https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...otball-yellow-jackets-prediction-preview-2019 Nothing earth-shattering. Doesn't mention our best returning DL passed away and our best returning OL transferred out. Also goes lite on the impact of transfers in. Otherwise accurate assessment of our strengths and weaknesses IMO. 75th feels low, but we get to prove it wrong shortly.
I've always wondered why people give a öööö about the opinions of writers/personalities who have never played the game they talk about.
Agreed. It’s some random ass dude with a laptop and a deadline. His opinion is no more informed than any dbag on stingtalk (except for corndog because pirates).
Unless they pick us as a dark horse to finish first in the Coastal in which case the guy is a genius who has clearly done his homework. Seriously tho - back in the 80s and 90s, I used to count the days until the Athlon preview showed up in the grocery store. Not so much anymore.
I had a close personal friend who did pre-season rankings as well as topical reports during the season and the characterization as a "random ass dude with a laptop and a deadline" is scarily spot on ...
Because typically they are no more or less valid than the opinions of former players. Should we be sitting on edge waiting to hear what Tommy Bowden (former player, 2x ACC Coach of the year, etc..) has to say?
Because we need to improve the perception of our program. When perception changes, recruits and fans will jump on board. This should lead to more victories. Having said that, it really doesn't matter that much.
Was Braun really going to get significant playing time? He’s a good run blocker but really struggled to pass block anytime our QBs dropped back to throw.
Call me crazy but I am way more optimistic than the average person about this transition year than most. I dont think 6-6 is out of the question. Only Clemson and UGA (yuck) are unwinnable games on our schedule. The Citadel is the only gimme game, though. That leaves us 9 games to go 5-4 or better. Hard this year but doable. The realist in me says we go 3-6 in those 9 games for a 4-8 year but Collins is a solid DC so I think we will at least be competitive in most of those games. If a few breaks go our way in a couple games, 3-6 turns into 5-4 and a bowl game. Not impossible!