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TCU had DE concerns even before this guy left in the 11th hour. Even moving 2 LB's to DE's to shore up the talent and depth (Ty Summers 6'2,235.....Alex Bush 6'2,230). Ex-SMU'er Michael Epley could very well see significant time against his former team. Could easily see TCU with a repeat of last year's 500'ish record with many questions on defense, and Kenny Trill back at QB.

https://tcu.rivals.com/news/fall-camp-r ... epth-chart

yeah he'll have to sit out

Stallion wrote:

JoeKidd wrote:7 regular season wins is the minimum threshold for this team to have it considered a successful year by fans, outsiders and I believe internally by the team/staff as well. This was evident at the kick-off luncheon yesterday.

most prognosticators have us 5th in the AAC West and many have us at 6-6. You guys get so fixated on your own team and don't pay attention enough to other good teams we play.
Everybody points to things like a few backup transfers as putting us over to top-but what about UH adding 5 P5 transfers including a 5 Star No. 1 QB recruit in the Country who has already started in the SEC. SMU is recruiting well but UH, Memphis, USF and UCF have probably been recruiting better. In fact, I think the "next big thing" might be UCF and most of you chalk that up as a win in Dallas

When Chad Morris was hired that's disappointing to hear, that that many teams are out recruiting SMU. Plus, UCF was winless 2 years ago.

SMU has so much to overcome that it is not surprising that we don't recruit as well as those big State schools you mentioned. If Chad can just change the losing culture that most of us share, wow. June Jones started us down a winning track, but got lazy or disappointed or something. I think we need Chad to stay for another 3 years or longer in order to see SMU's potential pay out. That said, I would love to see him get 8 wins this year and we should see an additional uptick in recruiting.

ALEX LIFESON wrote:

Stallion wrote:

JoeKidd wrote:7 regular season wins is the minimum threshold for this team to have it considered a successful year by fans, outsiders and I believe internally by the team/staff as well. This was evident at the kick-off luncheon yesterday.

most prognosticators have us 5th in the AAC West and many have us at 6-6. You guys get so fixated on your own team and don't pay attention enough to other good teams we play.
Everybody points to things like a few backup transfers as putting us over to top-but what about UH adding 5 P5 transfers including a 5 Star No. 1 QB recruit in the Country who has already started in the SEC. SMU is recruiting well but UH, Memphis, USF and UCF have probably been recruiting better. In fact, I think the "next big thing" might be UCF and most of you chalk that up as a win in Dallas

When Chad Morris was hired, that's disappointing to hear, that that many teams are out recruiting SMU. Plus, UCF was winless 2 years ago.

Memphis has a 2 year head start when they hired Fuente - Houston has had far longer. UCF &USF are loaded with potential and have made consistent (if not perfect) hires to continue to build their programs. There's a reason the AAC has been neck and neck with the Big XIIfor the past couple of years. Nothing wrong with a little competition.

Most prognosticators are also saying that if we have competent QB play, we are going to really surprise.

Average QB play + a dominant defensive line will get us to 7-8 wins. The tough schedule keeps the win total down from what it could be.

QB: average
RB: plus
WR: plus
OL: average
TE: average
DL: plus
LB: average*
CB: plus
S: below average

* - whichever unit, LB or S, McQueen plays for will bump up to average from below average. Yes, he is that good.

We will have a top tier offense and one of the better defenses in the league.

A dominant defensive line covers up issues at LB and S. You guys are going to quickly notice that Mixon is at least just as good as Lawler. He isn't like any of the line transfers we have had in the past - he is legit and ready to play. We have a ton of really good tackles. And you have Badejo as a third down pass rush specialist.

At corner, Wyatt is being scouted by the NFL right now. On the other side, C Davis and E Sutton showed last year they are going to be good players, Lancaster and Jeanlys have been fine in camp for depth, and the frosh behind them can run as well. It is a plus unit.

At WR, I don't think we have seen C Sutton at his best. I think the coaches in the offseason have told him that if he plays every down hard and improves route running, he is a top ten pick. He put up really good numbers last season even though he didn't have great QB play. Now he has better QB play and better receivers around him. This year, I think he will be close to Randy Moss crazy numbers.

Call me out for being a homer, but I had us at 6-6 last year before we lost Pursley, Jones, and Davis to injury. This year not only are we better at those positions, but we have a lot more depth if the same thing happens again. I believe we will be competitive in every single game on the schedule, except for the Navy game which I think is a horrible matchup for our defense.

I get It that other teams have transfers and all that. But the "hit rate" Morris has in recruiting with the eye test is really impressive, even with the lesser known guys. At his staff's peak, June had a good starting crew and maybe a two deep at certain positions, but there was a huge disparity between that level and the 3rd and 4th team. This team is incredibly deep with good players, and that is a testament to Morris. Page, Shelmire, and Benson can't get in the two deep and it isn't because those guys are busts. They each have a ton of potential. But there are just really good players ahead of them right now. Rau isn't a bust, the other TEs are just good. Medlock is certainly going to be a player, but the other WRs are good. Peavey isn't disappointing at 3rd string right now, Hicks and Gillins just look good. The athletic talent on this team matches up against anyone in the league.

