My Pick To Win the 2017 NCAAF Championship

Interesting, I'm not sure Arizona win a game in conference and prefer Utah over Stanford, UCLA and absolutely WSU who I think is massively an incorrect public darling this year
 
majent said:
Brother I don't see it. My opinions based on my research of each opponent and how they look on paper today:

vs NDU = win but tough
at byu = probable loss
v san jose = win
at zona = probable loss
v stanford = toss up due to hfa
at usc = loss
v asu = win
at oregon = loss
v ucla = toss up
v wazzu = toss up
at wash = loss
v colo = probable win


I have you with 4 wins/probable wins, 3 toss ups, and 5 losses/probable losses

I see 6-6 most likely with 7-5 on the high side if things break right but if not, even 5-7 a possibility.

I'm going to stick with 6-6.

Not trying to knock your team, Bro, because again I am a big fan of Coach Whitt but I think this is definitely a rebuilding year in SLC.

BTW my favorite schools is Oklahoma in case you want to take some shots at my team LOL
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I think Utah starts 4-0, you have them 2-2. I'm looking at it as a homer......yes, but Utah is not rebuilding this year IMHO. They are going to be orders of magnitude better on offense. Their RZ efficiency was pedestrian last year and in Troy Taylor's offense with Huntley at QB I see those RZ issues improving dramatically. The defense just reloads at Utah every year. The DL is going to be good with Fitt's and Lotulelei and Mokofisi back. The LB's are all returning and should be much improved, my biggest concern is the secondary sans Chase Hansen but he likely won't play vs UND. We'll revisit this thread and see if you are right or I am, no worries either way.

I have thick skin, no reason to take shots at the Sooners. I honestly know nothing about them other than they may have upgraded the HC.
 
KJ said:
Interesting, I'm not sure Arizona win a game in conference and prefer Utah over Stanford, UCLA and absolutely WSU who I think is massively an incorrect public darling this year
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Agree with all of those. The Trees worry me most of those but it's at home and Utah has traditionally done well against them. Hard to gauge the Trees after game one as they were playing a HS team.
 
KJ said:
Interesting, I'm not sure Arizona win a game in conference and prefer Utah over Stanford, UCLA and absolutely WSU who I think is massively an incorrect public darling this year
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I'll be surprised if Zona does not win at least 4 conf games this year starting with the first one which is when they host Utah.
 
Two Utes said:
Agree with all of those. The Trees worry me most of those but it's at home and Utah has traditionally done well against them. Hard to gauge the Trees after game one as they were playing a HS team.
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Good win over North Dakota. They are a pretty good squad. You dominated statistically, too.
Next up at your rival in Provo should be interesting.
 
Two Utes said:
I think Utah starts 4-0, you have them 2-2. I'm looking at it as a homer......yes, but Utah is not rebuilding this year IMHO. They are going to be orders of magnitude better on offense. Their RZ efficiency was pedestrian last year and in Troy Taylor's offense with Huntley at QB I see those RZ issues improving dramatically. The defense just reloads at Utah every year. The DL is going to be good with Fitt's and Lotulelei and Mokofisi back. The LB's are all returning and should be much improved, my biggest concern is the secondary sans Chase Hansen but he likely won't play vs UND. We'll revisit this thread and see if you are right or I am, no worries either way.

I have thick skin, no reason to take shots at the Sooners. I honestly know nothing about them other than they may have upgraded the HC.
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So far so good for your Utes and you've been right on the money. Your D looked great the first two games.
 
majent said:
So far so good for your Utes and you've been right on the money. Your D looked great the first two games.
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Thanks, the offense still needs to improve but barring something major I see Utah at 4-0 like I predicted.
OU looked great, I was on them last week to cover. Glad to see them get the outright W. This could be a special season for your team.
 
majent said:
tough games for USC (mark my words)

vs Stanford (loaded team)
@ Wazzu (loaded team)
@ ND (young team but cannot see Kelly having back to back losing seasons. I think he has something up his sleeve)
@ Colorado (great coach. will be seasoned by the time Trojans visit Boulder)
vs UCLA (always a tough game. If Rosen healthy, Bruins could be very tough)

possible sneaky tough games:

vs Texas (yes, Texas. they are skyhigh under their new young HC)
@ ASU (graham a very good coach and when things are quiet he is usually up to something)


My prediction, at least 2 losses in the reg season and considered a disappointment to the pundits and fans who are anointing them and Sam Darnold.

