All-Bilo PAC-12 Team 2017

Here is my All-Bilo PAC-12 team for the 2017 season:

Offense
QB Sam Darnold, USC
QB Luke Falk, Washington State
QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
RB Bryce Love, Stanford
RB Myles Gaskin, Washington
RB Ronald Jones II, USC
RB Royce Freeman, Oregon
WR N'Keal Harry, Arizona State
WR Deontay Burnett, USC
WR Jordan Lasley, UCLA
WR Tavares Martin, Jr., Washington State
TE Noah Togiai, Oregon State

Offensive Player of the Year: Bryce Love, RB, Stanford

Defense
DL Hercules Mata'afa, Washington State
DL Harrison Phillips, Stanford
DL Jalen Jelks, Oregon
DL JoJo Wicker, Arizona State
LB Troy Dye, Oregon
LB Christian Sam, Arizona State
LB DJ Calhoun, Arizona State
LB Kenny Young, UCLA
DB Lorenzo Burns, Arizona
DB Justin Reid, Stanford
DB Arrion Springs, Oregon
DB Jace Whittaker, Arizona

Defensive Player of the Year: Hercules Mata'afa, DL, Washington State

Special Teams
PK Matt Gay, Utah
P Jake Bailey, Washington State
KR Cameron Scarlett, Stanford
PR Dante Pettis, Washington

Coach of the Year: Clay Helton, USC

Bilo's Imaginary Bowl Lineup: 22 Bowls, and Who Would Play

I have been vocal for years, but again recently, about the need to scale bowls back to a manageable level to protect the sanctity of the bowls and make them more meaningful and interesting. My bowl system would be limited to 25 games, with 8 wins necessary to qualify, unless winning a conference title with fewer wins than 7.
Here are my 22 Bowl Games, and who would qualify for them:

1. Las Vegas Bowl (New Las Vegas Stadium): Boise State vs. Washington State

2. Independence Bowl (Shreveport): Wake Forest vs. West Virginia

3. Sun Bowl (El Paso): Iowa State vs. Texas A&M

4. Music City Bowl (Nashville): USF vs. Boston College

5. Liberty Bowl (Memphis): Memphis vs. Kansas State

6. Gold Coast Bowl (New LA Stadium): Oklahoma State vs. Washington

7. All-American Bowl (Birmingham): Toledo vs. Missouri

8. Holiday Bowl (San Diego):  Army vs. Iowa

9. New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans): FAU vs. Troy

10. Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise): Fresno State vs. Kentucky

11. Armed Forces Veterans Bowl (Washington, DC): LSU vs. Purdue

12. Texas Bowl (Houston): Mississippi State vs. Arizona State

13. Alamo Bowl (San Antonio): Northwestern vs. Oregon

14. Peach Bowl (Atlanta): TCU vs. Virginia Tech

15. Gator Bowl (Jacksonville): Miami vs. Alabama

16. Sugar Bowl (New Orleans): Georgia vs. Wisconsin

17. Rose Bowl (Pasadena): USC vs. Ohio State

18. Orange Bowl (Miami): Clemson vs. Auburn

19. Hall of Fame Bowl (Tampa): Louisville vs. Michigan

20. Fiesta Bowl (Phoenix): Notre Dame vs. Stanford

21. Cotton Bowl (Dallas): Oklahoma vs. Penn State

22. Citrus Bowl (Orlando): UCF vs. NC State

Fifteen Bowls I Would Get Rid Of Now

We are right in the middle of yet another bowl season full of lopsided match ups and blowouts, teams half interested in being where they are, and a plethora of teams being coached by guys who won't be there next fall. In a nutshell, the bowl system is a trash heap that needs immediate fixing. Getting rid of the glut of horrible bowls is first up in repairing that issue. Here are fifteen games that need to go away and not be replaced...

Cure Bowl
Seriously, college football was better off when bowl slots were limited, and every bowl game meant more because they were hard to come by. Nobody cares about two mid-tier CUSA and Sun Belt teams in early December. Attendance is low, and ratings are artificially inflated. Not the worst of the bunch, but it goes in the garbage bin for me.

New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque is not exactly what I call a vacation hot spot in December. It's played so early in the bowl season that most people forget that it's even a thing. We can do better.

Camellia Bowl
Here is another trash bowl played in a rickety looking stadium that is barely passable for most high school games. Attendance, again, was bad, and I am guessing that when all was said and done, this game gets played at a loss for all parties.

Boca Raton Bowl
This game basically replaces the California Bowl of old. With no PCAA/Big West anymore, CUSA took up the slack to play the MAC champ. except that the game could not draw the MAC champ. I could be argued into keeping this one, if we moved it to a post Christmas date, and by getting the actual MAC champ involved, not the runner up.

Frisco Bowl
The stadium is a shoe box, it's not really in Frisco, and that venue already hosts the FCS title game. Get rid of it.

Gasparilla Bowl
I don't even want to know what Gasparilla is supposed to be, and it gets played in a baseball venue. That is an automatic cut for me.

Bahamas Bowl
Pure garbage bowl, usually with teams that don't want to be there. UAB was a nice get this season, but they laid a massive egg. Nobody in the Bahamas goes to this game, and the teams involved are notoriously bad travelling teams. It's a TV eyesore.

Dollar General Bowl
The title says it all for me. The MAC champs deserve a better landing spot than this.

Hawaii Bowl
Used to be called the Aloha Bowl when it got much better teams attached to it, but nobody cared about it then either. Nobody wants to sit in that dumpy old Aloha Stadium on Christmas Eve, and nobody wants the expense of travelling there during the holidays.

Heart of Dallas Bowl
The Cotton Bowl is the big cheese in the greater Dallas area, and this game is just an excuse to keep the old, rotting Cotton Bowl open.

Quick Lane Bowl
Bowl game locales should be viewed as a reward. Detroit is not that.

Cactus Bowl
Again, the Fiesta Bowl is the big game in Phoenix, and again, it's played in a baseball venue. No thanks.

Pinstripe Bowl
Baseball venue. Crap. Freezing temps. Crap. Market that does not value college football on any level. More crap.

Foster Farms Bowl
San Francisco is hardly a college football hot bed. They could not even sell out the PAC-12 title game, and Stanford was a participant. With a new stadium going up in LA, this game may eventually need to go away.

Arizona Bowl
The state of Arizona simply does not need three bowl games, and the match up, Utah State/New Mexico State, hardly inspires anyone to give a damn. New Mexico State is a decent story, but let's be real, they are still barely eligible for a bowl bid to begin with, so what exactly are we celebrating here?

All-Bilo Mountain West Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, we also start handing out our awards. Last week, I relaunched my annual All-Bilo Awards series, and I continue today with my MAC all-conference team for 2017:

Offense

QB Nick Stevens, Colorado State

QB Ty Gangi, Nevada

QB Brett Rypien, Boise State

RB Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
RB Diocemy Saint Juste, Hawaii

RB Lexington Thomas, UNLV

RB Dalyn Dawkins, Colorado State

WR Michael Gallup, Colorado State

WR Wyatt Demps, Nevada
WR Cedrick Wilson, Boise State
WR KeeSean Johnson, Fresno State

TE Jake Roh, Boise State

Offensive Player of the Year: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State

Defense

DL Carl Granderson, Wyoming

DL Youhanna Ghaifan, Wyoming
DL Malik Reed, Nevada
DL Tobenna Okeke, Fresno State
LB Austin Paulhus, Nevada
LB Frank Ginda, San Jose State

LB Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State

LB Jeffrey Allison, Fresno State

DB Jalen Davis, Utah State

DB Tariq Thompson, San Diego State

DB Andrew Wingard, Wyoming

DB Ron Smith, San Diego State

Defensive Player of the Year: Frank Ginda, San Jose State

Special Teams

PK Dominik Eberle, Utah State

P Corey Bojorquez, New Mexico

KR Tyler Hall, Wyoming

PR Avery Williams, Boise State

Coach of the Year: Jeff Tedford, Fresno State

All-Bilo MAC Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, we also start handing out our awards. Last week, I relaunched my annual All-Bilo Awards series, and I continue today with my MAC all-conference team for 2017:

Offense
QB Logan Woodside, Toledo
QB Nathan Rourke, Ohio
QB Shane Morris, Central Michigan
RB Terry Swanson, Toledo
RB Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
RB Jonathon Ward, Central Michigan
RB AJ Ouellette, Ohio
WR Anthony Johnson, Buffalo
WR Diontae Johnson, Toledo
WR James Gardner, Miami (Ohio)
WR Sergio Bailey II, Eastern Michigan
TE Tyler Conklin, Central Michigan

