It is prediction time!!!!

[MTsumner92]

Hello everyone. It is time for all of us armchair quarterbacks to lay our stellar reputations on the line and rub our crystal balls....and take a wild ass guess!!!

I'll go first.

Best offense we have had since 2009. Difference is we have arguably better personnel overall. We do to Western Kentucky what they did to us last year. Paybacks are hell. Defensively I must say I don't have a lot of confidence after losing the talent we lost last year. I do have major confidence in what we have coming back. Best set of DE's in the conference and quite frankly our CB's are not too shabby either. I can't believe I just said we are good at CB. I am dreaming. Depth on defense is what is most concerning. I just don't see it. Picking the over this year should be a winning strategy to break the bookie.

That being said...I will go with 10-3. Yes. we will go to a bowl and everyone should put this in as part of your prediction. First back to back? This could be the most special season we have ever had. All up to our defense.

 

[MTOleBlue]

Here is my world-renowned "Ole Blue Season Prediction."

Offensively, we are stellar and a (yard-wise) top ten offense in the country led by the dynamic trio of Brent Stockstill, Richie James, and I'Tavius Mathers. Vandy and Mizzou defenses both look bad against us and we put up 35 points plus in both wins. Points-per-game we lead the nation or come in the top three. We get our revenge by crushing WKU on Homecoming.

The defensive side of the ball is a little bit more questionable, but it is dramatically improved from last year. The defensive line is the problem area, but our linebackers and secondary surprise and are certainly a "quality" group. We see a few close calls as BGSU and Marshall rack up the points, but the combination of a nationally-acclaimed offense and okay defense keep us undefeated. By the end of the season, MT is the highest-ranked CUSA team in recent memory as the Blue Raiders are in the top fifteen (or top ten depending on how well Vandy and Mizzou do in SEC play).

It's Bowl Selection Day, and the Blue Raiders have just finished the regular season (and CUSA championship game) 13-0 with an easy win over surprise West champion UTEP Miners. MT has received the "G5" access bowl bid over annoyed AAC fans of Memphis, getting the last laugh and a bid to face ACC runner-up Louisville in the Orange Bowl, since Miami is in the playoff

Realistic Final Record Range: 9-4 (no CUSA champ game, CUSA Bowl victory) to 14-0 (CUSA champ, Access Bowl victory)

 

[sWiley]

I'm gonna say 8-5

Good season with some nice wins but also disappointing losses. 8-4 regular season record and another bowl game loss.

2017 and 2018 are really our years to be special. I think we are still a bit too young. I think the offense won't be as good as last year but I think our defense will be better and surprise everyone.

Give the TF system another year or two I think.

 

[MT Glenn]

I'm going with 10-3, with a bowl win, but no championship game. If all games were played today, we'd be underdogs in 5 or 6 of them, so this will take 2 or 3 upsets.

 

[Loneraider_04]

11-3. Feeling good about our team this year.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

7-6. Feeling good about the team but I see 7 or 8 wins.

 

[MTsumner92]

Come on guys. Stick it out there.

 

[RandallThomason]

I see an 8-4 regular season.

Losses to Vandy, Bowling Green, Missouri and one other.

 

[AustinLewis]

8-4.

 

[Matt Dossett]

8-4

 

[TrueBlue147]

8-4 Hope I am wrong. I have just seen too many seasons like this where we don't live up to expectations and merely feed off the bottom dwellers.

 

[BRaiderDave]

I'll be bold and say 9-3

 

[sWiley]

8-4 regular season

8-5 after bowl

 

[Raiderman1]

I say 8-5 with a bowl win against a Sun Belt team.

 

[lotsofbull99]

8-5, MTSU continues to be the tallest midget in CUSA.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Until somebody convinces me our defense will be better without Kevin Byard or TT Barber, I think TF's offense will be like pouring water into a barrel with no bottom. We may score 50 points but against the better teams we may give up sixty. Five home games, two against conference powers that blew us out last year at their stadiums and it was not even competitive, and that was with Byard and Barber. Can we win those games? Maybe, but I am not betting any money on it. I think we find a way to win one but we have to go to Marshall for their black out game on the week they observe for the anniversary of the plane crash.

Somehow, I think we go 7-6, 5-3 in conference but I'm not holding my breath for any improvement. A bowl trip but no bowl win, no conference or even conference co championship.

I would love to be completely wrong about it and that the Raiders end up with a 11 win or better season. I will have to see it to believe. Tony Franklin is back, but Manny Diaz is long gone.

 

[MTsumner92]

Your lack of faith is disturbing!

 

[SpaceRaider]

may be time for Blue Raider fans to revisit this thread to take into consideration what we've seen so far.

 

[MT Glenn]

My original prediction was 9 regular season wins. As preseason underdogs in 6 games, that requires 3 upsets. We missed our first chance at getting one yesterday. I didn't expect our defense to be great but it was worse than expected. I still think 8 or 9 wins is a possibility, but 10 is starting to look extremely unlikely (call me Capt. Obvious.)

 

[BRaiderDave]

may be time for Blue Raider fans to revisit this thread to take into consideration what we've seen so far.

