Last year we relied totally on AR and his athleticism and if he had an off say (which he did several times) we were toast. I see this year as being a much improved (consistent) offense. Terrific RB's and WR improvement plus a bigger deeper Oline. I also think the defense will show marked improvement. I predict we win eight games, maybe nine, if we stay relatively healthy. My concern with Utah is more about the altitude than the team.
I also like our chances with Utah, with or without Cam Rising at QB. I highly doubt he will be as mobile, and I anticipate some sacks in that game! Their OL is good but I see a good rush performance by the DL, and better coverage in the backfield! I would, as well, not be surprised by an interception or two. I believe our CB,s will be ball hawks! Furthermore, I also see a win difficult but not out of the question with the tigers and the chickens!
Talking about Kentucky- it seems like we take them for granted. IN other words- we treat them like Vandy. Not much emotion or excitement. Then we are shocked- SHOCKED- when they show up and either beat us or almost beat us. What I said last year was we treat them like Vandy, and they treat us like the biggest game of the year. We really need to change that this year.
I am beginning to think 7-5 will disappoint a little (although many prognosticators feel the Gators, at best, will do 8-4). 8-4 I can definitely live with; and 9-3 will exceed my expectations. It may be that SC hands us our 4th or 5th loss. On the other hand, if Mertz progresses we probably will win.in Columbia. The Gators better bring a nasty attitude to every game, but especially SC!
Not trying to take anything away from Meyer and his staff, but boy did Zook leave him a team loaded with talent. That dude could recruit.
I'll "worry" about KY until we start beating them on a regular basis again - or until Stoops moves on. The guy can definitely coach. But I wouldn't describe myself as being overawed by him either. It isn't really that hard to "have someone's number" when they're as straight-up bad as we've been since the LSU debacle in '20. If MS beats a mature BN team in another year or two, I may concede that point - until then, not so much.
I believe 7-5 is the floor for a "decent" season, 8-4 is absolutely doable and that 9-3 is possible - hopefully including a beatdown of the holes. We have to put down this Seminole uprising baloney with all due speed.
OK... so based on the ESPN winning percentages, I ran 10 simulations of our season and here is what I came up with..... 5-7 record - 4 times, one of those times we lost to Vandy, lol. 6-6 record - 1 time, but we beat LSU. 7-5 record - 3 times, one of those times we lost to Charlotte, lol. 8-4 record - 1 time. 11-1 record - 1 time, we beat UGA. The only notations were losses against Vandy, McNeese or Charlotte. Or wins against UGA or LSU. The 11-1 record is a HUGE outlier, obviously, but hey, it happened in my simulation!!! That was actually kind of fun to do... I saved the program in case I might want to run some more!
How much are they off? Ah, SEC network predictions below: Utah: Loss McNeese: Win Tennesse: Loss Charlotte: Win Kentucky: Loss Vanderbilt: Win South Carolina: Loss Georgia: Loss Arkansas: Win LSU: Loss Missouri: Loss Florida State: Loss
With one (or two) caveats. The main one is preventing Travis from willing an FSU team to a win. 7-5 with another Travis "miracle" won't cut it. The other, lesser caveat is most fans want to see a better showing against UGa. Not a win, but at least look as if we had another key player or two, we could have pulled off a win. And since we are talking regular season and not the total season and so this is ancillary, another major brain fart in a decent bowl will definitely change the temperature of the fans.
Can't speak specifics, but if he experienced the joy of winning against Utah and the subsequent loss against Kentucky, I can see this as a viable personality trait of a UF fan these days. The old "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..."
Fresh from The Athletic: Tier 1 (along with Georgia & Alabama) LSU From a fifth-place SEC West preseason selection to an SEC West title in 2022, LSU is right back in the mix of the top teams in the SEC. The Tigers have a ton of momentum entering Year 2 under Brain Kelly with star players returning from last year’s team and top-five recruiting classes from high school and transfer portal. This season brings new challenges, including another anticipated week one matchup against Florida State and the all-important Alabama game that will be in Tuscaloosa this year. That aside, LSU has all of the pieces in place to contend for a College Football Playoff berth this season and the seasons to come.
I don't think Takeo Spikes was trying to be overtly anti gator with his 4 win prediction. D should be much improved. O receivers improved. Running game (without AR) hopefully will match what we did last year. It all comes down to QB play. If Mertz 'flourishes' with us, as his ex-coach stated, I can see us winning 7-8 games. If Mertz is what he was in the spring game and what he did at Wis., I can see 4 or 5 wins. At this point in time, I'm just going to hope for the best and try and enjoy the season. It's really difficult to predict how this season will unfold considering going from AR to Mertz (with once again very little in the way of QB backup).
