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Author: uthinkuknowsports

  • 2026 preview: South Florida reloads, hopes to get to top of American

    2026 preview: South Florida reloads, hopes to get to top of American

    For a while last season, South Florida looked like it might be the best Group of Five team in college football.

    The Bulls won at Florida. They were sitting at 6-1. They had one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the country. They had momentum. They had a clear identity. They looked like a real American championship contender.

    Then the close losses hit.

    South Florida lost tight games to Memphis and Navy, and that changed the way the season looked. Instead of feeling like an 11-win breakthrough, the Bulls finished 9-4 with a bowl loss to Old Dominion.

    Still, the progress was real.

    South Florida went 6-2 in the American last year and is 23-16 over the last three seasons.

    The question now is whether the Bulls can keep climbing after losing the two biggest faces of the program.

    Alex Golesh is gone.

    Byrum Brown is gone.

    Brian Hartline takes over, and South Florida enters 2026 with a new coach, a new quarterback battle and a roster loaded with transfers.

    HEAD COACH

    • Brian Hartline, entering year one at South Florida
    • South Florida went 9-4 last season.
    • The Bulls finished 6-2 in the American.
    • USF is 23-16 over the last three seasons.
    • The Bulls have only a few returning starters, but added a huge transfer class.

    This is one of the more interesting jobs in the American.

    South Florida has enough recruiting access to matter. It has a big-market location. It has recent proof that it can beat good teams. And after last season, players around the country should look at USF differently than they did a few years ago.

    That is why the transfer haul matters.

    The Bulls did not just add random depth pieces. They added players from LSU, Florida State, Ohio State, Florida, Rutgers, Kansas State, BYU, Missouri State, Georgia Southern and other programs.

    That says something.

    South Florida is still in the American, but the way Power Four transfers are looking at the program tells you it does not feel like a massive step down.

    QUARTERBACK

    The quarterback battle is the whole story.

    Michael Van Buren and Luke Kromenhoek are competing for the job, and both bring Power Four experience.

    Van Buren has the longer track record. He previously played at Mississippi State and LSU, and he has completed about 57% of his career passes with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

    The most interesting part of his profile is what he did under pressure last year.

    Van Buren was 19-of-31 under pressure, which comes out to about 61%. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions in those situations, and that ranked among the best marks in the country.

    That is the good version.

    The question is whether it is real.

    In 2024 at Mississippi State, Van Buren was much worse under pressure, completing 26-of-70 throws with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

    So which version is South Florida getting?

    Probably something in the middle.

    But if last year’s pressure numbers are even close to real, that gives the Bulls a quarterback who can handle chaos. That is a big deal, especially with a new offensive staff and a rebuilt roster.

    Kromenhoek is the other option. He previously played at Florida State and Mississippi State, and while his career numbers are lighter, there is talent there. He is a career 52% passer with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but the arm talent is real. He can fit throws into tight windows.

    That makes this competition fascinating.

    Van Buren feels like the safer, more experienced option.

    Kromenhoek may have enough upside to make the staff think hard.

    Either way, South Florida did a smart thing by giving itself multiple options after losing Brown.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The offense is not starting from scratch, but it is close.

    The top returning skill player is Mudia Reuben, who caught 36 passes for 495 yards last season. He was third on the team in catches, and now he has a chance to become a much bigger piece.

    That matters because the new quarterback needs a reliable target.

    Reuben does not have to carry the whole passing game by himself, but he needs to be the steady piece. The guy who knows where to be. The guy who can win on third down. The guy who helps settle the offense early in the season.

    Wyatt Sullivan is also back at tight end after finishing with 176 receiving yards last year. He may not have been listed everywhere as a returning starter, but he gives USF another experienced option in the passing game.

    Up front, Thomas Shrader is the key returning offensive lineman. He played left guard, but there is a chance he moves to the right side. That kind of flexibility matters when a line is being rebuilt.

    The Bulls also added Caleb Cook from Georgia Southern and Cash Hudson, who started 30 games at Missouri State.

    That experience helps.

    At running back, DJ Crowther is one of the more interesting additions. He comes in from Dartmouth after producing more than 1,300 rushing yards in 31 career games.

    So there are pieces.

    The question is how quickly they become an offense.

    South Florida is not going to have Byrum Brown erasing mistakes anymore. Brown could turn a broken play into a 40-yard run. He could make defenses play with hesitation. He gave the offense an easy answer when things got messy.

    Now the Bulls need more structure.

    They need the quarterback to be efficient. They need Reuben to become a lead receiver. They need Crowther or somebody else to give them a real run game. They need the offensive line to settle in fast.

    The upside is there.

    The chemistry is the question.

    DEFENSE

    The defense may be where the transfer class tells the biggest story.

    Tavin Ward is the key returning piece in the secondary. He has started 18 games over the last two seasons and had 60 tackles last year.

    That gives USF at least one experienced defensive back to build around.

    Michael Williams also returns after starting the regular-season finale and the bowl game. If he takes another step, that helps the defensive front.

    But most of the intrigue comes from the new names.

    South Florida added a long list of Power Four transfers on defense. C.J. Hicks comes in from Ohio State. Asani Redwood comes in on the defensive line. Sam Robinson arrives from Rutgers. Tavion Beasley comes from BYU. Amarian Fortenberry comes from Kansas State. Pup Howard and Teddy Foster come from Florida. There are others too.

    That is a lot of talent.

    It is also a lot of new.

    The defense could be better than expected if those pieces hit quickly. But with so many transfers, the first month matters. Communication has to come fast. Tackling has to be clean. Roles have to be clear.

    South Florida does not need the defense to be elite.

    But it cannot be disorganized.

    The Bulls are going to play enough dangerous offenses in the American that busted assignments and poor tackling will get punished. If this defense comes together, South Florida can be a real contender. If it takes too long, the Bulls could lose a couple of games they are talented enough to win.

    Special teams should help.

    Nico Grammatica is back after going 18-of-24 on field goals last season, and he may be the best kicker in the American. That is not a small thing in a league where so many games come down to one possession.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule gives South Florida a chance to start fast.

    The Bulls open with Florida International, then go to Army on Sept. 12. After that, they host Delaware State, go to Bowling Green, then open American play with Temple.

    That Army game is huge.

    If South Florida wins at Army, there is a real path to a 5-0 start before going to UTSA.

    That does not mean it will be easy. Army is always a pain to prepare for, and this year’s team is experienced on offense. Playing a service academy on the road is never comfortable.

    But if USF gets through that game and UTSA, a place good American seasons go to die, then the schedule becomes manageable.

    After Temple, the Bulls go to UTSA, then host Kent State. They get a bye before hosting UAB, then close with a tougher stretch: at East Carolina, Memphis, at Florida Atlantic and Tulane.

    The good news is South Florida does not play back-to-back road games.

    That matters.

    The bad news is the final month is not easy.

    East Carolina is a tricky road game. Memphis is still Memphis, even with changes. Florida Atlantic should be able to throw the ball. Tulane has been the standard in this league for years.

    So the path is clear.

    South Florida needs to bank wins early.

    If the Bulls get to the back half with momentum, they can be in the American race. If they stumble early while the new roster is still figuring itself out, the closing stretch could become a problem.

    OUTLOOK

    I like South Florida’s upside.

    I really do.

    The transfer class is impressive. The quarterback room has real options. Reuben gives the offense a proven receiver. The defense added a ton of Power Four talent. Grammatica is a major weapon at kicker. And the schedule gives the Bulls a chance to build confidence early.

    But this is still a team replacing a lot.

    A new coach and new quarterback is a major reset. Losing Byrum Brown changes the entire personality of the offense. Losing Golesh changes the program’s leadership. Bringing in this many transfers gives you talent, but it also creates uncertainty.

    The best-case scenario is that Michael Van Buren wins the job and proves last year’s pressure numbers were real, the offensive line settles in, Crowther gives the run game enough balance, Reuben becomes a top target, and the defense quickly turns all those transfer additions into a real unit.

    If that happens, South Florida can absolutely contend in the American.

    The worst-case scenario is that the quarterback battle drags into the season, the offense loses too much of Brown’s playmaking, the transfers take too long to mesh, and the Bulls drop one or two early games before the tough finish even arrives.

    The Bulls have enough talent to be near the top of the league. They have enough schedule opportunity to start fast. They have enough quarterback options to find an answer.

    Now they have to prove this is a reload, not a reset.

    If Hartline gets the quarterback decision right and the transfer-heavy defense comes together quickly, South Florida can be right back in the American title conversation.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.

  • 2026 Rice season outlook: Can the Owls finally turn the corner?

    2026 Rice season outlook: Can the Owls finally turn the corner?

    There is no real way to sugarcoat this.

    Rice has not been good for a long time.

    The Owls went 5-8 last season and 2-6 in the American, and their last winning season came all the way back in 2014. That is a long stretch without much momentum.

    Now Scott Abell enters year two, and the job is pretty clear.

    Find an identity.

    Build around the run game.

    Fix a defense that gave up far too many easy points.

    And maybe, just maybe, make Rice a tougher out in the American.

    HEAD COACH

    • Scott Abell, entering year two at Rice
    • Rice went 5-8 last season.
    • The Owls finished 2-6 in the American.
    • Rice has not had a winning season since 2014.
    • Rice averaged only 17.5 points per game last season.

    The numbers were rough.

    Rice averaged just 17.5 points per game, which ranked near the bottom of the country. The Owls averaged only 289 yards per game, also near the bottom nationally. They converted only 33% of their third downs.

    And defensively, it was not much better.

    Opponents averaged 34.3 points per game and 416 yards per game.

    That is how you end up in a lot of trouble.

    Rice was getting outscored by almost 17 points per game on average. The Owls ran the ball on nearly 73% of their plays, one of the highest rates in the country, but they still could not score enough to consistently control games.

    That is the challenge for Abell.

    Rice wants to run the football. That is obvious.

    Now it has to run the football well enough to actually win.

