 months ago

    Peter does have a valid point with this Texas Tech team. I have always kept an eye on Tech, but the dynamics of this years team is very intriguing. Forget about Michael Crabtree, Graham Harrell and the completely intact offensive line returning. Everyone knows Tech will put up big numbers on that side of the ball next season, even more so with 10 returning offensive starters from the nations #2 offense. Now let me ask you a question. "What would be the one area improved upon that would make this team scary?" I'm sure your thinking of it, "a good defense."

    What raises eyebrows with this Texas Tech team and also is a little known fact and that is Tech lead the Big 12 in total defense the last 8 games of the season. This began with the Oklahoma State debacle in which they lost, and head coach Mike Leach replaced the then Defensive Coordinator with assistant coach Ruffin McNeill. Ruffin McNeill was the most favored and beloved coach among players on Leach's staff as well as the teams motivator, a 300 lb man he would lead Tech's charge onto the field (must have been a sight to behold) Now as the full time defensive coordinator he has 8 starters returning on that side of the ball. The whole defensive line returns as well as two linebackers and two defensive backs. Those two defensive back spots are up for grabs among 5 seniors, so don't expect much if any drop off there. On the D-Line added into the rotation during the spring was a Univ. of Miami transfer at DT(will be eligible), and 2 Juco All-American Defensive Ends. So with that said Tech's defense looks to be much improved upon from a year ago.

    Now comes the scary part. In the annual spring game Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach Mike Leach did something he has never done before. He scheduled a second spring game. According to various news outlets Mike Leach was so aggravated by his proud offense being dominated in the spring game, he scheduled a second one. Ruffin McNeill's Defense blitzed aggressively and registered 9 sacks on the day and several interceptions. Two of those sacks came from one of the Juco All-American defensive ends. To put this into perspective Graham Harrell was sacked only 16 times out of 713 attempts last season, and no starters were lost on the offensive line from a year ago. Graham Harrell only recorded one touchdown on the day and that was to Michael Crabtree.

    In order for a Mike Leach team to become a BCS contender, all you need is a mediocre defense. Not a great defense, not a good defense, just a mediocre defense. I have watched several Tech games where the defense was non existent and they still end up winning. Since Leach has been at Tech it's Defense has been at or below average every year, thus Tech has continued to have an 8-5, 9-4, 10-3 record. Always on the threshold but never being able to break that barrier and take that proverbial next step. Early indication is of a great defense brewing in Lubbock, and thats whats scary.

    When looking at their schedule 3 games maybe 4 stand out to me. The first being an away trip to A&M. I don't forsee them losing this game due to the new coaching staff at Aggieland and their inexperience in facing this kind of offense, plus given history Tech has won 10 out of the last 13. The second game is a trip to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks. This game will be very interesting. The week before Kansas has an away game at Oklahoma and after they play the Red Raiders they host in-sate rival Kansas State. You could either see Kansas a little beat up after the OU game or possibly looking forward to rival K-State the following week. A young and inexperienced Texas team comes calling in October that I feel the players at Tech will be up for. Remember Tech plays second fiddle to the Longhorns in Texas and even though they might picked as favorites, you can bet they won't play like it.

    The final clutch game and my vote for the best game of the year in the country is at Oklahoma. It's very possible that both teams could be 10-0 heading into this game with conference title and national title hopes on the line. Both teams will have 2 weeks of preparation leading into to this game and time to heal whatever wounds incurred during the season. This will be a hard hitting low scoring game next season, you can bank on it...

    Last season Texas Tech was ranked as the second youngest team in America, (according to a study conducted by the Univ. of Temple) The second youngest team ending the season ranked 22nd in the nation, and only lost 4 starters.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Andrew-

      I believe that is the longest comment to an article that I have ever received, and for that I am grateful. Thanks a lot for reading and getting involved like that.

      I truly do believe that Texas Tech could surprise people this season. Oklahoma and Texas both have tough schedules, and I think the Raiders have the easiest of the three. It should be a great year in the Big 12.

