college football preview – Page 3

Appalachian State Mountaineers: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Appalachian State season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Appalachian State season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Appalachian State Schedule
– Appalachian State Mountaineers Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 9-3 overall, 6-2 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Shawn Clark, 2nd year, 10-3
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 68
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 62
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 6

Appalachian State Mountaineers College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– The offense did just about everything right except come up with a wee bit more production in the three losses to Marshall, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana. They were just this close to coming up with an even better season, but there was an Achilles’ heel – more on that in the Keys To The Season.

It’s a loaded team coming back from an O that finished second in the conference averaging 452 yards and 34 points per outing. It all starts with …

– Quarterback. Appalachian State has been Green Bay Packer-like in its quarterback luck since moving up to the FBS world. Taylor Lamb was the guy at an all-star Sun Belt level for four years, and then the reins were given to Zac Thomas who kept it all going for the last three.

Now it’s up to – most likely – Chase Brice to step in and produce after starting his career at Clemson before transferring to Duke. He’ll have to fight off last year’s No. 2 man Jacob Huesman and others.

Finding guys to throw to ins’t a problem. Star target Corey Sutton is back after opting out last year – he led the team in catches in 2018 and was second in 2019. He’s hardly alone with Thomas Hennigan and Malik Williams returning for their super-senior years after combining for 88 catches for well over 1,100 yards and six scores.

The receiving corps goes even deeper than that, and so does the group of tight ends with Henry Pearson, Miller Gibbs and Mike Evans all capable of being the No. 1 guy.

– The offensive line that paved the way for 265 rushing yards per game – sixth in the nation – and was solid in pass protection returns three starters around all-stars Baer Hunter at guard and tackle Cooper Hodges.

The running backs are crazy deep – not like wide receiver, but they’re strong. Camerun Peoples is the 6-2, 210-pounder who ran for 317 yards and five scores against North Texas, and he’s not alone – Daetrich Harrington and Nate Noel would be No. 1 backs almost anywhere else. Those three combined for 20 touchdown runs – and no, they didn’t all come in the bowl win over the Mean Green.

Oh, if that’s not enough, in comes Jahmir Smith from Notre Dame to add even more talent to the equation.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Appalachian State Schedule

NEXT: Appalachian State Mountaineers College Football Preview 2021: Defense

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UCF Knights: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the UCF season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the UCF season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– UCF Knights Schedule Analysis
– UCF Knights Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 6-4 overall, 5-3 in AAC
Head Coach: Gus Malzahn, 1st year (77-38 overall)
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 70
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 30
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 19

UCF Knights College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– 6-4 isn’t what UCF. is used to, but the offense was still amazing in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season overall.

Enter new head coach Gus Malzahn, and the offense that finished second in the nation in yards and eighth in points – cranking out 568 yards and 42 points per game – should be every bit as strong with eight starters expected back.

– So what’s going to be different from the Josh Heupel era? Expect a bit more power to the running game, a lot more midrange throws, big things about to come from the tight end, and a bit more ball control.

QB Dillon Gabriel is back after throwing for 3,570 yards and 32 touchdowns with just four picks. McKenzie Milton left for Florida State, but there are a few nice backup options starting with redshirt freshman Parker Navarro. Now the receivers have to emerge.

Smallish, speedy Jaylon Robinson returns, and Ryan O’Keefe is a decent option, but the real pop could come from the transfer portal. Nate Craig-Myers went from Auburn to Colorado State to follow Malzahn to UCF. He’s a deep threat to go along with Brandon Johnson from Tennessee and former big-time Notre Dame get Jordan Johnson.

And there’s going to be work for the tight end now. The Knights have a slew of options to fold into the mix starting with former Wisconsin Badger Jake Hescock who caught three touchdown passes last year for the Knights.

– All five starters are expected back on a line that was okay – not amazing – at keeping defenses out of the backfield. Senior guard Cole Schneider and center Matthew Lee are the stars of the bunch, but it’s a good line overall. Now the backs have to be there to block for.

