A lot of game by game predictions are starting to come out

[bdgan]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

11-1 (40% chance), 10-2 (25%), 12-0 (20%), 9-3 (10%), 5% other. That's where I am currently.

Probability of loss: Ohio St 70%, USC 40%, Washington 25%, Wisconsin 25%, WVA 25%, Maryland 15%, UCLA 15%, Illinois 15%, Minn 10%, Purdue 5%, Bowling Green 5%, Kent St 1%

 

[bdgan]

11-1 (40% chance), 10-2 (25%), 12-0 (20%), 9-3 (10%), 5% other. That's where I am currently.

Probability of loss: Ohio St 70%, USC 40%, Washington 25%, Wisconsin 25%, WVA 25%, Maryland 15%, UCLA 15%, Illinois 15%, Minn 10%, Purdue 5%, Bowling Green 5%, Kent St 1%

You're slightly more optimistic than me. Hopefully Franklin's shorts don't get tight in the big games this year.

 

[Obliviax]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

the key to the season is probably USC. As an away game against a team with a lot of talent on offense, that is a heavy ask. Washington is a difficult game as well. But they have a new coach and lost a ton of talent.

 

[LandoComando]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

At Wisconsin should be higher than that IMO

 

[bvillebaron]

You're slightly more optimistic than me. Hopefully Franklin's shorts don't get tight in the big games this year.

ZZZZZZZZZZZ.

 

[lazydave841]

the key to the season is probably USC. As an away game against a team with a lot of talent on offense, that is a heavy ask. Washington is a difficult game as well. But they have a new coach and lost a ton of talent.

USC will be interesting regardless of their record because they should be really good on offense and it's our biggest road trip. They will also have 3 games under their belt which should give us an idea of where they stand (LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin).

Even if their offense is excellent, can they improve the defense enough to be a top tier team? Does Riley's offense allow for strong defense?

Washington, to me, is a complete unknown. They lost a lot to the NFL and graduation plus the HC is now gone to Sabanville. This is a team that has made the playoff twice AND finished 1-11 all in the 4 team playoff era time span.

I hope both teams are well equipped before we play them and we win, but they are both kind of question marks as far as how tough they will be, strictly as teams.

 

[Obliviax]

USC will be interesting regardless of their record because they should be really good on offense and it's our biggest road trip. They will also have 3 games under their belt which should give us an idea of where they stand (LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin).

Even if their offense is excellent, can they improve the defense enough to be a top tier team? Does Riley's offense allow for strong defense?

Washington, to me, is a complete unknown. They lost a lot to the NFL and graduation plus the HC is now gone to Sabanville. This is a team that has made the playoff twice AND finished 1-11 all in the 4 team playoff era time span.

I hope both teams are well equipped before we play them and we win, but they are both kind of question marks as far as how tough they will be, strictly as teams.

plus, it is at the Coliseum which could be a bucket list event for some. Or, maybe, the songbirds. I may go...we'll see.

 

[brupsu]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

Week off before wisky helps and I think the offense will be much much better

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

I think Washington will benefit after the USC, Wisconsin, Ohio St gauntlet. They won't be 2023 Washington, but they will still be dangerous. And win or lose, Ohio St will suck a ton of emotion out of this team. I think making that game the whiteout was very wise considering the emotional toll on top of the physical toll of the previous week(s).

 

[SR108]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

It comes down to the OLine IMO. Michigan won a National Championship because they played good defense and were able to run the ball when they needed to run the ball. They imposed their will on both PSU and TOSU when it counted, controlling the clock and scoring points.

We have the talent , size and depth this year on the OLine, but I don’t think our offensive scheme is conducive to shoving the ball down the throat of a good defense.

 

[BBHorn86]

I just hope they make the playoffs this year which will require a big win or maybe two because after this season medocrity will be upon us.

 

[wilbury]

Here's mine:

@ WVa - tough road game but a win.
Bowling Green - easy win
Kent State - easy win
Illinois - win
UCLA - win
@ USC - 40% chance
@ Wisconsin - 66% chance
OSU - Franklin doesn't have it in him
Washington - they're rebuilding and it's a home whiteout. win
@ Purdue - win
@ Minn - win
Maryland - win

PSU should beat USC but Moss threw 6 TD passes in USC's bowl game vs Louisville and I think PSU's defense will be slightly weaker than they were last year. This will be a tough game and Franklin has to show me that he can win this type of game on the road.

PSU also should beat Wisconsin but their defense should be able to keep it close and Camp Randall is a tough place to play.

