SMU to win 8 games next year.....oh dear.

[ponydawg]

http://aacfootballfever.com/smu-mustangs/7-signs-that-smu-will-have-a-winning-record-in-2015.html

SMU will have a winning record this season. I learned this last night. Before bed, I put on my magical Zubaz New York Jets prediction hat. By the time my alarm went off at 3 a.m. to get up for The Munsters, my hat had ESPed me the knowledge that the Mustangs will win eight games this autumn.

More specifically, the Mustangs will earn a bid to the Birmingham Bowl, where they will lose in overtime to Tennessee, 29-28. Volunteers coach Butch Jones will show his intestinal fortitude by pulling a Tom Osborne and going for two with no time left on the clock. Tennessee will make it, but the Mustangs will learn from the defeat and be ready for a run at the AAC title in 2016.

Besides the excellent track record my Jets hat has at predicting the future, I have seven reasons for thinking that SMU will post its first winning record since 2012 this fall.

Matt Davis is primed to become one of the nation’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks. He demonstrated his prowess on the ground last fall, rushing for 613 yards in five starts. At the Spring Game, he showed definite improvement throwing the football. By the time the Baylor game rolls around, the boys from Waco will think they’ve stumbled upon one of their own. Another RG3 or Bryce Petty, but clad in red, white, and blue.
Davis has a variety of new receiving targets. Courtland Sutton looked like Cliff Branch in the Spring Game. The Mustangs’ incoming class of recruits includes Rockwall High’s Xavier Castille, who makes Darrius Heyward-Bey looks like Terrence Cody. From the film I’ve seen, SMU recruit Alex Honey, the 6’3 pride of Guyer High School in Denton, looks like a Herman Moore in the making. 6’7 Tight End Hunter Thetford from Comanche, Texas is a living, breathing mismatch for all but the largest safeties and fastest linebackers. On top of that, his hands look jelly-donut sticky.
As reported here last week, SMU has the second handsomest coach in the AAC. And our Daniel Craigesque coach sure is a lot more handsome than Art Briles or Gary Patterson. They wouldn’t even get invited to the All-Handsome awards dinner in our conference.
I’m not the only one who sees good things coming for the Mustangs. My colleague Jacob Thigpen is almost as enthusiastic about this bunch.
Judging from the Spring Game, the Mustangs’ defense is ready to get after AAC quarterbacks this fall. Watch out for Kyran Mitchell, Justin Lawler, and Zach Wood on SMU’s front seven. Big things are coming from all of them.
2015 is the 100th anniversary of the Iron Skillet Battle with TCU. SMU’s last win in the series was in 2011 at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium. I say the Mustangs are going to shock them again in Fort Worth.
SMU won a surprise commitment in April from the heavily recruited Alpharetta (Georgia) quarterback David Moore. Momentum is building for the Mustangs program around the country. It will continue into the fall as SMU continues to stockpile young talent.
The SMU program is clearly on the way back up. Seven signs and a Zubaz hat indicate that their road back to bowl eligibility might be shorter than anticipated.

[ender3]

I enjoyed reading that.

He's insane, but I still enjoyed reading it.

[PoconoPony]

This staff will be doing an amazing job with 3 wins and a fabulous job with 4 wins. We can start talking 8 wins in about 3 years when there is enough depth and talent to compete and run the new offense and defense. Until then, I have no lofty expectations expecting only progress, hustle and competitiveness.

[peruna81]

This staff will be doing an amazing job with 3 wins and a fabulous job with 4 wins. We can start talking 8 wins in about 3 years when there is enough depth and talent to compete and run the new offense and defense. Until then, I have no lofty expectations expecting only progress, hustle and competitiveness.

ghost of jtstang revisited. "No Expectations"

[ojaipony]

I've been thinking long and hard about this (studying other teams, etc) but didn't want to start yet another "predict the season record" thread. I think 5 wins would be a positive season. Then the NEXT season would be the pressure to get to 6-7 wins. And none of the 5 wins will come easy as sad as that is to write: UNT, JMU, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane. I am VERY hard pressed to find that 6th win (and none of these games with the exception of Tulane (no I'm not typing this!) could be very tight. If we won less than 5, to be honest, I'd be disappointed. I hope the team and staff expect to win all of them! 6 wins with competitive games against TCU and Baylor would be a massively successful season of course (maybe we get lucky against Navy or maybe getting ECU at home helps - and there's also USF - a DECENT SMU squad would win 8 games with this schedule to be honest). But I think we could get to 5 wins this year (but 8-9 wins soon should be the goal in years 2 and 3). That's my expectation right now. (should move Halverson and Lancaster to CB by the way - Halverson's even big enough to play safety in a pinch - interesting to see what happens to them in the Summer).

[JasonB]

No, before anyone asks, I did not write that article .

Look, you can look at what happened in the spring and say "our O-line sucks". Or you could look at it and say "wow, our d-line is awesome". He obviously has chosen the latter.

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle - our d-line is going to be above average, because I think Lawler, Minor, and Gentry and all be plus players. But our o-line is going to be what holds the team back.

71 is above average. Lasecki got better and got to average by the end of the spring. Barns showed he is on the way to average, but is still below average. 75 and McCarty were below average. Second team really struggles.

The only way to an average line, and a 6-6 record, is to have Barns continue to improve (which is possible), 75 or Wilds be good enough to perform at an average level (again, it is possible), and McCarty, Brown, Hyder, or Myers steps up and provides average play at the other guard (certainly possible).

We are going to give up points in the secondary, so the offense needs to score for us to win. For that happen, we need at least an OK offensive line. The skill positions are there - Davis, Castille, Thomas, Sutton, Gaines.

I think it happens and we go 6-6. But I certainly understand those who don't. Expecting anything above 6 wins next year though is really reaching.

[fifty]

So 6 months ago everyone thought Matt Davis was terrible. Now he's Michael Vick and we're beating TCU?

[West Coast Johnny]

The only sure victory SMU has on the schedule is JMU.

SMU will compete with and win three of the following:

-North Texas
-ECU
-Temple
-USF
-Tulsa
-Navy
-Tulane

Final record = 4 wins 8 losses.

[skyscraper]

I will be thrilled to win 3 games. Anyone expecting or predicting a .500 record or winning record is crazy.

[Pony Boss]

If we beat TCU and go 4-8 it is a success in so many ways....one being we would immediately demolish TCU's offseason aspirations in one fell swoop. And we would have improved from 1-11.

[smusic 00]

If we beat TCU and go 4-8 it is a success in so many ways....one being we would immediately demolish TCU's offseason aspirations in one fell swoop. And we would have improved from 1-11.

This, oh yes, this...please.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I still think five is asking a lot, but I won't be shocked by six.

[PoconoPony]

This staff will be doing an amazing job with 3 wins and a fabulous job with 4 wins. We can start talking 8 wins in about 3 years when there is enough depth and talent to compete and run the new offense and defense. Until then, I have no lofty expectations expecting only progress, hustle and competitiveness.

ghost of jtstang revisited. "No Expectations"

Expectations and reality are 2 different things.

[footballdad]

In a word.......Delusional!

[Rebel10]

It is probably best to temper out expectations this year. No need to put unrealistic pressure on those young men.