College Football Preview Part VIII
Welcome Back!
Today I continue my 5 weeks of my college football previews. I begin with 3 weeks of individual team previews, and then conclude with 2 weeks of conference previews.
In case you are interested, I get all of my information from various sources. I use the 4 main preview magazines (Phil Steele, Lindy's, Athlon, and The Sporting News (which returns for the 1st time since 2012!), but I also use many different websites, including (but not limited to): Google, Winsipedia.com, sports-reference.com, ESPN.com, TeamRankings.com, Wikipedia, NCAA.com, and, of course, individual school websites.
In case you are interested, I get all of my information from various sources. I use the 4 main preview magazines (Phil Steele, Lindy's, Athlon, and The Sporting News, which returns for the 1st time since 2012!), but I also use many different websites, including (but not limited to): Google, Winsipedia.com, sports-reference.com, ESPN.com, TeamRankings.com, Wikipedia, NCAA.com, and, of course, individual school websites.
Finally, feel free to leave a comment. Interacting is much of the fun! Of course, if you know me personally, just text me. I'll get that a lot quicker.
So, on with the previews!
60- Northwestern Wildcats 7-6/4-5 (11th)
Coach: David Braun (4th year, 4th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 19-19/.500/82nd
3-year record/rank: 19-19/.500/68th
6-year record/rank: 30-41/.423/101st
10-year record/rank: 59-64/.480/82nd
Last League Title: 2000 Big Ten co-champs/1995 Big Ten champions/2020 Big Ten West champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 1 year/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 8-10/.444/T88th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 1892); best seasons were 10-2 in 1995 under HC Gary Barnett, 7-1 in 1930 under HC Dick Hanley, 7-1 in 1926 under HC Glenn Thistlethwaite, and 10-1-3 in 1903 under HC Walter McCornack
Last Winless Season: 1989/0-11 under HC Francis Peay
All-time Record/Rank: 577-716-44/.448/120th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 23.4/96th/14th Big Ten
Rushing: 160.2/65th/8th
Passing: 185.9/106th/15th
Total: 346.1/96th/12th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 19.8/T23rd/6th
Rushing: 136.2/48th/10th
Passing: 193.5/30th/7th
Total: 329.8/31st/10th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/6
Schedule:
Sep 5 South Dakota State
Sep 19 Colorado
Sep 26 @ Indiana
Oct 2 Penn State
Oct 10 Ball State
Oct 17 @ Michigan State
Oct 24 Rutgers
Oct 31 @ Oregon
Nov 7 Iowa
Nov 14 @ Ohio State
Nov 21 @ Minnesota
Nov 28 Illinois
Notes: The Wildcats have 7 home games, , but 5 Big Ten road games; TO margin was -1, tied for 77th; 716 losses are the most of any team, but just 1 more than Indiana; 577 wins are 89th, 4 ahead of Bowling Green, and 4 behind Louisiana; newly refurbished Ryan Field will make its debut Oct 2 vs Penn State; QB will be either Michigan State transfer Aiden Chiles (3,807 yds, 61%, 24 TDs, 14 INTs, 452 yds rushing in 20 starts) or West Virginia transfer Nicco Marchiol; K will be Bowling Green transfer Jackson Kleather (19-22 FGs, long of 56) and P will be Nikola Dugandzic (seeing his first action in college); new OC is Chip Kelly (yes, THAT Chip Kelly); Northwestern has won 6 consecutive bowls (since 2016), the 3rd longest active streak; the Cats have lost 4 of their last 6, but have won 2 of their last 3, including the bowl win over CMU; NW has lost 4 of their last 5 Big Ten road games, but have won 3 of their last 4 Big Ten home games; 3 wins were by 3 points or less, and 3 losses were by 7 points or less; NU hasn’t been to back-to-back bowl games since they attended 4 in a row from 2015-2018.