Offensive Player of the Year: Anthony Johnson, WR, Buffalo

Defense
DL Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois
DL Joe Ostman, Central Michigan
DL Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, Toledo
DL Anthony Wimbush, Ball State
LB Jawuan Johnson, Northern Illinois
LB Khalill Hodge, Buffalo
LB Ulysees Gilbert III, Akron
LB Bobby Jones IV, Northern Illinois
DB Josh Cox, Central Michigan
DB Bradd Ellis, Ohio
DB Josh Miller, Ball State
DB Fred Garth, Bowling Green

Defensive Player of the Year: Sutton Smith, DL, Northern Illinois

Special Teams
PK Louie Zervos, Ohio
P Jack Sheldon, Central Michigan
KR Darius Phillips, Western Michigan
PR Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Toledo

Coach of the Year: Jason Candle, Toledo

All-Bilo Conference USA Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, we also start handing out our awards. Yesterday, I relaunched my annual All-Bilo Awards series, and I continue today with my Conference USA all-conference team for 2017:

Offense
QB Mike White, Western Kentucky
QB Mason Fine, North Texas
QB Alex McGough, Florida International
RB Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
RB Ito Smith, Southern Mississippi
RB Spencer Brown, UAB
RB Jeffrey Wilson, North Texas
WR Korey Robertson, Southern Mississippi
WR Ty Lee, Middle Tennessee
WR Tyre Brady, Marshall
WR Jalen Guyton, North Texas
TE Ryan Yurachek, Marshall
TE Deon Yelder, Western Kentucky

Offensive Player of the Year: Devin Singletary, RB, Florida Atlantic

Defense
DL Brian Womac, Rice
DL Marcus Davenport, UTSA
DL Oshane Ximines, Old Dominion
DL Fermin Silva, Florida International
LB Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee
LB Azeez Al-Shaair, Florida Atlantic
LB Chase Hancock, Marshall
LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, Rice
DB Jalen Young, Florida Atlantic
DB Darious Williams, UAB
DB Curtis Mikell, Southern Mississippi
DB Ben DeLuca, Charlotte

Defensive Player of the Year: Azeez Al-Shaair, LB, Florida Atlantic

Special Teams
PK Trevor Moore, North Texas
P Alan Luna, UTEP
KR Isaiah Harper, Old Dominion
PR Darrell Brown, Old Dominion

Coach of the Year: Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic

Frisco Bowl Preview

Louisiana Tech (6-6) vs. SMU (7-5)

Breaking Down Louisiana Tech: For Louisiana Tech to win this game, they will have to find a way to get passed the fact that they are struggling to throw the football under QB J'Mar Smith in 2017. Smith's efficiency rating is not a glowing thing at 123.98, and he has only tossed 13 TD passes on the season, while completing just 55.4% of his passes. If the Bulldogs are to have a shot tonight, he has to overcome all of this and find a way to be a star in the making.
Louisiana Tech also has to get something out fo their run game, which has averaged over 175 yards per game. Boston Scott has rushed for 937 yards on the season and has scored 8 times, and averages solidly over 5 yards per carry. Jarred Craft is a credible reserve to Scott, but is not the game breaker one would want him to be. Smith is the third leading rusher, so SMU will have to work on containing him, and force him to be a pocket presence, rather than a dual threat.
Teddy Veal is the guy to watch in the passing game, as he leads the Bulldogs with 69 catches for 832 yards on the year. He averages just over 12 yards per reception, so look out for him on all of the under stuff in the passing game. Rashid Bonnette is the only other receiver who has caught 30 or more passes this season.
Tech allows 26.7 points per game, and that may be an issue going up against a high powered offense like that of SMU tonight. The Bulldogs average 67.25 tackles per game, but there are no standouts in this unit.
Tech also only picks up 4.58 TFLs per game, and are not applying much by up front pressure. Jaylon Ferguson is the leader in that area with 8.5 TFLs, including 6 sacks. This is not what I would call a seriously active front seven.
The Bulldogs have, despite the lacking play up front, converted 16 INTs this season, led by Amik Robertson with 4. On the other hand, they have created just 33 PBUs on the season, one of the lower totals nationally.
Jonathon Barnes has gotten a lot of work in at PK this season, but has been inconsistent, at best. He has hit just 22/29 FG attempts on the season, and has missed 3 PATs. The Bulldogs struggle in the punting game as well, as both Brady Farlow and Davan Fryer have averaged just 37.25 yards per punt combined, with neither going over 40 yards individually.
Jaqwis Dancy averages 27.38 yards per return in the kick return unit, but as a group, the Bulldogs average just over 20 yards per return, so it would be foolish of SMU to kick to him. Veal averages 6.71 yards per punt return, and has brought one back for a score.

Breaking Down SMU: Ben Hicks may not be the most accurate passer in the nation, but he has come a long way. He passes for 286.8 yards per game, and has tossed 32 TDs to just 9 INTs on the season, all despite completing just 58.7% of his passes. SMU will win this game based on what he can do in spreading the field, and he has weapons to do so aplenty.
Coutland Sutton is one of the best receivers in the nation, and Trey Quinn ha supped his game to match. If you add in James Proche, the three have combined for 202 receptions on the season for 3034 yards and 30 scores. This is one of the most dangerous units in the nation.
SMU, as an added bonus, also averages 185 yards rushing per game as a team. Xavier Jones rushed for 1019 yards this season, while Ke'Mon Freeman scored 11 times. Jones added another 9 rushing scores on the season for a Mustangs offense that averages over 40 points per game.
SMU averages 67 tackles per game as a defensive unit, led by sophomore DB Mikial Onu with 93. SMU boasts a very aggressive front, averaging 7 TFLs per game, led by Justin Lawler and Kyran Mitchell, who combined for 30 total TFLs on the season. SMU finished with 30 sacks as a team, with Lawler leading the way off the edge with 9.5.
Jordan Wyatt makes the most of mistakes by opposing QBs in this secondary, as he has picked off a team leading 4 passes, taking 2 back for scores. Rodney Clemson has 10 PBUs on the year, while Wyatt finished with 8.
Josh Williams is not a sure thing at PK. He managed to hit just 13/19 FG attempts on the season, while also missing 5 PATs. Jamie Sackville was decent as the punter, averaging 40.75 yards per try this season.
SMU does not boast a virulent return game, averaging just over 18 yards per kick return, and 3.71 yards per punt return.

All-Bilo Big 10 Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, as we do here every season, we also start handing out our awards. Today, I relaunch my annual All-Bilo Awards series, continuing with my Big 10 all-conference team for 2017:

Offense
QB Trace McSorley, Penn State
QB JT Barrett, Ohio State
QB Nate Stanley, Iowa
RB Jonathon Tayor, Wisconsin
RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State
RB JK Dobbins, Ohio State
RB Justin Jackson, Northwestern
WR DJ Moore, Maryland
WR Simmie Cobbs, Jr., Indiana
WR Stanley Morgan, Jr., Nebraska
WR DaeShawn Hamilton, Penn State
TE Mike Gesicki, Penn State

Offensive Player of the Year: JT Barrett, QB, Ohio State

Defense
DL Chase Winovich, Michigan
DL Nick Bosa, Ohio State
DL Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
DL Maurice Hurst, Michigan
LB Nate Hall, Northwestern
LB Josey Jewell, Iowa
LB Mike McCray, Michigan
LB Trevor Morris, Rutgers
DB Josh Jackson, Iowa
DB David Dowell, Michigan State
DB Nick Nelson, Wisconsin
DB Denzel Ward, Ohio State

Defensive Player of the Year: Josey Jewell, Iowa

Special Teams
PK Griffin Oakes, Indiana
P Ryan Anderson, Rutgers
KR Saquon Barkley, Penn State
PR DeAndre Thompkins, Penn State

Coach of the Year: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

All-Bilo Big 12 Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, as we do here every season, we also start handing out our awards. Today, I relaunch my annual All-Bilo Awards series, continuing with my Big 12 all-conference team for 2017:

Offense
QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
QB Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
QB Nic Shimonek, Texas Tech
RB Justice Hill, Oklahoma State
RB David Montgomery, Iowa State
RB Justin Crawford, West Virginia
RB Darius Anderson, TCU
WR James Washington, Oklahoma State
WR Keke Coutee, Texas Tech
WR David Sills V, West Virginia
WR Ka'Raun White, West Virginia
TE Mark Andrews, Oklahoma

Offensive Player of the Year: Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

Defense
DL Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
DL Daniel Wise, Kansas
DL Ben Banogu, TCU
DL Mat Boesen, TCU
LB Joe Dineen, Jr., Kansas
LB Malik Jefferson, Texas
LB Joel Lanning, Iowa State
LB Al-Rasheed Benton, West Virginia
DB DeShon Elliott, Texas
DB Kris Boyd, Texas
DB DJ Reed, Kansas State
DB Jah'Shawn Johnson, Texas Tech

