Naturally everyone here follows the Horns but there are probably a couple of other teams that you like and will follow throughout the 2013 season. Use this post to name a couple of teams you'll follow this year, why you like them, and what their season outlook is. The University of Wyoming Cowboys I've always liked the wide open spaces of Wyoming, the University's logo, and one of my brother's friends was a starter on the Wyo team that beat UCLA in the Vegas Bowl. That was a big deal for their program and it was cool talking to him about it. For 2013 the Cowboys have some weapons on offense. They've got skill at quarterback and some very capable receivers. They also have an solid tight end named Krill whom opposing defenses can overlook at their peril. Unfortunately their defense kinda stinks. Think of a (very) poor man's Mike Leach Red Raider squad and that's not too far from what Wyoming has going on except they do want to run the ball more. Their schedule has some likely wins at the front but is murderous on the back end. As always, a winning record and a bowl game is a damn fine season up in Laramie. The offense will get them some points...remains to be seen if their defense can get them the wins. Georgia State University Panthers I like this team because they're in-town and they jam some cool music at their practices which is close enough to my work that I can sometimes hear it. The coaches seem cool and it looks like everyone is always having a lot of fun. These guys have only had a football program for 3 years and this is their first year in the FBS. They even get to play Bama this year, too. Ouch. They're ranked #125 out of #125 pre-season but they DID pull in the #104 rated class last year.. so there's some upside for ya. The offense is ahead of the defense at this point with more returning starters and better production. On defense their biggest problems has been a pass rush.. and of course the problem with both units is they just don't have the players. They do go JUCO so maybe that'll help. Two wins would double their total from last season so that would be a success...especially with their move up to the big boys. Any more wins than that would be gravy but of course no one is expecting much. I'm hoping for big things in 2014 for the panthers... like starting out ranked #19 maybe. Well, #119 anyway.
Ohio Bobcats For no particular reason other than I thought it was interesting to see what Slolich could accomplish when he took over one of the worst programs in the game. I am now on board with Ohio,Slolich and his ex Nebraska coaching staff. They have done a hell of a job making a consistant winner out of a loser. They also have a pretty good QB. UTSA Roadrunners I live in North Bexar County and have followed the start up of the program. I like Coker and how he is building the program. I go to the games when they do not conflict with Texas games. The games in the Alamo Dome (sipping a cold beer) are alot of fun and the fans are having a great time. I think Coker is going to build a really good program.
Ohio = 10 wins and bowl game. Possible upset of Louisville in first game, but could just as easily get blown out. UTSA = 6 wins and a couple of really bad losses to Oklahoma State and Arizona.
Los Miners de UTEP - grew up there and have known several people who played on the team. SunBowl is a great venue, I think the mascot and logo are pretty cool. I have no clue about the team this year, but their seasons should shape up to be about 3 and 7 as always... And that's OK, I'll still pull for my pinche Miners.... Wyoming Cowboys - same reasons as you. Cool logo. I actually think the brown and white are cool colors for a team (not with the yellow that has become more prominent). Plus they overachieve with what they have, usually. I thought about going to school there on a swimming scholarship until I visited in February, and then I decided swimming was not really worth it. Utah Utes - Notice a theme here with Western schools? I liked the Ute mascot and logo long before they were any good. Utah is a beautiful state too. Utah is to BYU : UT is to A&M... Sane secular alternative to the cult school.
UNT North Texas is in year 3 of Dan McCarney and year 1 of Conference USA. They have the most talent coming back they have had in a long time and the stink of the Todd Dodge experiment has finally left the air. This is moving year for McCarney, he didn't have much to work with coming in but this is his team now and needs to show something for it. Anything less than 6 wins would be a disappointment with the favorable home schedule.
Washington Huskies Steve Sarkisian's teams have bordered on becoming great. When they get victories over Stanford and Oregon State, but lose to teams like Wash St, the one step forward two steps back shuffle gets really old. Projected to place 4th in the Pac 12 North, the team should become a more consistent power, especially with their new digs at Husky Stadium. Oregon is still the class of the North, and with over 10 straight losses to the Ducks, it's time for the Huskies to put an end to that shameless streak. The loss to Wazzu in the Apple Cup last year is unforgivable. The loss to Boise State in the Maaco Bowl is disappointing. Up and coming Coach Sark's Husky legacy may rest on how well this team does this year.
U of H- I go to school there. My mom and one of my sisters graduated from there, and my dad went there before transferring to UT. I don't follow Cougar football nearly as closely as I do UT, but I still have a general idea of what their upcoming season may look like. The last three seasons, the Coogs have had records of 5-7, 12-1, and 5-7, respectively. What caused them to go 12-1? Case Keenum and a group of experienced wide receivers that wreaked havoc on C-USA. In both 5-7 seasons, Keenum wasn't available either due to injury or his NFL status, which led to David Piland starting. Piland is a capable quarterback, but does not possess the same ability that Keenum did to win games. Also, the Coog offense turned the ball over too much last season to garner much success. Their 35 turnovers was 118th worst in the nation. The loss of Charles Sims to West Virginia is a huge loss for this team. He was their most dynamic player. His under-utilization in their loss to Texas St. to start last season actually led to the firing of the Offensive Coordinator. The Cougar defense falls well short of dominant. While the Coog offense gave the ball away far too often, the defense did do a nice job of getting the ball back by forcing 31 turnovers. However, the D still allowed 36 PPG. The Coogs gave up 30+ points on 9 occasions last season, including 56 to LaTech and 72 to SMU. I honestly don't expect anything much more than a 6 or 7 win season. If UH can manage to win it's first 5 games, 8 or 9 wins may be possible. I just don't see them having too much success once they get into the heart of their conference schedule.