Outlook: Northwestern hasn’t had back-to-back winning seasons since they had 4 in a row from 2015-18, and they’ve alternated losing and winning records each of the last 4 seasons, so they’re on track for a losing record this year. However, their 3 OOC games are all winnable- and all at home- which means they merely need to go 4-5 in the Big Ten to guarantee a winning record (or 3-6 with a bowl win). 4 wins in the Big Ten is something they’ve done twice in the last 3 years, but the schedule this year is pretty rough- at Indiana, Oregon, OSU, and Minnesota, and home games with Penn State, Iowa, and rival Illinois. That means they need to win at least 1 or 2 of those to have any chance at a winning record. I expect them to flirt with bowl eligibility for the 3rd time in the last 4 years, but they may fall short. I expect 5 or 6 wins.
59- Wake Forest Demon Deacons 9-4/4-4 (tied for 7th)
Coach: Jake Dickert (2nd year, 6th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 32-24/.571/63rd
3-year record/rank: 17-20/.459/89th
6-year record/rank: 40-33/.548/54th
10-year record/rank: 70-55/.560/55th
Last League Title: 2006 ACC champions/2021 ACC Atlantic champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 1 year/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 12-6/.667/T9th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1895/0-0-1 under an unknown coach & 1892/4-0-1 under HC E. Walter Sikes
Last Winless Season: 1962/0-10 under HC Billy Hildebrand
All-time Record/Rank: 505-697-33/.422/128th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 28.1/63rd/10th ACC
Rushing: 156.2/69th/6th
Passing: 237.7/56th/12th
Total: 393.8/61st/7th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 22.1/44th/7th
Rushing: 121.6/28th/8th
Passing: 206.9/46th/6th
Total: 328.5/26th/4th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 3/9
Schedule:
Sep 3 Akron
Sep 12 @ Purdue
Sep 18 Miami, Fl
Sep 26 @ Louisville
Oct 3 Stanford
Oct 10 @ NC State
Oct 17 @ California
Oct 31 Virginia
Nov 7 Merrimack
Nov 14 @ SMU
Nov 21 @ Georgia Tech
Nov 29 Duke
Notes: Wake Forest is one of 5 P4 teams that have never been ranked in the final top 10 of the AP Poll, with a #15 finish in the final 2021 poll their best ever; TO margin was -6, tied for 106th; winning percentage of .422 is the lowest in the ACC, and the lowest among P4 teams; 697 losses is 4th most in FBS, 4 more than Kansas, and 11 fewer than Rutgers; 505 wins is 108th, fewest in the ACC, 3 ahead of Temple and 2 behind Missouri State; QB will be South Alabama/UNC transfer Gio Lopez (1,747 yds, 65%, 10 TDs, 5 INTs, 133 yds rushing); K Connor Calvert (18-22 FGs, long of 50) returns, but P Ethan Hyams is new; WF has had a winning ACC record just once (7-1 in 2021 under HC Dave Clawson) since 2011 (5-3 under HC Jim Grobe); HC Dickert is the 1st-ever WF coach to lead the team to a bowl berth, and 9 wins were the most ever for a HC in their 1st year here, and it was just the 4th 9-win+ season in team history; the Demon Deacons have won 4 of their last 5 games, including the bowl win over Mississippi State; 4 wins were by 7 points or less, but only 1 loss was by less than 10; WF has a modest 3-game home winning streak, and has 5-2 at home last season.
Outlook: The Demon Deacons haven’t been to back-to-back bowls since they participated in 7 in a row from 2016-2022. They have a decent chance to win at least 6 games this season, as the 3 OOC games are all winnable, meaning they only need a 3-6 record in the ACC to return to a bowl. However, they have Miami, Virginia and Duke at home, and NC State, GT, and SMU on the road. Expect 6 to 7 wins, a bowl game, and with an upset or 2 (and improved QB play) could even match last season’s 9 wins.