Ohio State has better players but PSU is close behind due to the 2022 6th ranked recruiting class (Allar, Singleton, Carter, Sutton, etc). The game is at home which should be an equalizer but Franklin's shorts get tight in big games. I don't see that changing here.

I think we have a 70% chance of going 10-2, a 10% chance of going 11-1, and a20% chance of going 9-3 or worse.

USC isn't very good and I think the expectations for Moss are a little too high. I'd flip your percentages for USC vs Wisky. Wisconsin will be a tough game. WVU is getting overlooked too. First game with two new coordinators.

Washington is going to be bad but they might put some things together by the time we play them.

 

[LandoComando]

USC isn't very good and I think the expectations for Moss are a little too high. I'd flip your percentages for USC vs Wisky. Wisconsin will be a tough game. WVU is getting overlooked too. First game with two new coordinators.

Washington is going to be bad but they might put some things together by the time we play them.

WVU Is picked to finish 7th in a very mediocre Big XII. They aren't being overlooked. They're getting way too much respect. USC is better on paper than WVU by a wide margin

 

[bdgan]

WVU Is picked to finish 7th in a very mediocre Big XII. They aren't being overlooked. They're getting way too much respect. USC is better on paper than WVU by a wide margin

Everybody know that USC has more talent than WVa. The concern about the WVa game is that it's the first game of the season with a new OC, a new DC, and new starting OL, LBs, and CBs.

How many times last year were Allar and the WRs not on the same page? How many times was there confusion that forced us to waste a TO? Now add that we're playing the game in a hornet's nest. PSU obviously has more talent but sometimes it takes a little time to get things to gel.

 

[LandoComando]

Everybody know that USC has more talent than WVa. The concern about the WVa game is that it's the first game of the season with a new OC, a new DC, and new starting OL, LBs, and CBs.

How many times last year were Allar and the WRs not on the same page? How many times was there confusion that forced us to waste a TO? Now add that we're playing the game in a hornet's nest. PSU obviously has more talent but sometimes it takes a little time to get things to gel.

But it's not a concern--top teams constantly have turnover and they don't worry about middle of the road Big XII teams. A new OC/DC is standard at tons of top programs. Penn State fans just aren't used to that. It should be seamless.
We can play our C game and win. This isn't about winning by 40--this is a game we win 99 times out of 100 if not 100 times out of 100. We are so far superior that the angst here is about the past not the present.
If we can't beat WVU in the opener we all have unrealistic expectations about this team.
USC is a far tougher game--period. The have a better coach (by far) and more talent. Many here simply look down on them because of their lack of defense but they'll put up some points against us.
If we want our program to be considered elite and a playoff contender we have to stop trying to overhype a team picked to finish 7th in the Big XII. See what OU did to WVU last year. Ignore the smoke and mirrors of them beating 6-6ish Big XII teams last year.

 

[lazydave841]

USC isn't very good and I think the expectations for Moss are a little too high. I'd flip your percentages for USC vs Wisky. Wisconsin will be a tough game. WVU is getting overlooked too. First game with two new coordinators.

Washington is going to be bad but they might put some things together by the time we play them.

I don't know how to feel about USC. Riley essentially did nothing in 2 years with his hand picked QB and a slew of offensive transfers. A lot seems to be made of their bowl win, but they still have to figure out how to mesh a solid defense with that style of offense and Riley has yet to ever do it.

Additionally, a lot of Wisconsin love confuses me too. Again, another team I don't know how to rate yet. Tough environment. Road game. Just that they haven't beaten a good team under Fickell yet.

WVU isn't overlooked here. It's like 97% "they will be tough". Even BTN road trip show gave em props. It's the national media that doesn't have much faith in them. A lot is talked about our coordinators being new, but we aren't installing entirely new schemes. If our guys click, WVU is in for a long day. Our guys sputtered last year and it was a 2 TD victory.

Washington is a brand new team. Good luck to anybody predicting them.

 

[Obliviax]

I don't know how to feel about USC. Riley essentially did nothing in 2 years with his hand picked QB and a slew of offensive transfers. A lot seems to be made of their bowl win, but they still have to figure out how to mesh a solid defense with that style of offense and Riley has yet to ever do it.

Additionally, a lot of Wisconsin love confuses me too. Again, another team I don't know how to rate yet. Tough environment. Road game. Just that they haven't beaten a good team under Fickell yet.

WVU isn't overlooked here. It's like 97% "they will be tough". Even BTN road trip show gave em props. It's the national media that doesn't have much faith in them. A lot is talked about our coordinators being new, but we aren't installing entirely new schemes. If our guys click, WVU is in for a long day. Our guys sputtered last year and it was a 2 TD victory.