Defensive Player of the Year: Joe Dineen, Jr., LB, Kansas

Special Teams
PK Gabriel Rui, Kansas
P Michael Dickson, Texas
KR Marcus Sims, West Virginia
PR DJ Reed, Kansas State

Coach of the Year: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma

All-Bilo Atlantic Coast Conference Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, as we do here every season, we also start handing out our awards. Today, I relaunch my annual All-Bilo Awards series, continuing with my ACC all-conference team for 2017:

Offense
QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
QB Kurt Benkert, Virginia
QB John Wolford, Wake Forest
RB AJ Dillon, Boston College
RB KirVonte Benson, Georgia Tech
RB Nyheim Hayes, NC State
RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
WR Steve Ishmael, Syracuse
WR Cam Phillips, Virginia Tech
WR Jaylen Smith, Louisville
WR Dez Fitzpatrick, Louisville
TE Christopher Herndon IV, Miami

Offensive Player of the Year: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

Defense
DL Bradley Chubb, NC State
DL Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
DL Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest
DL Zach Allen, Boston College
LB Jon Greenard, Louisville
LB Joe Giles-Harris, Duke
LB Tremaine Edmonds, Virginia Tech
LB Micah Kiser, Virginia
DB Lukas Denis, Boston College
DB Mark Gilbert, Duke
DB Juan Thornhill, Virginia
DB Quin Blanding, Virginia

Defensive Player of the Year: Bradley Chubb, DL, NC State

Special Teams
PK Mike Weaver, Wake Forest
P Ryan Winslow, Pittsburgh
KR Anthony Ratliff-Williams, North Carolina
PR Greg Stroman, Virginia Tech

Coach of the Year: Dabo Swinney, Clemson

All-Bilo American Athletic Conference Team 2017

As we head into the meat of bowl season, as we do here every season, we also start handing out our awards. Today, I relaunch my annual All-Bilo Awards series, beginning with my AAC all-conference team for 2017:

Offense
QB Riley Ferguson, Memphis
QB McKenzie Milton, UCF
RB D'Angelo Brewer, Tulsa
RB Darrell Henderson, Memphis
RB Dontrell Hilliard, Tulane
RB Malcolm Perry, Navy
WR Anthony Miller, Memphis
WR Trey Quinn, SMU
WR Courtland Sutton, SMU
WR Tre'Quan Smith, UCF
TE Jordan Akins, UCF

Offensive Player of the Year: McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF

Defense
DL Justin Lawler, SMU
DL Sharif Finch, Temple
DL Ed Oliver, Houston
DL Bruce Hector, USF
LB Genard Avery, Memphis
LB Kyran Mitchell, SMU
LB Jaylyin Minor, Cincinnati
LB DJ Palmore, Navy
DB Jordan Wyatt, SMU
DB Parry Nickerson, Tulane
DB Mike Hughes, UCF
DB Terrell Carter, Memphis

Defensive Player of the Year: Genard Avery, LB, Memphis

Special Teams
PK Emilio Nadelman, USF
P Jonathon Hernandez, USF
KR Tony Pollard, Memphis
PR Mike Hughes, UCF

Coach of the Year: Scott Frost, UCF

Boca Raton Bowl Preview

Florida Atlantic (10-3) vs. Akron (7-6)

Breaking Down the FAU Owls: In year one under head coach Lane Kiffin, the Owls broke a single season record for wins (10), and mounted an almost impossible turnaround to win the CUSA title with an undefeated conference record.
The Owls average 39 points per game, while allowing 24. Nine of their ten wins came by double digits, including a 41-17 win over North Texas in the title game. FAU had scored 69 points against UNT earlier in the season.
Jason Driskeltook over as the full time starter at QB in week four, and has had a solid, if unspectacular effort. He is more of a game manager to the true star on offense in RB Devin Singletary, the CUSA player of the year, and a semifinalist for our own national offensive player of the year award. He has rushed for 1796 yards and 29 TDs, and is in the top four in the nation in rushing. Willie Wright is the leader in the receiving corps with 49 receptions. Only one other receiver finished with as many as 30 balls caught.
Azeez Al-Shair is a monster at LB, as he finished with 134 tackles in 2017. He averages over 11 per game on the season. Rashad Smith fits nicely with him at LB, as he finished with 89 tackles on the season. Smith finished with 11.5 TFLs to lead the team, and the Owls average 5.69 tackles per game behind the line. The Owls finished with 34 total sacks on the season.
Jalen Young had a huge season as well, as he finished with 7 INTs on the year. FAU makes the most of their pressure up front, as they generated 20 total INTs on the season as a team. Shelton Lewis also defended 7 passes on the season, s the Owls picked up 40 PBUs in 13 games as a team.
Greg Joseph was decent in the kicking game, hitting 15/19 FGs on the season, but he did manage to miss 4 PATs, which is a problem.
Ryan Rickel held up his end in the punting game, averaging 42.59 yards per punt.
Kerrith Whyte was solid in the kick return game, as he finished the year averaging 24.7 yards per return with one score. Jalen Young and Willie Wright are equally as dangerous in the punt return game, and most teams avoid kicking to them, as they have just 8 combined returns.

Breaking Down the Akron Zips: The Zips finished 7-6 after a 1-3 start had them looking out of things early. Two of their six losses came to Toledo, one in the MAC title game. Akron is 2-5 in road or neutral site games this season, and that bodes ill for them tonight.
Thomas Woodson was barely manageable for the Zips at QB this season, completing just 57.2% of his passes, while Kato Nielson was worse, completing just 48.8% of his tries. Woodson missed 3 of the final 4 games, and barely played in the MAC title game. If he is out, things get worse across the board.
Akron also only manages to run the football for 108 yards per game, so taking away the pass and forcing them to run works as well. Manny Morgan was the team leader with just 393 yards rushing. Kwadarrius Smith is the best option in the receiving game, as he finished with 34 catches for 726 yards on the year.
Akron allows more points than they score, at just over 26 points per game allowed, while they score just 23. Ulysees Gilbert III is the star, as he finished with 127 tackles on the season, averaging 9.77 per game. Jamal Davis II is the main pressure guy, as he leads the team with 13.5 TFLs. The Zips, on average, make 5.23 plays behind the line per game. Gilbert finished with 8.5 TFLs and 5 sacks.
The Zips excel at creating turnovers in space, finishing with 19 INTs in 13 games as a team. Jordan George finished with 5 INTs in 2017. Kyron Brown finished with 11 PBUs, while Darian Daily finished with 7.
The kicking game is a mess, as the Zips made just 5/11 FGs as a team this season. Nick Gasser is decent in the punting game, however, averaging over 41 yards per punt on the season.
The Zips do not excel in the kick return game, as they average just 18 yards per return. It's even worse on punt returns, as they average just 2 yards per return there.

John W. Conlon Offensive Player of the Year Award Semifinalists: FBS, FCS, Division 2

Last week, I announced our new award, "The John W. Conlon Offensive Player of the Year" for FBS, FCS, and Division 2. My quarterfinalist list was announced, and today, I have, with my team, narrowed the list down to the semifinalists. I apologize to some of you who were waiting for the list earlier, but as I am sure you can all imagine, this was a difficult process to narrow down half of our list from last week. Without further delay, here are our semifinalists:

FBS
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State
Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
Devin Singletary, RB, Florida Atlantic
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF

FCS
Jeremiah Briscoe, QB, Sam Houston State
Chris Streveler, QB, South Dakota
Dominick Bragalone, RB, Lehigh
Nathan Davis, WR, Sam Houston State
Davion Davis, WR, Sam Houston State
Devlin Hodges, QB, Samford

Division 2
Luis Perez, QB, Texas A&M Commerce
Connor Jessup, QB, Shepherd
Amir Hall, QB, Bowie State
Marc Jones, RB, Gannon
Weston Carr, WR, Azusa Pacific
Trenton Cannon, RB, Virginia State
Walter Fletcher, RB, Edinboro

2017 All-Bilo National Coach of the Year Quarterfinalists: FBS, FCS, D2

With awards season continuing on for us here at the Report, it is now time to unveil our quarterfinalists for national coach of the year for FBS, FCS, and D2. Here are our candidates:

FBS
Scott Frost, UCF
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Mark Richt, Miami
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Lane Kiffin, FAU
Bill Clark, UAB
Jeff Monken, Army
Jeff Tedford, Fresno State
Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Gary Patterson, TCU
Mike Norvell, Memphis

FCS
Jay Hill, Weber State
Demario Warren, Southern Utah
Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State
Kevin Callahan, Monmouth
Mike Houston, James Madison
Chuck Priore, Stony Brook
Tony Reno, Yale
Rod Broadway, North Carolina A&T
Chris Klieman, North Dakota State
John Steiglemeier, South Dakota State
Peter Rossomondo, Central Connecticut State
John Grass, Jacksonville State
Dale Lindsey, San Diego
Mike Ayers, Wofford
Steve Campbell, Central Arkansas
KC Keeler, Sam Houston State
Broderick Fobbs, Grambling

