PSU/Franklin doesn't need another bowl loss. All we'll hear is that PSU was 0-3 against ranked teams.
The defense needs to step up. A great defensive effort and this is a PSU win, and yes, it can be done without jpj.
A -2.5 spread at this point in Vegas is no big deal for what many perceive as a home game for Utah. Let's see whose fan base shows up... if any.
Being Utah hasn’t beaten a P5 OOC team since 2017, one cannot say they win games like this either.
My biggest concerns are being able to stop Utah's power running game (didn't work out well at Michigan) and getting the passing game going without Parker.
Our running game has certainly improved but I still think we have to throw to open up the run. Running Singleton between the tackles isn't going to get it done.
Based on defensive performance last year after PJ's loss, it is clear he is replaceable. I not terribly worried there. What concerns me is our size strength issues up front on the edge. They are still there despite being a major factor in one game due to the softer than expected schedule. Utah is going to emulate the offensive approach Michigan used and has the personnel to do it, mostly. Michigan's approach mirrored what BYU (and a few others) did when Diaz was at Texas and it got him fired. Both used a dynamic man blocking scheme effectively neutralizing Diaz's pressure concepts blowing open massive holes in the process. He still hasn't figured out how to fully deal with this approach as evidenced by our struggles against Michigan State.
Good point, and we probably want to avoid Singleton running up the middle given how physical Utah is, he will very likely put the ball on the ground.
First of all, Utah doesn't have the same level of personnel that Michigan has. If they did, they'd easily be undefeated in that conference. And we didn't struggle on defense vs. Michigan State. They had 25 yards rushing.
Boy, where to start here? PSU is 2-1 vs the teams you have mentioned as being close to Utah in their last 3 meetings. USC RB Jones is as good as Singleton and Allen? I guess we watch a little differently. I like their coach, but Wittingham has 7 losses in the last two years. If he doesn't get outcoached, I guess they played 7 teams better than them. No doubt this could be a tough game, but of course you would predict a loss. The good news is your track record is not so good this year.
Without getting into X's and O's, PSU can win if the offense can get it going early. OTOH, if they fumble-futz around for most of the 1st half...as they tend to do...it'll be yet another loss in a marquee game.
See, I never said they had the same level, just that they have similar personnel, and they do. But, the PAC-12 is far deeper than the Big Ten this year. And yes, we struggled with Michigan State despite them missing three offensive linemen.
Actually, my track record is pretty good. When I pick a game, I pick it based on opponents. Franklin's track record is beyond abysmal against teams with a specific profile. Going into the season, pretty much everyone expected to play 5 games against teams with a specific profile which is why I picked 7 and 5 or 8 and 4. It is all data. When analyzing the season, three teams seriously underperformed all expectations and we ended up playing two, not five. I am not telling you the secret formula because it is all math and you probably wouldn't understand it, but I will say Franklin is batting less than .100 in these games during the regular season. We were 0 and 4 last year, 0 and 2 this year. As predicted, we lost another uncompetitive game to Michigan and in very predictable form for the exact reasons I said, got blown in the fourth quarter against Ohio State. I may have missed a couple of games but the fact remains we played a pathetically weak schedule.
Deeper, yes their bottom is better than our bottom. The Big Ten has two teams in the playoff so I'd say they are better.
You, math, funny. So you predicted 7-5 and they went 10-2 and you still claim you were correct. That’s some fuzzy math there. So you predict Utah wins. And if they don’t you were still right? Donald, is that you?
I predicted 7 and 5 based on the expectation that Purdue, Michigan State and Minnesota would maintain or raise their performance based on last year's results. If they met those marks, they very likely win given Franklin's abysmal performance against really any team with a pulse. Looking back at this season, the equation holds. Penn State is 0 and 6 the last two regular seasons against the teams that fit the model. The model has proven 91% plus accurate when applied to Franklin's entire head coaching career. Where I erred was the quality of the competition, which is very very low this year when you look at who we played. Utah fits the model of a team that Franklin will lose to more than 91% of the time, but then again, I don't apply it to post season games for a variety of reasons. You never know when a team doesn't want to be there. For example, this is the year to play Bama in a bowl game and make a name for yourself because they likely don't want to be there. Now we have to think about me-first players opting out.
There’s a much easier way to explain this, I predicted 7-5 and I was wrong. That’s it, very simple. You don’t get to change your prediction after the season. I am fascinated by your model that is 91% accurate after the games are played. You would think it would be 100%, but who am I to judge. I would have just one variable in my equation. I will let you know how it works on Jan. 3.