58- San Diego State Aztecs 9-4/6-2 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Sean Lewis (3rd year, 8th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 36-44/.450/94th
3-year record/rank: 16-21/.432/94th
6-year record/rank: 39-33/.542/55th
10-year record/rank: 77-48/.616/30th
Last League Title: 2016 MWC
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 1 year/2025/2021
Bowl Record/Rank: 7-11/.389/T106th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1969/11-0 under HC Don Coryell
Last Winless Season: 1942/0-6-1 under HC John Eubank
All-time Record/Rank: 605-460-32/.566/49th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 26.4/77th/4th MWC
Rushing: 198.7/19th/2nd
Passing: 157.7/123rd/8th
Total: 356.4/89th/4th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 15.4/6th/1st
Rushing: 129.5/39th/2nd
Passing: 164.2/6th/2nd
Total: 293.7/11th/2nd
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/5
Schedule:
Sep 5 Portland State
Sep 12 @ UCLA
Sep 19 James Madison
Sep 26 @ Toledo
Oct 3 Texas State
Oct 10 @ Oregon State
Oct 17 Fresno State
Oct 24 @ Colorado State
Oct 31 Washington State
Nov 14 Utah State
Nov 21 @ Boise State
Nov 28 @ Fresno State (FLEX)
Notes: San Diego State had a TO margin of +3, ranked #46; 605 wins 74th, 8 ahead of Hawaii and 8 behind Western Michigan; QB Jayden Denegal (1,807 yds, 58.8%, 9 TDs, 8 INTs, 99 yds rushing, 2.5 ypc) returns, as does RB Lucky Sutton (MWC leading 1,297 yds, 5.1 ypc, 10 TDs); K will be Tyler Prasuhn, and P will be Tashi Dorje; offense scored 34+ points in 5 games (had 7 such games in previous 3 seasons combined); defense allowed just 3.7 ypc rushing (tied for 32nd FBS), and just 9 TDs rushing (tied for 7th fewest); SDSU was 6-0 at home, undefeated at home for the 1st time since 1996; 2 of 4 losses were by 6 points or less, 1 in OT; only 1 win was by less than 17 points; defense had 3 shutouts, held 2 other teams to 3 points each, and held 8 opponents to 10 points or less.
Outlook: The Aztecs had a 10-year run, from 2010-19, where they attended a bowl game and finished each season with a winning record, but then had a losing record 3 of the next 5 years before rebounding in 2025. The trick is to turn last year into sustained success. The OOC schedule is difficult, with 2 of the 3 FBS games on the road at UCLA and Toledo, with a home contest versus James Madison (combined record of 23-16). In the re-formed Pac 12, SDSU has Oregon State and Boise State on the road, and Fresno State at home. I see at least 5 wins, but chances at 2-3 more, especially if the offense improves and the defense doesn’t backslide too much due to the faster tempo of the offense. The Aztecs will challenge for a spot in the Pac 12 CG, but will ultimately fall short.
57- Tulane Green Wave 11-3/7-1 (1st)
Coach: Will Hall (1st year, 5th overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 14-30/.318/116th
3-year record/rank: 31-11/.738/14th
6-year record/rank: 51-29/.638/31st
10-year record/rank: 74-56/.569/48th
Last League Title: 2025 American Conference champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 4 years/2025/2022
Bowl Record/Rank: 7-11/.389/T106th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 1
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1998/12-0 under HC Tommy Bowden/HC Chris Scelfo (bowl win)
Last Winless Season: 1962/0-10 under HC Tommy O’Boyle
All-time Record/Rank: 585-680-38/.464/118th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 27.7/67th/9th AAC
Rushing: 166.3/57th/10th
Passing: 245.1/48th/7th
Total: 411.4/37th/7th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 23.9/T58th/6th
Rushing: 122.6/29th/2nd
Passing: 261.6/124th/13th
Total: 384.2/79th/7th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 3/5
Schedule:
Sep 5 @ Duke
Sep 12 South Alabama
Sep 19 @ Kansas State
Sep 26 Southern Miss
Oct 10 @ Army
Oct 16 Memphis
Oct 24 UTSA
Oct 30 @ Charlotte
Nov 7 Tulsa
Nov 14 @ Rice
Nov 21 North Texas
Nov 27 @ USF
Notes: The Green Wave have been to a bowl for 4 consecutive seasons and have had 4 straight winning seasons for the 1st time since 1928-1939, when they had 12 straight under HCs Bernie Bierman (1928-31), Ted Cox (1932-35), and Red Dawson (1936-39); Tulane has 3 Friday night games, none without a week off before; the Wave won their last 5 regular season games before losing to Ole Miss in the 1st round of the CFP; TO margin was +8, tied for 20th; 680 losses is tied for 8th most with Kansas State, 6 more than Vandy, and 5 fewer than Iowa State; 585 wins is tied with Iowa State and Kansas State, 2 ahead of Nevada, Sam Houston and Utah State, and 2 behind Troy and Washington State; defense led the conference with 36 sacks; K Jackson Courville (15-21 FGs, long of 52) is a transfer from Ohio State/Ball State, and P Brooks Moore will be new; QB is likely to be Louisiana/Houston transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion (932 yds, 62%, 5 TDs, 9 INTs at Houston the last 2 years) or ‘25 backup Kadin Semonza (3,384 yds, 64%, 28 TDs, 15 INTs in 2 years at Ball State); the Green Wave were 7-0 at home last season, including a win in the CCG; all 3 losses were by at least 22 points, but 4 wins were by 7 points or less; defense held 6 opponents to 19 points or less (1 shutout), while the offense scored 31+ points 7 times.