Washington is a brand new team. Good luck to anybody predicting them.

Agreed. Lots to be learned this season. The introduction of the West Coast teams, their style of play, travel, and the loss of the divisions all add up to a lot of unknowns. Throw in one more crazy NIL and portal year and you've got mayhem.

And aside from no proper white out and a lack of home games in the best college football month of the year (October), I really like our schedule. We have a good SOS and some challenging road games but they are all eminently winnable. We even play tOSU at home.

Aside from the national recruiting powers that include GA, tOSU, Alabama, Clemson, and UM anybody else is going to have to catch lightning in a bottle to win a Natty. I am talking about that rare combination when everything aligns. We have a really talented QB, a great Defense, perhaps the best RB and TE rooms in the nation. Our OL and DL should be stout. And a conducive schedule to hopefully catch fire and believe. We have a good WVU team who's weakness is the D secondary. Then we have three weeks to prepare. Maybe we can get some confidence against WVU and then fine tune until we get into the meat of the B1G season.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Agreed. Lots to be learned this season. The introduction of the West Coast teams, their style of play, travel, and the loss of the divisions all add up to a lot of unknowns. Throw in one more crazy NIL and portal year and you've got mayhem.

And aside from no proper white out and a lack of home games in the best college football month of the year (October), I really like our schedule. We have a good SOS and some challenging road games but they are all eminently winnable. We even play tOSU at home.

Aside from the national recruiting powers that include GA, tOSU, Alabama, Clemson, and UM anybody else is going to have to catch lightning in a bottle to win a Natty. I am talking about that rare combination when everything aligns. We have a really talented QB, a great Defense, perhaps the best RB and TE rooms in the nation. Our OL and DL should be stout. And a conducive schedule to hopefully catch fire and believe. We have a good WVU team who's weakness is the D secondary. Then we have three weeks to prepare. Maybe we can get some confidence against WVU and then fine tune until we get into the meat of the B1G season.

You aren't the only person who has mentioned a conducive schedule but to me, it is mixed at best.

I like WVU on the road to start. A tough game out of the gate that if PSU is a legit playoff team, it will only serve to lock in their focus early.

But outside of that, the toughest 4 games are back-to-back to back-to-back. Invariably teams get worn down physically and emotionally on stretches like that. The Big 10 did us 0 favors. I could see a letdown or 2 in that stretch even if we are the better team.

Now you don't see the SEC typically doing that with their top teams. They are smart enough to even give a pseudo-bye to their top teams with some out of conference creme puff before their big rivalry game at the end of the year. They don't want the top teams to have letdowns. They want them to maximize their records and go win big bowl games.

 

[Obliviax]

You aren't the only person who has mentioned a conducive schedule but to me, it is mixed at best.

I like WVU on the road to start. A tough game out of the gate that if PSU is a legit playoff team, it will only serve to lock in their focus early.

But outside of that, the toughest 4 games are back-to-back to back-to-back. Invariably teams get worn down physically and emotionally on stretches like that. The Big 10 did us 0 favors. I could see a letdown or 2 in that stretch even if we are the better team.

Now you don't see the SEC typically doing that with their top teams. They are smart enough to even give a pseudo-bye to their top teams with some out of conference creme puff before their big rivalry game at the end of the year. They don't want the top teams to have letdowns. They want them to maximize their records and go win big bowl games.

it is a good point but I did an analysis on this before. With all of those tough games, all of them have tough opponents before ours as well. The fact is, all of the good B1G teams have brutal schedules (Rutgers for whatever reason, got a complete pass and has the easiest schedule in the B1G by far).

 

[lazydave841]

you don't see the SEC typically doing that with their top teams

The thing the SEC has maintained that the Big 10 should have adopted is the 8 game conference schedule. We build in 9 more losses to our teams as a collective than the SEC does theirs and that affects perception of the middle of the pack crew.

The late November "bye week" (Bama vs Mercer) also helps, but is enabled by the 8 instead of 9 conference slate.

 

[SR108]

But it's not a concern--top teams constantly have turnover and they don't worry about middle of the road Big XII teams. A new OC/DC is standard at tons of top programs. Penn State fans just aren't used to that. It should be seamless.
We can play our C game and win. This isn't about winning by 40--this is a game we win 99 times out of 100 if not 100 times out of 100. We are so far superior that the angst here is about the past not the present.
If we can't beat WVU in the opener we all have unrealistic expectations about this team.
USC is a far tougher game--period. The have a better coach (by far) and more talent. Many here simply look down on them because of their lack of defense but they'll put up some points against us.
If we want our program to be considered elite and a playoff contender we have to stop trying to overhype a team picked to finish 7th in the Big XII. See what OU did to WVU last year. Ignore the smoke and mirrors of them beating 6-6ish Big XII teams last year.

