Utah State Aggies 2012 Preview

The Aggies, despite some holes here and there, and questions around the bend, still should lock down a run at the WAC title with Louisiana Tech this fall. Gary Anderson has finally started putting it all together, and the Aggies are playing their best football in years. There is enough talent coming back to cover for the holes that need to be filled, so nobody should worry about that so much. I see a great opportunity for 8 wins solid, and maybe even 9. READ MORE

Connecticut Huskies 2012 Preview

Other than the run game, the Husky offense is an absolute mess. I do not believe that McEntee will step up and be the QB that he needs to be to take the Huskies to the next level, and I still do not believe that Paul Pasqualoni was the best choice to run this program. There were other great choices in the region to come in and coach this program, and this was a choice of laziness and misdirection. UConn will not be in a mindset to run after a wide open Big East title this season, as they just do not have the talent on the offensive side of the football to do so. The defense should be solid as it always is. READ MORE

Colorado State Rams 2012 Preview

Jim McElwaine is now on board as head coach of the Rams, and while he finds a serviceable defense to work with, the offense and kicking game must be worked over. Pete Thomas was supposed to be a star QB coming out of high school, and was supposed to be a steal for the Rams, but he has not panned out as of yet, and luckily, McElwain is an offensive coach. Thomas has to step up and be the man this season, but the line must be rebuilt as well. With the offense in a state of construction, I don't see much room for advancement in the Mountain West ranks for the Rams this season. They are easily a year or so away. READ MORE

Colorado Buffaloes 2012 Preview

The Buffaloes are still tryng to rebuild from the ashes that were the Dan Hawkins years, and still have a long way to go during this process. There are only 10 total starters returning on both sides of the ball combined, not counting kickers, where both return. Despite the turnover, Jon Embree is still going to need more time to put this together, and still has to prove that he is even the right guy for the job. I see very little room for advancement in the Pac-12 South this season with what I see on paper. READ MORE

Clemson Tigers 2012 Preview

There is more than enough talent on hand for the Tigers to take another division crown and win the ACC once again. That being said, they cannot get too full of themselves and start playing on reputation alone. Dabo Swinney is probably on more of a hot seat now than he has ever been, because expectations will be so high from the fan base, that they will never let him get away with falling short. I look for Clemson to make a strong run at another ACC crown this fall, and a top 10 finish is not out of the question. READ MORE

Cincinnati Bearcats 2012 Preview

The Bearcats have some serious issues all over the field on both sides of the football. While it is not a complete rebuilding year, it's pretty close to one. Even though the Big East is wide open without West Virginia. I still don't see the Bearcats making a play for the league crown. The schedule is easy enough, and nearly shameful with two FCS opponents in Fordham and Delaware State, but that won't be enough to overcome. READ MORE

Central Michigan 2012 Preview

One thing we have to remember before I rip into CMU is that they were a young football team last fall. Young football teams often struggle badly, and this team was no different than any other in that respect. That being said, the wheels have fallen off of the wagon ever since the dynasty of Brian Kelly and Butch Jones parted ways, and things have not looked nearly the same since they all went away. That falls on head coach Dan Enos. I would be more patient if this were Buffalo or even Eastern Michigan, but it's not, and Enos was left with a recipe for success that he either did not follow, or had difficulty following. Whatever the reason, he'll be squarely on our hot seat to turn this thing around in 2012. READ MORE

California 2012 Preview

Let me be the first to tell you that the window on Cal football has closed. The Bears had the better part of the last 6 seasons to overthrow the powers that be. They had the talent, they had the ability, and they had the momentum. Cal dominance of the PAC-12 never took hold, and they failed to capitalize on an opportunity that will not likely show itself again for some time. They had even been building a stellar recruiting class this off-season, only to see it fall apart when their lead recruiter bolted for Washington. The Bears now have to be left wondering as to what happened, and nobody should be feeling the heat like Jeff Tedford, who has never taken the Bears to the next level. READ MORE

Virginia Tech 2012 Preview

Frank Beamer has been in charge of this program for so long now that I hardly remember a time when he wasn't. It seems as if Beamer virtually gave birth to this program. Expect him to be around a while longer, as the Hokies won 11 games under his guidance last fall, and he is showing no signs of slowing down, with his 2012 edition looking to push what was accomplished in 2011. READ MORE