Division 2
Reggie Barlow, Virginia State
Damon Wilson, Bowie State
Lee Owens, Ashland
Tony Annese, Ferris State
Paul Simmons, Harding
Bob Bartolomeo, Indianapolis
Rob Keys, Findlay
Ian Shoemaker, Central Washington
Pete Shinnick, West Florida
Colby Carthel, Texas A&M Commerce
Chris Brown, Fort Hays State
Monte Carter, Shepherd
Bob Chesney, Assumption
Todd Hoffner, Minnesota State
Tom Sawyer, Winona State
Mark Maciejewski, Shippensburg
Paul Tortorella, IUP

Camellia Bowl Preview

Camellia Bowl
Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Arkansas State (7-4)

Breaking Down Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders had yet another let down season as injuries hammered their star players in Brent Stockstill and Richie James once again. Stockstill has been injured for major parts of the last two seasons, and without him slinging it, the Blue Raiders were much less effective, and when James was out, Stockstill was much less effective as well.
Stockstill is good to go for this one, as he has thrown 10 TD passes over his last 4 starts. He seems to be as healthy as he has been over the last 24 months, and is averaging 205 yards passing per game. John Urzua is much less effective if needs be called on, as he tossed just 7 TDs to 9 INTs.
Richie James will likely not play this week, so Ty Lee takes his new found leadership role into the bowl game. Lee caught 74 passes this season for 916 yards and 5 TDs. Middle Tennessee will use a lot of quick out passes, and likes to play the margins.
Not one back carried the ball 100 times in 2017, and that has caused a major downturn in production from MTSU in that area of the offense, as they average, as a team, 144.17 yards per game rushing. Tavares Thomas, a converted LB, leads the team with 8 TDs rushing.
Since Stockstill returned, the fortunes of the team have as well, as they come into this game winning 3 of their last 4 games. Stockstill started all 4.
MTSU gives up a lot of plays defensively, as several DBs are in the tackle leader board. Jovante Moffat, also a DB, leads the team with 95 tackles on the season. They allow 212 yards passing and 136.58 yards rushing per game, so they are mostly solid, but get stung from time to time.
They average 7.33 tackles behind the line per game, with sophomore LB Khalil Brooks leading with 15.5 TFLs. He also leads with 6.5 sacks.
All of that pressure up front resulted in just 4 INTs, but Mike Minter, Jr. had a solid year with 9 PBUs. MTSU also only forced three fumbles all season.
Canon Rooker was solid at PK this season, as he hit 14/17 FG attempts, but he did manage to miss 2 PATs. Matt Bonadies struggled at punter, however, as he averaged just over 39 yards per punt.
The kick return game is nothing special, as the Blue Raiders average just under 21 yards per return, while Reed Blankenship is dangerous as a punt return man, averaging over 10 yards per return there.

Breaking Down Arkansas State: Arkansas State is explosive on offense, averaging 38.5 points per game this season. Justice Hanson is a big play QB who has passed for 3630 yards and 34 TDs, but he has also been picked off 15 times in 11 games. Five receivers have caught 30 or more passes this season, so the Red Wolves love to spread the field on any given play. Chris Murray has caught 44 passes, and leads the team with 9 TDs, while TE Blake Mack has 7 scores on the season.
Hanson added 6 scores as a runner, and the run game is led by Warren Wand, who fought injuries all season, yet still manged 6 rushing scores of his own.
Arkansas State allows just under 25 points per game defenively, and boasts one of the best defensive players in the nation in DE Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, who finished with 39.5 TFLs over the last two seasons. He registered 51 tackles in 2017, with 13 sacks. He has 26 sacks over the last two seasons. Arkansas State allows 242.3 yards passing per game, while they hold teams to just 137 yards rushing per contest. Justin Clifton and Blaise Taylor are to be avoided in the passing game, as they each finished with 13 PBUs on the year.
Sawyer Williams is a bit adventurous in the kicking game, as he hit just 15/21 FG attempts, and also missed 5 PATs. Cody Grace is solid in the punting game, averaging 40.91 yards per punt.
Arkansas State is also sloppy in kick return defense, as they have allowed 3 TD returns on the year. As good as Taylor is in the secondary, he is also a strong punt return man who averages 13.44 yards per return, with one return to the house.

New Mexico Bowl Preview

New Mexico Bowl
Marshall (7-5) vs. Colorado State (7-5)

Breaking Down Marshall: The Thundering Herd made major strides in 2017 to come back from what was a massive falling off in 2016. That said, the Herd has lost 4 of their last 5 games heading into this bowl, and dropped their last two games to UTSA and Southern Miss.
Chase Litton is the QB for the Herd, and passes for 237.8 yards per game on the season, with 23 TDs and 12 INTs. He is coming off a 308 yard, 4 TD effort in the loss to Southern Miss, which was his second 4 TD effort on the season. Marshall is actually 0-3 in games when he goes for over 300 yards passing in 2017. If you force this team to take on a pass first mentality, they can get in trouble.
Tyler King and Keion Davis share the load in the run game, combining for 1385 rushing yards and 11 scores. Neither is a huge big play threat however, with each averaging under 5 yards per carry.
Tyre Brady and TE Ryan Yurachek are the stars in the passing game, as they have combined for 16 TD receptions on the season. Marcel Williams and Willie Johnson also help spread the field, as they combined for 76 receptions as well.
Marshall allows just 19.3 points per game defensively on the year, and allows just 125 yards rushing per game. Chase Hancock was a big player at LB this season, finishing with 120 total tackles, while DB Malik Gant finished with 96. Marshall tends to allow opposing teams to stay on the field on offense for a longer than average amount of time, as they have been forced to record over 77 tackles per game.
The Herd is fairly solid making plays behind the line, as they have recorded 81 team TFLs, led by Hancock with 9. They also finished with 27 sacks on the season, led by Ryan Bee with 5.5.
The PK game is shaky, as Kaare Vedvik has hit just 9/15 FG attempts this season. If the game comes down to this area, the Herd could suffer. He is much stronger as a Punter, averaging over 44 yards per punt.
Keion Davis is a fright in the return game, as he averages over 30 yards every time he takes a kick back. He has scored 2 times in 2017 on kick returns. The punt return game is negligible, as the Herd averages just under 2 yards per return as a team.

Breaking Down Colorado State: The Rams disappointed this season, winning just 7 games and finishing third in the Mountain West Mountain division, even after being picked by some to win the division.
Nick Stevens to Michael Gallup is the star connection on offense. Stevens passes for 289.9 yards per game, and has tossed 27 TDs to just 10 INTs on the season. Gallup has caught 94 passes for 1345 of those yards and scored 7 times. TE Dalton Fackrell has also added 6 TD receptions on just 20 receptions for the season.
Dalyn Dawkins is a big time threat at RB after rushing for 1349 yards and 8 TDs on the year, while backup Izzy Matthews rushed for 8 scores of his own for the Rams. Dawkins averages 6.25 yards per carry. As a unit, the run game generates 211.08 yards per game.
The Rams do have issues keeping teams from scoring, as they have given up 27.5 points per game in 2017. LB Josh Watson is the team leader in tackles with 103, and the Rams make just 66.33 tackles per game, but are prone to giving up big plays.
They have recorded 63 TFLs on the season, led by another LB in Evan Colorito, who finished with 11.5. They average making 5.25 tackles behind the line per game, and they recorded 24 sacks on the season, while the line allowed just 7 on offense.
Shun Johnson should be avoided in the secondary, as he led the team with 9 PBUs on the year. CSU recorded just 10 INTs on the year, while only giving up that many on offense.
Wyatt Bryan was fairly solid at PK, hitting 15/18 FG attempts, but he did manage to miss on 2 PATs. Ryan Stonehouse was one of the best punters in the nation, averaging 46.76 yards per punt.
The Rams are a pedestrian kick return unit, averaging just over 21 yards per return. Olabisi Johnson is always a threat to break one in the punt return game, however, as he averages over 10 yards per return.

