Part One - Coastal Carolina
Part Two - Louisiana
Part Three - Appalachian State
Part Four - Arkansas State

We stay in the west with the first of the sophomore class. The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss had highs and lows, finishing strong with a bowl win. But going forward, what do people anonymously think of Will Hall's bunch.

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Conference Champions

Year 3 for Hall and the roster is coming around. If a QB arises out of the pack, this could be a big year for USM.

Likely win 7

7 wins

The “feel” is positive, but not able to crack top twoyet

Trying to regain their lost swagger

Huge momentum after last year. Went from not having a QB not so long ago to being the western favorites. Although that might say more about the weakness of the west.

Struggling

Gore is a solid RB. The rest of their program is overrated for a .500 SBC team.
trending up

3rd place finish. Solid year 2 in SBC. Disappointing loss for the mustard buzzards in San Marcos.

GREAT TEAM WILL WIN THE CONFERENCE

Another team you better prepare for

Should be better.

Strength of the west; 7-5

Will play second fiddle to Troy in the west

On upswing

they have a solid defense and frank gore jr, but i just can’t see them doing much with wiles or wilcke under center

Big question mark. But things will be looking better under center when they won't have to use RB Gore Jr behind center. Have to find a way to be more productive on offense looked very shaky last year against every opponent except Tulane and UL. OOC schedule is brutal and so is visiting Boone, NC in late October. Getting 5 wins will be no easy task.

As much as I regret it. They look to be a solid team and should go 8 and 4.

9-3

Mediocrity has set in on those Golden Eagles. A better coach is a must.

They are the GASO of the West. Could be a sleeper pick to push Troy and South for a top 2 spot. Probably not quite back enough to win it all though.

Will be a good team. They have Frank Gore Jr., and everyone has heard of him by now.

Likely about the same as last year 6-7 wins, because their schedule is brutal. They will be improved, but that schedule is just rough!

Could go either way.

Time to reclaim their spot as a fringe Top 25 program.

Should be towards the top of the league, solid

Upward trajectory. Will put up a fight in the West and will give top dogs a fight.

Expectations are high. This is a ball club that did *exactly* what I expected them to do. 3-9 to 6-6 (bowl win gets them to 7 wins). This time, there's an upgraded QB room, but the DC has been replaced. I want to say this squad will better this year, but I don't know. Right now I'm just gonna say they'll be bowl eligible.

Southern Miss is one of the most well-rounded adds to the conference in recent memory. They bring a lot to the table. They will contend for the West if they stay healthy this season.
Gore Jr is their do it all back, along with being a great running back like his pops, he can also play QB. However the team around him is quite lackluster and coming in the season, they need to develop more talent instead of just relying on Gore Jr to bail them out.

Definitely my favorite for the West this year.

Southern Miss will compete for top of the west division.

Tough schedule. Even if improved will likely go 6-6.

I expect them to get right at bowl eligible.

Will compete for western championship

Finding a way to win games is how you build the right culture and expectations. Expect to see more of it this year.

7-5; decent

Will finish third in the west behind USA and Troy

I think they'll be a bowl team if they can improve their defense and QB play. If not then they'll be lucky to get a bowl with the other west schools looking to improve as well.

7-5

If USA can't beat Troy, it'll be up to USM

Strong

Southern miss and texas state are both dark horses to win the west next season

Headed in the right direction.

it's settled ... the over is a "lock"... no way I'm betting over, today...

08/26 8:00 AM Southern Mississippi - Regular Season Wins
Over 5 -105
Under 5 -135

My very public not anonomouys thoughts:

1. They will go as far as Frank Gore carries them.

2. QB play remains a major question. No matter how much we hear "SuperBack" uttered out of Hattiesburg, I don't believe Superback is good enough to beat the League's best. Much like UL, they will be very good with just slightly above average QB play.

3. Unlike last year, I'm not sure the schedule favors them as much as last year. While they get Troy at home, they have to play at UL, South, and App this season. In addition, the OOC schedule is ridiculous, with 2 P5 road games and a home game against the AAC Champs. (Yes I know they beat that team last year) If they go 1-3 in OOC play, they have to find 5 SBC wins to make a bowl, which means either beating Troy at home, or beating one of UL/USA/App away from home, and it means no slip ups in the @AState, vs ULM, vs TXST, vs ODU games.

