What’s your predictions and analysis for this years Pokes? It’s 10 days to Game Day.
Here’s mine.
I haven’t seen a practice or any ‘film’ plus the fact that all football practices are closed so my take is total speculation. But that is what’s fun about this site and this time of year.
I think the offense is going to much more balanced between running and passing say 65% run and 35% pass maybe 60-40. I also think that the Pokes will have many more ‘Big Scoring Plays’ than last year. Both QBs are more experienced, although Levi is still a RS Freshman. But he has multiple games of experience.
The OL QBs and RBs may be the true strength of the team. Not only are they experienced there is true depth. The key will be if there is significant improvement in the WRs. Per Coach Bohl there is. That is a wonderful sign.
I thought the D would be good, perhaps not as strong as last year (The Pokes lost some real talent, like NFL caliber talent). The 5 players who have opted out, are all from the D side of the ball. That is in essence 5 season ending injuries before Game 1. Several most likely would have been staters.
Couple that with the 11 freshman who tested positive for COVID and the remaining freshman losing precious practice time, the depth of the D could be an issue. Still I think the D will be OK, not great, not as good as last year, but OK.
Over the course of a season, almost all players, who finish the season, improve. I think the D will improve significantly as the season evolves.
I think the Pokes opening schedule is favorable. The first two games are very winnable. The Pokes should be favored in both and I think they will ‘cover the spread’.
Bohl and Vigen have showed that they have the Pokes prepared for their opener. UNR has no fans in the stands policy. That means it is essentially a neutral site except for the travel. I say this is a W.
HI. As hard a time as the Pokes have had playing in Honolulu, HI has had an even tougher time playing in Laramie. Again all signs point to a W.
The Bronze Boot is game 3. Rivalry games are always unpredictable. Anyone that thinks the Sheep will not be up for this game and that Nov 7 isn’t circled on the Ewes calendar could be living in Canada. This is especially true because The Wanna Be’s didn’t play the ‘The Pretenders’ this year. The Sheep didn’t have a chance to play their ‘In State’ rival. The Border War is ‘The School Down South’ Rival Game this year.
After 4 consecutive losses only the 5th year seniors have got to hold the Boot. Trust me the Sheep will be motivated. The good thing is that the Sheep Pen will be even more empty (like actually empty) than normal.
By the end of game 3 we should know if AF is real or not. The AF are almost always competitive. The Poke -AF has been a real close series historically.
I just think the Wyoming OL will blow AF off the LOS. I honestly believe the Poke RBs will set up camp in the AF secondary. I think the Pokes win and not by a little bit. Howdy Dowdy will be in a funk.
USU lost a NFL QB. (So the Pokes aren’t the only one with a QB that was drafted and is playing I. The NFL (Yes I know Rypien is playing in the NFL, but he or any other BSU QB has ever been drafted by an NFL team). We will see how USU plays without him. USU is a question mark. Possibly a tough question mark. I’m still saying this is a likely W. (Plus Uzi and all the other Poke fans in SW Wyoming and Utah need a break from SLC sports stations and newspapers talking trash about the Pokes).
UNLV. This may be a trap game. UNLV is getting better. Pokes should win based on talent and depth but then again look at what happened in 2016. No way UNLV hangs 66 on the Pokes this year. The Pokes could hang 63 on the Rebs though. Just as long as Pokes aren’t hit with the bugs, like in Turnover, injury or COVID., this should be a W.
UNM is the Mountain Division’s version of ‘old’ SJSU. SJSU stadium may be a joke, but their football team isn’t. Enough said.
Still it seems like last year the Pokes played down to the level of their completion, so there is that. Still it would be a huge upset if the Nobos beat the Cowboys. So I say a W.
So it boils down to game 8. This is the hump game. Can the Pokes get over the hump and beat Boise ‘in all phase of the game? Yes they won in Laramie in 2016. The Safety Dance was born. It was a glorious and memorable moment.
The Pokes played Boise competitively last year. But like it or not Truck Driver U is considered the ‘Class of the MWC. The Pokes are 1-11 against the ‘Teamsters’. It is game 8.