2017 Las Vegas Bowl Preview

Boise State Broncos (10-3) vs. Oregon Ducks (7-5)

Breaking Down Boise State: The big controversy to outsiders this season was the insistence on using both Mark Rypien and Montell Cozart in games, something that makes little sense because of how differently you have to play offensively depending on who is in the game. At times, it feels downright disjointed.
The Broncos score 32.1 points per game on the season, but passing is down over 40 yards per game from last season with the dual QB system. Rypien, the more sensible fit in the offense, passed for 2515 yards and 14 scores to just 4 INTs, while Cozart has passed for 10 scores and one pick on the year.
Alexander Mattison is the main threat in the run game for a Broncos team that averages 145.92 yards per game rushing and just 3.91 yards per carry. Mattison has rushed for 10 scores on the yearon 1074 yards rushing. He averages 5.14 yards per carry. Cedrick Wilson was the big star in the passing game, as he caught 73 passes for 1290 yards and six TDs on the year, while averaging over 17 yards per reception. TE Jake Roh is a real red zone threat, as he caught nine TDs on the year as well.
Defensively, Boise State crunched down to allow just 22.5 points per game. They allow 210.8 yards passing per game, while allowing just 125.85 yards rushing.
Junior Leighton Vander Esch had a huge season at LB, making 129 tackles, 81 of which were solo tackles. Kekoa Nawahine also registered 96 tackles from his spot in the secondary, while fellow sophomore DB DeAndre Pierce recorded 81. The defense is fairly efficient, as they are only forced to make just over 66 tackles per game.
The unit averages 5.39 tackles for loss per game, with freshman LB Curtis Weaver piling up a team leading 11. Weaver recorded nine sacks on the season, which also leads the team. The Broncos only average 2.31 sacks per game, which is something to watch. If they cannot get pressure up front against Oregon's speed offense, this could get interesting in a hurry.
The defense has 13 team INTs on the season, averaging one per game, with Nawahine and Vander Esch recording three each.
Tyler Horton leads the team with 11 PBUs on the season in a unit that recorded 51 PBUs as a team. Freshman Avery Williams added eight.
The unit also forces and average of one fumble per game.
Haden Hoggarth was solid at PK this season, hitting 17/21 FGs, and all 52 of his PAT attempts. The Broncos also use two punters, with both Quinn Skillin and Joel Velazques hitting their punts for just over 40 yards per attempt.
Cedrick Williams and Avery Williams are both decent kick return guys, with each going for just over or a shade under 25 yards per return. Avery Williams is a serious threat on punt returns, averaging 11.96 yards per return, with two returns for scores.

Breaking Down Oregon Ducks: Oregon is, once again, one of the more explosive teams in the nation offensively, averaging 36.7 points per game. They average just 186.3 yards per game passing, but seemingly are as healthy as they have been all year at QB. They rush for a booming 268 yards per game as well.
Justin Herbert is back and healthy at QB, and if he gets loose, he can do a lot of damage. He completes 66.5% of his passes, and had 13 TD passes in a shortened season, with just 3 INTs. Braxton Burmeister is not remotely as dangerous as Herbert, so keeping him healthy and on the field is massively important.
Royce Freeman is a beast at RB for the Ducks, and will be playing in his final game. He has rushed for 1475 yards and score 16 times. He averages over 6 yards per carry, and once in the open field, is very difficult to catch up with. Kani Benoit, the key reserve, also rushed for 10 scores, and is also a senior in his final game. He averages over 7 yards per carry, and is equally as dangerous once in the open field.
The ducks are not particularly deep in the receiving corps when it comes to production, as only two receivers have caught as many as 30 passes. Dillon Mitchell and Jacob Breeland have been the scoring options, as they have caught a combined 9 TD passes, but Charles Nelson, also a senior, leads the team with 392 yards. Breeland averages over 18 yards per grab.
Teams have managed to score on the Ducks this season, as they allow over 28 points per game. Teams have managed to throw for 222 yards per game against the defense, while they do tend to clamp down against the run, allowing only 129 yards per game against the rush.
Sophomore LB Troy Dye is the big production guy, as he leads the team with 103 tackles on the season. No other Duck defender has over 55 tackles. Oregon is decently efficient, only being forced to make 68.67 tackles per game.
Oregon also makes plays in the backfield, as Dye, Jalen Jelks, and Justin Hollins all registered double figure TFLs this season. As a team, Oregon has made 88 TFLs, or 7.33 per game. The Ducks have also arranged to make 32 sacks on the season, with Jelks leading the way with 6.5.
Thomas Graham and Ugochukwu Amadi are tied for the lead with 3 picks each for a team that has recorded 13 INTs and 63 PBUs. Senior DB Arrion Springs recorded 17 total PBUs on the season.
Aidan Schneider was hardly the busiest kicker in the nation, but did manage to hit 9/12 FG attempts. Adam Stack struggled as the Punter this fall, averaging just 38 yards per punt.
Tony Brooks-Jones and Nelson are decent in the kick return game, both averaging over25 yards per return, while Dillon Mitchell averages 8.33 yards per punt return.

Boise State Win If:  They keep to their game, play efficient containing defense, and do not let the Oregon speed game erupt. Containment will be paramount, and they must force the Ducks to throw to win.

Oregon Wins If: The run game blows up, Herbert stays on the field and plays efficiently, and the ducks avoid troubles in the punting game, where they have allowed two scores on returns this season. The defense will need to be blinding coming off the edge, and must force opportunities on turnovers from the QBs, who have combined for just 5 INTs all season.

2017 Cure Bowl Preview

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (6-6) vs. Georgia State Panthers (6-5)

Breaking Down Western Kentucky: It was seriously a down year for WKU, in a year where they were expected to compete once again for the CUSA title. Mike Sanford's version of WKU football differed greatly from what we are used to seeing, and the overall product suffered.
QB Mike White was not who we were used to seeing, and everything started right there. He fell from 37 TD passes in 2016 to just 24 in 2017, but his yardage per game actually increased from 311 to 318. In short, he was simply less efficient this season, as his QBR dropped by nearly 40 points.
Where WKU suffered on offense was in the run game, as they averaged just over two yards per carry as a team this fall, where they rushed for 5.36 yards per carry last season. Simply put, White struggled without a run game, as teams knew that the Toppers simply could not run the football. With Taywan Taylor, Nicholas Norris, and Anthony Wales all gone, they simply struggled to make up for their production. It did not help that the offense gave up 93 tackles for loss to opponents this season.
Defensively, the Toppers stayed close to last year's number in points allowed, but they did give up more by a slight amount in 2017 than they had a year earlier. Joel Iyiegbuniwe had a big year at LB, finishing with 105 tackles, while Devon Key finished with 85 in his freshman campaign in the secondary. The toppers picked up five tackles per game behind the line, but they do not provide much pressure on QBs in the pocket, generating just 10 sacks on the season. The Toppers also only managed to pick off 10 passes as a team, as the lack of pressure allows teams to set up for solid throws.
Ryan Nuss is hardly dependable as the PK, as he hit on just 9/15 FG attempts on the season. Jake Collins also falls short as the Punter, averaging just over 39 yards per attempt.
WKU is also hardly a danger in the kick return game, averaging just 19 yards per return as a team, and just 2.79 yards per return as a team i the punt return game.
WKU lost four of the their final five games heading into the bowl, and lost their season finale to FIU 41-17.

Breaking Down Georgia State: After a season opening loss to Tennessee State at home, nobody figured that the Panthers would be in this spot. While the program still has a long way to go, they simply showed amazing resolve throughout the season to not let it get away from them in Shawn Elliott's first season as head coach.
The Panthers still struggle to score points, as they actually dropped from 19.9 points per game in 2016 to 19.7 points per game in 2017. Connor Manning showed some improvements at QB, by increasing his QBR by 12 points, but he still is not the guy that will beat you on this offense. The run game isn't going to scare anyone either in this game, as the Panthers average just 115 yards per game rushing.
Penny Hart has been a one man show on offense, as he has caught 73 passes for 1094 yards and 8 TDs. Stopping him in the receiving game will be paramount.
Defensively, GSU is fairly average in that they allow 25.5 points per game on the year. You can throw on them, as they allow 242 yards passing per contest, and they are fairly pedestrian against the run, allowing 149 yards per game. What they tend to be defensively is efficient, as they are only being forced to make 65 tackles per game. They average 4.18 tackles for loss per game, but there is a large group involved in that action. They also average 1.64 sacks per game as well. Senior Bryan Williams leads the team with four INTs, but nobody else has more than one, and they have generated just eight picks as a team this season.
If the game comes down to a FG, it will be on a wing and a prayer, as PK Brandon Wright has hit just 10/20 attempts in 2017. He is a better Punter than kicker, averaging over 44 yards per punt this fall. Oliver Holdenson also sees time at punter, averaging just over 39 yards per punt.
Glenn Smith is solid in the return game, and has one TD to his credit, as he averages over 25 yards per kick return. Penny Hart is less dangerous as a punt return man, averaging just over seven yards per return, but has done nothing that stands out in that part of his game.

Western Kentucky Wins If: They take advantage of a leaky pass defense that GSU has, and they let Mike White gun it downfield. If a run game of any kind could be found, that would be helpful. Defensively, WKU will need to create opportunities and force the Panthers out of their safe offensive philosophies.

