POLL Your take on 8-4, please

[Mavsker]

OK so here is the scenario. We go 8-4 regular season and it looks as follows.

Cincinnati: W (31-21)
Akron: W (42-10)
Houston Christian: W (69-0)
Meat chicken: L (24-35)
Meat chicken state: W (27-24)
Maryland: W (31-17)
Minnesota: L (27-28)
Northwestern: W (35-17)
USC: W (38-31)
UCLA: L (16-28)
Penn St: L (17-42)
Cockeye: W (21-14)

 

[rsmacke]

OK so here is the scenario. We go 8-4 regular season and it looks as follows.

Cincinnati: W (31-21)
Akron: W (42-10)
Houston Christian: W (69-0)
Meat chicken: L (24-35)
Meat chicken state: W (27-24)
Maryland: W (31-17)
Minnesota: L (27-28)
Northwestern: W (35-17)
USC: W (38-31)
UCLA: L (16-28)
Penn St: L (17-42)
Cockeye: W (21-14)

Any year we beat Cockeye I grade a success

 

[djw004]

2 things I see - Someone detailed how dogshit Minnesota should be...maybe I'll regret believing them, but I'm rolling with that.

UCLA is projected 5.5 wins this year - we should be head and shoulders above them, so I don't like the 2 score L prediction there.

Michigan St scares me more than people seem to be bringing up, and if Stinkin' Lincoln Riley ever figures out defense, they are very scary. So while I disagree with a couple of picks, overall it looks pretty realistic.

 

[Mavsker]

2 things I see - Someone detailed how dogshit Minnesota should be...maybe I'll regret believing them, but I'm rolling with that.

UCLA is projected 5.5 wins this year - we should be head and shoulders above them, so I don't like the 2 score L prediction there.

Michigan St scares me more than people seem to be bringing up, and if Stinkin' Lincoln Riley ever figures out defense, they are very scary. So while I disagree with a couple of picks, overall it looks pretty realistic.

Hope you're right on Minnesota. They still scares me but might just be PTSD

My thing on UCLA was more to convey, hey we had a good win (USC) followed by a clunker where we didn't show up (UCLA). I meant to convey the feeling of the season more than what I think is most likely, if that makes sense.

 

[Cornicator]

I realize UCLA beat Nebraska last season and it was ugly. But I think everyone is giving WAY TOO MUCH respect to the Bruins. They lost a lot of NFL talent from last year's team and will have 18 new starters. It is completely possible that they will have given up by the time the Huskers come to town. Look at this schedule:

UTAH - Utes will be favored
@ UNLV - the Rebs are going to be good this season. That game is not a gimmie
New Mexico - UCLA will win that one.
@ Northwestern - would anyone be shocked if UCLA goes to Northwestern and loses? Not at all.
Penn State - loss
@ Michigan State - the Spartans have issues, but they usually win home games against .500 or worse teams.
Maryland - win
@ Indiana - loss

Then after the Huskers they have to go to Ohio State, host Washington and finish at USC. I think its entirely possible that UCLA is already making Holiday Vacation plans when Nebraska comes to town.

 

[Bulldog10]

I’d rather beat Minnesota and UCLA but lose to USC and Cockeye. I’d rather a consistent team, who beats who they are more talented than (I know we’re probably more talented than Cockeye) a team that has big wins but also bad losses.

 

[Mavsker]

I realize UCLA beat Nebraska last season and it was ugly. But I think everyone is giving WAY TOO MUCH respect to the Bruins. They lost a lot of NFL talent from last year's team and will have 18 new starters. It is completely possible that they will have given up by the time the Huskers come to town. Look at this schedule:

UTAH - Utes will be favored
@ UNLV - the Rebs are going to be good this season. That game is not a gimmie
New Mexico - UCLA will win that one.
@ Northwestern - would anyone be shocked if UCLA goes to Northwestern and loses? Not at all.
Penn State - loss
@ Michigan State - the Spartans have issues, but they usually win home games against .500 or worse teams.
Maryland - win
@ Indiana - loss

Then after the Huskers they have to go to Ohio State, host Washington and finish at USC. I think its entirely possible that UCLA is already making Holiday Vacation plans when Nebraska comes to town.