There are lots of things that could happen before game 8. 2 of which are the injury bug and ‘virus positives’, Not to mention weather at 6:00 pm in Laradise on Dec 12 will play a factor in the game. Maybe even it’s outcome. I say this game is a toss up.
After the Safety Dance, Didn’t Coach Bohl say something to the affect of some games are program defining and this win may be one of those games. 2016 was 4 years ago. It’s time to really give BSU an attitude adjustment.
The Pokes need to make a statement to the MWC and the college football world, not to mention the NY6 committee. If they thump Boise there will be a new Sheriff in the MWC.
Perhaps the Pokes season is 7-1 + a Bowl game. Or it could be 8-0 + 1 = MWC FOOTBALL CHAMPION and maybe ‘if’ BSU thumps BYWho a date in Atlanta. Is it likely? I wouldn’t buy plane tickets to ATL. right now, but it is not out of the realm of possibility either.
Currently Cincinnati, BYWho, SMU and yes the Chanticleers have the inside track for the G5 invite to dine on some Chick-fil-A on Jan. 1.
If I was setting odds in Vegas I’d say the Pokes are somewhere between 100-1 to 250-1 to earn a trip to ATL. Those would be pretty long odds. But wow, just imagine the ‘Payoff’
If the Pokes do make to Atlanta I’ll be there. (Unless there is limited season and Ian took the ‘odds’ that the Pokes would have a date in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and he wisely put down some serious $$$ and bought up all the limited seats, so he could watch the game without a bunch of crazy Poke fans disturbing his karma!).
Is it possible yes, likely, maybe not. But 2020 could be the season that “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions” and the year “The Cavalry Arrived”.
(Since even Ian hasn’t seen a practice this fall, I just hope that I’m not totally nuts and the Pokes beat UNR. It would be nice to be 1-0 and still have a chance to eat some “Chikin” in Jan. We could save the beef for a real post game party! Darn, it’s going to be hard not having any tailgating parties or IPF gatherings this year. At least the Pokes are going to play some football this year. That’s a good thing).
GO POKES
Here’s mine.
I haven’t seen a practice or any ‘film’ plus the fact that all football practices are closed so my take is total speculation. But that is what’s fun about this site and this time of year.
I think the offense is going to much more balanced between running and passing say 65% run and 35% pass maybe 60-40. I also think that the Pokes will have many more ‘Big Scoring Plays’ than last year. Both QBs are more experienced, although Levi is still a RS Freshman. But he has multiple games of experience.
The OL QBs and RBs may be the true strength of the team. Not only are they experienced there is true depth. The key will be if there is significant improvement in the WRs. Per Coach Bohl there is. That is a wonderful sign.
I thought the D would be good, perhaps not as strong as last year (The Pokes lost some real talent, like NFL caliber talent). The 5 players who have opted out, are all from the D side of the ball. That is in essence 5 season ending injuries before Game 1. Several most likely would have been staters.
Couple that with the 11 freshman who tested positive for COVID and the remaining freshman losing precious practice time, the depth of the D could be an issue. Still I think the D will be OK, not great, not as good as last year, but OK.
Over the course of a season, almost all players, who finish the season, improve. I think the D will improve significantly as the season evolves.
I think the Pokes opening schedule is favorable. The first two games are very winnable. The Pokes should be favored in both and I think they will ‘cover the spread’.
Bohl and Vigen have showed that they have the Pokes prepared for their opener. UNR has no fans in the stands policy. That means it is essentially a neutral site except for the travel. I say this is a W.
HI. As hard a time as the Pokes have had playing in Honolulu, HI has had an even tougher time playing in Laramie. Again all signs point to a W.
The Bronze Boot is game 3. Rivalry games are always unpredictable. Anyone that thinks the Sheep will not be up for this game and that Nov 7 isn’t circled on the Ewes calendar could be living in Canada. This is especially true because The Wanna Be’s didn’t play the ‘The Pretenders’ this year. The Sheep didn’t have a chance to play their ‘In State’ rival. The Border War is ‘The School Down South’ Rival Game this year.