Georgia State Wins If: Connor Manning breaks out and Penny Hart has a huge game. The defense also has to remain efficient. If they get strained beyond having to make their 65 tackles per game, the unit could wear out, and that would be a bad ending. They have to find plays from all over the field., and somehow become more dynamic in the process. If it comes to a FG to win, they could also be in trouble. They have to win this game without worrying about special teams too much.

Louisville Cardinals 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Louisville Cardinals

Louisville has unfinished business left over from last season. They may return boasting the Heisman winner, but they cannot be happy with the way last season ended, especially after how it began. The schedule is not exactly forgiving this fall, but Clemson looms the largest in the third game at home. The Cardinals got robbed of a win at Clemson last season on a bad call (ball placement), and they have to travel to Florida State, who is seeking big time revenge. Road trips to NC State and Kentucky could be tricky as well. If Louisville can navigate the trap games, and they can figure out the shortcomings on the offensive line, Louisville may be in play to win the ACC.

What Really Happened
When the season began, and the Cardinals largely struggled to win games against Purdue and North Carolina, it was obvious that they were going to struggle. In the end, Louisville was not remotely competitive against Clemson, lost to NC State, and then completely bottomed out with losses to Boston College and Wake Forest during a stretch whee they lost three of four games in conference play. The Cardinals bounced back after that stretch, and did manage to beat Florida State in a tight one to snap the haze, and then finished the season on a three win high note, including a win over Kentucky to get some revenge from a year ago, but still, Louisville never got right, Lamar Jackson seemed a national afterthought until his gratuitous involvement in the Heisman voting (did not deserve top three status), and the Cardinals lost four games in ACC play. In short, Louisville under performed once again, which is becoming a theme under Bobby Petrino this time around. 

Clemson Tigers 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Clemson Tigers

Final Overview
With all of the losses on offense, and a few on defense, it is hard for me to see the Tigers making yet another ACC and national title run in 2017. There are far to many questions across the board for me to be able to say it and not laugh at myself. That said, this is still a dynamic Tiger team that can make a solid run for a good bowl birth, but to say that this is a title team once again is just not accurate. The early schedule is very tough, with games against Auburn at home and Louisville on the road, and Florida State comes to town in mid-November. I see Clemson as an eight or nine win team in 2017.

What Really Happened
Here is a case study as to why Dabo Swinney may be getting into Nick Saban territory. Not only was the picture of their offense murky, at best, last summer when I wrote my preview, The Tigers transcended that murk, and looked like the same team that they had a year ago in certain ways. Sure, there were slight deficiencies in certain areas, but the strength of this football team was supposed to be defensive, and it was. The Tigers dropped from allowing 18 points per game in 2016 to allowing just 12.8 per game this season. The offense did slow down somewhat, but that was always to be expected, but it did not slow down much, dropping just 4 points per game from scoring 39 last season to 35 this year. The biggest drop came in passing performance, where Kelly Bryant was trying to break into the shoes left by Deshaun Watson. The passing yardage dropped by almost 90 yards per game, but the run game improved from 169 yards per game to 204, so there was some get back there. The Tigers passed every test, despite falling in a strange loss at Syracuse, but they bounced right back, and blew through. What's scarier is that this team looks set for the foreseeable future now.  

Florida State Seminoles 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Florida State Seminoles

Final Overview
The talent is all there for the Seminoles in 2017. They have been a final four lock for me based on that information since last January. I have no doubt that this football team can win the ACC, and eventually compete for, maybe even win a national title. There will still be some challenges along the way, in games with Alabama, Louisville, Clemson, and Florida. FSU will have to win at least three of those games to reach their promise this fall.

What Really Happened
Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Everything I thought, and most others thought as well, about this football team in 2017 was completely wrong. Deondre Francois was lost for the season in game one against Alabama, and everything else fell completely off the grid for the Seminoles, and the season ended with just six win, and Jimbo Fisher bolting for the Texas A&M job. This team was awful out of the gate, and crumbled under national expectations, and now it is time to hit the reset, as Willie Taggart comes in from Oregon to run his "dream job". I don't see the Noles staying down long, but this pick was way off the reservation, as it turned out. 

Tulane Green Wave 2017: Reviewing the Previews

Tulane Green Wave

Final Overview
Remember what I said about Tulane being a work in progress. When Fritz got to New Orleans, this program was a disaster, and in some ways, it still is. Investments have been made into this program, but it will take some time for the talent level to grow, and it is not nearly there yet on offense, specifically at QB. With the schedule on hand, and the talent that exists, or doesn't, Tulane is looking at another four win season, but there are opportunities for a couple of wins in league play that were not there a year ago. It's progress. Long, slow progress.

What Really Happened
More progress happened in 2017, which was the goal as far as I saw it for Willie Fritz and his staff. Tulane won five football games this season, and that is showing a needle pointing up for a program that has long been in the down position. The QB position did see some upward movement in JOnathon Banks, a junior who managed to toss 12 TDs to just 5 INTs on the season, and should be back for what could be a breakthrough season in 2018. That said, the passing situation improved by 47 yards per game, but there is still a long way to go. The run game, which was already solid in 2016, stayed consistent, improving by 3.5 yards per game, topping out at 231 yards rushing per contest, with Dontrell Hilliard rushing for 1095 yards. I pegged the Green Wave for a four win season, but they exceeded that projection slightly by winning five. Progress is still in motion, even if it is taking longer than some would like. 

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2017: Reviewing the Previews

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Final Overview
It's going to be a very hard pressed idea to think that Tulsa can win ten games again in 2017. There are far too many questions that need answering, and far too much production to replace. The defense will be younger than it was a year ago, and that unit managed to allow almost 30 points per game. I see Tulsa as a bowl team, but to say that with all of their questions, and all of their youth, that they can win the AAC West, well, that would not be responsible to say. Tulsa is still on track to be a regular thorn in this division, but this year, they may be taking a step or two back.

What Really Happened
Not only did Tulsa not repeat their ten win season from 2016, they completely bottomed out as a two win football team, and were never close to becoming bowl eligible. I was off on that assessment, maybe giving Phillip Montgomery a bit too much credit on being able to salvage so much loss. Offensively, the Golden Hurricane lost 13 points per game in scoring offense, dropping from 42 to 29. The passing game was less efficient with the loss of Dane Evans, and despite DeAngelo Brewer still doing his thing at RB, they lost a second 1000 yard rusher in James Flanders, and they were not able to find anyone to get close to replicating his numbers. Youth on defense was evident, as Tulsa allowed almost 8 points per game more in 2017 than they did a year prior. Tulsa, while having an abysmal time of the season, still did manage to be that thorn I spoke of, as they beat Houston, and played Navy tight in a 31-21 loss. They did manage to lose to Memphis by 27 points, however. 

SMU Mustangs 2017: Reviewing the Previews

SMU Mustangs

Final Overview
SMU is at a crossroads point in AAC play this fall, and they need to push around the corner and get themselves into a bowl game in order to show the progress that they have made up until this point in the Chad Morris era. A bowl game, with this offense, is a possibility this season, but not if the Mustangs continue to give up points in massive chunks. SMU needs to push forward, because at this point, moving backwards is not an option.

What Really Happened
The Mustangs did indeed turn the corner and get into a bowl game in 2017, as they will play Louisiana Tech in the Frisco Bowl this month. While the Mustangs still managed to allow over 35 points per game, the key was improving offensive scoring output from 27 to 40 points per game, allowing the Mustangs to win in shootout games when they had to. A draw back was that the Mustangs still lost to the top three teams in the AAC West (Memphis, Houston, Navy). Chad Morris was able to boost himself from a seven win season to the Arkansas job, and what one has to remember is that the state of the program was in the toilet when Morris got there. To get where the Mustangs are now was a seriously solid job well done. Sonny Dykes has been hired as the new head coach, so the foundation should hold for some time. 

Navy Midshipmen 2017: Reviewing the Previews

Navy Midshipmen

Final Overview
I believe in Ken Niumatololo, and that is why  am giving Navy a fighting chance in the West of the AAC in 2017. The offensive questions alone may make me look crazy, but Navy seems to always find answers where questions exist, and I have faith that they will once again. The main block that concerns me more than the talent issues, is the schedule has them going on the road to play both Houston and Memphis, the two teams I have them in a race with. The good news is that a hot start to the season could be in line, as Navy does not travel away from home until 9/30, and gets Air Force at home. There is an opportunity to win the division for the second straight season, or they could finish third, or worse. It's all up in the air.

What Really Happened
Navy fell apart in the second half of the season, and lost six of their final seven games, including a loss to Army, which was their second consecutive loss to the Black Knights. The offense, overall, did take a step back this fall, as they dropped from 37.9 points per game in 2016 to just over 28 points per game in 2017. Completion percentage in the passing game dropped by 17% overall, while Navy lost 30 yards rushing per game from 2016. That did not help. What also did not help is that Navy dropped both football games to those mentioned in the AAC West race in Memphis and Houston, averaging just 20.5 points per game in those two losses. In essence, when Navy was up against it, they got outclassed. They did get off to the fast start that I talked about, winning their first five games, but the wheels came off right after that, and they did hold on to beat Air Force at home. The good news is that they did manage to finish tied for third in the West with a resurgent SMU. 