Outlook: Tulane has been to the American Conference Championship Game each of the last 4 years, winning 2, tied with Boise State (3 wins) for the 2nd longest current streak behind Georgia (5 seasons in a row, 3 wins). This year, they face their normal OOC slate: 2 P4 teams in Duke and Kansas State, both on the road, and 2 Sun Belt teams, both at home. In the American Conference, they avoid Navy and ECU, get Memphis, UTSA, and Tulsa at home, and travel to Army and USF. I see 7-9 wins on this schedule, with a challenge for a 5th consecutive berth in the CG.
56- USF Bulls 9-4/6-2 (tied for 4th)
Coach: Brian Hartline (1st year, 1st overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 0-0/.000/126th
3-year record/rank: 25-16/.610/44th
6-year record/rank: 29-45/.392/111th
10-year record/rank: 62-63/.496/72nd
Last League Title: 2016 AAC co-champs
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 3 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 8-5/.615/19th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 1997); best was 11-2 in 2016 under HC Willie Taggart
Last Winless Season: Never; worst was 1-11 in 2022 under HC Jeff Scott
All-time Record/Rank: 184-164/.529/78th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 40.5/5th/2nd AAC
Rushing: 212.1/13th/3rd
Passing: 276.6/16th/3rd
Total: 488.7/3rd/2nd
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 23.4/53rd/5th
Rushing: 143.7/60th/5th
Passing: 242.8/111th/12th
Total: 386.5/83rd/8th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 4/3
Schedule:
Sep 5 FIU
Sep 12 @ Army
Sep 19 Delaware State
Sep 26 @ Bowling Green
Oct 3 Temple
Oct 8 @ UTSA
Oct 17 Kent State
Oct 31 UAB
Nov 6 @ East Carolina
Nov 12 Memphis
Nov 21 @ FAU
Nov 27 Tulane
Notes: The Bulls will be going for their 4th consecutive winning season, something that hasn’t happened since they had 4 straight from 2015-2018 under HCs Willie Taggart and Charlie Strong; USF has 2 Thursday games and 2 Friday games, and are not off before any of them; the Bulls have 7 home games this season; TO margin was +5, tied for 36th; team improved in every major offensive and defensive stat (all those listed above) from 2024 to ‘25; 184 wins ranks 126th, 5 ahead of UAB and 89 behind UNLV; QB will be either FSU/Mississippi State transfer Luke Kromenhoek (73 yds, 56%) or Miss St/LSU transfer Michael Van Buren (1,010 yds, 57%, 8 TDs, 2 INTs); K Nico Grammitica (18-24 FGS, long of 52) and P Luke Goater (36.2 avg on 9 punts) both return; USF will be playing their final season in Raymond James Stadium as they will be moving to an on-campus, 35,000-seat stadium; USF has won 2 of their last 3 games, with the loss in the bowl to ODU; the Bulls were 6-0 at home last season, and have won 7 consecutive home games; 2 losses were by 3 points each.
Outlook: South Florida has been wildly inconsistent since joining FBS in 2000, and over the last 10 years the win totals have fluctuated from 1 to 11. They also seem to be successful in runs- no bowls from 2000-2004, 6 in a row from 2005-2010, no bowls from 2011-14, 4 bowls in a row from 2015-18, no bowl from 2019-22, and then a bowl each of the last 3 seasons. This season, they have a great chance for a 4th consecutive bowl yet again, as their OOC games are ridiculously easy: FIU, an FCS team, at BGSU, and Kent State. That’s 2 MAC teams and one from the CUSA for those of you keeping score at home. In the American Conference, they avoid Navy, and get Tulane and Memphis at home, but must go on the road to play Army, UTSA, and ECU. But all they need is a 2-6 conference record to get to 6 wins, which they should be able to do easily. Expect 6-8 wins.
