(06-10-2021 06:44 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  Not promising. Georgetown has not held a team practice on campus since Nov. 15, 2019.

19 months. Incredible.

6-6

7-5 out of reach w/ a good San Jose St as the non-P5 OOC game.

UCLA 8-4. The Bruins return 20 of 22 starters. They return one of the top offensive rushing attacks in the nation. I watched their last spring practice at UCLA and the team speed is impressive. The transfer portal is working well for the Bruins.

Texas State 6-6. I am trying to be optimistic.

At least LIU got a couple of wins in this spring's mini season. Better than laying a fat goose egg in 2019. So I guess that's progress?

Illinois: 6-6!

Cincinnati returns all the key pieces from a 9-1, 8th ranked season. QB, WRs, 3 OL, almost the whole defense (which was # 8 in the country in points allowed and #12 in yards allowed). Most importantly, the head coach and almost the whole coaching staff returns.

This team will have between 2 and 4 first round draft picks in the 2021 draft. 7 total draft picks are almost a given, and several others have the talent to step up. It's now or never.

Key new pieces: Jawon Briggs, nose tackle who was arguably the best player on Virginia's defense last year as a sophomore. Jerome Ford, Alabama transfer who replaces a great college RB. The biggest question is who replaces 4th round draft pick Jerome Hudson at LT.

Schedule: Cincinnati plays 2 preseason top-15 teams in Notre Dame and Indiana. Both are away games.


Results:
My head says UC goes 1-1 against IU and ND, and drops one conference game. Makes the expanded CFP playoff, loses another heartbreaking postseason game, ending up 11-3. Ends up around #10 in the final poll. Truth be told, that's damn near a worst case scenario with this team (but UC fans are used to worst case scenarios).

My heart says UC goes 15-0 and wins the whole f---ing thing.

Every year in June I expect the same thing for my App State Mountaineers during the coming season, this year is no exception. I expect they will be undefeated. Since I started following them however, it has happened once in the regular season (1995), but never including post-season play.