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  7. Joe Beavers 12 months ago

    Peter
    You really did go WAY out on a limb with the UW pick. Ty hasn't proven he can win at UW and this year doesn't look like it'll be any different. You mentioned "Willingham's latest class is loaded with help at the skill positions"???? I'm not seeing it. Ty's recruitng's been awful as well. According to rivals.com his classes have been ranked 35 in 06, 36 in 07, and 24 in 08. Ty's last 5 recruiting classes have an average ranking of 34. Over the last 5 years he's averaging only 4 wins per year.
    I'm just not seeing it.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Thanks for reading Joe.

      The 2008 class is definitely stocked with skill players that can help Locker this season. As the guy below me said, WR Chris Polk is a BEAST. There are also eight other true freshmen at the skill spots that might fill some holes.

      Keep in mind I'm not picking them to win the Pac-10, but just to surprise some people and win seven or maybe even eight games.

      P.S. Keep in mind their ridiculous scheduling. Their win-loss record doesn't do them justice.

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  8. Nick The Only 12 months ago

    Locker is a lot like Tebow. I'm not sure that he will ever be as good as Tebow. He was a freshman on an inferior team (to UF), so I am hesistant to question his poise, but I do. He is a little different style player too. Tebow is definitely more apt to put his head down and run between the tackles. Locker (from the limited times I've seen him here on the east coast) reminds me more of a Vince Young type runner because he runs more with his head up and looking to make shifty moves. I'd trust Tebow more to pick up short yardage first downs and Locker more to run it in for a score from 30 yards out.

    Brandon Cox, to me (a UF fan/avid SEC follower), is the CFB version of a guy like Trent Dilfer. He was relatively trustworthy and reliable, but utterly unspectacular.

    Missouri - I hope, hope, hope for a Missouri-Florida title game. It would be an incredible offensive match-up.

    Other teams: Neither Ball State, Texas Tech nor Minnesota will play ina BCS bowl this year. That's how i see it. All should be better, but this time of year everyone thinks their going to be better.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Thanks for reading Nick.

      Remember that I'm not making BCS picks here, just surprises. I think Ball State could make a decent bowl, and put themselves on the map as far as schools with less tradition in a non-BCS league. I think Minnesota really could surprise some people by making a bowl, which would be a huge turnaround from their one win year. And lastly, I really think Texas Tech could threaten for a BCS bid. Honestly.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      A Missouri-Florida title game would be really interesting. We shut down the last offense we faced that used a thunder and lightning ground attack (Arkansas), but Tebow and his boys are on a different level. However, I think the Mizzou offense would tear the Gators apart.

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  9. Purple Heart 12 months ago

    Nick...no offense intended here but Locker rolls over linebackers. He ran mostly up the middle last year and got most of his rushing yards that way. In fact, one of the preview magazines rates him as the most difficult player in the Pac 10 to bring down (Athlons' I believe), and they were including rb's. Any way, nice to see the Dawgs get some love...watch out for Chris Polk!

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  10. PJ Mac 12 months ago

    Does anyone know what happened to the Ohio State v Washington game for this year? Wasn't that supposed to be a home and home series?

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  11. Aron Glatzer 12 months ago

    Peter, you're killin me. Keep the Huskies in the cellar, where they deserve to be. Hopefully you'll change your tune after they come to Eugene to start the season Aug. 30th.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Lol, don't hate Aron! There is zero percent chance the Huskies finish in the cellar of the Pac-10. They are better then at least four teams in that conference. Locker=beast status.

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  12. Shawn Withrow 12 months ago

    Auburn is a good team, but they will not make it out of a cold night in Morgantown with a win.

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  13. RedRaider Red 12 months ago

    "If not for a hiccup against Colorado last year, they could have been playing for the Big 12 Championship."

    I'm not sure I understand this part. If they would've beaten Colorado, they would've been unbeaten at home, sure. But how does that make them elligible for the Big 12 championship? They would've finished 9-3 (5-3) which is still not as good as Oklahoma's 10-2 (6-2). Oklahoma would still have been Big 12 South champion and gone on to play (*cough* beat) Missouri.

