Phil's a big fan of San Diego State. He has them winning their division of the MWC and being capable of beating out Boise State and Colorado State. It believes it's possible they win 10+ games. Nationally, he rates them from a power perspective (looks at teams outside of their schedule) at 49th. That puts them ahead of WSU at 65th and Oregon State at 84th and on par with Colorado at 46th.
That same ranking has Cal at 36th.
SDSU has 14 returning starters and while they have a new QB, the view is that last years QB was a disaster and this will be an upgrade to what was a pretty strong offense. They finished 36th in Pass Defense Rating with a solid pass rush. Last year, they barely lost to North Carolina on the road, Oregon State beat them early by 3 TDs in Corvallis and they lose a close bowl game to Navy. They came close to beating Boise in Boise.
They have a stud RB (among the nations best), they return three starters on their OL and 8 defenders.
Better team than I thought on paper but one Cal will likely be a 7-10 point favorite to beat at home.
He likes Texas quite a bit. Big belief in Charlie Strong taking a big step forward in year two and in the talent and depth Charlie has at his disposal. Ranks them 28th nationally (exclusive of their schedule). QB is the obvious big question - Phil's view is that having 5 stud returning OL and a bevy of good backs will make the offense work without a great QB. They've always had a top flight secondary and they return three starters there and Phil likes the talent and experience they have at DL. The two projected new starters are both seniors with a lot of experience. 4-5 5 star players are slated to be in their starting lineup with almost every other starter a 4 star. Phil has them as one of the Most Improved Teams in the USA, alongside Cal - UT is #7 and Cal is #12 on that list.
It will be interesting to watch Texas play Notre Dame to gauge whether Charlie Strong's culture has taken root and whether they have any passing game.
My own take is that Texas is solid this year but not great (8-9 wins) and that SDSU will win a similar # of games. SDSU had a down year last year but they were young and had poor QB play which is rare for a Chuck Long coached team. I think they give us a good ball game.
That same ranking has Cal at 36th.
SDSU has 14 returning starters and while they have a new QB, the view is that last years QB was a disaster and this will be an upgrade to what was a pretty strong offense. They finished 36th in Pass Defense Rating with a solid pass rush. Last year, they barely lost to North Carolina on the road, Oregon State beat them early by 3 TDs in Corvallis and they lose a close bowl game to Navy. They came close to beating Boise in Boise.
They have a stud RB (among the nations best), they return three starters on their OL and 8 defenders.
Better team than I thought on paper but one Cal will likely be a 7-10 point favorite to beat at home.
He likes Texas quite a bit. Big belief in Charlie Strong taking a big step forward in year two and in the talent and depth Charlie has at his disposal. Ranks them 28th nationally (exclusive of their schedule). QB is the obvious big question - Phil's view is that having 5 stud returning OL and a bevy of good backs will make the offense work without a great QB. They've always had a top flight secondary and they return three starters there and Phil likes the talent and experience they have at DL. The two projected new starters are both seniors with a lot of experience. 4-5 5 star players are slated to be in their starting lineup with almost every other starter a 4 star. Phil has them as one of the Most Improved Teams in the USA, alongside Cal - UT is #7 and Cal is #12 on that list.
It will be interesting to watch Texas play Notre Dame to gauge whether Charlie Strong's culture has taken root and whether they have any passing game.
My own take is that Texas is solid this year but not great (8-9 wins) and that SDSU will win a similar # of games. SDSU had a down year last year but they were young and had poor QB play which is rare for a Chuck Long coached team. I think they give us a good ball game.
