UH is pre-season #17, and picked 3rd in the Big 12 after Tech (#12) and BYU (#14). Hammond is listed as the starting for QB for Tech. Unfortunately for Prime, Colorado is picked dead last.
UH WR Amare Thomas is their pre-season Big 12 Offensive Player of the year!!!
Keisean Henderson is the #1 recruit in the Big 12 (DUH!!!)
Amare Thomas and OL Shadre Hurst are pre-season 1st team all Big 12. Connor Weigman is 2nd team at QB, as are OL Alvin Ebosele, LB Brandon Mack, and DB Will Davis. C Anthony Boswell is 3rd team at Center. Our O-Line must be SUPER STOUT!!!
On the Houston write-up, Connor Weigman is picked as our MVP, Shadre Hurst as our top newcomer, and CB Jalen Mayo as our “emerging star” from SFA
Biggest concern for UH is replacing Carlos Allen and Eddie Walls on the D-line
We should be VERY thankful that we got out of the G6; no G6 team is in their pre-season Top 25
Their pre-season Top Five are Oregon, UT (BARF!!!), Ohio State, ND, and Indiana. Which means that four of the top five are either B1G, or should be B1G.
@MountainCoug and @BYUcougarfan , you guys REALLY need to disturb this narrative on October 17th. With a win over ND, you hurt their playoff hopes, and increase the likelihood that the Big 12 will get multiple bids. WIN THE TRUE HOLY WAR!!! ND starts the season with patsies (more on that in a minute), so you guys really need to show them what a REAL power team looks like.
Let’s talk about some “low lights.”
I feel REALLY sorry for Rice this year. They are pre-season #122 out of 138 I-FBS teams, 13th out of 14 teams in the American (ahead of only Charlotte), and return only one starter on what looks like a PUNY defense (one of their starting LBs is only 195 lbs; three of their DBs are under six foot). Jesus Machado, who quit mid-season at UH is now their other starting LB. BOO that traitor!!! Their second game of the season is against…and I’m not making this up…pre-season #4 Notre Dame in South Bend. GOOD LORD!!! The Owls need to pray to Touchdown Jesus that ND has mercy on them!!! That puny Rice D will be facing some HOSSES (three of ND’s starting OLs are in the 6-7, 300+ pound range) up front for ND, and they will likely squash the Rice front seven like a grape. Rice can only hope that their unusual triple option offense will gobble up clock and help keep them in the game.
LSU, incredibly, starts the season at #8, even after we handed their arses to them. Lindy’s seems to think that the additions of Kiffin as HC and the QB from Arizona State will bump them up. We’ll see.
Unlike last year, when playoff contenders ND and Miami faced off early, this year, they have a later season “Catholics v. Convicts” matchup. A playoff bid could be at stake.
The two lowest ranked “power” conference teams are Stanford at #95, and Rutgers at #98. Both are picked dead last in the ACC and B1G respectively. Stanford has to play annual rival ND in South Bend. Like the Rice game, that could get ugly. Last year, ND outclassed Stanford at pretty much every position. Does anybody really believe that Stanford will get a P2 invite, when their program is floundering to such a degree @3rdwardcoog4?
What on earth has happened to Southern Miss? I remember in 2011 they cost us a BCS bowl. This season…their pre-season ranking is #125. OOF!!!
Boise State is the favorite in the new PAC Lite. Legacy PAC members Wazzu and Oregon State are both in the bottom half. OUCH!!!
Glad to see my parents’ alma mater Lamar picked #20 in the I-FCS pre-season rankings. Hopefully they’ll get their first ever playoff win this year! Tarleton State and SFA are both in the pre-season Top 10, and Abilene Christian is at #16.
UT is #2 nationally and the pre-season pick to win the SEC; I hope that they DISAPPOINT as usual!
Assuming they don’t expand beyond 20 (which i don’t think they will), my opinion is that the B1G needs another west coast/pacific time-zoned school to alleviate some of the travel burden not just for football but for all sports.
Stanford, in my opinion, makes the most sense. The only other route I could see the B1G taking is if they poach Utah, BYU, or one of the Arizona’s (though I think this is unlikely).
The B1G’s travel issues have already been made public by several ADs.
This is disrespectful. The last time BYU lost in the non conference they were independent.
They beat Arkansas @ Arkansas
SMU @ SMU when they were a playoff team
Colorado with a heisman winner
Georgia tech in the pop tarts bowl without our best two players.
Their only loss to a non playoff team in the last two years required a qb punt to bounce off a coug.
All in all… I’d be ok starting at 14. But no lower.
It’s in Provo this year. Hoping for a night game.