    Not that I'm against Texas Tech or anything (infact, am a Red Raider myself currently enrolled) but just a question.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      No you're right Red Raider, good catch. I had the Raiders with only three losses last year but forgot they lost to Ok State early on.

      And hey, who won the Mizzou VS Texas Tech game?? Sorry...but you asked for it. :)

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  14. Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

    Thank you to Anthony Trovato, who picked this article as his pick of the day.

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  15. Quantumt 12 months ago

    Auburn is a good team but i dont think they will surprise anybody this year. The majority of the people are picking them to compete for the SEC West and maybe the National Championship.

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    • Paul Witten 12 months ago

      They are a contender for the SEC west but very few people have them as one of the top NC contenders. You never know what can happen though.

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  1. Joje McGee 12 months ago

    "...Sam Maresh should all have impacts as true freshmen this fall"

    Maresh with an impact this year? Wow, you've really followed the Gophers closely!

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  2. Stephen Black 12 months ago

    Good stuff, Peter.

    As far as Auburn is concerned, they had to replace both coordinators so you have to wonder how that will affect them. Tuberville is a defense guy, so I am sure they will solid on defense as they have been throughout his tenure.

    The offense is the question mark, like it always seems to be with Auburn. They have a new QB and a new coordinator, so it is really a crapshoot right now.

    Their schedule is in their favor, as they get LSU, UGA, and Tenn at home and miss Fla. Also, the Tigers have no problems is Tuscaloosa where they are 5-0 all time, I think.

    I though Cox would be the next Stan White or Patrick Nix for them. A limited, but effective QB who makes very few mistakes. He looked great in '05 and and then good in '06. I am not sure what happened last year, but Cox could not execute snaps from center, handoffs or simple passes in the first few games. He looked awful. Their losses to MSU and USF were solely due to his incompetence.

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  3. Joje McGee 12 months ago

    http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/21845279.html?location_refer=Prep%20Sports:highlightModules:5

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Wow. Clearly I had no idea that Maresh was undergoing surgery, or else I wouldn't have had him in there. I guess my information on the team was clearly outdated. Thanks for the update Joje, and I really hope everything works out for him!

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  4. Joje McGee 12 months ago

    the Gophers are on the rise though, you've got that right. 2009 TCF will be unreal!

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  5. David MacLean 12 months ago

    Hey, Peter! Thanks for the love from a life-long Husky. Have you checked out our schedule? Toughest in the nation. You could make a case for USC, but I give ours the nod, based on the game between us. In other words, it's probably easier for them to play us at home than it is for us to play them in L.A. With this in mind, seven wins would be huge, but like you I believe! By the way, please beat the Buffs.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Yeah David, trust me I agree with you. Toughest schedule in the country.

      And I believe that Mizzou will definitely beat the Buffs (again) this year. 55-10 was great last year, and we get them at home this season.

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  6. ronald jones 12 months ago

    Nice for anyone to give some love to the Dawgs! They have taken 3 long years to reestablish a football system and structure (which I think had suffered in the transitional years following the departure of Don James) Now, however, it is time to shine for Ty. The good coaches will come up with the close game more often than not, and Ty has yet to do that. Good man, good work ethic, good organizational coaching structure, but does he have .... 'it'? That, is what the Husky fans doubt.

    It is what drives the question in the great Northwest. No moral victories will satisfy the desperately hungry mob of Dawg fans that haven't lost the insatiable desire for wins and championships. But they fear that they have lost the team that can deliver those things. Husky fans are ready to eat their young and Ty will be the obvious and probably appropriate victim if he can't produce what you have predicted.
    The first game with Ducks will speak volumes. Go Dawgs.

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  7. julius chasman 12 months ago

    It's a little awkward to see statements like "keep the Huskies in the cellar" from a Duck fan. Enjoy your little stint while it lasts, for the real students of college football know the truth about the Dawgs and their Pac-10 dominance that lasted over a quarter of a century. The Dawgs will be back....

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  8. Chase Dunagan 12 months ago

    Umm, Peter. There was never any Dixon that played at Texas.... I think you mean some other school...