Target square on their backs - every team they play will be ready for them and it will be the opponent's Super Bowl every time
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Two words: Clay Helton

USC extremely, extremely fortunate tonight
 
Two Utes said:
Thanks, the offense still needs to improve but barring something major I see Utah at 4-0 like I predicted.
OU looked great, I was on them last week to cover. Glad to see them get the outright W. This could be a special season for your team.
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4-0 just as you predicted. Bravo on a very nice pick. Preseason I think those BYU and Zona games looked tougher on paper. Hopefully your QB can return healthy vs stanford
 
majent said:
4-0 just as you predicted. Bravo on a very nice pick. Preseason I think those BYU and Zona games looked tougher on paper. Hopefully your QB can return healthy vs stanford
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Thanks. I would have been very bullish on 5-0 if Tyler Huntley was playing. They will have their work cut out for them with Williams at QB. Fitts is a big loss at DE as well, he went out on a cheap hit to the ankle from behind.....no penalty. They only care about player safety when it involves helmet contact apparently.
 
majent said:
tough games for USC (mark my words)

vs Stanford (loaded team) Blowout Win
@ Wazzu (loaded team) Loss
@ ND (young team but cannot see Kelly having back to back losing seasons. I think he has something up his sleeve)
@ Colorado (great coach. will be seasoned by the time Trojans visit Boulder)
vs UCLA (always a tough game. If Rosen healthy, Bruins could be very tough)

possible sneaky tough games:

vs Texas (yes, Texas. they are skyhigh under their new young HC) Barely Won
@ ASU (graham a very good coach and when things are quiet he is usually up to something)


My prediction, at least 2 losses in the reg season and considered a disappointment to the pundits and fans who are anointing them and Sam Darnold.

Target square on their backs - every team they play will be ready for them and it will be the opponent's Super Bowl every time
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USC is Not done losing IMHO

at least 1 more possibly 2 more losses in the reg season. Sam Darnold no Heisman.


This was the classic case that I've seen dozens of times over the years where a young team that got on a run one year, was put in the top 5 or top 10 the next year and the coach and young team could not handle the expectations. I had coworkers talking about how excited they were "...that Sam would be the #1 pick next year in the NFL draft." I had to explain to them that in the projected Top 10 of the draft when the CFB season starts, maybe 3 or 4 at most even end up in the Top 10 when April comes around.

USC has had the target on their backs since they beat Penn State last Jan, and it shows.

Now, if they somehow run the table and win the Pac 12 title then go to the Final 4, I will eat all of my words. ALL OF THEM.
 
*IF* USC can win in South Bend Sat night, the rest of the sched is very manageable though the trips to Tempe and Boulder will be tricky games.

On paper, though, this looks like their toughest reg season game left.
 
And BTW USC is not done losing. @ ASU, v Ariz, @ CU, v UCLA. There might be 1-2 losses still left.

Clay Helton will be on the hot seat next year.
 
KJ said:
I think they win, not in the majority
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Time to UN-marry yourself from this team. They got all the preseason hype because they ripped off so many wins to end last year.

This year, with the bullseye square on their back and the loss of several key players, they could not stand up to the pressure.

Classic case of a team not used to being in the preseason top 5 (they have not been highly ranked since 2008) and started to read their own headlines.

One of the easiest predictions I have made in years is that this USC team would fold. Back in July and Aug, coworkers were talking Darnold for Heisman and the #1 draft pick next year, and while I like Darnold a lot, I just sat there shaking my head because I just knew these fans were in for a major disappointment this year.
 
At this point I think you have to look at the coaching staff, just not good enough with the talent they have
 
AliShaheed said:
We'll see how he fares this season with some ridiculously high expectations.
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About how I expected...the same way the rest of their preseason top 5 campaigns have gone ever since Carrol left. They couldn't even hang in there physically against ND let alone bama.

But I'm sure Phil Steele will have SC in the playoffs yet again in next year's preseason magazine and we can have the same conversation all over again. They've been a physically weak and disinterested program every since Carrol left.
 
I'm glad I didn't make that Utah futures wager. They've imploded since the injuries and loss at USC. Something is wrong with this team now, they may not win another game.
 
Two Utes said:
I'm glad I didn't make that Utah futures wager. They've imploded since the injuries and loss at USC. Something is wrong with this team now, they may not win another game.
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bad luck losing your new QB but they also faced a big step up in competition after the 4-0 start as BYU is much weaker than most thought they would be, plus you did not have to face Khalil Tate at Arizona as he became the starter the game after you guys.

stanford and usc were huge steps up in talent so there is no guarantee you guys would have won even if totally healthy.

now you are looking at probably 7-5 at best. if you sneak out 8-4 that is very strong considering the injuries etc
 
majent said:
bad luck losing your new QB but they also faced a big step up in competition after the 4-0 start as BYU is much weaker than most thought they would be, plus you did not have to face Khalil Tate at Arizona as he became the starter the game after you guys.

stanford and usc were huge steps up in talent so there is no guarantee you guys would have won even if totally healthy.

now you are looking at probably 7-5 at best. if you sneak out 8-4 that is very strong considering the injuries etc
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Yeah but Stanford and USC were both close, competitive games....I can live with that. ASU and Oregon they haven't even gotten off of the bus.
 
USC and their lineage of overrated white qb's simply do not want it with the big dogs.

Helton seems like a nice awww shucks kinda guy but he won't win anything of consequence at SC and if I were him I'd be pretty concerned about Chip Kelly can build in westwood.
 
KJ said:
And majent I know we'll disagree but I think Helton is better than everyone on that list other than Peterson and Shaw

Runs circles around everyone in the South other than Kyle, perception from all of us is interesting
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Do you still disagree with me about Helton? good coach. no way a great coach. no way
 
majent said:
Prediction: Helton coaches USC this fall and fall of 2019 and then is gone-zo
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I think he'll be just good enough (and well behaved enough) to stick around for awhile.

The conference stinks so that will help keep him around as they'll be able to out-talent most of the teams in the PAC. But if Chip starts building something special across town in Westwood then all bets are off...

But Helton being a solid citizen will help his cause quite a bit. Especially since SC has shown they're not willing to pony up and spend top dollar for an elite coach.
 
AliShaheed said:
I think he'll be just good enough (and well behaved enough) to stick around for awhile.

The conference stinks so that will help keep him around as they'll be able to out-talent most of the teams in the PAC. But if Chip starts building something special across town in Westwood then all bets are off...

But Helton being a solid citizen will help his cause quite a bit. Especially since SC has shown they're not willing to pony up and spend top dollar for an elite coach.
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Yes good point. He appears to be a very solid dude and coach, no doubt. I say "appears to be" because you never know what someone is doing when no one is watching.

Anyhow, he is not going to take USC to the promised land. He is not a Saban, Urban, Harbaugh, Dabo. He is a not elite, next-level type coach. If USC is fine with this, then so am I. But let's not go thinking this guy is the answer to getting them playoff contention annually..
 
He's not what I thought he was of course but I'm also surprised USC can't pony up but the state school can. Makes no sense.

Chip will get his for sure and now Sumlin, who's one of the best recruiters in the nation, will start poaching So Cal talent as well. Not sure what direction USC is heading or if they even have a sense of direction at the moment.
 
KJ said:
He's not what I thought he was of course but I'm also surprised USC can't pony up but the state school can. Makes no sense.

Chip will get his for sure and now Sumlin, who's one of the best recruiters in the nation, will start poaching So Cal talent as well. Not sure what direction USC is heading or if they even have a sense of direction at the moment.
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Yes, I'm not sure if SC is even desirous of becoming a serious contender year-in, year-out. Contend in the conference and make it to a decent bowl game and don't embarrass yourself off the field seems like that might be all that it takes to appease the administration.

Sumlin at UA is going to be really interesting. I've always wondered what could be accomplished there with an exceptional recruiter as HC. That might one of the easiest campuses (read: girls and weather) to sell in the entire country. It's also easily accessible to one of the most talent rich states in the country. Their crosstown rivals now have a crypt keeper running the program and should provide no challenge whatsoever. Sumlin can recruit his ass off and his playing style will work in that no-defense league. And he'll hit the ground running with Tate as qb.

I know Oregon's run was mostly fueled by Nike money but if you can get recruits to go all the way out to Eugene you can sure as hell get them to Tucson.
 
KJ said:
He's not what I thought he was of course but I'm also surprised USC can't pony up but the state school can. Makes no sense.

Chip will get his for sure and now Sumlin, who's one of the best recruiters in the nation, will start poaching So Cal talent as well. Not sure what direction USC is heading or if they even have a sense of direction at the moment.
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It was UCLA's Under Armour 280M deal a couple of years ago that made allowed them to have the deep pockets they need to make the big hire. SC obviously has deep pockets as well but for some odd reason they have never been able to land the big name coach. Don't forget that Carroll was their 4th or 5th choice in '99 or 2000 when he was hired.
 
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