SMU is getting Baylor like receivers

[gostangs]

Jason - when we barely won one game last year, what was your prediction before the season? Thats what i thought. Love the enthusiasm but Temple, Navy and Tulane will be very hard for us to win.

I see 3 - MAYBE 4. It won't be more than that.

Don't confuse that with pessimism - at the end of next year we will be at the beginning of something special.

[Rebel10]

6 wins minimum and a bowl. UNT, TBD, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane, and either Navy or USF.

We are going to be way better at QB, because Davis fits the system like a glove and if Hicks beats him out is going to be because Hicks is incredible. Better on the OL as well because of more experience/growth. And obviously we have added playmakers. And the entire team will bump up a level by actually participating in the S&C program.

Don't forget that going into last year everyone thought our front 7 defensively was going to be a strength based on past performance, but they got pushed around because of the S&C program. The 1 technique is a big hole to fill, but otherwise, we have a lot of players that fit the 4-3 DE and the 3 techniques a lot better than the 3-4. That is going to have a very positive impact on defense.

I hope they do win that many games but it would be a herculean coaching job if they did. You continue to say our OL just did not have experience last year but say nothing about them just not being talented enough. The issue on the OL is talent not experience. Believe it or not June did not recruit very well. That is why they will focus a lot on the OL and interior DL in this years class. I believe you were one of the ones saying that the 2 offense lineman that June recruited this year were really good but when the new coaching got here they did not even communicate with Brown so he went to FCS school Texas Southern and the other one did not have any other offers so he would not decommit. We are also going to a new defense which could get shredded until they get more talent on it to do what they want to do. And since the only team we beat last year was UConn and they are not on our schedule this year it would be hard pressed to accurately predict any win over an FBS school. Also, the other teams in the conference are not staying stagnant as they are trying to get better as well. Make no mistake, June left a mess for Morris to clean up and 1 decent recruiting class may not get us to a bowl game. I am going to just take it one game at a time and simply look for improvement each game whether they win or lose.

[GreenbeltPony]

HCCM clearly knows how to coach: Clemson tacked on 1000 more yards of offense and doubled their number of TDs after he was hired. There's a question, however, as to whether we could see the same type of immediate results. On one hand, there's really no place to go but up after last season. On the other, we don't have the high caliber recruits that Clemson's been getting for years; in fact, we're pretty thin after JJ's approach to recruiting.

Worst case: 1-2 wins.
Reasonable expectation: 3-4 wins.
Best case: 5-6 wins.

[Stallion]

too soon to predict but Morris really helped the offensive outlook with this skill position Class. Seriously, with last year's offensive players and a class of projects it would be very hard to predict more than a couple of victories. SMU simply did not have the right players to run Morris' offense PERIOD. With the immediate help at every skill position though SMU's 2015 prospects did improve and the team will be much more fun to watch as they develop. Freshman lose games though.

[PoconoPony]

We will be too young, too inexperienced, not enough time to be comfortable with new schemes, no depth and not enough talent. It will be a learning and transition year for both the kids and a new staff. I am sure we will be much better; however, that does not always translate into wins. In my opinion we will have had a successful season with 3 wins. Any thing more will be a total tribute to the coaching staff.

[One Trick Pony]

6 wins minimum and a bowl. UNT, TBD, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane, and either Navy or USF.

We are going to be way better at QB, because Davis fits the system like a glove and if Hicks beats him out is going to be because Hicks is incredible. Better on the OL as well because of more experience/growth. And obviously we have added playmakers. And the entire team will bump up a level by actually participating in the S&C program.

Don't forget that going into last year everyone thought our front 7 defensively was going to be a strength based on past performance, but they got pushed around because of the S&C program. The 1 technique is a big hole to fill, but otherwise, we have a lot of players that fit the 4-3 DE and the 3 techniques a lot better than the 3-4. That is going to have a very positive impact on defense.

Lol

[JasonB]

I had us at 5 wins. I thought Burcham was going to be better than he was.

I also thought that based on the previous season's close out on the defensive line that they would be pretty good, and after watching them not dominate our offensive line in practice, I assumed our offensive line was going to be pretty decent as well.

Obviously, I didn't realize that our d line had significantly regressed, so the o line holding its own wasn't reflective of anything.

I'll stick with the 6 win prediction. Obviously, I am not going to say CM is doing a horrible job if we don't get to 6, because we are transitioning to new schemes on both sides of the ball. But I think the best QB on the roster right now fits the new scheme like a glove, I love the new freshman WR that are coming in. And the OL was awful at the beginning of the year, but actually got to be pretty decent by the end once the new coach took over. Get them in the weight room and and think they can be pretty salty.

Defensively, I also think we fit the scheme better. In the 3-4, we would have gone into this season with one DE that fit the prototype size and nobody to play tackle. Now I think we have good players at everything except the 1 technique. So I think we actually improve on that side of the ball as well.

[ReedFrawg]

Tap those breaks....enjoy the ride and don't set the bar unrealistically high.

[One Trick Pony]

Tap those breaks....enjoy the ride and don't set the bar unrealistically high.

Ribbet

[03Mustang]

The broken clock theory of prediction.

We do what we do.

[sbsmith]

Tap those breaks....enjoy the ride and don't set the bar unrealistically high.

We're just getting started, after spring ball most of the board will buy into that "6 wins minimum" rhetoric.

[East Coast Mustang]

I think we can beat TCU in Fort Worth

[SMU 86]

Tap those breaks....enjoy the ride and don't set the bar unrealistically high.

I think ReedFrawg is right.

[dirtysouthpony]

A competent offense will help the defense immensely. Our defense was bad last year, but they would have had to pitch a shut out in every game to compensate for the ineptitude of our offense. I don't see this offense being shut out in many games next season. Defense doesn't have to be great. They just have to make a few plays in key moments.

On offense, we will have upgraded personnel at running back and all of the receivers. We will also have a scheme that will have the capability to run the ball. That will be a big help to the defense.

I see 4 to 6 wins.

[JasonB]

We are going to run an offense that consists of a zone read, swing passes for the option, and a d read system on downfield throws. It is run first and then thrives off the play action.

Hell, even with last year's personnel, if you have Davis running a zone read with Nlemchi in the middle and an outside setup of Gaines and Sutton blocking for Walker, Joseph, or even Deion, We would have at least had something consistent if not explosive. Add playmakers to that group and you are talking about an offense that can score points and move the ball. We just never moved away from our core offense until the last game of the season.

Also, watch the offensive line. They are going to have to change their mentality, but its not like those guys struggle to put on weight. June and the S&C staff wanted to keep them in the 280-290 lb range because they believed it is unhealthy to have oversized linemen. They all have very large frames, plenty of room to put on weight and add strength. That group could change in a hurry if they work at it. We might have some guys like McCarthy and Lasecki who were valued more because of their agility than being a mauler and maybe they struggle with the transition. But guys like Hyder, Myers, Chamagua, and Reich may take a significant step forward. Myers in particular was very well regarded coming out of high school, but really struggled with the mobility required in the offense. Being a mauler on the inside will play more to his strengths.

Bringing this back to the core topic, I thought receiver was a position of immediate need, and now we have several very good frosh playmakers. We have seen both Baylor and Clemson have frosh receivers come in and make a big impact right away. It's amazing how much impact it can have on a defense when they see that the offense is actually competent.