It seemed as though Boise State was poised for a BCS bowl last season until the stunning 34-31 overtime defeat at the hands of the Wolf Pack of Nevada that shoved them out of the national spotlight. Now they will be in a new conference ready to show that they are for real.
Eight months removed from going undefeated and edging out Wisconsin 21-19 in the Rose Bowl, Texas Christian University is heading into their final year as a member of the Mountain West Conference without their star quarterback.
Eastern Michigan fans are hoping for some improvement from last year, but they can’t have set their sights too high.
The Broncos finished at .500 last season, and they are looking to build on that as they move into 2011. The team was bowl eligible in 2010, but they weren’t selected for a bowl game.
The Central Michigan Chippewas have lost some pretty good players and coaches over the last few years. Dan LeFevour set all kinds of school records at the quarterback position.
Auburn had its whirlwind dream season last year, coming back to beat nemesis Alabama, winning the SEC title and the National Championship and yielding a Heisman Trophy-winning QB in Cam Newton.
The Central Florida Knights took Conference USA East title last year, and then they went on to defeat SMU in the Conference USA Championship Game.
Larry Porter’s first season on the job at Memphis was a miserable one. The Tigers went 1-11 and they were abysmal in every aspect of the game.
This program has had its share of turmoil since long-time coach Phil Fulmer’s forced resignation in 2008.
There is tangible pressure on Houston Nutt in just his fourth season at the helm in Oxford.
Doc Holliday took over at the beginning of last year, and the Thundering Herd stumbled out of the gates to sit at 1-6 after their first seven games.
The 2010 season didn’t go at all how the Houston Cougars had expected. The team was nationally ranked going into the season, but injuries derailed the season after just two games.
Todd Graham left Tulsa during the offseason to take over the top job at Pittsburgh. Graham did a great job in his tenure at the school, and he left the team in good shape.
In January 2008, the SMU Mustangs made the announcement that June Jones had been hired to take over as head coach of the football program. It was a surprise to many, and it was a terrific hire for the Mustangs.
Conference USA 2011-2012 Football Previews: SMU Mustangs
Head Coach: June Jones
2010 Record: 7-7
SMU Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win BCS: +1,500 (Part of Field)
SMU Odds from 5Dimes to win Conference USA Championship: +800
SMU Odds from 5Dimes to win Conference USA West Division: +365
SMU Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
Jones has proven his ability to turn around a program that has been on the mat for several years, and he appears to be doing the same at SMU. In 2009, SMU reached a bowl game for the first time in 25 years.
Last year, the SMU Mustangs won the Conference USA West Division, but they finished just 7-7. SMU was able to beat the teams they were supposed to beat, but they struggled against the upper echelon of teams they played. It was a slightly disappointing year for a team that had fairly high expectations. The Mustangs return 18 starters, which is more than anyone in the conference. Can SMU take another step forward in 2011?
Zach Line quickly emerged as a great runner last year. Going into last season, SMU expected to give a number of runners plenty of carries each game, but Line grabbed hold of the job with some terrific performances. He averaged an astonishing 6.1 yards per carry in 2010. He ended up leading Conference USA in rushing, and I fully expect him to have another big year in 2011.
The defensive line improved remarkably in 2010, and every single player from the first and second string on the defensive line returns this year. This is a defensive unit that allowed just 3.7 yards per carry last season. Taylor Thompson is the best of the bunch, but SMU’s depth on the line will be a big strength moving forward.
The SMU offensive line returns their entire two-deep roster, and they will also get a lot of help from Josh LeRibeus. LeRibeus was ineligible last year, but is ready to go this season. No team in college football has offensive linemen with as much starting experience as the Mustangs. Expect this line to shove their opponents off the ball frequently this year.
SMU has had a serious problem with turnovers in the last couple years. Last year, SMU was ranked 10th in Conference USA in turnover margin at minus 12. The Mustangs offense must improve in the red zone, where they often either stall out or turn the ball over. SMU racked up 415 yards per game last year, but they averaged just 25.7 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The linebackers were a strength for this team last year, but SMU lost a couple of their top linebackers from that team. The Mustangs defensive scheme relies heavily on the linebackers roaming all over the field and making plays. Since SMU will have some young and inexperienced linebackers in 2011, this could be an area of weakness.
Conference USA’s West Division is much stronger than it has been in the past few years, which will make life a lot more difficult on SMU this year. The schedule in 2011 is much more difficult than it has been the last couple years.
SMU must travel to Southern Miss, Houston, and Tulsa. Kyle Padron needs to progress and make better decisions with the football if SMU is going to take a big step forward this year.
I expect SMU to be improved from a year ago, but the tough schedule will keep them from making a big leap. SMU should qualify for another bowl berth, but I don’t think they’ll win the West this year.
2011 SMU Mustangs Schedule
9/4/11 7:30 PM ET @TXAM
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET UTEP
9/17/11 12:00 PM ET NWST
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET @MEM
9/30/11 8:00 PM ET @TCU
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET CENFL
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET @SOMIS
10/29/11 12:00 PM ET @TULSA
11/5/11 3:00 PM ET TULNE
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET NAVY
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET @HOU
11/26/11 12:00 PM ET RICE
Tulane hasn’t had a winning season since 2002, and they have lost at least eight games for six straight years. Bob Toledo was supposed to be the guy to come in and turn this program around, but the Green Wave has gone 13-35 since he took over.
It would be easy to label a 6-7 initial season for Ruffin McNeill at East Carolina as a disappointment, but if you realize that he inherited a team that has just graduated 28 seniors, then it is clear he didn’t do a bad job at all.