We lose to USC if we allow the game to be a track meet, which is certainly possible. However, the new BIG west coast teams are not used to playing teams with solid to elite defenses. (See Mich vs Wash), and USC has been absolutely terrible on Defense. If we lose that game, we don’t deserve to be considered for the playoffs IMO.

 

[Obliviax]

We lose to USC if we allow the game to be a track meet, which is certainly possible. However, the new BIG west coast teams are not used to playing teams with solid to elite defenses. (See Mich vs Wash), and USC has been absolutely terrible on Defense. If we lose that game, we don’t deserve to be considered for the playoffs IMO.

USC will have played LSU, Michigan, and Wisconsin by the time we play them. They play @Minny the week before our game. We've got UCLA at home the week before traveling to SC. We then get a bye before playing @Wiscy.

My point is we'll have a bead on what kind of team USC is this year with a new QB and DC. As you stated, these are the kinds of games we need to win comfortably if we aspire to a Natty. Also, this is the game were a power-running attack would work well. West coast doesn't know defense or power running, for the most part. Utah is the best they've faced in the conference. ND in the regular season. I don't know if we have the OL or scheme for that.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

The thing the SEC has maintained that the Big 10 should have adopted is the 8 game conference schedule. We build in 9 more losses to our teams as a collective than the SEC does theirs and that affects perception of the middle of the pack crew.

The late November "bye week" (Bama vs Mercer) also helps, but is enabled by the 8 instead of 9 conference slate.

That 8 verses 9 is a huge boost to rankings. It means that SEC teams will have .5 fewer losses than Big 10 and they all benefit from that. The 11-1 SEC beat more barely ranked opponents that wouldn't be if they had 1 more conference loss. So they are ranked above 11-1 Big 10 teams. For as smart as northerners think they are relative to southerners (from a born and bred northerner), they sure make some really stupid policies that hold them back.

 

[SR108]

USC will have played LSU, Michigan, and Wisconsin by the time we play them. They play @Minny the week before our game. We've got UCLA at home the week before traveling to SC. We then get a bye before playing @Wiscy.

My point is we'll have a bead on what kind of team USC is this year with a new QB and DC. As you stated, these are the kinds of games we need to win comfortably if we aspire to a Natty. Also, this is the game were a power-running attack would work well. West coast doesn't know defense or power running, for the most part. Utah is the best they've faced in the conference. ND in the regular season. I don't know if we have the OL or scheme for that.

Our OLine is fine. We put Four guys in the NFL in the last two years. Their replacements this year are NFL caliber. It’s not the players, it’s the scheme. You don’t impose your will running the ball with three wide receivers and one back sets. The scheme we run would be better if we had three threats at WR, but we don’t. Neither did Michigan last year but they used power formations with extra OLinemen , and ran right at speed defenses like ours.

 

[ryoder1]

But it's not a concern--top teams constantly have turnover and they don't worry about middle of the road Big XII teams. A new OC/DC is standard at tons of top programs. Penn State fans just aren't used to that. It should be seamless.
We can play our C game and win. This isn't about winning by 40--this is a game we win 99 times out of 100 if not 100 times out of 100. We are so far superior that the angst here is about the past not the present.
If we can't beat WVU in the opener we all have unrealistic expectations about this team.
USC is a far tougher game--period. The have a better coach (by far) and more talent. Many here simply look down on them because of their lack of defense but they'll put up some points against us.
If we want our program to be considered elite and a playoff contender we have to stop trying to overhype a team picked to finish 7th in the Big XII. See what OU did to WVU last year. Ignore the smoke and mirrors of them beating 6-6ish Big XII teams last year.

100 out of 100 LOL. Until we show up in the tougher road games the fan base will be worried about playing even middling Power 4 teams on the road. We have new coordinators and yeah it would be great if this was a seamless transition but there is clearly the risk it won't be. I do agree that if we lose then we definitely are not elite and will probably lose to USC. The only caveat being there is time to improve but it depends how we lost like was it a fluke play or something. But most likely in that case the season will not go as we expected.

 

[LandoComando]

100 out of 100 LOL. Until we show up in the tougher road games the fan base will be worried about playing even middling Power 4 teams on the road. We have new coordinators and yeah it would be great if this was a seamless transition but there is clearly the risk it won't be. I do agree that if we lose then we definitely are not elite and will probably lose to USC. The only caveat being there is time to improve but it depends how we lost like was it a fluke play or something. But most likely in that case the season will not go as we expected.