Greg McCrae, Otis Anderson and Bentavious Thompson are gone. However, there’s a whole lot of speed and pop from Virginia transfer RJ Harvey – a quarterback who’ll likely be a running back – and Auburn’s Mark Anthony Richards to add even more pop. Sophomore Johnny Richardson needs the ball in his hands more, too.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– UCF Knights Schedule Analysis

NEXT: UCF Knights College Football Preview 2021: Defense

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Temple Owls: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Temple football season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Temple football season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Temple Schedule Analysis
– Temple Owls Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 1-6 overall, 1-6 in AAC
Head Coach: Rod Carey, 3rd year, 9-11 (61-41 overall)
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 110
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 71
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 54

Temple Owls College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– Temple didn’t have a lick of luck. It had a hard time getting the season going, it had a hard time coming up with any consistency, it never seemed able to get any sort of flow, and the offense wasn’t able to do much of anything right.

It finished tenth in the conference averaging just 348 yards and 20 points per game, the running game wasn’t there, the passing game was woefully inefficient, and …

– The pass protection was great. It was one of the few strong areas on the attack – the Owls allowed 12 sacks and a league-low 1.7 per game. That’s not anything to blow off – it’s a good base the rest of the offense needs to work around. Four starters are expected back with only new Colorado State Ram Vincent Picozzi gone at right guard.

Now the backs have to get more production without leading rusher Re’Man Davis. He left for Vanderbilt, but the Owls are bringing in two interesting talents in Iverson Clement from Florida and Ra’Von Bonner from Illinois. They’re both 200-pounders who can grind, and Tayvon Ruley is back after finishing second behind Davis – by only two yards – with 306 yards and a score.

– Things just got really interesting at quarterback. Six Owls threw at least two passes last year, but now leading passer Anthony Russo is gone to Michigan State, Trad Beatty is off to Georgia Tech, and in comes D’Wan Mathis.

The 6-6, 205-pounder was the starter for a cup of coffee at Georgia last year, and now the one-time star recruit combines with former Iowa State big get Re-al Mitchell to try making the passing game go.

The guys are there in the receiving corps. This might not a high-powered attack to showcase his skills, but Jadan Blue is one of the AAC’s better receivers, and he’s not alone with four of the top five targets back. That includes tight end David Martin-Robinson, who caught 11 passes for 147 yards.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Temple Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Temple Owls College Football Preview 2021: Defense

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Expectations For The 2nd Year Head Coaches: 21 For 2021 College Football Topics, No. 15

21 for 2021 College Football Topics: What are the reasonable expectations for the second year college football head coaches this season?

21 for 2021 College Football Topics, No. 15: What are the reasonable expectations for the second year college football head coaches this season?

2nd Year Head College Football Coach Expectations For 2021

If you were a new head coach last season, there’s not much else that can be thrown at you after 2020.

Even the longtime veterans had to completely change up everything as they tried to navigate their way through the craziness and changes. Teams didn’t have a real offseason to get up and going, no one had the proper time to prepare, and just about everyone had to deal with the prospect of a cancelled season.

Combine the global pandemic with a revitalized era of social consciousness, and last year was anything but routine for the new head coaches. But now they all have a year to try getting their programs going.

21 for 2021 College Football Topics
21: 21 Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes
20: 5 Best Programs To Not Make CFP
19: 5 Teams That Will Rebound
18: 5 Teams That Will Take A Step Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches

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What can fans hope for out of each second year head coach, and what can they look forward to over the next five seasons? Here’s the breakdown of all them in four categories.

– The rebuild continues
– Mild expectations … but go bowling
– Go bowling, and maybe do more
– 2020 is over … WIN NOW

Coaches in each category listed in alphabetical order

2021 2nd Year College Football Head Coach Expectations: Keep The Rebuild Going

These coaches took over impossible situations even if 2020 was normal. They get the equivalent of a redshirt year as they now try to build things back up.

