Louisiana-Lafayette didn’t lose a game in the Sun Belt last year until its final two contests of the year. Lafayette star quarterback Terrance Broadway didn’t play any of the second half due to an injury in their game against rival Louisiana-Monroe.
After a disappointing 2012 campaign, the New Orleans Saints bounced back to go 11-5 last year, sneaking into the playoffs as one of the two NFC Wild Card teams.
Oklahoma is thinking big this season and they should be. Last year finished on a high note, Trevor Knight is looking like the answer at QB and a top 25 defense should finish in the top 10 this season. Most important of all they have a great schedule to go a perfect 12-0 and grab a spot in the playoffs this season.
The fans in and Waco have to be wondering just how long the Bears can keep up this level of success. Fueled by an awesome offense they have been on a real good run the last few seasons and it should continue for at least one more. QB Bryce Petty is back and he has more than enough weapons to put up more Nintendo numbers.
Baylor Bears
Head Coach: Art Briles
2013 Record: 11-2
Gambling Odds to win National Championship: 28/1
Gambling Odds to win (B12): 5/2
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The defense won’t keep them from winning 10 or more games so they will be in the hunt.
There are only 6 returning starters but there is little reason to think the Bears will not be as explosive as they have been the past few seasons. Bryce Petty is back and so are three receivers, led by Antwan Goodley who burst on the scene as a junior with more than 1300 yards and 13 TDs.
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This year it will be Shock Linwood’s turn to tote the rock. Like Lache Seastrunk before him Linwood is strong and fast and as a freshman he averaged almost 7 yards per carry.
The Bears are committed to running the ball and he could easily double his 800+ yards from a year ago. He is on the preseason All B12 team.
The Bears may not use him as much as other teams but senior punter Spencer Roth is considered the best in the conference. Their defense may not be as strong as it was the season before so they are going to need him to pin down opponents in those rare occurrences when the offense stalls.
The Bears gave up just 24ppg last season outscoring opponents by nearly 30 points per game. This season only three starters return on defense, testing the depth of the program big time. Linebacker Bryce Hager is going to have to inspire a very young defense to back the offense up to win.
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This is going to be an awfully young team this season. 9 sophomores are expected to start including 4 in the back seven of the defense. As good as coach Art Briles is if he can keep the Bears on their lofty perch he may have done his best coaching job yet with this group.
The key will be using the early part of the season to build confidence.
Their schedule is not very kind this season and could be their undoing. They have to travel to both Norman and Austin this year and their lone regular season loss a year ago was on the road.
They have good leadership but beating both of those teams to capture a title is probably too much to expect from this group.
Gambling Prediction: 10-2
The Bears are not going to fade away just yet.
They should be 4-0 when they venture into Austin but as the third road game in a row I think they will fall just short – which might be a spot to play the Longhorns if they are not the favourite. Look for a massive rebound performance in their shiny new digs against TCU who they play well against.
Against Oklahoma they will likely lose again but it will be close thanks to their offense and some conservative play calling by Big Game Bob.
The Sun Belt Conference has experienced a lot of turnover in the last couple seasons. A lot of the old teams have moved on to slightly bigger conferences, while there are several new faces here looking to get a little national exposure.
Offseason Additions Not Enough To Pull Raiders Out Of AFC West Basement
The Oakland Raiders navigated through the last two cap-strapped seasons averaging four wins with the hope that they could lay the foundation for future success.
The Vikings surprised everyone in 2012 by going 10-6 and earning a Wild Card spot, then followed up by barley staggering to a 5-10-1 record in 2013, just enough for last place in the NFC North.
The Patriots won their 11th AFC East title in the last 12 years, finishing up the 2013 regular season with the second best record in the conference at 12-4.
Football is finally back baby! The offseason always seems too long! Vegas has updated their Futures – it hasn’t made much of a difference for the NFC. The Seahawks are still the favorites followed by the 49ers.
Training camps are in full swing and the first of the NFL preseason games is in the books – Football is officially back baby and it is about time! With the dawning of a new season comes a sense of optimism for all teams in the NFL – everyone has a chance at this point of the season.
The MAC was won by the Bowling Green Falcons in pretty decisive fashion last season, and they’re now looking to repeat. Oddsmakers have them installed as the favorites to pull off the feat again, though with head coach Dave Clawson moving on to coach Wake Forest, things could be a little tougher.
Auburn came out of nowhere a year ago to take down the top college football conference in the nation in its first year under Gus Malzahn. They won’t be catching anyone off guard this season, and that’s likely to mean a new conference champion this upcoming season.
Ball State last made the MAC Championship Game in 2008 where they lost to Buffalo (42-24). Could this be the year they win the MAC? Last year they went 10-3 (7-1 MAC) and finished 2nd in the West.
Virginia coach Mike London is in big trouble. Despite early promise the program is going backwards and with the league getting more difficult yet again this season there is little hope for an immediate turnaround.
After finishing the 2013 season with an overall record of 8-8, the Miami Dolphins will aim to put together a third straight season in which they will try and increase their win total from the previous year.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to Watkins Glen International this week for the second and final road course race on the 2014 schedule.
