It's never too early to begin discussing football (and NFL training camps are beginning). What are your predictions for your team and the season in general? I grew up watching Hawaii and now go to school at Washington so they are my two teams to follow. Interestingly enough, they play each other at the end of the year, dunno who I'll cheer for though.
I see UH having a great year, great QB and receivers, always-solid O-line, and a new D-coordinator that can replace Jerry Glanville capably. Unfortunately, their schedule is garbage to say the least, ESPN had them #2 on their weakest schedule behind Kansas, but that's being generous I think. Hopefully it doesn't hurt Colt's Heisman chances, though I'm sure it will. Predicting 10-2, probably end up in the Hawaii Bowl as usual since I don't really see the point of going to any other non-BCS bowl. Games that worry me are Boise State, at Nevada, and Washington
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As for UW, they have the #1 schedule in the country - a brutal non-conference schedule and the Pac-10 is getting stronger and stronger. Our redshirt-freshman QB Jake Locker has been anointed as the savior, but I dunno how that's gonna work out. He definitely has the talent to do it. Hoping for a bowl game, which would probably make Willingham the Coach of the Year, but I just don't see it happening unless Locker goes nuts every game. Only game I feel confident we can win is Stanford, but we gave them their only win last year when the players quit on the coach. Predicting 4-9, another season that shows potential but the team just isn't there yet due to the schedule.
Finally, the remarks Les Miles (LSU coach) made about USC's schedule (and general hating on the Pac-10). I've always felt that the SEC was the hardest conference, but I still think it's vastly overrated. Not to mention that SEC teams usually play creampuff teams in their non-conference games. Here were his exact words:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Les Miles “I can tell you this, that they have a much easier road to travel,” Miles said of the Trojans. “They’re going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berkley, Stanford — some real juggernauts — and they’re going to end up, it would be my guess, in some position so if they win a game or two, that they’ll end up in the title (game). I would like that path for us.
“I think the SEC provides much stiffer competition.” |
I think that's a joke. If you look at
ESPN's Top 10 Hardest Schedules you'll notice that the Pac-10 has more teams on there than the SEC (3-2), including the hardest schedule in the country. More importantly, USC is on there and LSU isn't. Also, after the 2007 season the only teams to have never played a non-D1A team are Washington, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, and Michigan State. Michigan and Ohio State play 1AA teams for the first time this season. No SEC teams on that list, and three Pac-10 teams.