    QUARTERBACK

    The quarterback job appears to come down to Jacurri Brown and Gael Ochoa.

    Brown is the more experienced option, and he feels like the natural fit for what Rice wants to be.

    He previously played at Miami and UCF, and while he has been inconsistent as a passer, he gives the Owls a real rushing threat at quarterback. Brown is a career 57% passer with six touchdowns and nine interceptions, but the running ability is the selling point.

    He has more than 800 career rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

    That matters in this offense.

    If Rice is going to run the ball this much, the quarterback has to be part of it. Brown gives the Owls that element. He can keep the ball. He can stress the edge. He can make defenses account for him on every snap.

    That does not mean the passing game can be ignored.

    Rice cannot be completely one-dimensional. Brown has to be accurate enough to punish teams that overplay the run. He does not need to throw it 35 times a game, but he does need to hit open throws and avoid turnovers.

    Gael Ochoa is the other option, but he has barely played. He appeared in two games at UNLV, did not attempt a pass, and had two carries for negative yardage.

    So unless something changes, Brown feels like the clear favorite.

    And honestly, he makes sense for this team.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The offense is going to revolve around the run game.

    That starts with Quinton Jackson.

    Jackson is back after carrying the ball 180 times for 889 yards and six touchdowns last season. For a team that wants to live on the ground, that is the most important returning piece on the roster.

    If Brown wins the quarterback job, the Brown-Jackson combination could give Rice a legitimate rushing identity.

    That is the optimistic case.

    The offensive line has some pieces too.

    Luke Miller and Patrick Valent are back, and Rice also added Ivy League transfers Scott Becker from Princeton and Leo Bloom from Yale. Those additions matter because if this offense is going to work, the line has to be able to move people.

    Rice does not need to pretend to be a spread passing team.

    That is not what this roster is built to be.

    But the Owls do need to become more efficient. They need fewer wasted drives. They need more manageable third downs. They need to turn long possessions into touchdowns instead of empty yards or punts.

    Last year, Rice only scored 20 or more points six times.

    That has to change.

    You can run the ball all day, but if it still ends with 17 points, it does not matter.

    DEFENSE

    This is the bigger concern.

    Rice gave up 34.3 points per game last season, and opponents scored on all 41 red-zone trips against the Owls.

    That is a brutal number.

    You cannot give up points every single time an opponent reaches the red zone and expect to win.

    Rice also forced only seven turnovers all season.

    That is not enough.

    If the offense is built to grind out long drives and shorten the game, the defense has to steal possessions. It has to force mistakes. It has to get off the field. It has to make opponents earn everything.

    Last year, that did not happen often enough.

    The defense brings back Dillon Botts and Joseph Mutombo up front, but the top seven tacklers from last season are gone through graduation or the portal. That is a lot to replace.

    There are reinforcements.

    Tariq May comes in from Eastern Washington. Jesus Machado comes in from Tulane. Bo Barton could take on a larger role. Davon Hook is back in the secondary after an injury-riddled season. AJ Brown comes in from UAB, and Jireh Benjamin comes in from UCLA.

    So there are new pieces.

    But the defense has to become more than a collection of names.

    It has to be better immediately.

    If Rice is going to be competitive in the American, the defense cannot keep giving up 30-plus every week.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule gets serious quickly.

    Rice opens with Houston Christian, then goes to Notre Dame on Sept. 12.

    That is a huge jump in competition.

    Notre Dame may be one of the best teams in the country, so that game is not really about judging Rice by the final score. It is about seeing whether the Owls can stay organized, protect the football and come out of that trip healthy.

    After that, Rice hosts Western Michigan, then goes to Fresno State.

    The American schedule includes UTSA, East Carolina, Tulsa, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Tulane, Temple and Army.

    The good news the Owls only have one true back-to-back road stretch with Florida Atlantic and North Texas.

    The bad news is that this league is not easy.

    Tulane is still a measuring-stick program. Army is going to be difficult to handle. UTSA is always physical. East Carolina and Florida Atlantic both have enough offense to cause problems.

    Rice will have chances.

    But it has to take advantage of the winnable games.

    That means Houston Christian, Western Michigan, Tulsa, Temple and maybe a few swing games in league play.

    If Rice loses those, it is hard to see the path to a major jump.

    OUTLOOK

    I think Rice can be better.

    The Owls have a clear offensive identity. They have a proven running back in Quinton Jackson. They have a quarterback option in Jacurri Brown who fits the run-heavy approach. They have some offensive line pieces. They added help on defense.

    That is the positive case.

    The concern is that last year’s problems were not small.

    Rice could not score. Rice could not stop teams from scoring. Rice could not force turnovers. Rice could not finish drives often enough. Rice allowed opponents to score every time they reached the red zone.

    That is a lot to fix in one offseason.

    The best-case scenario is that Brown wins the job, the run game becomes legitimately hard to stop, Jackson pushes toward another big season, and the defense improves enough to keep games close.

    If that happens, Rice can be more competitive than people expect.

    The worst-case scenario is that the passing game remains too limited, defenses crowd the line of scrimmage, the offense still struggles to score, and the defense does not improve enough to give the Owls a real chance.

    My gut?

    Rice will be tougher.

    But I am not sure it will be good enough yet.

    This feels like a team that can make progress without the record exploding. The Owls should be annoying to play if the run game works. They should be able to shorten games. They should be able to make some opponents sweat.

    But until the defense proves it can get stops and the offense proves it can score more than 17 points a game, it is hard to call this a bowl team.

    The path is there.

    It just starts with one simple thing.

    Rice has to turn all those rushing attempts into actual points.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.

  • Minnesota season preview: Are the Gophers quietly dangerous in the Big Ten?

    Minnesota season preview: Are the Gophers quietly dangerous in the Big Ten?

    Quietly, Minnesota has become one of those programs that is easy to overlook.

    The Gophers are not flashy. They are not usually the first team people bring up when talking about the Big Ten. They are not sitting in that Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Penn State tier.

    But they keep winning enough to matter.

    Minnesota went 8-5 last season, finished 5-4 in the Big Ten, and has now put together back-to-back eight-win seasons. Under P.J. Fleck, the Gophers have built a pretty stable floor. They are not always pretty. They are not always explosive. But they are usually tough enough to make you work.

    Now comes the next question.

    Can Minnesota go from solid to actually dangerous?

    Because there is a lot back here. A second-year quarterback. A proven running back. Two productive receivers. Three offensive linemen. A legitimate pass-rushing star. A linebacker who can clean up everything. A ball-hawking defensive back.

    That is enough to make this team interesting.

    HEAD COACH

    • P.J. Fleck, entering year 10 at Minnesota
    • Fleck is 66-44 with the Gophers.
    • Minnesota went 8-5 last season.

    Fleck’s Minnesota record sits at 66-44, which already puts him fourth in program history in overall wins. He is also one of the longest-tenured coaches in the Big Ten, and that matters in a sport where everything feels temporary now.

    Minnesota has an identity.

    You may not love the style every week, but you know what the Gophers want to be. They want to be physical. They want to avoid beating themselves. They want to play defense. They want to “row the boat,” shorten the game, and make things uncomfortable.

    The issue is that the offense has to give them more.

    Minnesota averaged only 19.4 points per game last season. That is not enough if the goal is to really climb in the Big Ten. It is amazing that the Gophers still won eight games with an offense that finished near the bottom of the country in yards and points.

    That speaks well of the defense and the coaching staff.

    But it also tells you what has to change.

    If Minnesota can get into the mid-20s offensively, this team becomes a lot more interesting.

    If it somehow gets closer to 30, the Gophers could be a real problem.

    QUARTERBACK

    This season starts with Drake Lindsey.

    Lindsey was a freshman last year, and for a freshman quarterback in the Big Ten, he did plenty of good things.

    He completed 249 of 386 passes for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also started all 13 games and set a Minnesota program record for wins by a freshman quarterback.

    That is a good foundation.

    Not perfect.

    But good.

    The part I like most is the interception number. If your freshman quarterback throws only six picks over a full season, you can live with that. That means he was not constantly putting the defense in bad spots. He was not melting down every time the game got tight.

    Now the next step has to be efficiency and explosiveness.

    Lindsey completed about 63% of his passes last season, but the offense still did not consistently stretch defenses. He was only 13-of-49 on deep balls, which comes out to 26.5%. There were big plays in there — six touchdowns — but there were also enough misses and three interceptions.

    That is the area where he has to grow.

    The clean-pocket numbers were better. Lindsey was around 68% when protected, with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Under pressure, he dropped to 44%, but interestingly had seven touchdowns and only one interception.

    That tells me there is talent here.

    It also tells me the offense needs to help him.

    Minnesota cannot ask Lindsey to throw 35 times a game behind bad down-and-distance situations. The Gophers need to run the ball better. They need to stay ahead of the chains. They need to give Lindsey easier throws.

    If he gets that, I think he can take a real sophomore jump.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The offense has more around Lindsey than people may realize.

    Darius Taylor is back at running back after rushing for 670 yards and four touchdowns last season. He also caught 34 passes, which matters a lot for a young quarterback.

    Taylor is the key to the balance.

    Minnesota threw the ball on 55% of its plays last year. That is not what you expect from a P.J. Fleck team, and it is not ideal when the offense is only scoring 19 points per game.

    The Gophers need to run the ball better.

    They averaged only 3.3 yards per rush, which is not good enough. It is hard to play Minnesota football when the run game is stuck in second-and-8 and third-and-7 all day.

    The good news is the offensive line has a chance to improve.

    Ashton Beers, Greg Johnson and Nathan Roy are back, and Minnesota also added Bennett Warren from Tennessee.  

    That group has to be better.

    If Minnesota can run the ball, everything gets easier. Lindsey gets more manageable throws. Taylor becomes more dangerous. The defense gets more rest. The whole team starts to look more like what Fleck wants.

    The receiver room is not bad either.

    Javon Tracy and Jalen Smith are both back. Tracy had 37 catches for more than 400 yards and six touchdowns, while Smith had 28 catches for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns.