2017 New Orleans Bowl Preview

Troy (10-2) vs. North Texas (9-4)
Saturday, 10:00 PST

Breaking Down The Troy Trojans: Head coach Neal Brown has brought the Trojans to peak performance and efficiency in 2017, leading them to a 10 win season, a Sun Belt title (tied with Appalachina State) Brandon Silvers is the engine that all things run through for Troy, as he passes for 248 yards per game. He has taken on more of a game manager mind set this season, and no longer has to play like he is the be all player as in seasons past. He passed for 13 TDs, but tossed just six INTs all season. Silvers added four more scores on the ground, but is not an incredible threat to take off with the football.
Jordan Chunn is the leading rusher, but missed games against Georgia State and Georgia Southern this season, and fell well short of his totals from last season. He rushed for 774 yards and 10 scores on the year, and still managed to average five yards per carry on the year. Jamarius Henderson is a big play threat in the run game, averaging 8.25 yards per carry, but has just 40 carries on the season. He is a strong leader to be a starter next fall, as Chunn and Josh Anderson both depart.
Five different receivers have caught at least 28 passes in 2017, led by Deondre Douglas with 48 for 628 yards and four scores. Damion Willis is a bigger threat downfield, as he averages over 15 yards per grab, and Tray Eaford averages over 18 yards per grab.
Defensively, Troy was one of the better teams in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 17.5 points per game. With the defense not getting overtaxed, they were only asked to record just over 70 tackles per game, led by sophomore LB Tron Folsom, who finished with 77 tackles on the year. The Trojans recorded 101 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this season, led by Hunter Reese with 11.5. Jamal Stadom, Folsom, Marcus Webb, and Sam Lebbie all finished with 8.5 or more. 12 different Trojans recorded at least one full sack in 2017, and they averaged three sacks per game.
All of that pressure led to creating 15 INTs as a team, led by Blace Brown, who finished with five. The Trojans also borke up 43 passes as a team, led by Brown with six total.
A weak link for the Trojans could come by way of special teams, as three different PKs combined to hit on just 11/19 FG attempts on the season. Punter Tyler Sumpter seems to have taken control of the job, and his hit on 7/9 late in the year. He also averages 40.19 yards per punt.
When kicking off, North Texas must avoid kicking the football to Marcus Jones, as he has returned three kicks for scores this season, and averages 32.88 yards per return, which was good for fourth in the nation. Jones also averages 9.31 yards per punt return.

Breaking Down the North Texas Mean Green: Seth Littrell has done an amazing turnaround job in Denton, and the UNT Mean Green streaked to a Conference USA West title, and an appearance in the CUSA title game, where they were soundly beaten by the FAU Owls. In one season, UNT went from averaging just 24 points per game to averaging 35 points per game.
Mason Fine was rock solid as a sophomore at QB, and has found his groove. He averaged 288.4 yards passing per game, and hit for 28 TD passes to 13 INTs in 13 games. Fine should be one of the national QBs to watch in 2018, and needs to play the game of his life against a tough defensive Troy secondary.
North Texas also added over 40 yards per game to their rushing average in 2017, led by senior Jeffrey Wilson, who blew up for 1288 yards and 16 scores, to go with his 6.46 yards per carry average. Freshman Nick Smith added another 665 yards and six scores, while averaging 5.04 yards per carry. As a team, UNT rushed for 28 TDs in 2017 on 37.85 carries per game.
Seven different receivers caught 24 passes or more in 2017, led by 56 from Michael Lawrence, who went for 749 yards and three scores. Jalen Guyton is more of a field stretcher, and caught 48 passes for 764 yards and nine scores. Rico Bussey, Jr., Turner Smiley, and Jaelon Darden all caught over 30 passes, while TE Kelvin Smith, and Jeffrey Wilson both caught over 20 balls. Smiley is the big play threat, averaging over 18 yards per catch.
Defensively, UNT still has a ton of work to do, as they average allowing 33.8 points per game, which is actually worse than a year ago fractionally.
They allow 208 yards rushing per game, while allowing another 223 yards passing. That will not get it done this week against a Trojans team that can explode from time to time.
Junior LB EJ Ejiya recorded 100 tackles on the season, while Kishawn McClain and Khairi Muhammad added 88 per player. McClain and Muhammad both play in the secondary, so you can see how many plays are allowed to get to the second and third levels before UNT comes up with stops. Ejiya is also the primary play maker behind the kine, piling up 10 TFLs on the season, senior DL Andy Flusche recorded eight. Ejiya recorded a team leading seven sacks as well, but nobody else finished with more than 2.5. The secondary recorded just seven picks all season long, while they defended 42 passes as a team, with Kemon Hall and Eric Jenkins both collecting seven PBUs.
Trevor Moore is solid in the FG game, as he collected 19/21 on the season, giving UNT a solid scoring option when they cannot punch it in. Blake Anderson is the Punter as a freshman after averaging 41.27 yards per punt in his first season in Denton.
UNT will struggle on kick returns, as they average just over 18 yards per return as a team, but Jaelon Darden is a dangerous punt return man, averaging over 12 yards per return.

Troy Wins If: They can take advantage of the leaky UNT defense, and roll out to an early big lead, forcing UNT QB Mason Fine to have to become a hero. If Troy harasses Fine up front and forces him into mistakes, Troy could pull away fairly easily.

North Texas Wins If: They can find a defensive effort unlike any they have played this season. Troy does not provide a ton of turnover opportunities on offense, so UNT will have to force the issue, something they have not been great at doing. If UNT can keep it close, and Darden can break something in the punt return game, this could get interesting. Fine has to be in sink, and the offense has to be able to stay balanced against big odds. 

Memphis Tigers 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Memphis Tigers

Final Overview
The Memphis Tigers may have the best returning offense in the entire AAC West, but what will be a stumbling block towards winning the conference title will be their defense. The offense can win most days in offensive shootouts, but that will not always work, and it failed on more than a couple of occasions last season. If the Tigers are to hold off Houston and Navy and any possible dark horse candidates in the division, they have to fix that defense. They are a top three team in the division now, but could dominate with improvements. They are close.

What Really Happened
Memphis won the AAC West, and had one of the greatest single seasons in school history. The offense was as advertised, and at the end of the day, the glaring issue was that defense. The Tigers allowed 62 points in a double OT loss to UCF in the AAC title game, and their scoring defense actually worsened from 28 points per game allowed to 33. Pass defense worsened by over 30 yards allowed per game, and the run defense stayed fairly stagnant, improving by just 8 yards per game year to year. The offense did indeed win many games for the Tigers, but they had to score plenty to win as they did. Memphis improved by 8.9 points per game on offense in 2017, scoring over 47 points per game. Still, it was a rock solid season by anyone's assessment, and Tiger fans should be plenty happy that Mike Norvell agreed to a contract extension rather than leaving for Arkansas.

Houston Cougars 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Houston Cougars

Final Overview
The Cougars may be a bit on the overlooked side for 2017, and only because of the coaching change and a few minor areas of uncertainty. Looking at their schedule, the Cougars could possibly be in for a ten win season. If Allen can seamlessly transition in at QB, if the line can improve on the run block situation, and become more mature overall on the field, then the offense should be just fine. There were some major losses in the back of the defense, but with Oliver returning, the unit still has a massive superstar talent who could one day be a number one overall pick in the NFL draft. If the new starters at CB and LB can gel quickly, and there is another answer found up front to replace Malveaux, this team could challenge USF for the AAC crown. Getting by Navy and Memphis will be key in the West, but the Cougars could have an edge here.

What Really Happened
The Cougars fell well short of my expectations, but even then managed to hang in during the conference race enough to finish second to Memphis with a 5-3 AAC record for the year. Kyle Allen did not transition well, and missed seven games this season, handing omst of the rest of the work to Kyle Postma to handle, and Allen was not exactly in it to win it when he was active early, tossing just 4 TDs to 4 picks. He has one more year to get it together. The run game did improve by 38 yards per game, answering that basic question. The defense faired consistent, as they actually improved by 0.5 points allowed per game from an already low 23.5 in 2016. Houston split with those teams in the race I had projected, losing to Memphis, but beating Navy, but it was freaky losses to Tulsa and Tulane that did them in when all was said and done. 

