MGB: UNT to face same three teams in C-USA crossover games

untjim1995 · December 14, 2015

Ya, it's looking like a 2 or 3 win season, tops.
Again.
Maybe with a legit FBS QB, we can get to 4, with 5 being the ceiling.
WKU loses the best QB in the conference. I wonder what the others lose.

To get to 4 wins, that means you beat 4 teams out of this bunch (SMU, Bethune-Cookman, @‌UTSA, @‌UTEP, and @‌Army). The others are all way ahead of where we are right now, as opposed to these 5 teams that are just ahead of us by various smaller margins. I see us beating Bethune-Cookman at home and one of the road games. Maybe we sneak out another win somewhere, but 2 or 3 wins would be giant improvement from this past season. We miraculously won A game in 2015 because UTSA couldn't keep their 4th STRING QB healthy here in Denton and we eked out a 7-point win.

The schedule is a killer for where we are as a program. Ironically, this isn't RV's fault--CUSA following the normal procedure of playing the other divisional teams home-and-home in b2b seasons is the killer. Florida is what it is. SMU and Army are potentially winnable, but I doubt we win either of them. Bethune-Cookman at home SHOULD be a win. After that, Marshall, MUTS, La Tech, and Southern Miss are all 2015 bowl teams that will come to town. None of them are winnable. Rice and WKU on the road are not winnable games, either. That leaves at UTSA and at UTEP. Both are bad teams, too. I think we will split with them, probably beating UTSA.

2017 should be the year to see us get back to 4 or 5 wins. We play @‌SMU, Army, Lamar, and @‌Iowa in OOC, then we play the Texas triplets at home, play at La Tech and at USM, and the three CUSA East teams of FAU, FIU, ODU, Charlotte, and UAB. 2018 gives us the same teams in reverse, while we add Incarnate Word at home and play at Arkansas.

Matt from A700 · December 15, 2015

I was afraid we'd still get Marshall, WKU, and and MTSU in 2016. If we do get to a bowl game next year, I would be awfully impressed and those who didn't like the Littrell hire could shut up.

But I'd also like to win a road game. I believe our football and men's basketball teams are a combined 3-30 on the road since the start of 2014-15.

oldguystudent · December 15, 2015

Ya, it's looking like a 2 or 3 win season, tops.
Again.
Maybe with a legit FBS QB, we can get to 4, with 5 being the ceiling.
WKU loses the best QB in the conference. I wonder what the others lose.

With the roster we've got, I don't think it's reasonable to expect much next year. I just checked Southern Miss as a benchmark.

2013 - 0-12

2014 - 3-9

2015 - 9-4 including a loss in the CUSA Championship Game

The turnaround can happen, but I don't think it happens in 2016. I don't know how it can. We don't have an FBS roster.

untjim1995 · December 15, 2015

With the roster we've got, I don't think it's reasonable to expect much next year. I just checked Southern Miss as a benchmark.
2013 - 0-12
2014 - 3-9
2015 - 9-4 including a loss in the CUSA Championship Game
The turnaround can happen, but I don't think it happens in 2016. I don't know how it can. We don't have an FBS roster.

I posted something awhile back that USM was who we need to emulate on our way back up. And that is including the very real possibility that next season involves less than 2 wins like this year did. As you mentioned, the roster, as a whole, is woefully lacking in talent. Beyond the obvious issues with having no FBS QB on the roster, the defense is small and slow, and the OL needs a lot of improvement. Mix in the sad reality that the schedule next year is still very difficult for where we are right now. More than 2 wins would be a GREAT improvement--I see us beating BC at home and I'll pick an upset win at UTSA. Everyone else is just better or wayyyyyy better than we are right now.

GMG24 · December 15, 2015

I posted something awhile back that USM was who we need to emulate on our way back up. And that is including the very real possibility that next season involves less than 2 wins like this year did. As you mentioned, the roster, as a whole, is woefully lacking in talent. Beyond the obvious issues with having no FBS QB on the roster, the defense is small and slow, and the OL needs a lot of improvement. Mix in the sad reality that the schedule next year is still very difficult for where we are right now. More than 2 wins would be a GREAT improvement--I see us beating BC at home and I'll pick an upset win at UTSA. Everyone else is just better or wayyyyyy better than we are right now.

I am willing to lay down and say D. Smith will look 100% different next season. I believe he is the QB and I am sticking to it. If I am wrong so be it, but all that talent he has no way Littrell doesn't at least give it his best go at getting him game ready. Littrell seems to have a ton of practice footage where the tempo is practiced signals practiced, defenses read THAT is what Smith needs not a bunch of fancy footwork drills. While those are important 3-5 minutes max and then get snaps. Live, game(ish) speed snaps. You can save my post and if I am wrong I will eat crow, but I just dont see a guy with his talent level not being able to help us.

untjim1995 · December 15, 2015

I am willing to lay down and say D. Smith will look 100% different next season. I believe he is the QB and I am sticking to it. If I am wrong so be it, but all that talent he has no way Littrell doesn't at least give it his best go at getting him game ready. Littrell seems to have a ton of practice footage where the tempo is practiced signals practiced, defenses read THAT is what Smith needs not a bunch of fancy footwork drills. While those are important 3-5 minutes max and then get snaps. Live, game(ish) speed snaps. You can save my post and if I am wrong I will eat crow, but I just dont see a guy with his talent level not being able to help us.

Fair enough. And you may be right about Damarcus Smith improving greatly under Littrell's guidance. I just think he has a lot to prove and that the talent that surrounds him is suspect at best. Heck, he's still a question mark here. I think the thing that worries me the most about him is that he couldn't get his academics in place to be here last spring. Once that occurred, it was beyond obvious that McCarney would never start him ahead of McNulty, which basically spared us to death. If that happens again, his career is over.

In many ways, he is probably the difference between a 1-11 season and a season with 3 or more wins.

GOMG2013 · December 15, 2015

With the roster we've got, I don't think it's reasonable to expect much next year. I just checked Southern Miss as a benchmark.
2013 - 0-12
2014 - 3-9
2015 - 9-4 including a loss in the CUSA Championship Game
The turnaround can happen, but I don't think it happens in 2016. I don't know how it can. We don't have an FBS roster.

looking at the way so miss got to 9-4, they had Srs in important areas this year. They got a lot of those SRs through JUCO and a few transfers. Also add the fact they beat up on a weaker schedule austin peay, txst, char, UNT, UTSA, Old dom, Rice, UTEP. Once those jucos got it together for their SR year, so miss had more talent and experience than the opponents.

Next season we will have more experience than some opponents, but will still need a qb and coaching to get the most out of it.