    That is not an elite receiver room, but it is a useful one.

    If you combined those two seasons, you are looking at more than 60 catches and 10 touchdowns. That is something to build on.

    The question is whether one of them can become more than just solid.

    Minnesota needs a true go-to guy.

    When it is third-and-8 against Michigan or Indiana or Penn State, who is the receiver Lindsey trusts? Who separates? Who makes the catch when everybody knows where the ball is going?

    That is what the Gophers still need to find.

    DEFENSE

    This is the side of the ball that gives Minnesota a chance.

    The Gophers allowed 24.8 points per game and 356 yards per game last season. Those are solid numbers, and there are enough returning pieces to believe the defense can be better.

    It starts with Anthony Smith.

    Smith is one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten. He finished last season with 10.5 regular-season sacks, then had two more sacks in the bowl game and announced he would return for 2026.

    That is huge.

    A legitimate edge rusher changes everything. He affects third downs. He affects protection plans. He affects how quarterbacks feel in the pocket. Even when he is not getting sacks, he can speed up throws and create mistakes.

    Minnesota needs that.

    The Gophers also bring back Maverick Baranowski, who led the team with 103 tackles last season. He is the kind of linebacker who can clean up mistakes and keep the defense from getting gashed.

    Then there is John Nestor in the secondary.

    Nestor had six interceptions last season, tied for the Big Ten lead and tied for third-most in a single season in Minnesota history. He also had six pass breakups and returned an interception for a touchdown.

    That is playmaking.

    Minnesota also has Kerry Brown back in the secondary and Jaxon Howard in the front seven. The official roster lists Brown as a defensive back and Howard as a defensive lineman.

    So there are pieces at every level.

    Smith can rush the passer.

    Baranowski can tackle.

    Nestor can take the ball away.

    That is a pretty good starting point.

    The defense probably has to be the strength again, but it cannot be asked to win every game by itself. If the offense improves even a little, this defense is good enough to help Minnesota beat some teams people may not expect.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule is manageable, but not easy.

    Minnesota opens with three straight home games: Eastern Illinois, Mississippi State and Akron. Then the Gophers go to Washington on Sept. 26 before hosting Michigan on Oct. 3.

    That Washington-Michigan back-to-back is the first real test.

    Going to Seattle is never easy. Husky Stadium has been one of the tougher road environments in the sport. Then Michigan comes to Minneapolis the very next week.

    That two-game stretch will tell us a lot.

    After that, Minnesota goes to Purdue, gets a bye, hosts Iowa, goes to Indiana, hosts UCLA, goes to Penn State, hosts Northwestern, and finishes at Wisconsin.

    There are a few things I like.

    First, Minnesota does not play back-to-back road games.

    That matters.

    Second, the Gophers avoid USC and Oregon. They do have to go west to play Washington, but that is the only true West Coast trip.

    Third, there are enough winnable games to see the path to another bowl, and maybe another eight-win season.

    The hard games are obvious: Washington, Michigan, Indiana, Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin.

    That is not a soft schedule.

    But it is not impossible either.

    If Minnesota handles the early home games, splits some of the swing games, and finds one upset, this can become an interesting season.

    OUTLOOK

    I like Minnesota more than I expected to.

    The Gophers are not a Big Ten title favorite. They are not going to be picked with Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana or Penn State.

    But they are dangerous enough to make life miserable for somebody.

    The optimistic case is pretty easy to see.

    Drake Lindsey takes a sophomore jump. Darius Taylor gives the run game more consistency. Javon Tracy and Jalen Smith give the passing game continuity. The offensive line improves with multiple starters back and Bennett Warren joining the group. Anthony Smith becomes one of the best defensive players in the league. Maverick Baranowski and John Nestor keep the defense steady.

    If that happens, Minnesota can absolutely win eight games again.

    Maybe more if it steals the right one.

    The concern is the offense.

    You cannot average 19 points per game and expect to beat the better teams in the Big Ten. You cannot average under 300 yards per game and expect to consistently win when the schedule tightens. You cannot be that one-dimensional and expect the defense to bail you out every week.

    That has to change.

    The best-case scenario is that Lindsey grows up fast, the run game gets back to being more physical, and the defense becomes one of the better units in the conference.

    The worst-case scenario is that the offense still cannot finish drives, the run game remains stuck, and the tougher Big Ten games expose the gap between Minnesota and the top half of the league.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.


  • Michigan State season preview: Can Pat Fitzgerald make Sparty relevant again?

    Michigan State season preview: Can Pat Fitzgerald make Sparty relevant again?

    It has been too long since Michigan State felt like Michigan State.

    This is a program that has been to the College Football Playoff. This is a program that has won Big Ten titles. This is a program that, not that long ago, was physical, nasty and annoying to play every single week.

    That version of Michigan State has been gone for a while.

    The Spartans went 4-8 last season and 1-8 in the Big Ten. They have not had a winning season since 2021, and they have only one eight-win (or better) season since 2017.

    That is not good enough in East Lansing.

    Now Pat Fitzgerald gets the job of trying to bring the program back.

    And say what you want about how things ended at Northwestern, but the football résumé is real. Fitzgerald won 110 games with the Wildcats, took them to two Big Ten Championship Games, and made Northwestern more relevant than it had any business being for long stretches of his tenure.

    Now he gets a different kind of rebuild.

    Michigan State has more history, more resources and a bigger ceiling than Northwestern.

    But it also has a much tougher league around it.

    HEAD COACH

    • Pat Fitzgerald, entering year one at Michigan State
    • Fitzgerald went 110-101 at Northwestern.
    • Michigan State has not had a winning season since 2021.

    Fitzgerald was named Michigan State’s head coach on Dec. 1, 2025, and his official MSU bio lists him as one of the winningest coaches in Big Ten history.

    This is one of the more fascinating hires in the Big Ten.

    At Northwestern, Fitzgerald had to win with limitations. He was not pulling top-five recruiting classes. He was not stacking NFL talent everywhere. He had to develop players, build culture, win close games and make opponents uncomfortable.

    That part should translate.

    Michigan State needs an identity again.

    Last year’s team did not have one. The offense was inconsistent. The defense was not good enough. The Spartans started 3-0, then the season fell apart with an eight-game losing streak before the finale.

    Fitzgerald does not need to turn Michigan State into a Big Ten contender overnight.

    But he does need to make the Spartans tougher, cleaner and more organized right away.

    That is step one.

    QUARTERBACK

    This is where the season gets interesting.

    Alessio Milivojevic got a late-season head start, and that matters.

    He started the final four games last year against Minnesota, Penn State, Iowa and Maryland, finishing the season with a 64% completion rate, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

    That is not a bad starting point.

    The Iowa game was probably the one that should give Michigan State fans the most hope. Milivojevic threw for 255 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against a Kirk Ferentz defense. Iowa is almost never easy on quarterbacks, so showing something in that game matters.

    Now he gets a full offseason to compete in a new offense.

    Nick Sheridan is the offensive coordinator, which should mean a spread-based approach with more of an effort to get the ball out, find rhythm and avoid putting the quarterback behind the sticks.

    That part is important because Michigan State was not good enough on offense last year.

    The Spartans averaged 23.1 points per game, which ranked in the 90s nationally. They averaged 336.5 yards per game, outside the top 100. They were also poor on third down and fourth down.

    That cannot continue.

    Milivojevic does not have to be a star.

    But he has to be steady.

    Michigan State needs him to take the experience from those final four starts and turn it into cleaner football. The touchdown-to-interception ratio was encouraging. Now the question is whether he can run the offense week after week once defenses have a full offseason to prepare for him.

    If he can, Michigan State has a real chance to be better than people expect.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The offense has some pieces.

    Not enough proven stars.

    But pieces.

    The biggest addition is Cam Edwards, who comes over from UConn after a huge season. He rushed for 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025, and Michigan State lists him as a redshirt senior running back.

    That is a big pickup.

    Michigan State needed a reliable back, and Edwards gives the Spartans somebody who has already carried a real workload at the FBS level. If he is the same player he was at UConn, he becomes the easiest way to take pressure off Milivojevic.

    The offensive line also has a few important names.

    Conner Moore is back. Ben Murawski comes in from UConn. Trent Fraley comes in as another veteran interior option.

    That gives the Spartans a chance to have three starting spots settled on paper.

    That matters for a team trying to rebuild an offense.

    The receiver room is the bigger question.

    Chrishon McCray is the leading returning receiver after finishing with 330 yards and three touchdowns last season.

    He can be part of the answer.

    But can he be the No. 1 guy?

    Michigan State needs somebody in the passing game to become dependable. Not just “he had a good week.” Not just “he made a play.” The Spartans need a receiver Milivojevic trusts on third-and-7. They need somebody who can win against Big Ten corners. They need somebody who can make defenses pay if they load up to stop Edwards.

    That may be McCray.

    It may be somebody else.

    But if the receiver room does not produce, this offense has a low ceiling.

    DEFENSE

    This side of the ball needs a reset.

    Michigan State gave up 30.5 points per game last season. The Spartans allowed 382 yards per game. Those numbers are not good enough in the Big Ten.

    The good news is Fitzgerald knows what a competitive Big Ten defense should look like.

    The bad news is the roster has a lot to replace.

    Senior Jordan Hall is the biggest returning name. He had 88 tackles last season, but the next seven leading tacklers from that team are gone.

    That is a lot to put on one player.

    Up front, Ben Roberts and Isaac Smith are back.

    Those two give Michigan State some size and experience near the line of scrimmage.

    The secondary got help through the portal.

    Tre Bell and Charles Brantley, a Miami transfer, are key names to know at corner.

    The Spartans needed new pieces.

    They got some.

    Now the question is whether it all fits quickly.

    This defense does not have to become elite in year one. But it cannot keep giving up 30-plus a game and expect Michigan State to get back to a bowl.

    Hall gives them a leader. Roberts and Smith give them front-seven experience. Bell and Brantley give them veteran help outside.