Last year had we played them 100 times we wouldn't have lost. This isn't the 80s. The gap between tiers is bigger than ever and will continue to grow.

There is no Big 4. There's a Big 2 with ND FSU and maybe Clemson. The Big XII isn't a power conference and, again, that gap will rapidly grow.

 

[bdgan]

But it's not a concern--top teams constantly have turnover and they don't worry about middle of the road Big XII teams. A new OC/DC is standard at tons of top programs. Penn State fans just aren't used to that. It should be seamless.

That's probably what ND was thinking before they lost to Marshall 2 years ago.

 

[LandoComando]

That's probably what ND was thinking before they lost to Marshall 2 years ago.

And crazy things can happen but they shouldn't be expected. ND also wasn't very good (Freeman is horrible) which goes to my point that if we lose we're not even close to who we think we are.
Everyone needs to watch OU against WVU last year for all the insight you need. Again, we played, at best, our C game and we won easily. This isn't a challenge. That doesn't mean WVU can't win if we don't show up but if this team is at all prepared (no reason to believe they won't be) we win. I don't care if that's by 1 or 41.

 

[ryoder1]

Last year had we played them 100 times we wouldn't have lost. This isn't the 80s. The gap between tiers is bigger than ever and will continue to grow.

There is no Big 4. There's a Big 2 with ND FSU and maybe Clemson. The Big XII isn't a power conference and, again, that gap will rapidly grow.

We would not have beaten them 100 out of 100 last year.

 

[LandoComando]

We would not have beaten them 100 out of 100 last year.

We absolutely would have. They weren't cloee to our level. Stop letting their inflated record impact things. Look at who they beat last year in an awful Big XII. Watch the OU game. Again, we played horribly and won easily.

 

[ryoder1]

We absolutely would have. They weren't cloee to our level. Stop letting their inflated record impact things. Look at who they beat last year in an awful Big XII. Watch the OU game. Again, we played horribly and won easily.

I am just going my math and probabilities. I am not saying they were that good but not that bad either and we were not that good to sweep them 100 for 100. There would be at least one game we would lose to them. NW played us close and so did Illinois.

 

[LandoComando]

I am just going my math and probabilities. I am not saying they were that good but not that bad either and we were not that good to sweep them 100 for 100. There would be at least one game we would lose to them. NW played us close and so did Illinois.

Yet we won. And those teams would have a much better shot at beating WVU than WVU would have of beating us.

 

[ryoder1]

Yet we won. And those teams would have a much better shot at beating WVU than WVU would have of beating us.

Welp let's see how we look on 8/31. I agree it should be a comfortable win for us, 2 scores or more but that is why you play the game. Line is -10.5.

 

[bdgan]

Welp let's see how we look on 8/31. I agree it should be a comfortable win for us, 2 scores or more but that is why you play the game. Line is -10.5.

-10.5 is low enough that it could be a game. I could see PSU having a one score lead at half then winning by 2+ scores.

 

[ryoder1]

-10.5 is low enough that it could be a game. I could see PSU having a one score lead at half then winning by 2+ scores.

Absolutely. We should win and it shouldn't be in doubt late but it is not a laugher. Hopefully not the nailbiter type openers of '21 Wisconsin and '22 Purdue.

 

[bdgan]

Absolutely. We should win and it shouldn't be in doubt late but it is not a laugher. Hopefully not the nailbiter type openers of '21 Wisconsin and '22 Purdue.

22 Purdue is a good example of what can happen week 1 on the road. PSU had clearly superior talent but it took a late TD drive to pull out a 4 pt win.

 

[lazydave841]

22 Purdue is a good example of what can happen week 1 on the road. PSU had clearly superior talent but it took a late TD drive to pull out a 4 pt win.

That team was coming off the 4-5 covid year and a 7-6 year where we seemingly forgot how to win for a 2nd year in a row. The infusion of the then-freshmen RBs and Manny to the defense were huge acquisitions to that season, but they were not at full speed week 1.

 

[ryoder1]

Y

That team was coming off the 4-5 covid year and a 7-6 year where we seemingly forgot how to win for a 2nd year in a row. The infusion of the then-freshmen RBs and Manny to the defense were huge acquisitions to that season, but they were not at full speed week 1.

Yep. I'm hoping/expecting for us to come out stronger than those two games. Biggest difference on offense is a returning Allar vs those years featured a plateaued Clifford. Remember the Purdue game and Clifford almost blew the game with that terrible pick but he did engineer the GW drive. Need to see this upgrade of QBs on paper finally play out on the field for this game and all the games this season.