I am torn as I look towards the season. On paper, I think our schedule is very manageable and I am hearing good things about summer progress. However, (and I understand this is really subjective) Billy O’s press interactions have me a bit worried. He’s not saying anything wrong, but just picking up on vibes, I feel like he’s not as confident as he was at times last year. It is probably silly, but I feel like if O’Brien felt we were making a big leap this season, his vibe would be different.
I know the bookmakers think we will take a step back this year, but if you break the schedule down in chunks, I think the floor for the season is actually pretty high.
Even if you are not confident it is easy to rationalize 6 wins. You get two wins from UConn and Fordham. Split Pitt and ‘Cuse. Go 2-1 against the Stanford, Cal, Michigan State combo. Then get just one win against the rest of the schedule and you are bowling again.
In the end, we are replacing a lot of talent and using an untested QB. There will probably be a lot of two steps forward and two steps back. Leading to 7-6 again.
W – Fordham. Good way to start the year and shake off the rust.
W – at Michigan State. One of the early indicators. If we win this game on the road, the upside for the season can be very interesting.
W – at Stanford. We are getting a Stanford team in flux. The late night West Coast game adds some complexity, but I feel good about this one.
W – Cal. A 4-0 start would get a lot of good attention.
L – at Pitt. I don’t necessarily buy into the Pitt hype, but it is on the road and I don’t see us starting off 5-0.
L – Clemson. We put up a good fight but are over matched.
W – UConn. Probably closer than we like.
L – at Louisville. Another program that I don’t fear, but it is on the road and we will be underdogs.
L – Notre Dame. Night game. Red Bandanna. This could be huge. I want to believe, but odds say it will be an “L.”
L – SMU. They are replacing a lot of talent and I think it will be closer than last year, but still tough.
W – Georgia Tech. One of these ACC underdog games will break our way. Maybe we catch them looking ahead to the Georgia game.
W – at Syracuse. We end on a high note.
L – Bowl game. It is unlikely to be Fenway or Pinstripes again, so I imagine it will be somewhere our fans won’t travel to. Our bowl mojo remains bad and we come up short on eight wins again.