    That is enough to be better.

    Maybe not great.

    But better.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule gives Michigan State a chance early.

    The Spartans open with Toledo and Eastern Michigan at home, then go to Notre Dame on Sept. 19. After that, Nebraska comes to East Lansing on Sept. 26. Michigan State then goes to Wisconsin before hosting Illinois and Northwestern.

    That first half of the schedule is important.

    Michigan State needs to beat Toledo and Eastern Michigan.

    No excuses there.

    The Notre Dame game is obviously a major challenge. But after that, the Nebraska-Illinois-Northwestern stretch is where the season starts to take shape.

    Those are the games Michigan State has to at least be competitive in if it wants to get back to a bowl.

    The back half gets tougher.

    The Spartans go to UCLA on Oct. 24, then after a bye go to Michigan on Nov. 7. They host Washington on Nov. 14 and Oregon on Nov. 20, then finish at Rutgers on Nov. 28.

    That is not easy.

    Washington and Oregon back-to-back is brutal, even with both games at home. Oregon should be one of the best teams in the country. Washington should be strong too. The Michigan road game is always emotional, and the UCLA trip adds travel.

    The schedule path is clear.

    Michigan State has to stack wins early.

    Toledo and Eastern Michigan are must-wins. Nebraska, Illinois and Northwestern are the swing games. If the Spartans can get to the back half with a few wins already in hand, a bowl becomes possible.

    If they stumble early, the November schedule could bury them.

    OUTLOOK

    I think Michigan State will be better.

    That does not mean the Spartans are ready to be good.

    There is a difference.

    Fitzgerald should raise the floor. He should make Michigan State tougher. He should make the defense more organized. He should get this program back to playing a more physical brand of football.

    But this roster still has questions.

    Alessio Milivojevic has to prove the late-season flashes were real. Cam Edwards has to give the offense a dependable run game. Chrishon McCray or somebody else has to emerge at receiver. The offensive line has to come together. The defense has to replace a lot of tackles and become tougher without taking half the season to figure things out.

    The best-case scenario is that Milivojevic becomes a solid Big Ten quarterback, Edwards carries the offense, the line is better, Hall leads a defensive jump, and the early home-heavy schedule lets Michigan State build confidence.

    If that happens, the Spartans can get to a bowl.

    The worst-case scenario is that the quarterback play is still uneven, the receivers do not separate, the defense is too inexperienced, and the schedule gets ugly once Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington and Oregon show up.

    This feels like a rebuilding year with a chance to be respectable.

    Fitzgerald has won in this league before.

    He knows how to build a tough team.

    Now the question is how quickly that shows up in East Lansing.

    If Michigan State gets back to a bowl in year one, that would be a real step forward.

    And for a program that has spent too many years waiting to feel relevant again, a step forward would matter.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.

  • 2026 preview: Can North Texas survive a total reset with 0 returning starters?

    2026 preview: Can North Texas survive a total reset with 0 returning starters?

    A few months ago, North Texas was one win away from the College Football Playoff.

    That is not an exaggeration.

    The Mean Green went 12-2, played Tulane for the American championship, won the New Mexico Bowl, and finished with the first 12-win season in program history. It was the kind of year that changes how people talk about a program.

    Then everything changed.

    Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State. Drew Mestemaker followed him. A ton of production walked out the door. Now Neal Brown takes over, and North Texas is trying to follow the best season in school history with basically a new team.

    That is not easy.

    It may not be fair.

    But that is the challenge.

    HEAD COACH

    • Neal Brown, entering year one at North Texas
    • Brown is 72-51 as a head coach.
    • North Texas went 12-2 last season.
    • The Mean Green finished 7-1 in the American.
    • North Texas won double-digit games for the first time in program history.

    I like the hire.

    Brown was excellent at Troy, going 35-16 and winning 10 games three straight years before getting the West Virginia job. His time at West Virginia was more complicated, but it was not a disaster. He went 37-35 there, with his best season coming in 2023 when the Mountaineers finished 9-4.

    This is the right kind of job for him.

    North Texas gives Brown a strong recruiting footprint, a league where the program has already proven it can win, and a chance to rebuild quickly through the portal.

    But the timing is brutal.

    North Texas is not just replacing a coach.

    It is replacing almost the entire identity of the best team the school has ever had.

    QUARTERBACK

    This is the first major question.

    Drew Mestemaker is gone after throwing for more than 4,000 yards and becoming one of the biggest breakout stories in the country. He followed Morris to Oklahoma State, leaving North Texas with a completely new quarterback picture.

    The most experienced option is Tayven Jackson.

    Jackson has been everywhere: Tennessee, Indiana, UCF, and now North Texas.

    Last year, Jackson completed about 63% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran for 85 yards and three scores. That is not superstar production, but it is real experience.

    And North Texas needs experience badly.

    The other names in the quarterback room are Chaston Ditta and Chris Jimerson Jr. Ditta is a redshirt freshman from East Carolina, and Jimerson is a redshirt freshman who was already at North Texas.

    Ditta is interesting because he got meaningful snaps in the Military Bowl for East Carolina, going 8-of-17 for 177 yards and two touchdowns against Pitt.

    But this feels like Jackson’s job to lose.

    He is the older player. He has been in multiple major programs. He has played more football than the other options.

    The key is whether he can give North Texas stability.

    The Mean Green do not need him to be Mestemaker.

    They just need him to keep the offense from falling off a cliff.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    This offense is going to look completely different.

    Last year, North Texas led the country in scoring and total offense. The Mean Green were explosive, aggressive and difficult to stop. Now almost all of that production is gone.

    The backfield will likely start with Jahiem White, who followed Brown from West Virginia. The official roster lists White as a junior running back from West Virginia.

    White has already produced at the Power Four level. He has more than 1,800 career rushing yards, but he was limited last season by a knee injury. If he is healthy, he gives North Texas a legitimate lead back.

    That matters because Brown probably wants this offense to be more balanced than last year’s version.

    At receiver, Baron Tipton is back, and Corri Milliner comes in from UAB.

    Milliner had 816 receiving yards over three years at UAB, so he brings some real college production. Tipton gives North Texas a big target at 6-foot-5.

    The offensive line has been rebuilt too.

    Neto Umeozulu comes in from Texas, and Chandler Strong comes in from Georgia Southern.

    Strong brings a lot of starting experience, and Umeozulu gives the Mean Green a former blue-chip type from a major program.

    That is the positive spin.

    The concern is obvious.

    This is a brand-new offense.

    New quarterback. New running back. New line pieces. New receivers. New head coach. New system.

    There is talent here, but talent does not automatically become chemistry.

    That may take time.

    DEFENSE

    The defense may actually decide whether North Texas can stay competitive.

    Last year’s defense was strange.

    The Mean Green were excellent against the pass but awful against the run. That kind of split is hard to sustain. If teams can run on you whenever they want, it puts the entire defense in a bind.

    That has to change under new defensive coordinator Matt Powledge.

    Powledge is listed as North Texas’ defensive coordinator after coming over from Baylor, and he brings some familiar pieces with him.

    The most notable are twins Caden Jenkins and Cameren Jenkins. \

    That helps.

    So does the addition of Zakye Barker, listed as a senior linebacker from SMU and East Carolina, and Aaron Alexander, listed as a junior linebacker from Arkansas State, Michigan State and UMass.

    The defensive line has Terrell Washington, a junior defensive lineman from Northeast Mississippi CC. The roster also lists Avion Carter, Udoka Ezeani and others who could factor into the rebuilt front.

    The question is whether this group can stop the run.

    That is it.

    If North Texas is still getting pushed around up front, it is going to be a long year. The offense probably will not be explosive enough right away to cover up defensive problems the way last year’s offense could.

    The defense has to be better early.

    Not eventually.

    Early.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule does North Texas no favors out of the gate.

    The Mean Green open at Indiana, the defending national champion, on Sept. 5. Then they host UNLV, go to Texas State, and come home for Houston Christian.

    That is a tough way to start a reset.

    Indiana is about as hard as it gets. UNLV should be one of the better teams in the Mountain West. Texas State on the road is not easy either.

    So before North Texas even gets to American play, it may already have a good idea of how far away this new roster is.

    Conference play opens with a Thursday road game at Tulsa, followed by Charlotte at home. After the bye, North Texas goes to Navy, then hosts Florida Atlantic five days later. That Navy-to-FAU turnaround is tough, even if the FAU game is at home.

    The November stretch is not easy.

    North Texas hosts Rice, then plays its only back-to-back road games of the season at UTSA and Tulane, before finishing at home against UAB.

    Those road games at UTSA and Tulane could be brutal.

    UTSA is always tough at home.

    Tulane is still one of the league’s measuring-stick programs.

    If North Texas is trying to scrape its way to a bowl, that late stretch could be the difference.

    OUTLOOK

    I like Neal Brown.

    I like the idea of Tayven Jackson getting a fresh start.

    I like Jahiem White if he is healthy.

    I like some of the portal pieces on defense.

    But I do not love this situation for 2026.

    There is just too much new.

    North Texas went from the best season in school history to a full reset almost overnight. That does not mean the Mean Green are going back to the bottom of the American, but it does mean expectations need to be realistic.

    The best-case scenario is that Jackson settles the quarterback job, White gives the offense a real running game, the transfer offensive linemen come together quickly, and Powledge fixes the run defense enough to keep North Texas in games.

    If that happens, the Mean Green can push for a bowl.

    The worst-case scenario is that the offense loses all of last year’s explosiveness, the quarterback battle drags, the run defense stays bad, and the opening schedule knocks the confidence out of the team before October.

    Last year was historic.

    This year is about proving the program can survive the reset.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.


  • 2026 preview: Can Navy reload and stay a contender in the American?

    2026 preview: Can Navy reload and stay a contender in the American?

    Navy season outlook: Can the Midshipmen stay on top without Blake Horvath?

    Last year, Navy was not some cute little story.

    The Midshipmen were legitimate.