Marcus Arroyo, UNLV

2020: It didn’t go well. UNLV is a much, much tougher gig than it seems, and Arroyo’s team struggled with the program’s first winless season since 1998. The Rebels went 0-6 losing all six game by double-digits.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: Just start looking more dangerous. There should be a few wins coming, but UNLV will be the underdog in just about every game. Even so, there has to be a sign of life – especially defensively.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Build the program up. UNLV has been a perennial doormat with just one winning season since 2000. Arroyo will get plenty of time, but there has to be incremental improvement starting with a bowl game in 2021.
– 2021 UNLV Preview

Danny Gonzales, New Mexico

2020: As 2-5 seasons go, it wasn’t all that bad. New Mexico was in total redo mode, but it was competitive in losses to Hawaii and Nevada and won its final two games at Wyoming and Fresno State. Gonzales did what all first year head coaches in tough situations need to do – he showed the potential for positive things to happen going forward.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: Make a push for a bowl game. It’s still going to be a work in progress, but the Lobos have a few nice parts – getting Kentucky QB Terry Wilson helps – and there should be a built-in four wins as a base.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Four bowl appearances over the next five years with one big push of a season at some point to get into Mountain West title contention.
– 2021 New Mexico Preview

Ricky Rahne, Old Dominion

2020: Everything was about to get going and then … nope. Old Dominion chose to opt out on the season.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: It’s really Rahne’s first season at the helm. On the plus side, he had a full season to get settled in, and he’s got a salty bunch of players ready to go. At least four wins is a reasonable goal, but ODU is a true X factor team as it gets up and going again.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Three bowl appearances and at least one push for the Conference USA East title. Overall, it’s going to be a heavy lift in the tougher of the two C-USA divisions.
– 2021 Old Dominion Preview

Jeff Scott, USF

2020: The Bulls went 1-8 with that lone victory coming over The Citadel from the FCS world. The offense perked up at times, but not enough to overcome a woeful defense.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: It’s still going to be an uphill climb. USF might have even more offensive punch, but the D has to go from miserable to just mediocre. It’ll be ugly at times, but getting to four wins would be a step forward.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Make the offense unstoppable. The Bulls need to quickly grow into a regular on the bowl circuit, be in the American Athletic title chase within three years, and come up with at least two wins over UCF.
– 2021 USF Preview

– Mild expectations … but go bowling
– Go bowling, and maybe do more
– 2020 is over … WIN NOW

NEXT: 2021 2nd Year College Football Head Coach Expectations: Mild Expectations, But Go Bowling

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The Athletic lists Wisconsin as one of CFB’s biggest overachievers over the last four years

Has Wisconsin overachieved or underachieved over the last four seasons?

The Wisconsin football program is known for turning middle-of-the-pack recruiting results into consistent 10-win seasons and Big Ten Championship appearances.

While it hasn’t gotten over the hump and won the conference since 2012, the program has been the model of consistency across the college football landscape.

Earlier Friday, The Athletic’s Max Olson looked across the college football landscape and analyzed which programs have outperformed and which have underperformed on the field based on their recruiting rankings.

Who are college football's biggest overachievers and underachievers?

A look at 4-year performance vs. recruiting: https://t.co/YFHpbjSsYT pic.twitter.com/iM1RwctTPr

— Max Olson (@max_olson) July 9, 2021

As seen above, Wisconsin is unsurprisingly No. 3 in Olson’s study, trailing only the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones. Specifically, Wisconsin’s on-field rank of No. 11 over the last few years is a whole 29 spots ahead of their recruiting ranking of No. 40.

The top 10 on both sides is littered with Big Ten teams. Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Indiana are in the top 10 of overachievers. Rutgers, Maryland and Nebraska are in the top 10 of underachievers.

Nobody should be surprised by these results. If anything, they should shine more light on the years to come as Wisconsin has put together some pretty dang impressive years on the recruiting trail.

