In Reply to: Projecting every Big Ten team's final record in 2024 posted by mh on August 21, 2024 at 10:28:22
We have a few unknowns, and just about all of the prognosticators are assuming the worst for all of them.
1. Can Foster/Bieniemy/Malloe do as good as or better than Kelly/Lynn? Most seem to think UCLA was only those coaches and that we'll be worse off without them. TBD if they are right.
2. Can the defense replace the TFL production? Losing Latu/the Murphys/Shaw is tough, but we did get most of them through the transfer portal, and nobody else was really on the Murphys.
3. Can the OL be good enough with 7 starters returning on offense? We're not relying on any freshmen - we have experienced players all over the OL, but will they be any good? Especially v some of the best DLs in the country (LSU/Ore/PSU/Iowa).
I really do think that we'll be closer to 8 wins than 2, but if, as that prognosticator says, we lose at home to Indiana, 2 wins is a possibility.
However, I think we'll smoke both Hawai'i and Indiana, and maybe get at least one of those next 3 games, and if we don't have any awful injuries (Garbers/Toia/Medrano/Femi are probably the big 4 who need to stay healthy), will be getting better every week.
Regardless, what we see in the Hawai'i and Indiana games will answer most of these questions. If we can't control both games, we'll likely be failing at all 3 of the keys above for most of the season.
But if we do control both of those games and don't lose key players to injury? Things will be very interesting, and a lot of the prognosticators who are picking us for the basement because they aren't paying attention will be wrong.