    And Tech ALWAYS plays down to lower teams. Colorado, Kansas (when they were bad), Mizzouri (when they were bad).

    Get your info correct man.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      1) I am looking at a magazine (Lindy's College Football) that says, and I quote, "Dixon was a freshman All-American at Texas in 2005 before spending a year in junior colege to work on his academic eligibility." So if that source is wrong, sorry, but that's a pretty good source to go off of, so I won't apologize for using that information.

      2) Tech has "always" played down to lower teams? That is not a fact, or information, so way to go on that correction?

      Pick your battles better, because my information is on point.

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    • Chase Dunagan 12 months ago

      Peter- According to Texassports.com (the official site of Texas Longhorn Athletics) there was never a Dixon on the team in 2005, and there was never even an All-American at Texas named Dixon.

      And proof of Tech always playing down.... hmm... lets see....

      2003- Tech Hangs with the Big Boys only to get walloped by a mediocre Missouri 62-31
      2004- Tech has a great year. Oh yeah, they lost to New Mexico tho.....
      2005- Tech is AMAZING! BUT lost to Oklahoma ST. ( Oklahoma State's only win in conference play that year)
      2006- Tech scores a total of 9 points in losses to TCU and Colorado. Colorado was 2-10 that year.
      2007- Tech loses again to Colorado, Colorado goes 6-7

      Fact and Info. Your Blogs need better info man. You're giving everyone crap bad information.

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Once again, I cited where I received my information about Dixon, so if that SOURCE is wrong, that is the fault of the source. Would you argue with Lindy's? I believed the source to be trustworthy, so the lack of accuracy would be the fault of the primary source.

      And your labeling of teams is completely subjective, once again not fact. If Texas Tech has lost to teams with worse records then them, you can prove that, and I'm sure I can show you a handful of examples when the team beat a "lower" team as well.

      Lastly, before you generalize about my blogs, why don't you read another one? Or write one of your own? If you correct something you see to be wrong, that is totally fine, but don't generalize. I've got a whole bunch of information and references in the article, so the fact that you can find one minor flaw (Dixon), which I got from a reliable source, in ONE article, says nothing about "my blogs".

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    • Chase Dunagan 12 months ago

      You're right, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say "blogs". And I am writing a blog myself, so feel free to come by and criticize me.

      Didn't mean to get all personal.

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  9. Joel Koch 12 months ago

    And here I thought I liked you Peter...

    2008 is spelled: I-L-L-I-N-I

    Overrated is spelled: M-I-Z-Z-O-U

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Ha! Lol alright Joel. When I typed in overrated on youtube, it showed Illinois' blowout loss to USC. When I type Illnois VS Mizzou, it shows J-Mac running all over the Edward Jones Dome, and Juice Williams getting injured.

      But in all seriousness, I do think the Illini will be good this year. It should be a great game on August 30th. At least we have the Cardinals in common!

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  10. MLO Dawgs 12 months ago

    It's hard to say how our Dawgs will perform this year, all I can do is tell you which areas we are very optimistic about:

    DEFENSE - New DC Ed Donnatell is a major upgrade over Kent Baer and already has our defense hitting hard and popping pads. Our safeties Nate Williams and Victor Aeiyewa can knock your head off but they are very inexperienced. Our corners are either mediocre upper classmen or talented but inexperienced frosh. The D-line has only one starter returning, Teo-Nesheim, and the rest will be talented but inexperienced frosh/sophomores. The strength of our defense is our Linebacker corps, even with Savannah injured. Mason Foster started last year as a true freshmen and is a total stud. Butler is big and fast and Tuiasosopo is a fire hydrant in the middle.

