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8. SMU (7-6)

Welcome to the Big East, now keep the momentum rolling. June Jones and the Mustangs close out 2012 with three wins in the final four games, highlighted by a blowout over Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl. However, the offense didn’t work as well as expected for a Jones coached team, but the defense picked up the slack.

Bowl game star Margus Hunt is gone at one end, as are Torlan Pittman and Kevin Grenier off a front three that helped the team finish 15th in the nation against the run. Ja’Gared Davis and Taylor Reed are gone from the strong linebacking corps, but the secondary that struggled - allowing 278 yards per game - gets back all four starters.

The passing game that was so painfully inefficient needs Garrett Gilbert to be better. The former superstar Texas recruit put up yards at times, but he made way too many mistakes. Without Zach Line to carry the ground game, Gilbert needs more out of a receiving corps that loses top target Darius Johnson. Only two starters are back up front from a line that had a nightmare of a time in pass protection.

I got excited and thought it was No. 8 in the country.

I don't think the cupboard is as bare as this article suggests, but there will be lots of 'stepping up' needed. I hope the coaches can get the players to come out firing early in the year and take the fight to Tech and Baylor. A&M and TCU will be tough, but we've beaten Pachall and Co. before.

I think we have the potential to be better. Yes we lost some good players but we have some coming back.

I think our LB corps can be the best since ht DP. Very athletic. Our secondary should be more experienced and we do have DLinemen that have experience and the opportunity to grow physically and in skill.

We have a 4 star running back with experience coming in. We have a new capability with the option read in GG next year. And our Oline will not be brand spanking new next year.

This was the year to worry as we had so many unknowns especially on offense. We had Major position loses in the secondary and on the Dline.

A new Oline and new QB as well as the loss of our best receiver. We could have been better but given all the ‘new’ position players we did alright.

I feel we have super athletes coming up and more experience. Also time to develop players and get others more in sync (QB-receivers).

It could all fall apart but I don’t feel we will have as much unknown going in to next Fall as we had coming into this last Fall.

Unless they bring in some playmakers who can contribute early and the coaching on offense gets significantly better, it is going to be a long season. Maybe this is the year the run and shoot everyone expected five years ago breaks out. No more Tulanes, UTEPs, Rices, 1AAs to pad the record most seasons. No reason we can't compete with the right recruiting and coaching though.

ghost wrote:Unless they bring in some playmakers who can contribute early and the coaching on offense gets significantly better, it is going to be a long season. Maybe this is the year the run and shoot everyone expected five years ago breaks out. No more Tulanes, UTEPs, Rices, 1AAs to pad the record most seasons. No reason we can't compete with the right recruiting and coaching though.

Offense is key this coming year. While I do not expect the Hawaii RnS our passing should be better and the QB run should be baked in from the start. The D should not drop off too much as the DL backups got a lot of snaps last season.

Having said that, we have a really tough schedule.

DanFreibergerForHeisman wrote:I got excited and thought it was No. 8 in the country.

Put the bottle down and slowly step away from the jack daniels, please

You'd think he was downing some Peruna Tonic. That stuff has quite a kick.

malonish wrote:You'd think he was downing some Peruna Tonic. That stuff has quite a kick.

Knocks the Fordham Ram out of me everytime.

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