4. That closing stretch of @ UL, @ Miss State, vs Troy is probably the toughest in the league. They play the weaker teams early in the schedule, which is a disadvantage given the biggest edge over AState/ULM/TXST is depth, but depth factors in late in the season, not early.

I say 6-6, however I'll leave the caveat that this team is capable of going 8-4 if they can get momentum going their way.

Key game @ UL November 9th

1. Do we have a QB?

2. See #1.

I feel like Wilcke isn't the QB...

I feel like it's one of the two that transferred in.. Remember the kid from Clemson was someone that Hall tried to sign at Tulane..

We'll see what this season brings..

It's all riding on finding a viable solution at the QB spot. You cannot be a decent team in 2023, without decent QB play......period. We have not really had an adequate option at QB in the prior 3 seasons.

(06-22-2023 08:33 AM)PolymerEagle Wrote:  It's all riding on finding a viable solution at the QB spot. You cannot be a decent team in 2023, without decent QB play......period. We have not really had an adequate option at QB in the prior 3 seasons.

Agreed.

(06-17-2023 09:02 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  Huge momentum after last year. Went from not having a QB not so long ago to being the western favorites. Although that might say more about the weakness of the west.

Wow. This person didn't pay attention to SBC 2022 at all, huh?

Honestly not impressed with our recruiting the last couple of years...I guess we are going to live and die with transfers and hope for lightning in a bottle at QB.

I like our odds to be pretty good this year, but that schedule is brutal!

(06-22-2023 11:14 AM)everyone Wrote:  Honestly not impressed with our recruiting the last couple of years...I guess we are going to live and die with transfers and hope for lightning in a bottle at QB.

Jay Hopson has entered the chat. Please use short, monosyllabic words so he can keep up.

I think the recruiting this year is solid.

(06-22-2023 08:03 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  I think the recruiting this year is solid.

I like te looks of this:
4-star LB commits to Southern Miss

(06-22-2023 05:15 PM)PolymerEagle Wrote:  I like our odds to be pretty good this year, but that schedule is brutal!

top to bottom with all things being equal, I would rate this schedule as our toughest in quite some time...

there's a reason the o/u on wins is -135 u5 wins...

(06-22-2023 08:06 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(06-22-2023 08:03 PM)Eagleyed Wrote:  I think the recruiting this year is solid.

I like te looks of this:
4-star LB commits to Southern Miss

So he'll be downgraded to a 2 star...

(06-22-2023 08:26 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(06-22-2023 05:15 PM)PolymerEagle Wrote:  I like our odds to be pretty good this year, but that schedule is brutal!

top to bottom with all things being equal, I would rate this schedule as our toughest in quite some time...

there's a reason the o/u on wins is -135 u5 wins...

Hall said it'll be the toughest one he'll have during his tenure at USM.

(06-23-2023 06:55 AM)gdunn Wrote:  

(06-22-2023 08:26 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(06-22-2023 05:15 PM)PolymerEagle Wrote:  I like our odds to be pretty good this year, but that schedule is brutal!

top to bottom with all things being equal, I would rate this schedule as our toughest in quite some time...

there's a reason the o/u on wins is -135 u5 wins...

Hall said it'll be the toughest one he'll have during his tenure at USM.

End of the season showdown in Hattiesburg is going to be electric. I will try to be there.

(06-23-2023 11:28 AM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  

(06-23-2023 06:55 AM)gdunn Wrote:  

(06-22-2023 08:26 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(06-22-2023 05:15 PM)PolymerEagle Wrote:  I like our odds to be pretty good this year, but that schedule is brutal!

top to bottom with all things being equal, I would rate this schedule as our toughest in quite some time...

there's a reason the o/u on wins is -135 u5 wins...

Hall said it'll be the toughest one he'll have during his tenure at USM.

End of the season showdown in Hattiesburg is going to be electric. I will try to be there.

Someone said it the other day we usually play SEC teams at the beginning as we're figuring things out, if we played it later we might would win more.. So the Moo U game right before Thanksgiving intrigues me.. Could we pull off a monster season?

Join me starting in September for "As the Quarterback Turns"