2013 Outlook - Pittsburgh

Pitt has gone through an incredible amount of turnover at the HC spot over the past few seasons.  Considering this, the relatively strong play from this team is fairly remarkable.  Although the finished last season 6-7, they were definitely better than that.  Now that Paul Chryst comes in to take over, the team will need to learn yet another new system, but if he has the success many think he will, he could be at Pitt for a long time.



As of this writing, it appears that SR QB Tino Sunseri will be the signal caller for the Panthers this season, but with a new HC that could change, especially considering how high Chryst is on FR Chad Voytik.  But if it is Suneri under center, then he will need to get more focused on offense for this team to improve over last year.  Although he completed a nice percentage of his passes last year (64%) he also threw 11 picks to his 10 TDs.  He will have to get better a his decision making.  He does have some weapons around him though that could help him with that.  SR Ray Graham at RB is one of the most electric players in the nation.  He is quick, and can cut on a dime.  If he can hold up from injuries this season, he could be one of the better backs in the land.  At WR, JR Devin Street is coming off a good SO campaign.  His continued improvement, along with the reliable hands of SR Mike Shanahan will make for a nice pair for Sunseri to target. Up front, SR OG Chris Jacobson was granted a 6th year of eligibility after missing almost all of last year due to injury. He will need to be a leader up front, as the other guys are good but not great.

On the defensive side of the ball, the front four and back four are both strengths for this team.  Up front, JR Aaron Donaldson proved he can get after the QB, recording 11 sacks and 11 QB hurries in only 5 starts last year.  He is poised for a breakout year this season.  The other young guys, SO DE TJ Clemmings and SO DT Khaynin Mosley-Smith are also very talented and could be in line to emerge as play makers.  The linebackers are inexperienced but athletic.  At this point none of these guys stands out as a typical Pittsburgh play maker at the position, but it does not mean that one or more of these youngsters cannot emerge throughout the year.  The secondary has some real talent lined up this year too.  JR CB K'Waun Williams has NFL talent, and after a really solid season a year ago, he could be in line for an All American type of year.  SR S Jarred Holley has been an outstanding contributor for the last three years, and now he is positioned for another very strong season.  The Williams-Holley combination will make  for some unhappy QBs in the Big East.

Learning a new system is never an easy thing, and for this Panthers team, it has become an all too regular situation.  They have talent in a lot of places, and I expect them to win some games this season, but it will be hard for them to push for a conference title in this final season of Big East play.

2013 Outlook - Rutgers

This past offseason was quite tumultuous for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.  Just before national signing day, the Knights found out that their long time HC, Greg Schiano had taken the HC position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaving the program in the hands of Kyle Flood.  Flood saved most of the schools commitments, but now has to focus on the new task of not letting Schiano's defection to the NFL hurt this program.



The first order of business for Flood will be deciding on a starting QB for this season.  SO QB Gary Nova is very talented, but his accuracy is not so good, and he has show a propensity for turning the ball over. JR Chad Dodd had a bit more success last season, but I emphasize the word "bit".  He also lacks the upside that Nova has.  It will be interesting to see on who Flood settles with, but whoever gets the call will need to be careful with the football, and focus on upping their accuracy.  At RB, Savon Huggins will get a second chance to prove he can be the feature back Rutgers thought they were getting when they recruited him.  He had a dismal freshman campaign, eventually ending with him injured.  He has immense upside though, so it will be interesting to see how he develops.  At receiver, Rutgers has SR Mark Hamilton, who had a bad year last season, but a very nice year prior.  He spent most of last year hurt though, so if he proves he can return to his '09 form, this could be a nice final year in Jersey for him.  Also at receiver is SO Brandon Coleman.  Coleman is big, fast, and strong.  He has everything you want in a target, and could develop into a very dangerous threat this season, and possibly a nationally recognized receiver next year.  Up front, the group only returns two starters from a year ago, but one of them, SO OT Kaleb Johnson was a Freshman All-American.  He shows real promise, but the o-line as a whole may be a little of a question mark.

