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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers came up a little short of some expectations last year, after climbing to 5-5 but failing to reach bowl eligibility with late season losses to division powers. A tough non-conference schedule ultimately did them in, taking losses from the Big 12, SEC, and Sun Belt Champs Troy.
The Blazers come back loaded in 2010, with one key exception- the #6 player in total offense in the country from last year, quarterback Joe Webb (now with the Minnesota Vikings, behind some other quarterback). But if the new quarterbacks can get the job done, they have eight returning offense starters alongside, and nine others on the defense.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
For several years, Memphis has been stuck in a place of mediocre football, but had never been so bad that they could quite justify finding a new coach. In 2009, the dam burst, as the Tigers wobbled through a 2-10 season (beating only UTEP from 1-A, who you may recall handed Houston their first loss), and Tommy West was relieved of his duties.
After the season, Memphis tabbed alumnus Larry Porter to head up the program, and Porter will get a mixed selection of returning players. 7 players on each side have starting experience, but some of that is limited- QB Tyler Bass has started a few games but missed most of two consecutive seasons due to injury, and has competition from four others for the starting job. As for other positions, we will watch to see how helpful experience is when it comes from being on a team that isn’t very good.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
Today is apparently the day where I recap horrifyingly inconsistent 2009 seasons, because now we come to Houston. The Cougars started out the year beating Oklahoma and Texas Tech, only to fall UTEP. They rebounded by beating Mississippi State on their own field, then four conference teams by steadily decreasing margins. They’d worked back to #12 nationally before losing to UCF, who was at least a bowl team. They also lost to East Carolina in the conference championship game and seemed uninterested in their bowl against Air Force, falling 47-20.
The storylines for Houston this year all revolve around QB Case Keenum. He led the Cougars to the #1 total, passing, and scoring offense in the country in 2009 and he will probably be setting NCAA records in this, his senior season. He gets 3 of his starting WRs back as well as experienced players in the backfield. But while Keenum gets all the attention, the season hinges on the play of the defense. They weren’t good enough last year to keep the Cougars ahead of everybody, no matter how sharp the offense was, and Houston can’t count on winning every game in a shootout. Seven defensive starters return- if they can improve, Houston could be unstoppable.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
Toledo might have been the most incomprehensible team we covered in 2009. They beat Colorado and got to midseason at 3-3, then knocked off Northern Illinois to get to their fourth win. Yet somehow, they lost to Miami and some of the conference powers down the stretch to only finish 5-7, home for bowl season.
The Rockets are staring down a 2010 season with some important holes to fill on the roster, as they look for a new starting QB and RB. They do have sophomore Eric Page back at WR, where he was the top freshman receiver in the country in 2009. If coach Tim Beckman can get the new players up to speed quickly, they may be able to approach last year’s offensive output, which was 13th nationally.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
The Ohio Bobcats returned to winning ways in 2009, with a 9-3 regular season that ended with a winner-take-all game for the East division, where Ohio stopped streaking Temple to take the spot in the MAC Championship. Unfortunately, the season ended with consecutive losses on Ford Field, once to Central Michigan for the league title then again in their bowl game against Marshall.
Like most teams at this level, the Bobcats have some holes to fill for 2010, but the step down should not be as dramatic as some of their conference mates. There are battles at the skill positions that will be important, as both the QB and RB were lost to graduation over the winter, along with a total of five starters on each side.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
It’s tough to imagine a more disappointing run for a college team than what Ball State endured from the end of 2008 through 2009. After a 12-0 regular season, the Cardinals lost in the MAC Championship Game and in their bowl, then started 2009 with seven more losses. The season ended with only two wins, but six of the losses came by a touchdown or less.
2010 is a season with a lot of upside for the Cardinals- Ball State has 10 starters back on offense and seven on the defense, making them one of the most experienced starting lineups in the country. The question, as with a lot of teams looking to rebound, is can that experience translate into wins?
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
This blog was openly rooting for Western Kentucky by the end of last year, hoping they’d find their first win as a full fledged 1-A member. Sadly, they did not, although they came painfully close in each of their last three games, losing by three, six, and four in their final game, giving away a ten point fourth quarter lead. Despite the odds being stacked against him from the beginning, coach Dave Elson was fired at the end of the season.
The Hilltoppers will have the opportunity to build on the foundation laid in the tough 2009 season, with 9 starters on each side of the ball returning for 2010. New coach Willie Taggart will have to install a new quarterback, along with getting his new system in place. And he’ll have to do it without the benefit of a 1-AA team on the schedule to get things warmed up.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
The US Military Academy Black Knights had a respectable 2009 campaign for a team with a new coach and a new scheme. They lost some games in the early going that they no doubt wished they could have back, but still wound up 5-7 and just missed out on a bowl bid.
2010 looks promising for the Black Knights, as they enter their second year of the Rich Ellerson triple option era. They return seven offensive starters, including sophomore QB Trent Steelman (perhaps the perfect name for a football player, especially at Army) and senior runner Patrick Mealy. The defense comes back strong as well, with 8 players back on the #16 total defense from 2009.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
Florida Atlantic had a respectable 5-3 finish in the Sun Belt in 2009, but the Owls were swept in their nonconference schedule to keep them out of bowl contention. The Owls were only a few close losses away from a more favorable result.
Unfortunately, 2010 looks like it may be a challenging season. Jeff Van Camp, who started a portion of 2009, is back to lead the offense with only two other returning starters. The defense has more experience, with nine players back, but the offense will have to come together fast to have a productive year.
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Football on the Fringe Season Previews were ranked, then delivered in random order.
Miami University is 116 years older than a certain similarly-named school in Florida, and is in fact a larger and arguably more prestigious school. So we shall primarily refer to them as Miami, not Miami (OH), especially when discussing the MAC or non-BCS football. If we are discussing Miami (FL), they will be designated as such.
Right then. That’s about as much positive energy as we can generate for Miami. They failed to score a point in the first ten quarters of a dismal 2009 season, with their only win coming over a fairly talented Toledo team. They did come close on other occasions, losing to Temple by only two and Northern Illinois by five.
2010 offers the chance for the RedHawks to bounce back, perhaps in dramatic fashion. Experienced players are back at every offensive position, including the entire offensive line QB Zac Dysert, who may be poised for a breakout year nationally. The defense returns nine starters as well, although they will need improvement even with the experience. Read Post
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