    They went 11-2, finished 7-1 in the American, and gave themselves a real argument as one of the best Group of Five teams in the country. Over the last two seasons, Navy is 21-5, and that is not an accident.

    At this point, Brian Newberry has earned the right for Navy to be treated as one of the favorites in the American.

    But this year is different.

    Blake Horvath is gone.

    And for a program that asks so much from its quarterback, that is not a small thing.

    HEAD COACH

    • Brian Newberry, entering year four at Navy
    • Newberry is 26-12 with the Midshipmen.
    • Navy is 21-5 over the last two seasons.

    Navy’s rise under Newberry has been impressive.

    Two years ago, this looked like a program trying to get back to what it used to be. Now the Midshipmen look like a real factor in the American every season.

    That is the standard now.

    And that is why this year is interesting.

    Navy has earned respect. The preseason magazines are going to have the Midshipmen near the top of the American. Some may even pick them to win it.

    I understand why.

    But replacing Horvath is a major deal.

    Navy averaged 29.8 points per game last season and 403.9 yards per game. The Midshipmen ran the ball on almost 77% of their plays, which ranked near the top of the country, and still ranked No. 2 nationally in yards per pass attempt.

    That tells you how efficient this offense was.

    It was not just “run the ball and hope.”

    It was run the ball, make you overcommit, then hit you for a huge pass when your eyes got in the wrong place.

    That only works when the quarterback is running the whole thing at a high level.

    Horvath did that.

    Now Navy has to prove the offense can still function without him.

    QUARTERBACK

    The job appears to belong to Braxton Woodson.

    Woodson is a senior quarterback from Altamonte Springs, Florida, and Navy lists him at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He has made two career starts and has played in different ways during his career, including quarterback, slotback and wide receiver.

    Navy has wanted him on the field because of his speed.

    Now he has to be the one running the entire offense.

    Woodson has completed 44 of 95 career passes for 466 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 146 carries for 760 yards and 10 touchdowns.

    So he can run.

    That is not the question.

    The question is whether he can operate the offense the way Horvath did.

    This is not an easy system to run. People sometimes talk about option football like it is simple because there are not 40 pass attempts a game. It is not simple. The quarterback has to read everything. He has to make the right decision. He has to protect the ball. He has to understand when to keep it, when to pitch it, when to hand it off, and when to take the shot downfield.

    That is a lot.

    Woodson has the athletic ability. He has the speed. He has been in the program.

    But now he has to be the captain of the whole thing.

    That is the biggest question on this team.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The good news is the offensive line.

    That is where Navy should feel good.

    Sean Crowley, Malcolm Johnson, Cam Nichols and Hoke Smith II are all back up front. Johnson is a sophomore offensive tackle, Smith a senior offensive guard, Nichols a senior center, and Crowley a junior offensive tackle.

    That matters a ton.

    If you are going to replace the quarterback, the fullback, the leading slotback and a huge chunk of your offensive yardage, the best thing you can have is an experienced line.

    Navy has that.

    The skill positions are more of a mystery.

    Vic Lyczek is expected to be in the mix at fullback, but he has had a lingering hamstring issue. If he is right, he could be a major piece. If not, Navy may need to find answers quickly.

    Charles Robinson had a strong spring and could be one of the key slotbacks. That position matters so much in this offense because it is not just about running. The slotbacks have to block, read leverage, handle pitch timing and occasionally hurt teams through the air.

    In addition to Horvath, Navy lost Alex Tecza and Eli Heidenreich, and that is a lot of production to replace.

    The Midshipmen lost about 68% of their offensive yardage from last season.

    That is not nothing.

    The line gives them a chance to survive it. The system gives them a chance to survive it. But it is hard to imagine Navy being quite as efficient right away.

    The offense can still be good.

    But asking it to be exactly what it was last year feels like a lot.

    DEFENSE

    This is where Navy may need to take a step forward.

    The defense was fine last season.

    Not bad.

    Not great.

    Navy allowed 26.5 points per game and 384.6 yards per game, both around the middle of the country. That was good enough last year because the offense was so efficient and because Navy could control games.

    But if the offense slips at all, the defense has to help more.

    There are reasons to believe it can.

    MarcAnthony Parker and Coleman Cauley give Navy a strong linebacker foundation.  Those two combined for 176 tackles last season.

    That is a strong place to start.

    The secondary also has experience with Phillip Hamilton and Giuseppe Sessi. Sessi had 81 tackles last season, and he gives Navy a reliable piece at safety.

    The defensive front includes senior Griffen Willis.

    This unit does not have to become elite.

    But it does need to be better than average if Navy wants to win the American.

    Last year’s offense covered up some things. This year’s offense may need help.

    If the defense can become more disruptive, get off the field more consistently, and make opponents play Navy’s kind of game, the Midshipmen can still be right there.

    SCHEDULE

    Navy opens at home against Towson on Sept. 5, then goes on the road for three straight games: at Florida Atlantic, at UAB and at Air Force.

    I do not care who the opponents are.

    Three straight road games is tough.

    Florida Atlantic can throw it all over the yard. UAB is a conference road game. Air Force is a rivalry game, and service academy games always feel different.

    That stretch could tell us a lot about this team.

    After that, Navy comes home for Tulsa, goes to UTSA, hosts North Texas, then plays Notre Dame in Foxborough on Halloween. The Midshipmen then host Temple and Memphis, go to Charlotte, and finish with Army in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

    The interesting part is the middle of the schedule.

    After the UTSA trip on Oct. 17, Navy does not play another true road game until Charlotte on Nov. 28.

    That helps.

    The Notre Dame game is neutral-site, not easy. But it is not a true road game either.

    So the schedule has two different personalities.

    The early stretch is tough because of the travel.

    The middle gives Navy a chance to settle in.

    The ending is always about Army.

    And this year, Army-Navy could have a lot on the line again.

    OUTLOOK

    I understand why people want to pick Navy to win the American.

    The Midshipmen have earned that respect.

    Newberry has built real momentum. The offensive line is experienced. Woodson has athletic ability. The defense has enough returning pieces to improve. The schedule has some manageable stretches after the early road swing.

    That is the optimistic case.

    The concern is simple.

    Navy lost the guy who made the offense go.

    Blake Horvath was not just a quarterback. He was the decision-maker, the leader and the player who made the option dangerous on every snap. Replacing that is hard.

    The best-case scenario is that Braxton Woodson brings a different kind of speed to the offense, the line carries the transition, the new skill players settle in quickly, and the defense improves enough to take pressure off the offense.

    If that happens, Navy can win the American.

    The worst-case scenario is that the offense loses too much efficiency, the new backs are not ready, Woodson goes through growing pains as the full-time quarterback, and the early road stretch puts Navy behind before it settles in.

    The American is going to be fun.

    And if Navy figures out the quarterback spot quickly, the Midshipmen may be right back where they were last year — in the middle of the conference title race, with a playoff path still sitting out there.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.


  • Michigan season preview: Can Whittingham get Wolverines to the playoff in year one?

    Michigan season preview: Can Whittingham get Wolverines to the playoff in year one?

    It is still strange to type this:

    Kyle Whittingham is the head coach at Michigan.

    For more than two decades, Whittingham was Utah football. He built that program. He won there. He took the Utes from the old Mountain West world into the Power Four era and made them a team nobody wanted to play.

    Now he is in Ann Arbor.

    That still feels weird.

    Michigan is only a few years removed from winning a national championship under Jim Harbaugh, but the program already looks completely different. Harbaugh is gone. Sherrone Moore is gone. The roster has turned. The Big Ten has changed. The expectations have not.

    Michigan does not do patience. Not when the Wolverines are supposed to compete for Big Ten titles, beat Ohio State, and live in the playoff conversation.

    Whittingham gives Michigan one of the most proven coaches in the sport.

    But the season probably comes down to whether or not Bryce Underwood can develop and if Whittingham can instill his toughness in the roster.

    HEAD COACH

    • Kyle Whittingham, entering year one at Michigan
    • Whittingham went 177-88 as Utah’s head coach.
    • Michigan went 9-4 last season and 7-2 in the Big Ten.
    • The Wolverines have not had a losing season in a full season since 2014.
    • Michigan averaged 27.5 points per game and allowed 20.4 points per game last year.

    This is a fascinating fit.

    Whittingham was named Michigan’s head coach on Dec. 26, 2025, after 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach and 32 years overall with the Utes. He had winning seasons in 18 of 21 seasons and eight 10-win seasons.

    That is exactly the kind of résumé Michigan fans should respect.

    This is not some young coach getting his first big job. This is not a coordinator who has never run a program. This is one of the most stable coaches in college football walking into one of the biggest jobs in the sport.

    But Michigan is not Utah.

    That is not meant as a shot at Utah. Whittingham made Utah into a legitimate power program.

    It is just different in Ann Arbor.

    Every loss gets magnified. Every Ohio State result defines the offseason. Every quarterback decision becomes a national conversation. Every game feels like a referendum on where the program is headed.

    The good news is Whittingham’s style should translate.

    Michigan wants to be physical. Michigan wants to run the football. Michigan wants to win on defense. Whittingham has made a career out of getting his teams to do all three well.

    The question is whether he can modernize enough offensively to get Michigan from good back to elite.

    Because last year, the Wolverines were good.

    They were not elite.

    QUARTERBACK

    Bryce Underwood enters year two, and now the excuses get thinner.

    That may sound harsh, but it is true.

    Last year, there were reasons to be patient. Underwood was a freshman. Michigan had a tough schedule. The Wolverines went to Oklahoma early. They went to Nebraska early. They asked a young quarterback to grow up fast.

    He had flashes.

    But the full picture was not good enough.

    Underwood completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. He also carried the ball 88 times and ran for six touchdowns.

    Underwood can move. He can extend plays. He can be part of the run game. That gives Michigan something.

    But the passing has to jump.

    The last six games were the concern. Underwood threw four touchdowns and seven interceptions over that stretch, and the mistakes piled up as the competition got tougher.