We now just have to wait a few months to see it happen on the football field.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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College Football News Preseason All-SEC Football Team: Preview 2021

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the SEC season with the College Football News Preseason All-SEC Team & Top 30 players.

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the SEC season with the College Football News Preseason All-SEC Team & Top 30 players.

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2021 Preseason CFN SEC Offensive Player of the Year

RB Kevin Harris, Jr. South Carolina

It was impossible to put together the SEC Top 30 Players list – it could’ve been a top 50 list and several great players would’ve been missing – and it’s just as nasty to try coming up with one signature preseason offensive star going into the season.

Texas A&M is loaded with weapons, Georgia will have its share of stars, and of course Alabama will replace the former all-time greats with new ones. For now, going into the season, Harris is the safe call – knowing that another Joe Burrow, or DeVonta Smith, or Mac Jones is right around the corner.

And there’s a chance Harris doesn’t even have to handle all the work with the expected return of MarShawn Lloyd from a knee injury. Even so, the 5-10, 225-pound Harris is a proven star for a team that needs as many reliable parts as it can get.

Harris ran for an SEC-best 114 rushing yards per game with 1,138 yards and 15 scores averaging over six yards per carry, and at least early on under Shane Beamer, he’s going to be the one to work the attack around.

2021 Preseason CFN SEC Defensive Player of the Year

CB Derek Stingley Jr., Soph. LSU

You’re going to probably need to go off of respect and sheer talent when it comes to acknowledging – arguably – the best player in college football this season. The future likely NFL Pro Bowl star might not have a whole lot to do with team after team staying away from him.

Blow off the stats – or the lack of them – going forward. He only made 27 tackles with five broken up passes and no picks last year, and that might be around what he does this season. The better passing teams will go at him once in a while – Eli Ricks is no picnic on the other side – but not often.

2021 CFN Preseason All-SEC Team
2021 CFN SEC Top 30 Players

NEXT: CFN 2021 Preseason All-SEC Team

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College Football News Preseason All-Independent Football Team: Preview 2021

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the season with the College Football News Preseason All-Independent Team & Top 30 players.

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the Independent season with the College Football News Preseason All-Independent Team & Top 30 players.

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2021 Preseason CFN Independent Offensive Player of the Year

QB Malik Willis, Jr. Liberty

The former Auburn Tiger has turned into a superstar and interesting pro prospect for Liberty. He’s not huge, but the 6-1, 215-pounder is one of the nation’s top dual-threat playmakers, throwing for well over 2,000 yards with 20 touchdowns along with 944 rushing yards and 14 scores last season. He’s got everyone around him to do even more.

2021 Preseason CFN Independent Defensive Player of the Year

S Kyle Hamilton, Jr. Notre Dame

Hamilton might not be the best defensive player in college football, but he’s not far off. When it comes to what you want in a next-level safety, here you go – 6-4, 219-pound size, big-time hitting skills, range, and the smarts and instincts to always be in the right position. He’s about to get an even higher profile as the star of a rebuilding Irish team.

2021 CFN Preseason All-Independent Team
2021 CFN Independent Top 30 Players

NEXT: CFN 2021 Preseason All-Independent Team

Pages: 123

College Football News Preseason All-Big Ten Football Team: Preview 2021

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the Big Ten season with the College Football News Preseason All-Big Ten Team & Top 30 players.

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the Big Ten season with the College Football News Preseason All-Big Ten Team & Top 30 players.

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2021 Preseason CFN Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Sr. Minnesota

There isn’t a ton of flash, and he might not be at the hype level of a star quarterback, but Ibrahim is a tough, steady producer going into his fourth season as one of the nation’s best running backs.

Minnesota didn’t have the passing game of the 2019 team, and there wasn’t the running back rotation of the 2018 version, but Ibrahim still battled with 20 or more carries in every game. He ran the ball over 200 times in the seven game season for 1,076 yards and 15 scores. He’ll once again be a 100-yard machine.

