Stewart Mandel of SI.com predicition
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:03 amhttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... bag/1.html
Hey Stewart, who do you think will make the biggest jump in win total from last year to this year? I personally feel like the Duke Blue Devils, under the new direction of David Cutcliffe, could surprise the weak ACC.
-- Will "Da Truth" H., Raleigh, N.C.
I would not be surprised at all if the Blue Devils, 1-11 a year ago, show improvement under Cutcliffe. But as is the case nearly every year, there will inevitably be a handful of teams that improve by as many as four to six wins. Duke would be approaching bowl eligibility if that happens, and I'm not brave enough to predict a bowl berth for a team that's lost 25 consecutive conference games.
Duke's Tobacco Road rival, however, is among my top five teams most likely to make a considerable jump:
1) SMU (1-11 in 2007). June Jones orchestrated the biggest single-season turnaround in NCAA history at Hawaii, when the Warriors improved from 0-12 to 9-4 in Jones' 1999 debut season. He walks into a nearly identical situation at SMU, which went 6-6 just two years ago and suffered five of its eight conference losses last season by a touchdown or less. Assuming QB Justin Willis returns from suspension, Jones' Run-and-Shoot should take yet another conference by storm.
Hey Stewart, who do you think will make the biggest jump in win total from last year to this year? I personally feel like the Duke Blue Devils, under the new direction of David Cutcliffe, could surprise the weak ACC.
-- Will "Da Truth" H., Raleigh, N.C.
I would not be surprised at all if the Blue Devils, 1-11 a year ago, show improvement under Cutcliffe. But as is the case nearly every year, there will inevitably be a handful of teams that improve by as many as four to six wins. Duke would be approaching bowl eligibility if that happens, and I'm not brave enough to predict a bowl berth for a team that's lost 25 consecutive conference games.
Duke's Tobacco Road rival, however, is among my top five teams most likely to make a considerable jump:
1) SMU (1-11 in 2007). June Jones orchestrated the biggest single-season turnaround in NCAA history at Hawaii, when the Warriors improved from 0-12 to 9-4 in Jones' 1999 debut season. He walks into a nearly identical situation at SMU, which went 6-6 just two years ago and suffered five of its eight conference losses last season by a touchdown or less. Assuming QB Justin Willis returns from suspension, Jones' Run-and-Shoot should take yet another conference by storm.