October 17 is a big day
BYU vs Notre Dame (potentially a top ten matchup)
Ohio state @ Indiana’s (Fox?) (potentially top 5 matchup?)
Penn state @ Michigan (nbc?)
Florida state @ Miami (espn? ABC if Florida state is good)
Bama @ Tennessee (abc 4:30 eastern? Time confirmed)
Florida @texas (abc noon?)
I’m hoping BYU ND gets 8:30 eastern on abc. Or the same time slot on Fox.
BYU may not be as big as ND this year our offensive line will be something (the guards are in a position battle) like:
LT Paki Finau 6’5” 310 lbs
LG Kyle Sfarcioc 6’4” 310
C Bruce Mitchel 6’4” 305
RG Sonny Makasini 6’4” 315
RT Andrew Gentry 6’8” 315
I don’t think Notre Dame will really care about who partners with them, though they probably want to be partnered with another prestigious school. Notre Dame isn’t going to want to be associated with Clemson or Florida State.
But aside from the factor you pointed out - I also do not feel that the B1G presidents are going to want to add 2 major football gauntlets or a school that has potential to be a gauntlet (such as Utah or BYU). Notre Dame is a beast within itself, and the B1G presidents probably want to grab a partner that is less athletically threatening, which is why i predict Stanford (literally for the same reasons that I believe UNC and UVA would get the invitations to the SEC.
Stanford (B1G) & UNC/UCA (SEC):
Elite academics/socially prestigious
Wealthy
Perfect geographic locations that compliment the status quo of each conference respectively
Aid with travel logistics
Most importantly - they do not threaten the status quo football hierarchy of each conference
When the B1G added schools last time, they openly stated that they were waiting to see what ND does, so they are obviously the conference’s dream add. That “threatening” business is nonsense. You always want the biggest brands so that you get a bigger TV deal. ND is an automatic if they are interested in dropping independence.
It’s a major element, but it’s not everything.
Florida State and Clemson generate high ratings relative to the ACC, but they do not generate higher TV ratings than the top tier schools of the SEC or B1G. The reason this is a problem is because if the SEC or B1G added either school, it wouldn’t add to the revenue pie.
Florida State and Clemson are not equals → I say this because Clemson’s value as a aggregate brand (school, athletics, TV, attendance) relies on major success via championships. If Clemson joins the SEC and averages no more than 9 wins, then they don’t really bring much value to the conference while also adding no other incentives (average academics, average basketball).
Florida State doesn’t necessarily have this problem as they achieve support during bad seasons, but Florida State doesn’t necessarily add to the pie. At best, it breaks even.
But what Stanford, UNC and UVA lacks in football is compensated in other factors that are far more reliable long-term. You also have to keep in mind that all 3 schools have far deeper pockets to buy a roster over and over again as opposed to Florida State or Clemson, who rely on both donors and TV money (hence why they’re the ones who did the suing and nobody else).
Notre Dame is really the ONLY remaining non-P2 school that truly ADDs revenue to a media deal.
But they do generate higher ratings than anyone not currently in the P2 EXCEPT ND.
No way Stanford gets into the P2 ahead of those guys, though those guys’ lack of AAU status and geographical location may ultimately make them more appealing to the SEC than B1G.
Well I addressed that in my post - they generate high ratings relative to the ACC (and therefore Big 12), but they do not generate anywhere close to the Top Dogs of the SEC week to week. Therefore, they do not ADD to the SEC’s revenue but probably breaks even (meaning current revenue shares per school isn’t reduced).
Florida State/Clemson & the B1G is simply not gonna happen. Especially Clemson.
I’m not suggesting that Stanford is a better football brand than Clemson and Florida State. Boise State is a better football brand than Stanford, yet Boise State is stuck in G5 prison and will be indefinitely.
You can’t put all of your hand on timing → Boise State was more valuable than Clemson as G5 program in the 2000s because they had so much success in the BCS era, but because Clemson has recency bias they appear more valuable.
Stanford’s is terrible in football, but they’re still a Power-recognized program, and in the aggregate, Stanford compliments the Big 10.
Which is why i specifically mentioned BCS era. Boise State has 23 conference titles, and Clemson has 28.
Clemson has 2 national titles, 2016, 2019, both of which were in the 4-team CFP (non-NIL/Portal) era (against a weak ACC at that)
I don’t really see how you can suggest Boise State didn’t achieve what Clemson did in the 4-team CFP era. No G5 ever had a chance to achieve that except for Houston in 2016 and Cincy in 2021.
Boise State made far more noise nationally in the 2000s than Clemson did.
our offensive line will be something (the guards are in a position battle) like: