First off, reading my Phil Steele magazine, i'm stoked for the upcoming season.
Secondly, I look forward to another season of handicapping and exchanging opinions with you guys
Thirdly, Watch out for my Temple Owls. Last year I posted the same thread and told you they'd be bowl bound. They were three plays away from that happening last year and the talent is there to win the MAC outright.
Over the next few weeks we'll examine the factors as to why the Owls will make a bowl game and why YOU will benefit from it.
Schedule: The schedule breaks very well for the Owls BUT I think a lot of this season rides on the first game. I know it's Villanova but the Owls opened up the Linc with the Vilecats a couple of years ago and lost a tough one. Because of this, there was apathy in the fan base and the team coasted to a crappy record.
Temple is better then Vilenova. Bar none. There is no way that the Owls should lose this game. Many of the VU players wouldnt make it on Temple's roster. This should draw a good crowd with a lot of Owls and Vilecat fans in the stands. A win here and the season sets up nicely. A week off before Penn State....I'm not crazy, they will lose this game...it will be ugly....people will jump off....they won't be able to get bowl game tix.
Buffalo at home the next week is a win. No Drew Willy and a Temple team who SHOULD have won there will be foaming at the mouth for this one. @ Eastern Michigan could be tough...then again EMU sucks. Temple may be favored in this one and if they aren't, take the Owls (3-1). Back home for a rebuilding Ball State team and a bad Army team. There is no reason TU couldnt win both. BSU is without Love and Davis so their offense is a work in progress.
5-1 Temple @ Toledo. This one will be tough. I'll give em a loss here then probably a loss at Navy even though Temple had that one in the bag last year. No Kaipo to save them although Dobbs ran the offense well. Miami Ohio at home is a win so the Owls are 6-3 on the season so far. @ Akron, Kent State, @ Ohio is a tough stretch to finish the season out with. Akron's gonna be good and so could Ohio. The Kent State game is a win. Temple wins there last year if it wasn't a monsoon at the game.
7-5 is my record for this team and that's not accounting for flukes that should start to go Temple's way with the wins. This program is on the rise. My only worry is a Villanova loss to open the season. A nova loss and another losing record is all but assured.
Next up we'll discuss the offense and defense.