Beat Vandy, South Carolina, and 1-2 against Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. It’s doable, but it’s an uphill climb. This is the 6th easiest game on the schedule.
late to the thread... overall, this should have been a 50+ point win. I think that's what was a needed and since that didn't happen, the whole thing feels just lackluster or underwhelming. maybe it would have felt different without the momentum killers. it's hard to feel a real gauge of things when the opposition is fielding a roster of some 70 freshmen(? did I hear that right last night?). but 1st game, new coach(es), system, etc. blah blah blah... i get it. it generically just felt better than the recent past, and so i'll take it. and don't think anybody around here is under any delusions; we know we've got a long way to go.
Suppose we have an independent 1/3 chance to beat each of those teams. Suppose we have a 1/2 chance of beating Pitt. Chances of winning at least one of those three: 70.4% Chances of beating Pitt: 50% We’re likely to get an upset win this year. Losing next week doesn’t doom our chances of 6-6. But it means our margin for error against the South Carolinas and Vanderbilts of the world is gone. And it means we have to actual convert one of those upsets, which may be likely, but is far from a guarantee.
Only been about 24 hours, and I am already slowly slipping back into Hope Mode. Maybe BGU isn't so bad this year. Maybe everything is fine...
To me, we have the best assembly of actual teachers of the game since Kiffin's year here. Elarbee, Jean-Mary, Martinez, Heupel, Garner, Ekeler are all really good at coaching their position. I think Banks will call safe defenses to bend-not-break and the defense will be average at worst.
Dooley's staff his first two years were pretty damn good, he just sucked that bad. Kippy Brown, Harry Hiestand, Peter Sirmon, Justin Wilcox, Terry Joseph and Chaney are all good coaches.
Or hired Brian Kelly or Gary Patterson in November 2008. Or at least included a significant buyout in Lane’s contract that would have basically made him untouchable for a few a years.