Keeping with the theme of steady-over-sensational for the Big Ten preseason top players …

2021 Preseason CFN Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

LB Olakunie Fatukasi, Sr. Rutgers

Who’s Olakunie Fatukasi? No, he’s not an elite NFL prospect like some of the other Big Ten defensive talents, and he doesn’t play for Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin or Penn State. Also, Tyshon Fogg might be the longtime main man for the Rutgers defense, but the 6-1, 234-pound senior is a tough all-around defender. All he did was lead the Big Ten in tackles in 2020.

He wasn’t new to the mix. A bit smaller but still tough, he came up with 85 tackles as a junior, but under the new coaching staff he followed it up by doing just about everything with 101 stops with three sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

2021 CFN Preseason All-Big Ten Team
2021 CFN Big Ten Top 30 Players

NEXT: CFN 2021 Preseason All-Big Ten Team

Pages: 123

College Football News Preseason All-Sun Belt Football Team: Preview 2021

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the Sun Belt season. College Football News Preseason All-Sun Belt Team & Top 30 players.

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the Sun Belt season with the College Football News Preseason All-Sun Belt Team & Top 30 players.

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2021 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year

QB Grayson McCall, Soph. Coastal Carolina

There are a whole lot of good quarterbacks in the Sun Belt. Louisiana’s Levi Lewis has been around for forever, Arkansas State’s Layne Hatcher might throw for a bazillion yards, South Alabama is getting in transfer Jake Bentley, Georgia Tech transfer James Graham is a perfect fit for Georgia Southern, and Georgia State’s Cornelious Brown is outstanding.

Until Grayson McCall starts to screw up, he’s the guy.

Brilliant in the program’s breakout season, he completed 69% of his throws for close to 2,500 yards and 26 touchdowns with just three picks, and he ran for seven touchdowns. Now he’s a year older, his team is every bit as good, and he should once again be special.

2021 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year

LB Carlton Martial, Jr. Troy

Just 5-9 and 210 pounds, he’s not built to be a big linebacker who can do huge things, he’s as pound-for-pound tough as any defender in the Sun Belt. The only player in the conference to averaged ten or more tackles per game – and one of two to average more than nine – he hit everything with 113 stops coming off a 126-tackle season. Just assume 100 more tackles are coming.

2021 CFN Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
2021 CFN Sun Belt Top 30 Players

NEXT: CFN 2021 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team

Pages: 123

College Football News Preseason All-MAC Football Team: Preview 2021

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the MAC season with the College Football News Preseason All-MAC Team & Top 30 players.

Preview 2021: Previewing and looking ahead to the MAC season with the College Football News Preseason All-MAC Team & Top 30 players.

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2021 Preseason CFN MAC Offensive Player of the Year

QB Dustin Crum, Sr. Kent State

Really? The Kent State starting quarterback is getting interest from the NFL world? Yup, and that’s because 6-3, 207-pound guys who can run a fast-paced offense and can move work at the next level.

Phenomenal at the end of the 2019 season as he led the team to comeback wins and a bowl victory, he was brilliant last year hitting 74% of his throws with 12 touchdowns and two picks – to go along with 240 rushing yards and four scores – in just four games. Now he should take the FlashFast style of O to another level.

2021 Preseason CFN MAC Defensive Player of the Year

DE Troy Hairston, Sr. Central Michigan

The MAC is full of big-time pass rushers and excellent defensive linemen who’ll put up big stats and huge plays. The best of the returning lot is a 5-11, 245-pound undersized end and oversized linebacker who’ll once again play in a hybrid role to make a whole lot of big things happen.

He was okay as a junior, but last year he took off with 42 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in just six games. It’s going to keep on rolling on a veteran D.

2021 CFN Preseason All-MAC Team
2021 CFN MAC Top 30 Players

NEXT: CFN 2021 Preseason All-MAC Team

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