55- East Carolina Pirates 9-4/6-2 (tied for 4th)
Coach: Blake Harrell (3rd year, 3rd overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 14-5/.737/12th
3-year record/rank: 19-19/.500/68th
6-year record/rank: 37-35/.514/67th
10-year record/rank: 50-70/.417/104th
Last League Title: 2009 CUSA/2012 CUSA East co-champs
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 11-9/.550/T33rd
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1941/7-0 under HC John Christenbury
Last Winless Season: 1948/0-9 under HC James “Jim” Mallory
All-time Record/Rank: 477-463-12/.507/91st
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 32.7/24th/4th AAC
Rushing: 176.3/45th/7th
Passing: 272.7/19th/4th
Total: 449.0/19th/3rd
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 20.1/25th/2nd
Rushing: 120.2/26th/1st
Passing: 230.8/91st/8th
Total: 351.0/50th/2nd
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 4/3
Schedule:
Sep 5 @ Alabama
Sep 12 Appalachian State
Sep 19 @ ODU
Sep 26 NC Central
Oct 10 Rice
Oct 15 @ UAB
Oct 22 @ Memphis
Oct 31 Temple
Nov 6 USF
Nov 14 @ Charlotte
Nov 21 @ Army
Nov 28 FAU
Notes: East Carolina had a TO margin of +10, 10th best in FBS; 477 wins is 114th, 15 ahead of New Mexico State and 6 behind Ball State; QB will be either Miami, Fl transfer Emory Williams (813 yds, 63%, 4 TDs, 2 INTs in 3 years at Miami) or WF/Marshall/Texas Tech transfer Mitch Griffis (357 yds, 72%, 2 TDs, 0 INT last year at TTU); defense had 7.8 TFLs/game, 4th in FBS, and was also in the Top 10 in fumbles recovered, red zone defense, and 3rd-down conversions; K will be Andrew Conrad (10-14 FGs, long of 52 in 2024) and P will be St. Thomas transfer Elliot Huether (43.4 avg/41.2 net); HC Harrell is 2-2 vs P4 teams here at ECU, 2-0 in bowls, and 0-1 both on the road and at home; 9 wins last year was their most since they were 10-3 in 2013 under HC Ruffin McNeill; 2 of 4 losses were by 7 points each; Pirates were 5-1 at home; ECU scored 31+ points 7 times (high of 56), while the defense held 6 opponents to 17 points or less, with 1 shutout.
Outlook: The Pirates have an almost entirely revamped team, but have the talent to match last year’s overall and conference records. The question is how long it takes for the team to come together as one unit. They won’t get much chance to feel each other out in game situations as they open the season at Alabama, followed by App State at home and ODU in Norfolk. Regardless, they should be 3-1 after topping an FCS team in week 4, though ODU could be tricky. In the American Conference, they play at Memphis and Army and host USF, but they avoid Navy, UTSA, and Tulane, meaning they play most of the teams expected to finish in the middle or the bottom of the conference. I see at least 7 wins, and that could be 9 or 10 with an upset or 2.