"Average QB play + a dominant defensive line will get us to 7-8 wins. The tough schedule keeps the win total down from what it could be."


So the easy schedule, that most have mocked as garbage, which almost guarantees bowl eligibility this year,............is now a tough schedule?

SFA, UNT, TCU (down), Arky St, and UConn for the 1st 5 games = tough?

Expectations being rolled back...............should be the name of this thread.

Let me be the first to say that SMU WILL NOT have a dominant defensive line. They should be improved-above average in AAC-maybe. Haven't proven it yet. There's also no such thing as a PLUS being given to a guy who has never played a down of college football. SMU's LB's average? Where were they against Navy and the second half of the season? We have no real idea whether we have someone who can handle the second CB until he proves it. Bunch of question marks on Defense.

On Offense I can't find much to complain about other than we could use a tad more seasoning at QB and the Offensive Line.

I haven't bought the d-line will be "dominant" bit for a second. I just want proof, that Navy actually has a punter on the team. I do think the D should be improved, can't get much worse. Also, I believe the special teams will be improved...various and obvious reasons. The offense has weapons everywhere. Big Al feels comfortable with 7 wins...but, I'm (gulp) predicting 8.

footballdad wrote:"Average QB play + a dominant defensive line will get us to 7-8 wins. The tough schedule keeps the win total down from what it could be."


So the easy schedule, that most have mocked as garbage, which almost guarantees bowl eligibility this year,............is now a tough schedule?

SFA, UNT, TCU (down), Arky St, and UConn for the 1st 5 games = tough?

Expectations being rolled back...............should be the name of this thread.

The fact that our most difficult games are on the road is a big concern.

Beat TCU and Houston and go to a bowl. Even if that's just 6 wins, I'd be ecstatic with that. I don't think we beat either, but I think we go bowling and get to 6-7 wins.

Stallion wrote:Let me be the first to say that SMU WILL NOT have a dominant defensive line. They should be improved-above average in AAC-maybe. Haven't proven it yet. There's also no such thing as a PLUS being given to a guy who has never played a down of college football. SMU's LB's average? Where were they against Navy and the second half of the season? We have no real idea whether we have someone who can handle the second CB until he proves it. Bunch of question marks on Defense.

On Offense I can't find much to complain about other than we could use a tad more seasoning at QB and the Offensive Line.

I get the skepticism and reluctance to buy in with high expectations.

DL - we have two deep of players who can win 1v1 battles at the line on a consistent basis. Because they can all win, blocking is chaos. Lots of pressure generated by just the front 4.

LB - When you have smaller, quicker LBs and your line can't hold up, they get blown out of the whole. An OL is always free to take on an LB and so is a blocking back or a TE. When the DL is winning battles, they occupy everyone's attention. That allows those quick LBs to run around and make a ton of plays. What I saw on Saturday was something I haven't seen in a long time. K MItchell, J Williams running through gaps free and making a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. The vastly improved ability of the DL is going to make the LB corp look a lot better. That number 9 Hailey looks like a player as well.

CB - Sutton and Davis did okay in the time they got last year. Jeanlys has gotten some time in the past and has showed to be not a "horrible", but a below average AAC corner. He is our 5th string guy. That should show you something about the players we have at corner. We are going to be average on one side, with a guy being scouted by the NFL on the other. That gives us a plus unit.

McQueen - every once in a while, a guy shows up on campus and immediately fits in and shows something special. It happened with Tank Reed and J Davis a while back, where they showed up and were immediately two of the best players on defense. They changed everything. McQueen is one of those guys. When Morris says things like "If McQueen was two inches taller, he would be starting in the SEC", he means it. That dude is a player and is going to have a big impact straight from the get-go. There is a reason why he is getting first team looks at both Star and Safety. He is THAT GUY. He will be on the field somewhere, and he is a play making machine. To be honest, I would personally keep him at safety. Rock isn't ready for the 2 deep, and I think without McQueen back there we will struggle. While at LB, I saw a lot of players making plays Saturday. Regardless, he is a special player and will have a big impact, bigger than Gary and Badejo had last season.

Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla That's how you get to seven wins

I expect the whole world will implode based on clashes induced through disagreement over meaningless analytics.

I can't watch the news anymore because I miss Tom, Peter, or Dan simply conveying what has happened. Now there is a statement and 15 minutes of "experts" analyzing the why and what will come of it. There is differing analysis, disagreement, and conflict. "and that's the way it is" has become "and there's what a bunch of people think".

ESPN is horrendous at this - 90% of the programming are "experts" offering analysis and opinions. I just want to see the actual games, highlights, and top plays. The draft and playoff predictions are useless. Put all the crap talking heads on ESPN 3.

It doesn't matter where we think our recruits fall or how many wins we think we will have. There are 4 and 5 start athletes that will never see significant playing time and those with perceived lesser potential that will achieve greatness.

I expect Chad, staff, and team are doing everything they can to beat SFA. Arrange for your friends and neighbors to join you on the boulevard and at the game. I predict they may have a good time.

Great analysis, Thanks