Defensively, this team is in great shape, with each defensive unit boasting a real standout leader.  Up front that guy is SR DT Scott Vallone.  At 6'3", 275lbs, Vallone is exceptionally fast, and he is an excellent tackler.  He was hurt last season, and the team really missed his presence.  If FR DE Darius Hamilton can live up to his lofty expectations, this team will have a very good front who can pressure opposing QBs while still holding up against the run.  At linebacker, SR MLB Steve Beauharnais is a very nice ball player who has shown a good nose for the football.  Even more special than him however, is SR OLB Khaseem Green.  The converted safety exploded at his new position last year and picked up over 140 tackles.  If he keeps developing, defensive All-American honors, and a top two round draft grade are both within reach.  In the secondary, the team has a few very good players, but no one stands out more than JR CB Logan Ryan.  Ryan is already getting attention as a possible first round talent should he come out early.  Even better would be if he stays an extra year in school, and keeps improving.  He has exceptional upside so it is hard to say how good he could become.

Rutgers has some very good talent in place, and some more that is ready to emerge.  The biggest question mark will be what will the absence of Greg Schiano mean for this program.  Maybe Kyle Flood can keep things moving, without even missing a beat.  That is the goal.  But it is no way a certainty.  Once this team settles on a QB, they can focus on some of the weak points, and they could become a conference contender immediately.

2013 Outlook - Louisville

After a storied career as a coordinator for the National Champion Florida Gators, Charlie Strong was given his first head coaching opportunity two years back at Louisville.  Now he enters that talked about third year with a lot of promise to return the program to the pre Steve Krathgrope levels and beyond.



Although he is only a SO, QB Teddy Bridgewater is already being talked about as the next great Louisville QB with designs on the NFL.  He can run and pass, and he showed last year that he is a team leader too.  He is efficient under center, and that combination of skills bodes well for both his, and Louisville's future.  At RB this season, I expect somewhat of a RB by committee approach, despite Strong's preference for having a feature back.  JRs Dominique Brown and Jeremy Wright both saw time last season, and neither emerged as that go to guy Strong wants.  At receiver, Bridgewater has a young group, many of whom got experience last season as freshmen.  SOs Michaelee Harris, Eli Rogers, and Devante Parker all will have the time to develop along with Bridgewater and although it may not be an uber-productive unit this season, the future is definately bright.  The o-line is shaping up to be a nice combination of both experience and youth.  The group will be led by SR C Mario Benavides, who is one of the very best Cs in the conference.  He is coming off an injury, and if he comes back full stregnth, this unit should be much more productive that the one from a year ago.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals are also a fairly inexperienced bunch.  The weakest part of this defense is the front four.  The 2 JRs and 2 SOs may have nice futures in front of them, but at this time, I see no stand outs in this group.  They are a heavier unit than in previous seasons, which should make them more sturdy at the point of attack, but only time will tell if this converts into more success.  The linebackers have a nice leader in JR MLB Preston Brown.  Last season, he emerged as an excellent tackler.  If his game continues to develop, and he rounds out his skill set, he could be a draft prospect next year.  The secondary is the real strength of this defense.  SR CB Adrian Bushell is coming off an all-conference season a year ago. He has not yet reached his ceiling, and with more development could come even better production.  In addition to Bushell, both safeties have the potential for breakout years.  JR Hakeem Smith has the potential to be very good, and SO Clavin Pryor is still a little raw, but shows great promise.  I think with these three guys all patrolling the secondary, it is going to make it difficult for opposing signal callers to throw against the Cardinals.

Charlie Strong is poised for a very nice third season.  His Louisville Cardinals should be one of the better teams in the Big East, even in position to compete for the conference title.  This is still a young team though, so there will be mistakes.  One thing is certain though, Louisville has a lot to look forward to over then next few years.