54- Toledo Rockets 8-5/6-2 )tied for 2nd)
Coach: Mike Jacobs (1st year, 1st overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 0-0/.000/126th
3-year record/rank: 27-13/.675/25th
6-year record/rank: 47-26/.644/29th
10-year record/rank: 80-45/.640/21st
Last League Title: 2022 MAC champions/2023 MAC West champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 5 years/2025/2024
Bowl Record/Rank: 12-11/.522/T49th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1995/11-0-1 under HC Gary Pinkel
Last Winless Season: 1920/0-3 under HC Watt Hobt
All-time Record/Rank: 596-462-24/.562/53rd
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 30.8/37th/1st MAC
Rushing: 177.2/41st/3rd
Passing: 238.1/55th/1st
Total: 415.2/34th/1st
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 13.3/4th/1st
Rushing: 96.3/9th/1st
Passing: 158.0/5th/1st
Total: 254.3/2nd/1st
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 2/4
Schedule:
Sep 4 @ Michigan State
Sep 12 Central Connecticut
Sep 19 Temple
Sep 26 San Diego State
Oct 3 @ Ball State
Oct 10 Buffalo
Oct 17 @ Eastern Michigan
Oct 24 Western Michigan
Nov 4 @ Sacramento State
Nov 11 UMass
Nov 20 Bowling Green
Nov 27 @ Ohio
Notes: The Rockets have been to a bowl in 13 of the last 16 years, including the last 5, winning 2 of the last 4; Toledo hasn’t had a losing season since 2009 (5-7 under HC Tim Beckman), and have a string of 16 consecutive non-losing seasons; the Rockets have 7 home games for the 1st time since 2018, the only team in the MAC to have that many this year; Toledo has 5 non-Saturday games, including each of their last 4; TO margin was +6, tied for 29th; 596 wins is 76th all-time, 3 ahead of Mississippi State, and 1 behind Hawaii; QB is likely to be 2024-25 backup John Alan Richter (650 yds, 66%, 7 TDs, 1 INT last 3 years); K Reice Griffith (14-17 FGs) followed the HC from Mercer, but P Emilio Duran (40.6 avg/37.4 net) returns; UT has won 4 of their last 5 games, with the bowl loss ending the winning streak; 4 of 5 losses were by 8 points or less, but their closest win was by 18 points; the Rockets were 6-0 at home, and have won 15 of their last 17 at home.
Outlook: Toledo has a decent chance to start the season 3-1, as they have Michigan State on the road in their opener and then home games against an FCS squad, Temple, and SDSU. In the MAC, they avoid Miami and CMU, get Buffalo and WMU at home, and have to go on the road to face EMU and Ohio. I see at least 6 to 8 wins, and an upset or 2 could get them back to double digit wins for the 1st time since 2023. The Rockets are a legitimate threat to play in the MAC CG for the 3rd time in the last 5 years.
53- Army Black Knights 7-6/4-4 (tied for 6th)
Coach: Jeff Monken (13th year, 13th overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 89-63/.586/52nd
3-year record/rank: 25-14/.641/37th
6-year record/rank: 49-27/.645/28th
10-year record/rank: 83-45/.648/20th
Last League Title: 2024 American Conference champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 9-3/.750/T6th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: 2/1945
Last Undefeated Season: 1958/8-0-1 under HC Earl Blaik
Last Winless Season: 1973/0-10 under HC Thomas Cahill
All-time Record/Rank: 746-554-51/.571/45th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 23.8/92nd/11th AAC
Rushing: 254.9/4th/2nd
Passing: 80.8/134th/14th
Total: 335.8/108th/12th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 21.6/40th/3rd
Rushing: 153.2/74th/7th
Passing: 190.4/27th/2nd
Total: 343.5/43rd/1st
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/3
Schedule:
Sep 5 Bryant
Sep 12 USF
Sep 25 @ Temple
Oct 3 @ La Tech
Oct 10 Tulane
Oct 17 FAU
Oct 23 @ Tulsa
Oct 31 @ Memphis
Nov 7 Air Force
Nov 21 East Carolina
Nov 28 @ Rice
Dec 12 Navy (East Rutherford, NJ)
Notes: Army West Point had a TO margin of +5, tied for 36th; all-time winning percentage of .571 is the best of any team currently in the American Conference; 746 wins ranks number 27, 6 ahead of Miami, Oh and 3 behind Arkansas and Minnesota; Cale Hellums (694 yds, 54%, 4 TDs, 3 INTs, 1,223 yds rushing- most by a QB in FBS, 4.0 ypc, 18 TDs- tied for 3rd most overall) returns at QB; OL returns 4 starters; K Dawson Jones (15-20 FGs, long of 48) and P James Wagenseller (43.1 avg/40.8 net) both return; 5 of 6 losses were by 7 points or less, 1 in OT and another in 2 OTs; 4 of 7 wins were by 3 points or less; Army has won 2 of their last 3 games, including the bowl over UConn; defense held 6 opponents to 17 points or less.