    That is what has to change.

    From a clean pocket, he completed around 65% of his passes, but the turnover number was still too high. Under pressure, he was down in the low 40s in completion percentage. That is not shocking for a freshman, but it cannot stay there.

    And the deep ball is one of the more interesting parts of his profile.

    Underwood threw 55 passes of 20-plus air yards last season. That is more than it felt like while watching Michigan. He completed only about 34.5% of them, with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

    So the willingness is there.

    The efficiency is not.

    That is the next step.

    Michigan does not need Underwood to become the best quarterback in America overnight. But he has to protect the ball better, punish teams that load the box, and keep the offense from shrinking in big games.

    If he does that, Michigan can be dangerous.

    If he does not, the Wolverines may look a lot like last year again — tough, physical, good enough to beat most teams, but not explosive enough to beat the best ones.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    There is enough here for Michigan to be much better offensively.

    The Wolverines averaged 27.5 points per game and 396.9 yards per game last season. They ran for 210.2 yards per game and threw for 186.8. The identity was obvious: run the ball, protect the quarterback, and let the defense do its job.

    That can work.

    But in the modern Big Ten, it probably cannot be all you are.

    Michigan threw the ball on only about 42% of its plays last season. That is very low. It ranked near the bottom nationally in pass rate and pass attempts per game.

    Some of that was by design.

    Some of that was because the passing game was not ready to carry more.

    The offensive line gives Michigan a chance to control games again.

    Blake Frazier, Jake Guarnera, Evan Link and Andrew Sprague give the Wolverines a strong group to build around up front.

    That matters for two reasons.

    First, Michigan wants to run the ball. That is not changing with Whittingham.

    Second, Underwood needs clean pockets. He was much better last year when he could set his feet and throw on schedule.

    The running back room should be a strength.

    Jordan Marshall is back after rushing for more than 900 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

    Then comes Savion Hiter, a five-star freshman who should have a role right away.

    That is a strong one-two punch.

    Marshall gives Michigan a proven back. Hiter gives the offense more juice. And with that offensive line, the Wolverines should be able to run the ball.

    The bigger question is receiver.

    Andrew Marsh is the name to know after 651 yards last season.

    Junior Channing Goodwin is back too.

    Then there are the additions.

    JJ Buchanan comes over from Utah, and Jaime Ffrench comes over from Texas.

    Marsh has already shown he can produce. Ffrench was a big-time recruit. Buchanan knows the Utah/Whittingham world. Goodwin gives Michigan another returning option.

    But somebody has to become the guy.

    Michigan cannot keep playing games where the passing attack feels like a bonus. The Wolverines need a receiver who can win outside, a receiver Underwood trusts on third down, and a passing game that actually scares elite teams.

    DEFENSE

    The defense should still be good.

    It usually is at Michigan.

    The Wolverines allowed 20.4 points per game and 323.3 yards per game last season. They held opponents to 4.9 yards per play and only 111.9 rushing yards per game.

    That is a strong defensive foundation.

    The concern is the returning production.

    Michigan does not bring back as many clear defensive starters as you would like. There is talent, but there is also change.

    The good news is Whittingham brought help.

    John Henry Daley followed from Utah, and that is a big deal. Daley had 11.5 sacks last season and comes in as the kind of pass rusher Michigan badly needed.

    That is the headline transfer on defense.

    However, secondary might be the strength.

    Jyaire Hill is back at corner. Zeke Berry is back. Rod Moore is back at safety. Michigan also added Smith Snowden from Utah and Chris Bracy from Memphis.

    That is a lot of experience and talent on the back end.

    Snowden is especially interesting because he knows what Whittingham wants defensively. Bracy gives Michigan another veteran safety. Moore gives the Wolverines leadership. Hill and Berry give them corner experience.

    The question is linebacker.

    That is the spot that feels less settled.

    Sophomore Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is one of the young players to watch there.

    Still, I am not overly worried about the defense.

    Whittingham knows defense. Michigan has talent. The secondary should be good. Daley gives the front a difference-maker.

    If the offense improves, the defense does not have to be perfect.

    SCHEDULE

    Michigan opens with four straight home games: Western Michigan, Oklahoma, UTEP and Iowa. Then the Wolverines go to Minnesota before a bye. After that, they host Penn State and Indiana, go to Rutgers, host Michigan State, go to Oregon, host UCLA, and finish at Ohio State.

    The front half is very friendly.

    All four September games are at the Big House.

    That is a huge change from last year, when Michigan had difficult early road games and Underwood had to learn on the fly in hostile environments.

    This time, he gets to start at home.

    That matters.

    The Oklahoma game is massive, but it is in Ann Arbor. The Iowa game will be ugly and physical, but it is in Ann Arbor too.

    Then Michigan goes to Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug game. After that, the Wolverines get an open date.

    Through mid-October, that is about as manageable as you could ask for.

    Then comes the real test.

    Penn State and Indiana come to Michigan Stadium in back-to-back weeks.

    That is a huge stretch.

    Penn State is always a measuring-stick game. Indiana is the defending national champion. If Michigan wins both, the season starts to look very different.

    Then the Wolverines go to Rutgers on Halloween and host Michigan State the next week.

    By mid-November, Michigan will have played only two true road games: Minnesota and Rutgers.

    That is incredible.

    But the schedule pays it back at the end.

    The final three games are at Oregon, UCLA, and at Ohio State.

    That is brutal.

    Going to Autzen Stadium in mid-November is hard enough. Finishing in Columbus against Ohio State is as hard as it gets. UCLA coming to Ann Arbor between them is not the same kind of challenge, but it is still a Big Ten game in the middle of a draining closing stretch.

    So the schedule has two clear parts.

    The first part gives Michigan a chance to build confidence.

    The last part will tell us if Michigan is actually a playoff team.

    OUTLOOK

    Michigan is one of the most interesting teams in the country.

    The Wolverines have a proven head coach. They have a talented second-year quarterback. They have a good offensive line. They should be able to run the football. They have a secondary with real pieces. They added a proven pass rusher. The schedule gives them a chance to start fast.

    That is the optimistic case.

    And it is a strong one.

    The concern is just as clear.

    Bryce Underwood was not good enough last year. The passing game was not good enough. The receiver room still has to prove it can produce against elite teams. The defense has new pieces. The linebacker group has questions. And the final stretch of the schedule is nasty.

    The best-case scenario is that Underwood makes a real sophomore jump, Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter give Michigan a strong run game, Andrew Marsh becomes a true No. 1 receiver, Jaime Ffrench adds juice, and the defense stays top-25 nationally under Whittingham.

    If that happens, Michigan can absolutely get back to the playoff.

    The worst-case scenario is that Underwood stays too inconsistent, the passing game still cannot punish good defenses, the linebacker questions show up, and the Oregon-Ohio State finish exposes the Wolverines.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.

  • 2026 preview: Is Maryland the Big Ten sleeper too few are talking about?

    2026 preview: Is Maryland the Big Ten sleeper too few are talking about?

    Take the name off the jersey for a second.

    Forget that it is Maryland. Forget the recent history. Forget the part where the Terps started hot last year and then completely fell apart.

    Just look at the profile.

    A team with a returning sophomore quarterback who set freshman school records for completions and passing yards. A team that returns a huge chunk of its roster. A team that brings back multiple offensive linemen from a group that barely allowed its quarterback to get touched. A team with eight defensive starters back. A team sitting near the very top of the country in returning snap production.

    If you laid that out without saying the school name, people would at least pay attention.

    Then you say it is Maryland, and everybody gets cautious.

    I get it.

    The Terps went 4-8 last season and 1-8 in the Big Ten. They lost their final eight games. They have not exactly earned the benefit of the doubt.

    But I do think Maryland is more interesting than people realize.

    And it starts with Malik Washington.

    HEAD COACH:

    • Mike Locksley, entering year nine at Maryland
    • Locksley is 37-49 with the Terps.
    • Maryland went 4-8 last season.
    • The Terps finished 1-8 in the Big Ten.
    • Maryland has gone 8-16 over the last two seasons.

    This is a big year for Mike Locksley.

    Maryland has had moments under him. The program has recruited well. The Terps have developed some real NFL talent. There have been years where Maryland looked like it was about to become a stable bowl program.

    But the Big Ten is unforgiving.

    Last year was a perfect example. Maryland started 4-0, beat Wisconsin, had a big lead on Washington, and then the whole thing unraveled. The Terps lost that Washington game, then lost every game after it.

    That cannot happen again.

    The frustrating part is that this roster has enough pieces to believe Maryland should be better. The Terps are not starting over. They are not breaking in a new quarterback. They are not replacing the whole defense. They are not some mystery team with no experience.

    That is why this season matters so much.

    If Maryland is ever going to take a step under Locksley, this feels like the kind of roster that should do it.

    QUARTERBACK:

    This is the reason to care.

    Malik Washington is back, and he is probably the best argument for Maryland being a real sleeper.

    As a true freshman, Washington started all 12 games, completed 273 passes for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns. His completions and passing yards were both Maryland freshman records, and he also ran for more than 300 yards.

    That is a strong freshman year.

    Washington completed 57.7% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran 56 times for 303 yards and four touchdowns, including a huge rushing day against Rutgers.

    The thing that jumps out is that he was doing all of that behind an offensive line that was excellent in pass protection.

    Maryland threw the ball more than anybody in the country, and still Washington barely got sacked. That is not normal.

    Now, some of that is Washington. He can move. He can escape. He can make things happen.

    But a lot of it is the line too.

    That gives Maryland a foundation most teams with young quarterbacks do not have.

    The next step is obvious.

    Washington has to become more efficient. The completion percentage needs to come up. The interceptions need to come down. Maryland cannot ask him to throw it on almost two-thirds of its plays and carry the whole offense every week.

    But if he takes the normal freshman-to-sophomore jump, Maryland has something.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The offense was not good enough last season.

    Maryland averaged only 21.6 points per game, which ranked outside the top 100 nationally. The Terps averaged 355 yards per game, but the run-pass balance was almost nonexistent.