    OFFENSE - The strength of the team is the O-line, which is pretty good even with our best lineman C Juan Garcia injured. Our two deeps at the Oline are all at or over 300 pounds. We have a talented but inexperienced RB in Sophomore Brandon Johnson and a young stable of frosh behind him. Chris Polk and Curtis Shaw will be used like Reggie Bush and will play both RB and WR depending on the formation. We have a lot of speed at WR but inexperience everywhere as we graduated five senior WR's this year. We have a couple of really good FB's. Our TE situation last year was pathetic and should be improved this year with high profile recruit Chris Izbicki seeing the playing field. It's possible Kavario Middleton (even higher profile TE recruit) could play but I have a feeling he will redshirt unless he is just too good to leave on the bench.

    Jake Locker of course. EVERYTHING relies on Jake Locker. He will be why we win or lose every game in my honest opinion UNLESS the inexperienced freshmen can step up to the plate and take the pressure off of Jake.

    Jake wasn't that bad... yes he at times got too jacked up and overthrew people, but he also had below average wide receivers dropping passes left and right. Hell sometimes Jake was so excited about playing in the game that he would hold his breath and this would tend to end up with the ball sailing on him. He calmed down as the year progressed. I think you will see a major improvement in his passing game this year. He looked great in the Spring game, very accurate with his throws. He went 7 for 7 on one 80 yard TD drive. I think he finished the game 14 for 17 or something close to that.

    The offense was not bad last year, we averaged 29.2 points per game. It was decent. The major problem was that our defense was the worst in our 118 year history of Washington football. I think the biggest key to the game will be if our new and revamped defense can at least slow down your offense a little and hopefully you give us some turnovers. A very large uphill battle for us for sure.

    OKC will obviously be the favorite to win this game, but I don't think it will be a cake walk or a blowout. You will for sure have your hands full with Jake Locker:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=BMfiq9CXss8

    We have a new, proven (in the NFL) defensive coordinator but that is on paper only until we play games. We all hope and are optimistic that he can pull a one year miracle out of his rear with the defense. It is the same with all the frosh at the skill positions. On paper there is a ton of talent, but it is young and inexperienced. Ty is a horrible game day coach, but he has at least added some burners the last couple years. Goodwin, Shaw, both Polk kids (they are cousins), etc. Shaw and J. Polk are track stars in their states, Curtis Shaw in Cali and Polk in Oregon. Shaw ran a 10.56 in the 100m dash and Polk ran it in 10.63. Jordan Polk looks like a midget in this video clip, but in the off season so far he said he has gained 15 pounds of muscle and improved his 100m time by ..05 seconds because of the all the new muscle. Loved his quote, he said "I have been working out like a dog to get ready for UW football".
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=tiUNvgi4L48

    Alvin Logan (big, 6-2 218) and Anthony Boyles (6-3 190) should also have big impacts as big targets in the receiving game this year.

    Chris Polk on paper and in high school is an absolute stud, we stole him from USC where he was committed for 6 months. His nickname in high school is "little Bush" because his play style reminds people of Reggie. Lappanno said he plans to use C. Polk (and Shaw) just like USC used Reggie Bush.

    The starting running back job should be Brandon Johnson's to lose. He has not had much game time but he did play one and a half quarters last year against Cal after Rankin got hurt. He rushed for over 100 yards against Cal in less than two quarters. You can see our RB in action here in the second half of this video clip, he is number 6, number 9 is Rankin (who graduated).

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=afy44jLiqMw

    The bottom line is, we have a lot of raw talent, but it is inexperienced and full of question marks. Until Ty PROVES he can consistently win games, I am not predicting a better record than 6-6.

    I hope I am wrong of course.

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  11. MLO Dawgs 12 months ago

    It's hard to say how our Dawgs will perform this year, all I can do is tell you which areas we are very optimistic about:

    DEFENSE - New DC Ed Donnatell is a major upgrade over Kent Baer and already has our defense hitting hard and popping pads. Our safeties Nate Williams and Victor Aeiyewa can knock your head off but they are very inexperienced. Our corners are either mediocre upper classmen or talented but inexperienced frosh. The D-line has only one starter returning, Teo-Nesheim, and the rest will be talented but inexperienced frosh/sophomores. The strength of our defense is our Linebacker corps, even with Savannah injured. Mason Foster started last year as a true freshmen and is a total stud. Butler is big and fast and Tuiasosopo is a fire hydrant in the middle.

