Speculation on the upcoming 2021 Football Season

[winwave]

High expectations:

https://theathletic.com/2680243/2021/07 ... t-success/

[Bicoastalwave]

Are we now considered a top G5 football team/program ? That’s a nice feeling.

Can anyone provide a synopsis ?

[winwave]

One day people will catch up with the fact that we no longer have divisions in the conference. It refers to us as top G5 and says we are a middle of threpack team in the conference. Not sure how he figured that. We finished 8th last season. It says we have more talent and depth now but the schedule will be the toughest the team will have faced under WF. It gives a positional break down.

[HoustonWave]

Six key toss-up games will determine our 2021 fate: Ole Miss; UAB; UH; Cincy; SMU and Memphis. Three at home and three on the road. All winnable and losable. A 60-minute effort will be required for all six games.

[golfnut69]

Six key toss-up games will determine our 2021 fate: Ole Miss; UAB; UH; Cincy; SMU and Memphis. Three at home and three on the road. All winnable and losable. A 60-minute effort will be required for all six games.

I would add Tulsa to the list...there is a brutal 4 week stretch... SMU...Cincy...UCF...Tulsa.... throw in UH two weeks before the SMU game...and Ole Miss a week before UAB to start the season...some kids are going to have to grow up quick

[winwave]

We'll have a pretty veteran team. I could see Tulsa taking a notable step back. They had one of those seasons where the ball always seemed to bounce their way. Our staff has done a poor job against SMU but they are a beatable team.

[HoustonWave]

Six key toss-up games will determine our 2021 fate: Ole Miss; UAB; UH; Cincy; SMU and Memphis. Three at home and three on the road. All winnable and losable. A 60-minute effort will be required for all six games.

I would add Tulsa to the list...there is a brutal 4 week stretch... SMU...Cincy...UCF...Tulsa.... throw in UH two weeks before the SMU game...and Ole Miss a week before UAB to start the season...some kids are going to have to grow up quick

I almost added Tulsa to my list. They're always a nuisance for Tulane, but I'm hoping they are down a little this year--plus we get them at home. If we can't handle them, it's going to be a long season.

[DfromCT]

Six key toss-up games will determine our 2021 fate: Ole Miss; UAB; UH; Cincy; SMU and Memphis. Three at home and three on the road. All winnable and losable. A 60-minute effort will be required for all six games.

And did we get a 60 minute effort in any game last year? Cincy is the toughest, as it's plain and simple very tough to move the ball on them. I think they'll give the Irish hell in South Bend the first weekend in October.

[winwave]

As to Cincy it will be interesting to see how they do without their coveted DC Freeman. LSU thought they had him but he chose ND.

[Bicoastalwave]

I know Tulsa has had some tough luck in last years, and just now
Has had some ridiculously good luck. We beat the shit out of them last year, and without their all American freak 1st round draft pick, they take a huge step back. We need to put them in the group by 14 this year. The loss the Tulsa and navy last year were brutal aberrations. Take away a win elsewhere, but we absolutely have those two wins 99.9% of the time

[DfromCT]

I know Tulsa has had some tough luck in last years, and just now
Has had some ridiculously good luck. We beat the shit out of them last year, and without their all American freak 1st round draft pick, they take a huge step back. We need to put them in the group by 14 this year. The loss the Tulsa and navy last year were brutal aberrations. Take away a win elsewhere, but we absolutely have those two wins 99.9% of the time

Those two losses are the worst in recent memory. Keon had a very simple and easy throw to make that would have put us up 31 to nothing going into halftime at Navy. All he had to do was read the coverage and throw a lob to the back corner where nobody but our TE could catch it. Instead he threw an INT, giving Navy life going into halftime. I don't know how many 3rd and long and 4th and long plays we gave up to Tulsa's 3rd string QB, a few of which would have ended the game.

This is a very difficult schedule and many of the "toss up" games will require 60 minutes. I don't think we saw a 60 minute effort in any game last season.

[Bicoastalwave]

I agree with everything posted above. It really was something out of a silly completely unbelievable movie when we knocked out two Tulsa QBs and then third string kept converting 3rd and long and 4th and long.

I am very excited for this year, finally we have a QB and an offense to keep up with the aac. SMU keeps upgrading their talent, and should be scary this year with any good QB play.

[HoustonWave]

Six key toss-up games will determine our 2021 fate: Ole Miss; UAB; UH; Cincy; SMU and Memphis. Three at home and three on the road. All winnable and losable. A 60-minute effort will be required for all six games.

And did we get a 60 minute effort in any game last year? Cincy is the toughest, as it's plain and simple very tough to move the ball on them. I think they'll give the Irish hell in South Bend the first weekend in October.

I can't recall a 60-minute game last year--maybe the FIU season opener. That has been Fritz's greatest shortcoming--having the team ready to play from the first minute through the last minute. There has often been a lack of focus and intensity. Sometimes the team looks like they are just going through the motions and wanting to get to the end of the game as soon as possible.

[golfnut69]

Six key toss-up games will determine our 2021 fate: Ole Miss; UAB; UH; Cincy; SMU and Memphis. Three at home and three on the road. All winnable and losable. A 60-minute effort will be required for all six games.

And did we get a 60 minute effort in any game last year? Cincy is the toughest, as it's plain and simple very tough to move the ball on them. I think they'll give the Irish hell in South Bend the first weekend in October.

I can't recall a 60-minute game last year--maybe the FIU season opener. That has been Fritz's greatest shortcoming--having the team ready to play from the first minute through the last minute. There has often been a lack of focus and intensity. Sometimes the team looks like they are just going through the motions and wanting to get to the end of the game as soon as possible.

Hell, there were games when the "coach" did not give us 60 minutes

[MicMan]

LES MILES IS AVAILABLE

[johnwalker01]

I think LES MILES is not available.

[HoustonWave]

I'm not sure Tulane has enough blond coeds to entice Les.

[golfnut69]

CFN's preseason rankings for your review and reading enoyment
https://collegefootballnews.com/2021/07 ... -130-teams

[Bicoastalwave]

Just looked through, they have us one spot above ULL which is always nice. They have us finishing 5-7, with a loss at ECU. It could happen, but I was looking at the rest of their predictions (SMU for example) and I realized I think this kid who wrote it just was blindly picking teams.

[MicMan]

SMU could be a national contender in FBS, if Stangs are undefeated meeting Cincinnati late.

[ajcalhoun]

SMU could be a national contender in FBS, if Stangs are undefeated meeting Cincinnati late.

That twelve-team playoff is still a few years away.

[Wave755]

SMU could be a national contender in FBS, if Stangs are undefeated meeting Cincinnati late.

[Bicoastalwave]

If the stangs are national contenders then we are in a great spot.

[golfnut69]

the latest from Oxford
https://www.oxfordeagle.com/2021/07/20/ ... ng-season/

[winwave]

the latest from Oxford
https://www.oxfordeagle.com/2021/07/20/ ... ng-season/

Thanks for the link. Hopefully he hasn't had enough time to fix his defense.