O/U 5 wins next season?

[Rebel10]

Hawaii Bowl isn't in play (at least not as a AAC tie-in) until 2015. As for the conference, we'll need a really favorable draw (like missing both UCF and Cincy) to get to 5 conference wins. Just like this year I don't know where all this talent to get bowl eligible is going to come from.

What positions do you think will be lacking.

[MustangStealth]

7+. keep in mind that burcham will be the longest quarterback at SMU in the Jones era. he'll make the proper leaps and bounds during the spring to make him an efficient starter. Getting this experience the last few games of this season will be monumental for his development. Also the defense returns a majority of the starters and the offensive line gets to mature another year. We'll be just fine

No he won't. He'll be benched in week 2 so that June has an excuse ready for the inevitable losing season.

[sbsmith]

Hawaii Bowl isn't in play (at least not as a AAC tie-in) until 2015. As for the conference, we'll need a really favorable draw (like missing both UCF and Cincy) to get to 5 conference wins. Just like this year I don't know where all this talent to get bowl eligible is going to come from.

What positions do you think will be lacking.

WR, LB, DB, CB, S, RB, QB

[JasonB]

If the schedule is Baylor, TCU, A&M, NTSU, Houston, Memphis, UCF, USF, Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, UConn, Cincy

We beat North Texas, Memphis, USF, Tulsa, Tulane, UConn.

Losses: Baylor, TCU, A&M, Houston, UCF, ECU.

That said, don't know if the UCF QB is coming back, and don't know what is coming back for ECU.

Corner - lose Acker, downgrade even though the young talent is there.
Safety - lose Scott, but Greenbauer back and the kids have a year experience. I think we will be better.
LB - Lose Pope and Rambo, have to downgrade until someone steps up. I like Yenga, but Seals needs to show up.
DL - Upgrade significantly because nobody leaves and Minor and Hollie will be beasts.

Defensive assessment: We graduate 4 key players, and were awful for most of this season, so I understand the negative sentiment. However, the talent is there, and the expectation should be that the coaches get the youth to step up and improve the unit as a whole.

OL - Lose Gottshaulk. This unit should be much, much better because the kids have experience and we will have a bunch of redshirt juniors and sophomores with skill.
LT: Briggs, Saena
LG: Rice, Chamagua
C: Lasecki, Fister
RG: McCarty, Hughes
RT: Weeks, Myers, Reich
Not sure where Holloway and Walling fit, but that is going to be pretty good.

RB - Don't graduate anybody, and will have several backs with experience in the system. Get Lancaster, Sims, and Lagasse back from injury which will add playmaking ability. Lagasse was really having an impact before he got hurt. And these speed backs can add that Shawnbrey influence to the offense.

WR - Graduate a lot. The young crop is really good, but they have to prove it first. Halverson, Taylor, Deion, Joseph, ,and Gaines is not bad from a skill perspective. Downgrade, but there is a lot of potential.

QB - Have to downgrade because Garrett was phenomenal this year, but I am a believer in Burcham.

Offense Assessment: You have to downgrade because of the graduation, but the improvement of the OL is going to allow for a lot more consistency in the run game and pass protection, eliminating a lot of the negative plays that forced Gilbert to carry the team on his back.

As much as we lose in graduation, I am encouraged by our offensive and defensive lines becoming a strength of the team. Line play takes you a long way, and there are enough crap teams on the schedule for us to get back to a bowl game before a 2015 season that should see a really, really good offense.

[JasonB]

Hawaii Bowl isn't in play (at least not as a AAC tie-in) until 2015. As for the conference, we'll need a really favorable draw (like missing both UCF and Cincy) to get to 5 conference wins. Just like this year I don't know where all this talent to get bowl eligible is going to come from.

What positions do you think will be lacking.

WR, LB, DB, CB, S, RB, QB

DB, CB, and S?

At RB we get a lot back from injury, Line looked a lot better the last two games, and the improvement with experience on the offensive line will allow us to take a step up.

[Mustangsabu]

7+. keep in mind that burcham will be the longest quarterback at SMU in the Jones era. he'll make the proper leaps and bounds during the spring to make him an efficient starter. Getting this experience the last few games of this season will be monumental for his development. Also the defense returns a majority of the starters and the offensive line gets to mature another year. We'll be just fine

No he won't. He'll be benched in week 2 so that June has an excuse ready for the inevitable losing season.

And what is that based on?

[RGV Pony]

7+. keep in mind that burcham will be the longest quarterback at SMU in the Jones era. he'll make the proper leaps and bounds during the spring to make him an efficient starter. Getting this experience the last few games of this season will be monumental for his development. Also the defense returns a majority of the starters and the offensive line gets to mature another year. We'll be just fine

No he won't. He'll be benched in week 2 so that June has an excuse ready for the inevitable losing season.

And what is that based on?

I dont presume to speak for the poster, but one could surmise its based on our other two longest tenured qbs, 100% of whom were benched as described and subsequently transferred to Eastern Washington

[Mustangsabu]

But neither benching led to a losing season... I should have made my question more clear, for which I apologize.

[RGV Pony]

Understood