Outlook: The Black Knights have had 6 consecutive non-losing seasons, their longest such stretch since they had 12 straight from 1952 through 1963 under HCs Earl “Red” Blaik and Paul Dietzel. HC Monken is 2nd all-time in wins at Army, but he’s 38 wins behind the aforementioned Blaik (121-33-10/.768). Army has been to back-to-back bowls for only the 4th time in their history, and a 3rd consecutive bowl would tie their longest streak from 2016-2018, also under HC Monken. In fact, of their 12 bowl appearances, 7 have come under HC Monken. For the 1st time since 2020, the Black Knights don’t face a P4 team (2020 team did play Cincinnati, but that was the pre-P4 version, though they won the AAC and lost to UGA in the Peach Bowl before making the CFP in ‘21). Instead, they have Air Force (home) and Navy (neutral), as usual, an FCS team (also as usual), and play at La Tech. At worst, they should win 2 of those; at best, that’s a 4-0 record in OOC games, meaning 2 more wins gets them back in a bowl. In the American Conference, AWP has USF, Tulane, and ECU at home, with Memphis the only contender they face on the road, as they avoid contenders Navy (counts as a non-conference) and UTSA altogether. The Black Knights look poised to win 8 to 10 games and challenge for a spot in the CG, but much will depend on how the defense performs, and if the offense can find playmakers. Week 2 versus USF should be a good indication of how this season will go.
52- Cincinnati Bearcats 7-6/5-4 (tied for 7th)
Coach: Scott Satterfield (4th year, 13th overall)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 87-62/.584/55th
3-year record/rank: 15-22/.405/108th
6-year record/rank: 46-28/.622/35th
10-year record/rank: 76-49/.608/34th
Last League Title: 2021 American Conference champions
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 1 year/2025/2019
Bowl Record/Rank: 9-13/.409/T99th
CFP Playoff Appearances: 1
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: 1918/3-0-2 under HC Boyd Chambers
Last Winless Season: 1937/0-10 under HC’s Russ Cohen and Wade Woodworth
All-time Record/Rank: 671-620-51/.519/81st
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 30.3/43rd/7th Big12
Rushing: 176.1/46th/6th
Passing: 231.2/60th/5th
Total: 407.3/42nd/7th
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 25.6/74th/10th
Rushing: 178.8/105th/13th
Passing: 220.5/69th/11th
Total: 399.2/93rd/13th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 4/6
Schedule:
Sep 5 Boston College
Sep 12 Western Carolina
Sep 26 Miami, Oh
Oct 3 @ Arizona
Oct 17 @ west Virginia
Oct 24 Texas Tech
Oct 31 Utah
Nov 7 @ Houston
Nov 14 @ Iowa State
Nov 21 Colorado
Nov 28 @ BYU
Notes: The Bearcats have lost 4 bowls in a row, stretching back to their Peach Bowl loss to UGA in 2020, tied for the 5th longest active bowl losing streak; Cincy defeated only 1 team that had a winning record last season- Iowa State at 8-4; the Bearcats have 7 home games, but 5 Big 12 road games; TO margin was -4, tied for 96th; 671 wins is 47th, 11 ahead of Fresno State, and just 3 behind App State; likely starter at QB is Ga Southern transfer JC French (2,929 yds, 64%, 20 TDs, 8 INTs, 315 yds rushing, 6 TDs); both K Stephen Rusnak (13-17 FGs, long of 46) and P Max Fletcher (45.4 avg/41.7 net, 2nd team All-Big 12) return for a 2nd season; defense had just 21 sacks, 2 INTs, and 12 fumble recoveries last season; OL returns 3 starters; Cincinnati has lost their last 5 games, including the bowl to Navy; over the last 3 seasons, the Bearcats have finished the season on a losing stretch: 0-2 (and 1-9) in ‘23, 0-5 in ‘24, and 0-5 last season; Cincy has lost 7 of their last 9 contests away from Nippert Stadium; defense allowed 30+ points in 4 of their final 5 games (26 in the other) after holding 6 of their 1st 8 foes to 20 points or less, including 1 shutout; offense was held to 14 or less in 3 of their last 5, and scored only 23 and 24 in the other 2, but scored 34+ in 5 of their 1st 8.