2013 Outlook - South Florida

Just like with the discussion of Texas Tech and their HC Tommy Tuberville, the South Florida Bulls and their HC Skip Holtz are entering their third year of marriage, and just like in Lubbock, the fans in Tampa are growing restless wanting to see some results.  Will this be the year that Holtz begins to deliver on some of his promise?



SR QB BJ Daniels is entering his third full season as the starter for the Bulls, and there are some lofty expectations for the dual threat signal caller.  He has won some big games, but also played inconsistently, prone to key turnovers when trying to do too much.  If the Bulls are going to compete for the conference crown, he will need to reduce his turnovers and increase his consistency.  At RB, the Bulls lost their feature back from a year ago, Darrell Scott.  Now, SR Demetris Murray takes over.  Murray shows a lot of promise, but has yet to put it all together leaving a question mark at the position.  The receiving options for this team are very good though.  JR Sterling Griffin was really emerging last season before sustaining a concussion, and now, paired with very highly touted transfer, SO Chris Dunkley, this team should be able to stretch a defense.  SR OG Danous Estenor and SR OT Mark Popek will lead an o-line that should continue their recent year-over-year improvement trend, putting South Florida in position to score some points.

Defensively, this defense is always fast and aggressive, and this year's version should be no different.  DE Ryne Giddens is entering his JR year, and by the end of last season, he was showing flashes of the talent that made him such a sought after prospect.  If he continue to improve, and SR DT Cory Grissom plays to his ability, this defensive front will be tough against both the pass and rush.  On a side note, the very highly touted Notre Dame transfer, Aaron Lynch will not be eligible until next year, but the Giddens/Lynch combination has the potential to be even better than the Selvie/Pierre-Paul combination from a few seasons ago.  At linebacker, all of the starters from last season return.  OLBs Sam Barrington and DeDe Lattimore are both poised for breakout seasons, and if they can help prevent opposing offenses from isolating against SR MLB Michael Lanaris, who is a liability in coverage, this unit will be very good.  The secondary also features some outstanding athletes.  SR CB Kayvon Webster has all of the athletic skill you want in a cover corner, but to date has not been able to put together the breakout year that has been expected.  If he can turn it around, while SR S Jon Lejiste cuts down on his mistakes, this secondary will be a difficult unit to face.

Skip Holtz has had the time to install his system, and start adding some of his players.  This is the most talent Bulls team he has had in his tenure in Tampa, so he should be able to improve on last season's disappointing 5-7 output.  If the team can reduce the turnovers, they may be able to avoid the mid season swoon which has become synonymous with South Florida football, and they may even compete for the conference crown this year.

2013 Big 12 Outlook

EZ Football Futures 2013 Pre-Season Big 12 Hot Stocks

QB     Landry Jones, Oklahoma

RB     Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State

WR    Terrance Williams, Baylor

WR    Tavon Austin, West Virginia

TE      Jordan Najvar, Baylor

OT     LaAdrian Waddle, Texas Tech

OT     Michael Bowie, Oklahoma State

OG    Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma

OG    Jeff Braun, West Virginia

C       Joe Madsen, West Virginia

DE     Alex Okafor, Texas

DE     Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas

DT     JaMarkus Mcfarland, Oklahoma

DT     Casey Walker, Oklahoma

OLB  Arthur Brown, Kansas State

ILB    AJ Klein, Iowa State

ILB    Tom Wart, Oklahoma

OLB   Jake Knott, Iowa State

CB      Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State

CB      Quandre Diggs, Texas

S         Kenny Vaccaro, Texas

S         Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

EZ Football Futures 2013 Predicted Big 12 Final Standings

1. Oklahoma Sooners

2. Texas Longhorns

3. Oklahoma State Cowboys

4. West Virginia Mountaineers

5. Kansas State Wildcats

6. TCU Horned Frogs

7. Baylor Bears

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders

9. Kansas Jayhawks

10. Iowa State Cyclones

EZ Football Futures 2013 Predicted Big 12 Conference Champion