East Carolina Pirates 2017: Reviewing the Preview

East Carolina Pirates

Final Overview
I cannot find one single game where I would call the Pirates an out and out favorite in 2017, and that includes the home opener against FCS member James Madison, where I have called the Dukes an early 1.5 point favorite. Any win will be hard fought, and will be a bonus based on the talent that the Pirates have on hand. This team was a mess in 2016, and it seemed that with the firing of McNeill, everything fell apart. I am not saying that the Pirates were a conference contender with him, but the firing seemed strangely political to me. That said, I would be greatly shocked to see East Carolina finish anywhere above the AAC East cellar in 2017.

What Really Happened
East Carolina essentially ended up in the AAC cellar, just I had projected, even if they were in a three way tie for fourth. They finished in the upper tier of that tie by virtue of wins over both Cincinnati and U Conn, but those were their only conference wins in 2017. I also called their loss to James Madison, but it occurred by much more than my 1.5 point projection, as the Pirates lost that game by 20. The Pirates, who also beat BYU, did not beat anyone with a winning record, and Scotty Montgomery will be firmly on the hot seat in 2018. 

Connecticut Huskies 2017: Reviewing the Preview

U Conn Huskies

Final Assessment
I just see absolutely now way that U Conn will be better in 2017 than they were last fall, and in fact could be a bit worse, and the schedule, and of course, their overall lack of talent on the entirety of the roster, will be the driving force. The Huskies do not have enough offense, not nearly enough, to push through, and they play a three out of four game road stint in the middle of the season, followed by three consecutive games away from East Hartford to close out the season. That is a solid recipe for disaster with this football team. I see only two real chances at wins this season in games against Holy Cross and East Carolina, and anything else is a bonus.

What Really Happened
I was not very far off. U Conn did show improvements in offensive performance both in the passing game and in the run game, but when all was said and done, the Huskies won three games, which, as I said last Summer, was a bonus. One of those wins was indeed against Holy Cross, but the final score was in doubt well into the fourth quarter. In the end, U Conn did not beat a single team that finished with a winning record, and closed the season with a five game skid.

Cincinnati Bearcats 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Cincinnati Bearcats

Final Overview
The schedule does not set up well for a successful first season for Luke Fickell and staff, and the roster needs some help as well. Tommy Tuberville really screwed this place up during his tenure, and so we are looking at a complete reset.
The schedule is fairly brutal for the most part, including three straight road trips in the first half of the season. I would place the over/under for wins at around four, but I would bet on the lower end of that for 2017.

What Really Happened
I pegged Cincinnati for a high end four wins, and they won four games. I had them pegged for a 4th place finish in the AAC East, and they finished in a three way tie for fourth. Win and win. 
The only team that the Bearcats beat that finished with a winning record was Austin Peay, and they are an FCS program. It was an initial reset at 4-8, and there is still a great deal of work to be done by Luke Fickell and staff. That stretch of three straight road games early in the season resulted in a 1-2 mark during that road trip, with the lone win being a 21-17 win over Miami (Ohio).

Temple Owls 2017: Reviewing the Preview

Temple Owls

Final Overview:
It's going to be an interesting go in year one of the Geoff Collins era for the Owls. First thing he will have to do is find a new QB to replace Phillip Walker, and that will not be easy. He also has to replace Dion Dawkins on the line, making matters more difficult.
The defense may have some issues on the edge and in the middle, as both DEs and all three LBs need to be replaced, and losing Hairston at CB is another major hole to fill.
The schedule is not kind late, but it is not impossible, so the win/loss total should be set right around six for the Owls in 2017.

What Really Happened
I had Temple pegged for six wins and a third place finish in the AAC East. Win and win. Temple finished 6-6, and was slotted exactly third in the division. Replacing Phillip Walker was a tough go all season long, as both Logan Marchi and Frank Nutile struggled to gain any consistency throughout the year, as they combined for 20 TD passes and 15 INTs. The Owls allowed 19 sacks, but that was actually an improvement over 2016 by 10. Temple did struggle defensively against the run, which would have been affected by the DE and LB woes I spoke of, as they allowed over 50 yards more rushing per game in 2017 over 2016. They also allowed over 200 yards passing per game, when in 2016, thy held teams to approximately 150 yards passing per game. The Owls finished strong at 3-1, but were just 3-3 over the final half of the season overall. 

UCF Knights 2017: Reviewing the Preview

UCF Knights

Final Overview
The Knights have enough on offense to carry this team if a running game can be found, and some decent receivers present themselves out of this crop. The line should be more than good enough to get the work done in the trenches, and they have a solid kicker as well.
The real issue here will be on defense, where the entire back seven must be rebuilt, save Griffin. If that project cannot get off the ground in the early part of camp and the season, my projections could all be moot. Defense and the run game will be the most major areas of concern here, as is the schedule from 10/7 through 11/14, where the Knights play three road games in four weeks.

What really happened
Not only was that back seven not a concern, UCF had one of the better defenses n the AAC, allowing just 25 points per game, and most of that number was brought upwards by season ending shootout wins against both USF and Memphis. All in all, UCF had one of the greatest turnarounds in two short seasons of any program in history. The Knights, who were 0-12 just two years ago, finished 12-0, and are a NY6 participant, a spot I had reserved for USF, not UCF. At least I had the conference for that spot correct. UCF was projected to finish 2nd in the AAC East in my projection, but they finished first and won the conference championship, leading Scott Frost to take the bigger job at Nebraska after the AAC title game. 

USF Bulls 2017: Reviewing the Preview

When projecting an upcoming season, many publications or individuals fail to go back and see how they did in projecting the season once all is done. We are still heading into bowl season, but it is safe to look back at this point, and see how I did in projecting the conference races last summer. First, we take a look at my AAC projections for 2017. You will first see my final assessment of my preview, followed by an explanation of what actually happened during the season. Here we go!


USF Bulls

Final Overview
USF, in my eyes, is in the best position of any G5 school in 2017 to break into the NY6 bowl lineup. The talent level is loaded, and USF is the absolute favorite to win the AAC. Of course, Houston was in a similar position last fall, and failed, but the Bulls are not dealing with a coach who may or may not be leaving any minute as they begin the Charlie Strong era. The hiring of Strong to replace Willie Taggart was a major move for the Bulls, and the needle is pointing straight up. USF looks like an easy 10 or 11 game winner this fall, and could be favored in all 12 games on the schedule.

What really happened
I was not too far off. USF finished second in the AAC East to UCF, so I was one spot off. USF was favored in every game they played in 2017, up until the season finale, when they were a seven point dog to the Knights. Charlie Strong did indeed stick around for year two heading into 2018, so there will be no late distraction there. The only thing stopping the Bulls from my projected double digit win total was a cancelled game against U Mass that led to rescheduling U Conn due to a hurricane, otherwise, we would have been close to calling this one an overall win. 

2017 FBS Conference Power Rankings

Here are the final regular season Conference Power Rankings for FBS football for the 2017 season, based on our PRS Rankings, which are released weekly. We will be readjusting these rankings for bowl season after the national title game has been played. One thing to note is that for the first time in the 13 year history of the PRS rankings, no one conference finished with a negative average for the season!

1. SEC	648.29
2. PAC-12	604.92
3. Big 12	514.6
4. Big 10	506.93
5. ACC	498.29
6. Independents	292.75
7. American	280.92
8. MAC	129
9. Mountain West	64.42
10. Conference USA	55.36
11. Sun Belt	6.92

Defensive Player of the Year FBS, FCS, D2 Quarter Finalists

With awards season upon us, we now introduce our first William Bilo Defensive Player of the Year Awards for FBS, FCS, and Division 2 college football. Here are our quarter finalists for each level:

FBS
Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois
Bradley Chubb, North Carolina State
Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, Arkansas State
Matt Boesen, TCU
Joe Dineen, Jr., Kansas
Gerard Avery, Memphis
Roquan Smith, Georgia
Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
Josh Jackson, Iowa
Darious Williams, UAB
Mark Gilbert, Duke
Jalen Davis, Utah State

FCS
Jonathon Peterson, San Diego
Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State
PJ Hall, Sam Houston State
Chris Terrell, Central Arkansas
Jalyn Williams, Prairie View
Rico Kennedy, Morgan State
Matt Uplinger, Yale
Garrett Dolan, Houston Baptist
Mike Basile, Monmouth
Phillip Parham, Lafayette
Jordan Brown, James Madison
Dylan Mabin, Fordham

Division 2
Marcus Martin, Slippery Rock
John Cominsky, Charleston
Kahzin Daniels, Charleston
Jalen Nelson, Charleston
Jake Klinger, Bloomsburg
Brandon Lynch, Virginia State
Dennis Gardeck, Sioux Falls
Garrett Jackson, Adams State
Cory Roberts, Glenville State
Zuril Heldrick, Edinboro
Andrew Benson, Assumption
JR Stevens, Indiana (PA)

Semifinalists will be announced this Friday for both our John Conlon Offensive Players of the Year, and for the William Bilo Defensive Players of the Year!