Outlook: Cincinnati is an odd fit in the Big 12, but last year, they finally defeated a team- actually 4- that were in the conference before they joined in 2023. The OOC slate is challenging but not impossible, as all 3 are at home, with Boston College the greater threat, though the RedHawks of Miami are a rival. In the Big 12, they face all the top contenders- Texas Tech and Utah at home, and Arizona, Houston, and BYU on the road. The Bearcats could be greatly improved and still end up with a worse record, which could be bad news for HC Satterfield. I see a maximum of 6 wins, but 4 or 5 is more likely.
51- North Texas Mean Green 12-2/7-1 (tied for 1st)
Coach: Neal Brown (1st year, 11th overall FBS)
Coach FBS Record/Rank: 72-51/.585/54th
3-year record/rank: 23-16/.590/48th
6-year record/rank: 40-36/.526/61st
10-year record/rank: 67-61/.523/65th
Last League Title: 2004 Sun Belt/2017 CUSA West co-champs
Bowl Streak/Last Bowl Season/Last Bowl Win: 2 years/2025/2025
Bowl Record/Rank: 3-12/.200/131st
CFP Playoff Appearances: 0
AP Championships/Last AP Championship: None
Last Undefeated Season: Never (since 1913); 10-1 in 1977 under HC Hayden Fry is best record
Last Winless Season: 1913/0-1 under HC J.W. Pender (1st season ever)
All-time Record/Rank: 560-550-33/.504/94th
Offense/ranks:
Scoring: 45.1/1st/1st AAC
Rushing: 194.2/25th/5th
Passing: 318.0/2nd/2nd
Total: 512.2/1st/1st
Defense/ranks:
Scoring: 26.5/T76th/7th
Rushing: 215.9/130th/14th
Passing: 166.2/8th/1st
Total: 381.9/77th/6th
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 3/3
Schedule:
Sep 5 @ Indiana
Sep 12 UNLV
Sep 19 @ Texas State
Sep 26 Houston Christian
Oct 1 @ Tulsa
Oct 10 Charlotte
Oct 24 @ Navy
Oct 29 FAU
Nov 7 Rice
Nov 14 @ UTSA
Nov 21 @ Tulane
Nov 28 UAB
Notes: The Mean Green finished the 2025 season ranked in the AP poll for the 1st time in its history, finishing #24 after reaching a high of #20; UNT has only ever been ranked in 1 other season, reaching #16 in 1959 under HC Odus Mitchell, when they finished outside the top 20 despite a 9-2 final record (and a Sun Bowl loss); TO margin was +9, tied for 15th; 560 wins is 94th most, 4 ahead of Duke, and 8 behind Louisville; QB is likely to be Tennessee/Indiana/UCF transfer Tayven Jackson (2,151 yds, 64%, 10 TDs, 8 INTs); K will be App State transfer Dominic De Freitas (20-25 FGs, long of 49) and P will be App State transfer Ian Ratliff (43.8 avg/41.2 net)- both follow new Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Crosby from ASU; 12 wins last year was the most ever in Denton, and the 1st double-digit win season since 1977 (10-1 under HC Hayden Fry) and only the 3rd ever (10-2 in 1947 under HC Odus Mitchell); bowl win over SDSU broke a 7-game bowl losing streak; UNT won 7 of their last 8 games, were 6-1 at home, and only 2 wins were by less than 14 points- OT wins over WMU and Armyoffense scored 31 or more points in 12 out of 13 games, and score 45+ points 9 times; defense allowed 34+ points just 4 times.
Outlook: North Texas opens the season with the defending national champions, so the schedule has to get easier from there. But there is virtually no way the offense will improve on last year’s 45.1 ppg. However, the defense does have a chance to improve, but so much will depend on how the transfers fit in, since there are so few holdovers from the previous regime. After the Hoosiers, UNT takes on UNLV at home and play at Texas State, so the odds are the OOC schedule will yield a 2-2 record. In the American Conference, they go on the road to take on Navy, UTSA, and Tulane (ouch!), but the rest of the schedule is “winnable”. Six wins looks like a doable goal, with 7 or 8 possible, and maybe even likely. But again, so much depends on how well all these transfers do.
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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