Virginia 2012 Preview

Virginia came a long way last season after years of struggles had out them into the bottom half of the ACC. Mike London has done a remarkable job in two seasons, and will really try to push forward this season. The focus has to be on the offense, which is still considerably behind a very solid defense, but in a wide open ACC race this season, the Cavaliers have just as much of a chance to do some damage as anyone. READ MORE

Vanderbilt 2012 Preview

James Franklin has a good hold on how to make the Commodores into a successful SEC program, but how do you measure success at an SEC school that has a long tradition of losing, and of being a doormat in the most powerful conference in college football? Is it winning 6 or 7 games per season and heading to a lower tier bowl, or is there something more? Based on the way Franklin has attacked this job, I see more happening, and Vandy could be on the cusp of a new era of success in the SEC. READ MORE

Buffalo 2012 Preview

Jeff Quinn has not been able to sustain any of the success that his predecessor, Turner Gill, was able to manage in his 4 year stay at UB. Quinn is just 5-19 in his two seasons as head coach, but with 6 starters returning on offense, including 4 of 5 on the line, and 7 coming back on defense, UB will have to start showing some progress in 2012, especially given the fact that the MAC East should be wide open this fall. READ MORE

Bowling Green 2012 Preview

The Falcons have not exactly been celebrating a ton of success for the last several years. In the early part of last decade, Bowling Green looked like they were establishing themselves as a rising power in the MAC, but then the wheels fell off of the wagon with the departure of Urban Meyer for Utah. The Falcons have not sniffed that success since then, and the pressure is starting to build to turn the corner and at least get back to competing for bowl spots. It is for that reason that I will be placing head coach Dave Clawson on the hot seat to start the season. READ MORE

Boston College 2012 Preview

I am not going to sugarcoat this in any way, but BC was an absolute mess last season, and the offense was especially at the root of all evil in 2011. To me, Frank Spaziani was a sure thing to be fired after last fall, and was an automatic in our coaching Dead Pool, but somehow, someway, he got a hold of a life vest and pulled himself out of the water. Let it be known, that he is still firmly in the pool, even with the blasted vest. Spaziani is a great guy. This is nothing personal. He is just in way over his head here, and it is just a matter of time before he sinks. READ MORE

Boise State 2012 Preview

Chris Petersen is one of the top 3 coaches in college football, along with Nick Saban and Les Miles. To do what Petersen has done at Boise State is absolutely insane considering that first of all, you have to get today's attention lacking kids to want to go to a town like Boise, which is hardly a bustling market of metropolis, nor is it a place with a decades deep history of championship football. What Petersen does, is he gets the kids that fall through the cracks, go unnoticed, and have chips on their shoulders. They want to win, and so they do, against most odds. This season, Petersen will have to dig deep, as the losses to graduation cut deep. READ MORE

Baylor 2012 Preview

Baylor football had one of the best seasons in their history last fall, but 2012 is going to be a season of rebuilding and rebirth, as the RG3 era has officially come to a close. Art Briles seems to have a solid touch in getting his teams to play well above their means, and one would think that last season had to be a boon to their recruiting. With the new era beginning, will the Bears be able to sustain recent success? READ MORE

Ball State 2012 Preview

Pete Lembo came on board after the Stan Parrish debacle nearly relegated Ball State football to the stone age. Lembo had serious success at Liberty and Lehigh, and seems to be a solid fit in Muncie, as he won 6 games in his first season, after the Cardinals had drfited to the bottom of the MAC. Lembo has some solid pieces in 2012, so it is possible that an improvement and a bowl game may not be out of the picture. READ MORE

BYU 2012 Preview

The Cougars enjoyed a 10 win season in their first year as an Independent, and so can claim success in their new venture. Bronco Mendenhall showed signs of moving the program forward in a new era, and the Cougars are showing signs of improving yet again. With several solid returnees in the fold, there is no reason to think that the Cougars couldn't be a top 25 program this fall, and start to reclaim their place in the pantheon of college football dominance. READ MORE