    OFFENSE - The strength of the team is the O-line, which is pretty good even with our best lineman C Juan Garcia injured. Our two deeps at the Oline are all at or over 300 pounds. We have a talented but inexperienced RB in Sophomore Brandon Johnson and a young stable of frosh behind him. Chris Polk and Curtis Shaw will be used like Reggie Bush and will play both RB and WR depending on the formation. We have a lot of speed at WR but inexperience everywhere as we graduated five senior WR's this year. We have a couple of really good FB's. Our TE situation last year was pathetic and should be improved this year with high profile recruit Chris Izbicki seeing the playing field. It's possible Kavario Middleton (even higher profile TE recruit) could play but I have a feeling he will redshirt unless he is just too good to leave on the bench.

    Jake Locker of course. EVERYTHING relies on Jake Locker. He will be why we win or lose every game in my honest opinion UNLESS the inexperienced freshmen can step up to the plate and take the pressure off of Jake.

    Jake wasn't that bad... yes he at times got too jacked up and overthrew people, but he also had below average wide receivers dropping passes left and right. Hell sometimes Jake was so excited about playing in the game that he would hold his breath and this would tend to end up with the ball sailing on him. He calmed down as the year progressed. I think you will see a major improvement in his passing game this year. He looked great in the Spring game, very accurate with his throws. He went 7 for 7 on one 80 yard TD drive. I think he finished the game 14 for 17 or something close to that.

    The offense was not bad last year, we averaged 29.2 points per game. It was decent. The major problem was that our defense was the worst in our 118 year history of Washington football. I think the biggest key to the game will be if our new and revamped defense can at least slow down your offense a little and hopefully you give us some turnovers. A very large uphill battle for us for sure.

    OKC will obviously be the favorite to win this game, but I don't think it will be a cake walk or a blowout. You will for sure have your hands full with Jake Locker:

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=BMfiq9CXss8

    We have a new, proven (in the NFL) defensive coordinator but that is on paper only until we play games. We all hope and are optimistic that he can pull a one year miracle out of his rear with the defense. It is the same with all the frosh at the skill positions. On paper there is a ton of talent, but it is young and inexperienced. Ty is a horrible game day coach, but he has at least added some burners the last couple years. Goodwin, Shaw, both Polk kids (they are cousins), etc. Shaw and J. Polk are track stars in their states, Curtis Shaw in Cali and Polk in Oregon. Shaw ran a 10.56 in the 100m dash and Polk ran it in 10.63. Jordan Polk looks like a midget in this video clip, but in the off season so far he said he has gained 15 pounds of muscle and improved his 100m time by ..05 seconds because of the all the new muscle. Loved his quote, he said "I have been working out like a dog to get ready for UW football".
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=tiUNvgi4L48

    Alvin Logan (big, 6-2 218) and Anthony Boyles (6-3 190) should also have big impacts as big targets in the receiving game this year.

    Chris Polk on paper and in high school is an absolute stud, we stole him from USC where he was committed for 6 months. His nickname in high school is "little Bush" because his play style reminds people of Reggie. Lappanno said he plans to use C. Polk (and Shaw) just like USC used Reggie Bush.

    The starting running back job should be Brandon Johnson's to lose. He has not had much game time but he did play one and a half quarters last year against Cal after Rankin got hurt. He rushed for over 100 yards against Cal in less than two quarters. You can see our RB in action here in the second half of this video clip, he is number 6, number 9 is Rankin (who graduated).

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=afy44jLiqMw

    The bottom line is, we have a lot of raw talent, but it is inexperienced and full of question marks. Until Ty PROVES he can consistently win games, I am not predicting a better record than 6-6.

    I hope I am wrong of course.

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  12. MLO Dawgs 12 months ago

    Sorry about the double post, the web site told me there was an error and the page could not be found so I tried again... please feel free to remove this post and one of the duplicates.