    Maryland ran the ball on only about 36% of its plays, dead last nationally.

    That is wild.

    And it was not just that Maryland chose not to run it. The Terps could not run it well enough to make defenses respect it. They averaged only 23.8 rushing attempts per game, also near the bottom of the country.

    So, yes, Washington is the headline.

    But the season probably depends on whether Maryland can run the football.

    DeJuan Williams is back, and he should get every chance to become the lead back. The sophomore’s role has to grow if the Terps are going to become more balanced.

    The line gives them hope.

    Michael Hershey, Isaiah Wright and Rahtrel Perry are all back  and give Maryland real size and experience up front.

    The weird part is that Maryland was good in pass protection but terrible in the run game – dead last in PFF’s run block rankings.

    That has to change.

    You cannot ask a sophomore quarterback to throw on 64% of the snaps and expect that to be a winning formula in the Big Ten. At some point, you have to be able to hand the ball off and get four yards.

    The receiver room is also a little more uncertain.

    Kaleb Webb is the top returning receiver after catching 22 passes last season.

    That is not a ton.

    Dorian Fleming helps a lot at tight end.

    The Terps also added Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding from Old Dominion and Chris Durr Jr. from Wyoming.

    The offense does not need to become Ohio State.

    But it has to become more balanced.

    If Washington is throwing 40 times every week again, Maryland is probably not where it wants to be.

    If the run game gives him help, this offense becomes a lot more dangerous.

    DEFENSE

    This is where Maryland should be better.

    The Terps return a lot on defense, and that is why the sleeper case exists.

    The names start up front with Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart. Maryland lists Mathis as a sophomore defensive lineman and Stewart as a sophomore defensive lineman as well. Both were young impact pieces, and both are part of the reason there is some real optimism about the front.

    Then there is Zion Elee, the five-star freshman edge rusher.

    Elee is listed on Maryland’s roster as a freshman defensive lineman from St. Frances Academy, and he gives the Terps another explosive young piece off the edge.

    That is the kind of talent Maryland needs.

    The linebacker group has experience too.

    Zahir Mathis, Trey Reddick, Sidney Stewart and Daniel Wingate give Maryland a lot of playable front-seven pieces. Wingate and Reddick are both listed on the official roster at linebacker.

    The secondary has names back as well.

    Jamare Glasker, Dontay Joyner and Lavain Scruggs are all listed on Maryland’s roster, and all three should have meaningful roles.

    The question is whether returning production turns into better results.

    That is always the catch.

    It is nice to bring players back. It is better when those players become part of a defense that actually improves.

    Maryland needs more disruption. It needs more negative plays. It needs more stops in the second half. It needs to avoid the kind of defensive slides that turned winnable games into losses last season.

    The talent is there.

    The experience is there.

    Now the defense has to play like it.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule gives Maryland a chance to start fast again.

    The Terps open with Hampton at home, go to UConn, then host Virginia Tech and UCLA. Maryland’s official schedule has three of the first four games at SECU Stadium, with the only road trip coming at UConn.

    That first month is everything.

    Hampton is a game Maryland has to win.

    UConn is a road game, but it is still a game Maryland should feel like it can win.

    Then it gets interesting.

    Virginia Tech comes to College Park on Sept. 19, and that game will tell us a lot. The Hokies are entering year one under James Franklin, and they have a lot coming back. Maryland is in year nine under Locksley and should be more settled.

    That is a game Maryland needs if it wants people to take the sleeper talk seriously.

    Then comes UCLA.

    If Maryland is 3-1 after September, that feels fine.

    If the Terps are 4-0, suddenly people are paying attention.

    But the next stretch is brutal.

    Maryland goes to Nebraska on Oct. 3 and Ohio State on Oct. 10. Then the Terps host Rutgers, get a bye, and host Illinois on Oct. 31.

    That is where the season can swing.

    Rutgers beat Maryland 35-20 last year, and Washington had a huge rushing day in that loss.

    Illinois is a tough, physical team.

    Ohio State is Ohio State.

    The back half is not easy either. Maryland goes to Purdue, hosts Wisconsin, travels to USC, and closes at home against Penn State.

    That USC trip is tough.

    Penn State to end the year is tough.

    There are enough winnable games here for Maryland to get to a bowl.

    But there are also enough landmines that another slide is possible if the Terps do not handle the early part of the schedule.

    OUTLOOK

    I understand why people are skeptical.

    Maryland went 4-8 last year. The Terps lost eight straight games. They had positive momentum and watched it disappear. Until Maryland proves it can finish, people are not going to buy in.

    That is fair.

    But I also think this team is more interesting than its record.

    Malik Washington is back after a record-setting freshman year. The offensive line should be good enough in pass protection to keep him upright. The defense returns a ton. There are young edge pieces to like. The schedule starts in a way that gives Maryland a chance to build confidence.

    That is the optimistic case.

    The concern is obvious too.

    The run game was terrible. The offense was too one-dimensional. The receivers are unproven. The second half of last season was a disaster. And the Big Ten does not give you many soft spots once conference play gets rolling.

    The best-case scenario is that Washington takes a big sophomore jump, DeJuan Williams gives the Terps a real run game, Dorian Fleming becomes a safety blanket, one of the new receivers pops, and the defense turns all that returning experience into actual production.

    If that happens, Maryland can be a bowl team and maybe more than that.

    The worst-case scenario is that the run game still cannot function, Washington has to carry too much, the defense is experienced but not good enough, and the schedule wears Maryland down again after a decent start.

    The Terps have enough pieces to win six or seven games, and if Washington really breaks out, they could become one of those teams nobody wants to play.

    The name on the jersey may make people hesitate.

    The roster should make them think twice.

    Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.

  • Memphis season outlook: Can Charles Huff reload the Tigers fast enough?

    Memphis season outlook: Can Charles Huff reload the Tigers fast enough?

    In a different era, this would look scary.

    New coach.

    One returning starter.

    A roster that barely resembles last year’s team.

    Ten years ago, you probably would have looked at Memphis and said, “This is going to take a while.”

    But this is not that era anymore.

    In the NIL and transfer portal world, a roster can change quickly. A team can lose almost everything and still patch together enough talent to stay competitive. That is what makes Memphis so interesting going into 2026.

    The Tigers went 8-5 last season and 4-4 in the American, but the season faded after it briefly looked like Memphis might have a real path toward the College Football Playoff.

    Now Charles Huff takes over, and the job is very clear.

    Keep Memphis from slipping while rebuilding almost the entire roster.

    HEAD COACH:

    • Charles Huff, entering year one at Memphis
    • Huff is 39-25 as a head coach.
    • Memphis went 8-5 last season.
    • The Tigers finished 4-4 in the American.
    • Memphis has not had a losing season since 2013.

    I like the hire.

    Huff has won. He went 32-20 at Marshall, then led Southern Miss to a 7-5 regular season in his one year there after the Golden Eagles had gone 1-11 the year before. Memphis hired him in December after Ryan Silverfield left for Arkansas.

    That matters.

    Memphis is not a rebuild in the traditional sense. This is one of the better Group of Five programs in the country. The Tigers expect to win. They expect to be in the American race. They expect to be part of the playoff conversation when everything breaks right.

    That is a different challenge than taking over a broken program.

    Huff has to win quickly.

    And he has to do it with a team that looks completely different.

    QUARTERBACK:

    This is the first big question.

    The quarterback battle looks like Marcus Stokes against Air Noland, and the two could not have taken more different paths to get here.

    Stokes comes from West Florida, where he was the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 3,297 yards, 30 touchdowns, averaged 275 passing yards per game, and also ran for 367 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was also a former four-star prospect out of Nease High School in Florida.

    That is real production.

    Yes, it came at the Division II level. That matters. The speed, size and week-to-week pressure will be different in the American.

    But Stokes has played a lot of football. He has carried an offense. He has thrown touchdown passes. He has run for touchdowns. He has been the guy.

    That counts for something.

    Then there is Noland.

    Noland was a big-time recruit who started at Ohio State, then went to South Carolina, and now lands at Memphis.

    The talent is obvious.

    The experience is not.

    Noland barely played last season, so this is more projection than proof. He may have the higher recruiting profile, but Stokes has the better college production.

    That is what makes the battle interesting.

    Stokes feels like the more proven football player right now.

    Noland feels like the upside swing.

    Either way, Memphis needs somebody to take the job and calm everything down. With this much roster turnover, the Tigers cannot afford a quarterback battle that drags deep into the season.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The offense basically starts over.

    Parker Mitchell is the only returning starter, and he is an important one. He is a redshirt senior offensive lineman, and before Memphis he started 23 games and appeared in 27 at Richmond.

    That is a nice piece.

    But one returning starter is still one returning starter.

    The running back room is almost completely new. Jaylin Carter comes in from Southern Miss, Manny Covey comes in from Cincinnati, and Dallan Hayden comes back home to Memphis after stops at Ohio State and Colorado.

    Hayden is probably the most recognizable name.

    He has played in big-time environments. He has been at Ohio State. He has been at Colorado. He has real college experience.

    But none of these backs is coming off a monster 1,000-yard season.

    So this may be a committee.

    That is not necessarily bad. Memphis can rotate guys, figure out who fits, and let the offense grow. But somebody eventually has to become dependable.

    The same is true at receiver.

    There are pieces, but it is a new group. Terrell Timmons Jr. comes in after time at NC State and Colorado, and Tychaun Chapman follows the Marshall/Southern Miss pipeline to Memphis. The Tigers also have Hunter Tipton at tight end after coming from Middle Tennessee.

    This is the portal era in one position group.

    A lot of names.

    A lot of talent.

    A lot of unknowns.

    If the quarterback hits, the offense can be fine. But with only one returning starter, it may take a few weeks before Memphis really knows what it has.

    DEFENSE

    The defense has the same story.

    New names everywhere.

    The good news is Huff brought some players with him who know what he wants.