Okay, after seeing that defense yesterday and the turnovers on offense, I revise my prediction down to 6-6. I must have forgotten that we still have Mr. Five Hundred as head coach.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

may be time for Blue Raider fans to revisit this thread to take into consideration what we've seen so far.

I have always thought 7-5...We have 7 road games and several 50-50 games. I actually think we will be a better team than last year but still win the same. Yesterday didn't reveal anything new or unexpected other than I didn't think we would make some many mistakes.

Next two weeks are important. We could easily win both or just a easily lose both.

 

[SmithO1906]

I don't know that I actually posted a prediction in this thread but I will go with this based off of what I have seen, although I think this week will tell the true story about our team.
AAMU- W
Vandy- L
Bowling Green- W
La. Tech- W
N. Texas- W
WKU- W
Mizzou-L
FIU-W
UTSA-W
Marshall-L
Charlotte-W
FAU- W
I truly believe this week will go a long way in telling us what kind of team we really have

 

[MTFNBY5]

I made no season prediction but I did say I feared a 1-3 record after the first four games. I watched Bowling Green last week and based on that game they are not as strong as I expected. But, after watching La Tech a week earlier come within 1 pt. of Arkansas (who FYI beat #15 TCU in Fort Worth Sat.) I just don't see how we play with them.

I believe now we'll be 2-2 after four with the losses to VU and at home to La Tech. Such a start will guarantee that crowds will be slim as the season progresses. No way to grow a fan base.

So many of my hopes for this season were washed away in the storm over West End Saturday night.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

Why don't we focus on being 2-1...I am not gonna get any further ahead than the next game.

Vandy loss hurts growing our attendance/perception but the everything is still before us.

 

[SpaceRaider]

bumped just to see what was said earlier this year....

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I have always thought 7-5...We have 7 road games and several 50-50 games. I actually think we will be a better team than last year but still win the same. Yesterday didn't reveal anything new or unexpected other than I didn't think we would make some many mistakes.

Next two weeks are important. We could easily win both or just a easily lose both.

Here was mine. We ended up 8-4 versus what I thought, 7-5. Which with our injuries and porous D is amazing.

 

[sWiley]

Said 8-4 regular season (nailed it) and 8-5 after bowl game (sticking by it)

I was expecting 10 wins and a CUSA Championship but my expectations versus what I think are going to actually happen are two different things.

Once again, little middle fails to live up to the pre-season hype, which is exactly what I thought would happen.

Here's another prediction. No staff changes, no accountability, and no conference championships for the next at least 5 years.

 

[MTsumner92]

I am obviously wrong. If Stock stays healthy then i would of been right. We would be 10-2 with a bowl game in sight. Good season if we win a bowl. I would be satisfied with 9-4 all things considered.

 

[Raiderclyde]

This season is considered "What might have been". So close to a special stellar season. Yet, really far away. We closed regular season "in between" my 7-5 ceiling prediction following Vanderbilt loss and a 9-3 best case scenario where everything went perfectly: Won neither Homecoming Western Kentucky (as advertised) or Marshall (despite Marshall falling off of a cliff). Realistically, that ended our nine win chances. The UTSA game proved to be the enigma "toe stubbing" game (they ran it down our throats and won 45-25). Missouri was a nice surprise and buffered some of the negatives from this season. Bowling Green State was weaker than expected. While that win was good at the time, it later proved to be mild disappointment from a quality perspective. Our eight wins was largely helped by a weak overall schedule with our quality wins were Missouri (perception) and Louisiana Tech (actual). On the other hand, we were extremely fortunate to get the UNCC win a week ago and to some extent FIU game as well--lose both, and that would have been a 6-6. Depending on how MT plays in the bowl game will speak volumes on how 2016 will be remembered. Video game statistics and school scoring records are nice, but only conference championships and bowl wins are awarded a date inscription on banner flags and placards in the stadium and hardware in the trophy case!

 

[MidTennMtneer]

but only conference championships and bowl wins are awarded a date inscription on banner flags and placards in the stadium and hardware in the trophy case!

Not for us. It's about going to the bowl with our administration. Winning has nothing to do with it. Just look at the banners over the tunnels and our equipment truck wrap.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Bump

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Ooops!

 

[sWiley]

I'm gonna say 8-5

Good season with some nice wins but also disappointing losses. 8-4 regular season record and another bowl game loss.

Would you look at that. Not sure I could have nailed it any more. Even had the nice wins and disappointing losses part down.

 

[sWiley]

Here's another prediction. No staff changes, no accountability, and no conference championships for the next at least 5 years.

I'm standing by this prediction as well. As much as Nix deserves to be fired (and 99% of head coaches in this country would fire him), I have this funny feeling Stock isn't gonna do it.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

Here was mine. We ended up 8-4 versus what I thought, 7-5. Which with our injuries and porous D is amazing.

So I said 7-5 so does that mean we actually over achieved?

 

[FranklinRaider315]

I'm standing by this prediction as well. As much as Nix deserves to be fired (and 99% of head coaches in this country would fire him), I have this funny feeling Stock isn't gonna do it.

He doesn't have to. With the current contract in place, Massaro and McPhee have zero leverage.