Here are my keys to the Huskies upcoming 2008 season:- Locker’s Passing - Last year he had a 46% accuracy rate and more interceptions than touchdowns. Quarterbacks generally make their biggest jump in proficiency between their freshman and sophomore years which bodes well for Locker this year. He can only get better.
- Defense - Last year it was as bad as it gets. It was the worst in Husky history and near the bottom in division I football. You can only go up from the basement. New coaches and new players give us new hope.
- 2nd Half Losses - The Huskies led, were tied, or were down by less than 1 touchdown at halftime in 12 of the 13 games last season. If they can hold on or figure out how to adjust in the 2nd half, they'll get more wins.
- 5 Close Losses - Last season the Huskies had 5 losses by a touchdown or less (as many as anyone in division I football). Put it down to bad luck or bad breaks. Sometimes things bounce your way and sometimes they don’t. Based on research conducted by Phil Steele, a team with 5 close losses has a 89% chance of having a better record the following year.
My prediction for the Huskies is between 4-8 and 7-5. Listed below is what it’ll take to win 7. Tyrone likely keeps his job with 6 wins and a bowl game. 7 wins guarantee it.
- Bottom Tier - need to win both (+2 wins)
- Stanford - must/need win
- WSU - must/need win - Middle Tier - need to win 2 of these (+4 wins)
- Arizona - win
- Oregon State - win
- UCLA - loss - Top Tier - need to win 1 of these (+5 wins)
- California - loss
- Oregon - win
- Arizona State - loss
- USC - loss - Non-Conference - need to win at least 1 of these (+6 wins)
- BYU - win
- Oklahoma - loss
- Notre Dame - win (7th win)
This weekend - As you can see I’m going with a win over Oregon. The loss of some key Oregon players from last year and their quarterback situation makes me think they won’t be as strong as last year. Even though I pick a win, it’ll be close…by 3 points or less.
Go Dawgs! Kent
No comments:
Post a Comment