    Mike Montgomery comes in at linebacker after stops at Portland State and Southern Miss. Ian Foster comes in at safety after time at Marshall and Southern Miss. J’Mond Tapp transfers in on the defensive line after time at Arizona State and Southern Miss.

    Montgomery is the key name.

    He had 105 tackles last season, and Memphis needs that kind of proven production badly. There is going to be a lot of inexperience around him, so having an older linebacker who has played in Huff’s system should matter.

    The defense does not need to become elite right away.

    But it has to be good enough to keep Memphis from getting dragged into shootouts while the offense figures itself out.

    That is the challenge with this team.

    Memphis has talent.

    But does it have chemistry?

    SCHEDULE

    We are going to find out about Memphis fast.

    The Tigers open at UNLV on Aug. 29, host Arkansas State on Sept. 5, then go to Boise State on Sept. 12. After that, they host UT Martin before opening American play at Charlotte.

    That is not an easy start.

    Two of the first three games are long road trips against teams that should be among the better teams in their leagues. UNLV could be a Mountain West contender. Boise State is always a major test, and going to Boise is never comfortable.

    Those won’t decide the American race, but they will shape how people view Memphis nationally.

    If the Tigers somehow split those road games or win both, the conversation changes fast. If they lose both, any playoff talk probably disappears early.

    The conference schedule has some real spots too.

    Memphis hosts UAB, goes to Tulane, then gets back-to-back home games against East Carolina and Army. That ECU-Army stretch is the only true back-to-back home stand on the schedule. Then the Tigers go back-to-back on the road at South Florida and Navy before closing with Temple at home.

    That November road stretch is tough.

    At USF.

    At Navy.

    Those are not games you want to play if your team is still trying to find itself.

    The schedule is not impossible, but it does not give Memphis a soft landing either.

    OUTLOOK

    Memphis is hard to project.

    The program has been too good for too long to just assume a collapse. The Tigers have not had a losing season since 2013, and Huff has proven he can win.

    But this is a lot of change.

    New head coach. New quarterback. New running backs. New receivers. New defensive leaders. One returning starter.

    The best-case scenario is that Marcus Stokes is ready for the FBS jump, or Air Noland finally becomes the player people thought he could be. The portal backs give Memphis enough balance. Montgomery leads the defense. Huff brings the same energy that worked at Marshall and Southern Miss. If that happens, Memphis can still be a factor in the American.

    The worst-case scenario is that the quarterback battle never settles, the offensive chemistry takes too long, the defense lacks experience, and those early road games at UNLV and Boise State expose the growing pains.

    Huff is a good coach, and Memphis is a strong program. That combination gives this thing a chance to work faster than it would have in the old days.

    But this season feels more like a reset than a playoff push.

    The Tigers may still win plenty of games.

    The question is whether they can figure it out fast enough to stay in the American race before the schedule makes them pay.

  • 2026 Florida Atlantic season outlook: Can the Owls become more than just a passing show?

    2026 Florida Atlantic season outlook: Can the Owls become more than just a passing show?

    In the pass-happy world of modern college football, it feels like there is no such thing as throwing the ball too much.

    But Florida Atlantic may have tested that theory last year.

    The Owls threw it on almost 64% of their plays, the second-highest rate in the country. They led the nation in passing yards per game and pass attempts per game. They put up a ton of yardage.

    And still, they went 4-8.

    That tells you the whole story.

    FAU could throw the ball. FAU could move the ball. But the Owls could not run it, could not protect the ball well enough, and could not force enough turnovers on defense.

    Now Zach Kittley is in year two, Caden Veltkamp is back at quarterback, and the question is pretty simple.

    Can the Owls become more balanced?

    HEAD COACH:

    • Zach Kittley, entering year two at Florida Atlantic
    • FAU went 4-8 last season.
    • The Owls finished 3-5 in the American.
    • FAU has not had a winning season since 2019.
    • The Owls averaged 27.1 points per game last year.

    Kittley was hired because of offense.

    That is his background. That is his reputation. That is why FAU brought him in after his work as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech. FAU officially named him head coach in December 2024, and the school described him then as one of the bright offensive minds in the sport.

    You could see that identity immediately.

    FAU averaged 435.7 yards per game, which is a huge number. The Owls were explosive through the air and difficult to keep from moving the ball between the 20s.

    But they were not clean.

    FAU finished near the bottom of the country in turnover margin, averaged about seven penalties per game, and forced only eight turnovers all season.

    That is how you waste a productive offense.

    The Owls do not need to completely change who they are. They are going to throw the football. That is Kittley’s world.

    But they do need to play a cleaner version of it.

    QUARTERBACK:

    This is where the optimism starts.

    Caden Veltkamp is back, and that gives FAU a chance to be one of the most dangerous passing teams in the American.

    Veltkamp completed 345 of 515 passes last season for 3,641 yards, 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

    That is a lot of production.

    It is also a lot of risk.

    Veltkamp attempted 40 or more passes seven times last season. When a quarterback is throwing it that much, interceptions are going to happen. But 17 picks is still too many if FAU wants to go from fun offense to winning offense.

    The Maryland game is the warning sign.

    FAU only played one Power Four opponent last year, and Veltkamp threw one touchdown and four interceptions in that game.

    That cannot be the version FAU gets in its biggest moments.

    But the upside is obvious.

    Veltkamp completed 67% of his passes and threw 64 deep balls last season. He is not just dumping it off. He will push the ball down the field. He will give his receivers chances. He will make this offense hard to defend.

    If he cuts the interceptions down, FAU can score on almost anybody in the league.

    THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

    The passing game has a star.

    Easton Messer is back after catching 104 passes for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns. FAU’s roster lists Messer as a redshirt senior receiver, and he should be one of the top returning pass-catchers in the American.

    That is a big deal.

    Messer was third nationally in receptions last season, and he did that without the benefit of a playoff run or extra games. He is going to get the football. Everybody knows it. The question is whether teams can stop it.

    Dominique Henry is back too after catching 46 passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns. FAU lists Henry as a redshirt senior receiver from BYU, and he gives Veltkamp another proven target.

    The Owls also have Kelby Valsin, Brooks Johnson, RJ Garcia II and others in the mix.

    So the receiving group is not the concern.

    The run game is.

    FAU averaged only 3.3 yards per rush last season. The Owls ran the ball on just 36% of their plays. Some of that is game script. If you are behind, you throw. If your defense is struggling, you throw. If your run game is not working, you throw.

    But at some point, you have to be able to run the ball.

    Kaden Shields-Dutton should be part of that answer. The junior running back ran for 460 yards and six touchdowns last season.

    The offensive line has some size and experience too, with Vincent Fiacable, Ja’Kavion Nonar, Aqil Meredith-Smith, Braden Cunningham and Benjamin Galloway among the projected names up front.

    That group does not need to turn FAU into Army.

    But it has to make defenses respect the run.

    If the Owls can even become average on the ground, the passing game gets scarier.

    DEFENSE

    The defense has to help more.

    FAU gave up 435.7 yards per game last season, and opponents completed too many easy throws. Teams also did not have to chase the game very often because FAU kept giving possessions away.

    The most alarming number is the turnover total.

    The Owls forced only eight turnovers all year.

    That is brutal.

    If your offense is throwing the ball 500-plus times and taking chances, the defense has to steal some possessions back. FAU did not do that enough.

    There are pieces to work with.

    Leon Hart Jr. is back at linebacker after leading the team in tackles.

    Senior CJ Doggette Jr. is back on the defensive line after leading the team in sacks.

    The projected defensive group also includes Deshaun Batiste, Gavench Marcelin, Damarius McGhee, Chris Tooley III, Jay Crable, Blake Burris, Joseph Sipp Jr. and Damon Allen.

    FAU brings back a decent amount on this side of the ball, and that matters.

    But the defense has to become more disruptive.

    More pressure.

    More takeaways.

    More third-down stops.

    The offense is probably going to score. The defense just has to keep games from turning into track meets every week.

    SCHEDULE

    The schedule is interesting right away.

    FAU opens at Florida on Sept. 5, then gets Navy and FIU at home. After that, the Owls go to ULM, host Texas Southern, then go to Army after a bye.

    That first game is a great measuring stick.

    Florida will be breaking in a new head coach with Jon Sumrall, and FAU brings in a quarterback who threw for more than 3,600 yards last season. That is not the easiest opening opponent for the Gators’ new staff to prepare for.

    After Florida, three of the next four are at home.

    That matters.

    Navy, FIU and Texas Southern all come to Boca Raton. The road trip to ULM is manageable. If FAU is improved, that early stretch gives the Owls a chance to build some confidence.

    The American schedule gets tougher after that.

    FAU plays at Army, hosts Rice, goes to North Texas, hosts UTSA, goes to Tulsa, hosts South Florida, and finishes at East Carolina.

    The good news is the Owls do not have to go to UTSA, where the Roadrunners have been so tough in recent years.

    The bad news is that Army, North Texas, Tulsa and East Carolina are all road games.

    That is not easy.

    But it is manageable enough if the offense cleans up the turnovers.

    OUTLOOK

    I think FAU is interesting.

    The Owls have a quarterback. They have a star receiver. They have a head coach who knows how to build a passing game. They bring back enough production to believe the offense can take another step in year two.

    But they have to fix the obvious stuff.

    Caden Veltkamp cannot throw 17 interceptions again.

    The run game cannot average 3.3 yards per carry again.

    The defense cannot force only eight turnovers again.

    The penalties have to come down.

    That is a lot, but it is not impossible.

    The best-case scenario is that Veltkamp becomes one of the best quarterbacks in the American, Messer pushes for another 100-catch season, the run game becomes at least respectable, and the defense creates enough turnovers to give the offense extra possessions.

    If that happens, FAU can absolutely get into the bowl conversation.

    There is enough here to believe the Owls can be better than 4-8.

    But the next step is not about throwing for more yards.

    It is about playing cleaner football, finding balance, and finally turning Kittley’s offense into wins.