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  13. Stud Tiger 12 months ago

    Last years MNC, LSU, was a two loss team from the Western Division of the SEC. They made OS look very average. Auburn had LSU beat until a miracle pass on the last play of the game. Don't sell either division of the SEC short. I think the SEC champs should automatically be recognised at the #1 team in College Football, and the BCS should be for #2. (An SEC team would probably win that too)

    Brandon Cox was a good QB who got hit one too many times. This year the line will be much better and both our QB's are more mobile than Cox. We have loaded up on super fast receivers who can catch a greased possum in a cat 5 hurricane if we can find somebody that can throw it. Chris Todd could be that QB. He pressed Graham Harrell for playing time before transferring from Tex. Tech.

    Our defense is studhoss caliber again this year. It was #7 last year and we replaced our former coordinator with a new coordinator whose defense was #6 last year. If we blow it, and we probably will, it will be early on. By the time we get to WV we will be a force to be reckoned with. Aub. 35 WVA 17

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    • Peter Fleischer 12 months ago

      Thanks, Stud. I agree with you that Auburn should be able to handle West Virginia. I think their first year post-Rodriguez could be a slight letdown even though they return a lot of the same talent.

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  14. Josh O. 11 months ago

    Peter: McKinner Dixon started with Tech (not Texas), went to JUCO, and is now back with Tech. I appreciate your optimism on Tech this year, but I do think you are quick to dismiss the OU game. I can't name the last time that Tech won in Norman.

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  15. Drew Emerson 11 months ago

    Peter, I enjoyed the article. I'm an Auburn fan so naturally I agreed with the Tigers being the best pick for flying under the radar. Besides my natural bias for thinking Auburn is great, I think there are two other important aspects of Auburn being left out of the spotlight: They play thier best in this position. As any Crimson Tide fan would agree, Auburn has always been overshadowed by the Capstone University where the Bear made champs. On the other hand, this has become a niche' that Tommy Tuberville has accepted and used to his advantage. His teams are more focused, possess more character, and win the close games because they have always been the type of team that had to stick together to pull the wins out. Now that the talent has matured, it's time for a big season either this year or next. Besides the awesome character this team represents, I think it's also important for us to "pay credit where credit is due": an untested group of freshman and sophmore offensive linemen from last year are now hardened and ready to dominate.
    -Keep up the great articles
    Drew (WDE)

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  1. Adam Folkerts 11 months ago

    I'm so glad to see more people recognizing Ball State for their potential. I cannot wait for this season to get here. It's time for BSU to step up and become more than punter U. With an improved defense over last year, especially at linebacker, hopefully there won't be any more Ray Rice type of performances, or atleast slow a back down of his caliber.
    Everybody tune in to ESPN on friday september 5 to catch BSU vs Navy and catch these guys in action.

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  2. Bob O'Brien 11 months ago

    Peter, your statement that Tyrone Willingham "will finally benefit from many fine recruiting classes" indicates that you have been misinformed about him as a recruiter.

    According to Rivals.com recruiting class rankings, Washington's last really good recruiting classes were brought in by Rick Neuheisel in 2002 and 2003 (#19 and 23 nationally) and by Neuheisel's successor, Keith Gilbertson in 2004 (#19). Neuheisel's classes were mostly 4-star and 3-star recruits. Gilbertson started a downward trend to classes with mostly 3-star and 2-star recruits that has been continued by Willingham.

    Willingham's four classes (2005-2008) have been ranked nationally at #66, 35, 36 and 24. This past February's class represents his best work. Even so, the top recruit (K. Middleton) clearly said he came to UW to be a Husky, and not because of Tyrone Willingham. The same can be said for a few other in-state players like QB Jake Locker, all of whom wanted to be Huskies since they were in pee-wee football. The coach made no difference to them.

    Seven wins is a really big stretch for 2008, given that UW is usually ranked #7 in the Pac-10 in pre-season polls and they play Oklahoma, BYU and Notre Dame in non-conference games. That means that they will have to have a lot of untested youngsters really step up to help Jake Locker on offense, and also fill in all along the DL and in the secondary--to steal at least four games they are not expected to win. That kind of performance would be very uncharacteristic of Coach Willingham and his UW teams.

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