It's a scenario, not my prediction lol

 

[cwessel76]

Bigger conference = stiffer competition. Until we get Ohio State/Oregon levels of talent eight wins is honestly pretty good.

 

[Cornicator]

I’d rather beat Minnesota and UCLA but lose to USC and Cockeye. I’d rather a consistent team, who beats who they are more talented than (I know we’re probably more talented than Cockeye) a team that has big wins but also bad losses.

If they go out and lose to Cockeye 30-27 after Gronkowski goes off for 350 yards and 3 scores, I can stomach that. But I can no longer stomach Nebraska losing to Cockeye after holding them to 5 first downs and 152 yards total, including less than 3 yards per carry.

That's mein kampf.

 

[Mavsker]

Bigger conference = stiffer competition. Until we get Ohio State/Oregon levels of talent eight wins is honestly pretty good.

In a normal season I'd agree, but we have perhaps the easiest schedule in the conference this year. I feel like 8 wins against this schedule would be like 6 or 7 in a more typical schedule.

 

[Cornicator]

Hope you're right on Minnesota. They still scares me but might just be PTSD

My thing on UCLA was more to convey, hey we had a good win (USC) followed by a clunker where we didn't show up (UCLA). I meant to convey the feeling of the season more than what I think is most likely, if that makes sense.

I expect Nebraska to have a clunker. I just hope it comes vs. Houston Christian instead of UCLA or maryland or Northwestern. A clunker against Houston Christian is a 31-10 win instead of 59 - 7.

 

[Kaladin]

What kind of gay shit is this

 

[2010sarenevercomingback]

I put this as a B-, maybe up to a B+ with a solid bowl win over a good team, or down to a C with an uninspiring bowl performance.

Gotta be realistic that we've been underperforming too long that 8 wins (esp in the megaconference era) is a major legit step, but also, got a schedule that sets up for us to go even further, and by Rhule year 3, I'm hoping that progress will take bigger steps, rather than being the normal incremental scale.

 

[RedSavage]

8 wins is the floor and recent history says, if there's a floor, we will find it. So 8 wins it is.

 

[Mavsker]

What kind of gay shit is this

An over

 

[ZJSARENOTFREE]

We just need to show up in every game especially the big ones. The only real loss I think is a given is PSU. Not because of Allar, but I just think with those two backs and stud OL they are going to just pound us and we finally get beat by 10+ in the second half. Outside of that if we play to our potential we could win every other game. Problem is we all have PTSD and know that will not be the case. I'm just hoping we look good early and gain confidence. I feel like if something were to happen in the Cincy game, this could be a really shitty year again because until proven otherwise we are very mentally soft.

 

[Mavsker]

We just need to show up in every game especially the big ones. The only real loss I think is a given is PSU. Not because of Allar, but I just think with those two backs and stud OL they are going to just pound us and we finally get beat by 10+ in the second half. Outside of that if we play to our potential we could win every other game. Problem is we all have PTSD and know that will not be the case. I'm just hoping we look good early and gain confidence. I feel like if something were to happen in the Cincy game, this could be a really shitty year again because until proven otherwise we are very mentally soft.

I'm definitely not ready to write off Penn St. There are like 3 B1G teams we have a winning record against since joining the conference and one of them is PSU. We're 4-1

Would be a monumental win for us if they're as good as everyone thinks they will be.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

I'm definitely not ready to write off Penn St. There are like 3 B1G teams we have a winning record against since joining the conference and one of them is PSU. We're 4-1

Would be a monumental win for us if they're as good as everyone thinks they will be.

The James Franklin factor makes it winnable, imo.

Unless we suck ass but then we've got bigger fish to fry

 

[RedSavage]

I'm definitely not ready to write off Penn St. There are like 3 B1G teams we have a winning record against since joining the conference and one of them is PSU. We're 4-1

Would be a monumental win for us if they're as good as everyone thinks they will be.

They have a habit of underachieving relative to their talent level so hopefully that holds true again but they look stacked this year

 

[cwessel76]

In a normal season I'd agree, but we have perhaps the easiest schedule in the conference this year. I feel like 8 wins against this schedule would be like 6 or 7 in a more typical schedule.

I can see your point for sure