After 4 consecutive losses only the 5th year seniors have got to hold the Boot. Trust me the Sheep will be motivated. The good thing is that the Sheep Pen will be even more empty (like actually empty) than normal.
By the end of game 3 we should know if AF is real or not. The AF are almost always competitive. The Poke -AF has been a real close series historically.
I just think the Wyoming OL will blow AF off the LOS. I honestly believe the Poke RBs will set up camp in the AF secondary. I think the Pokes win and not by a little bit. Howdy Dowdy will be in a funk.
USU lost a NFL QB. (So the Pokes aren’t the only one with a QB that was drafted and is playing I. The NFL (Yes I know Rypien is playing in the NFL, but he or any other BSU QB has ever been drafted by an NFL team). We will see how USU plays without him. USU is a question mark. Possibly a tough question mark. I’m still saying this is a likely W. (Plus Uzi and all the other Poke fans in SW Wyoming and Utah need a break from SLC sports stations and newspapers talking trash about the Pokes).
UNLV. This may be a trap game. UNLV is getting better. Pokes should win based on talent and depth but then again look at what happened in 2016. No way UNLV hangs 66 on the Pokes this year. The Pokes could hang 63 on the Rebs though. Just as long as Pokes aren’t hit with the bugs, like in Turnover, injury or COVID., this should be a W.
UNM is the Mountain Division’s version of ‘old’ SJSU. SJSU stadium may be a joke, but their football team isn’t. Enough said.
Still it seems like last year the Pokes played down to the level of their completion, so there is that. Still it would be a huge upset if the Nobos beat the Cowboys. So I say a W.
So it boils down to game 8. This is the hump game. Can the Pokes get over the hump and beat Boise ‘in all phase of the game? Yes they won in Laramie in 2016. The Safety Dance was born. It was a glorious and memorable moment.
The Pokes played Boise competitively last year. But like it or not Truck Driver U is considered the ‘Class of the MWC. The Pokes are 1-11 against the ‘Teamsters’. It is game 8.
There are lots of things that could happen before game 8. 2 of which are the injury bug and ‘virus positives’, Not to mention weather at 6:00 pm in Laradise on Dec 12 will play a factor in the game. Maybe even it’s outcome. I say this game is a toss up.
After the Safety Dance, Didn’t Coach Bohl say something to the affect of some games are program defining and this win may be one of those games. 2016 was 4 years ago. It’s time to really give BSU an attitude adjustment.
The Pokes need to make a statement to the MWC and the college football world, not to mention the NY6 committee. If they thump Boise there will be a new Sheriff in the MWC.
Perhaps the Pokes season is 7-1 + a Bowl game. Or it could be 8-0 + 1 = MWC FOOTBALL CHAMPION and maybe ‘if’ BSU thumps BYWho a date in Atlanta. Is it likely? I wouldn’t buy plane tickets to ATL. right now, but it is not out of the realm of possibility either.
Currently Cincinnati, BYWho, SMU and yes the Chanticleers have the inside track for the G5 invite to dine on some Chick-fil-A on Jan. 1.
If I was setting odds in Vegas I’d say the Pokes are somewhere between 100-1 to 250-1 to earn a trip to ATL. Those would be pretty long odds. But wow, just imagine the ‘Payoff’
If the Pokes do make to Atlanta I’ll be there. (Unless there is limited season and Ian took the ‘odds’ that the Pokes would have a date in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and he wisely put down some serious $$$ and bought up all the limited seats, so he could watch the game without a bunch of crazy Poke fans disturbing his karma!).
Is it possible yes, likely, maybe not. But 2020 could be the season that “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions” and the year “The Cavalry Arrived”.
(Since even Ian hasn’t seen a practice this fall, I just hope that I’m not totally nuts and the Pokes beat UNR. It would be nice to be 1-0 and still have a chance to eat some “Chikin” in Jan. We could save the beef for a real post game party! Darn, it’s going to be hard not having any tailgating parties or IPF gatherings this year. At least the Pokes are going to play some football this year. That’s a good thing).
GO POKES
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