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W-L Predictions for Conference Play

i will admit that i didn't see the tech game because i had a game of my own to coach, and when i heard the result, i chose not to torture myself. tcu looked like a mature team vs one in its infancy. and the west virginia qb was hurt because one of our guys hurt him. had mayfield not recovered against us, i wouldn't have put an asterisk had we held on to beat those guys. and i won't put an asterisk next to wv. luck of the draw is when the qb gets hurt the week before and you avoid him.

i just think we're way ahead of where we were at this point in any of the previous 5 years. i can go down the schedule and talk myself into wins against everybody we play in 18. i don't think we'll go unbeaten this year, but i can talk myself into wins in the games individually. it's getting better i think. that's all i'm saying
 
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I agree with you that there was significant improvement from the previous years, especially in terms of effort. We really hung in there in games, USC/KSt/IowaSt/OU/OkSt. They learned from the loss against Maryland and improved. The defense played lights out. The offense adapted as they went.

However, this coaching staff was supposed to be a lot smarter than the way Charlie coached. And you would have expected them to get into some rhythms by the final stretch of the season. But TCU wasn't anywhere as close as the games previous, WVU was a good win but aided by an injured QB, and Tech was a very poor showing. This doesn't show improvement as the season went on. There was questionable player rotations in offense, especially at RB and WR, and very questionable in-game decisions. Although the TCU loss hurts, I expected it...but the Tech loss to me is symptomatic of the same problem that rings throughout UT athletics lately: when we are down, we play lights out, and then we get our heads up high and we lay an egg. It happened over and over again this year in basketball, and it happened throughout Charlie's tenure in football. This was something Herman was apparently weeding out with his intense Spring in 2017, and I was on board with it, but then it collapsed during the Tech game.

I'm not saying the sky is falling and I'm not saying the coaches are bad. What I'm saying is that was a bad loss and it shouldn't have happened and I think black needs to be called black.

JHop- TCU and Texas were more evenly match than the 24-7 score would indicate. I was at the game and have watched it twice on DVR. TCU's first score opening drive was all Texas penalties. Their second TD was legit. Final one was busted play Texas went all in on at the end of game defense hail mary. There was a long stretch of Texas D dominating. Really, the only difference btw the teams was Texas couldn't get any running game going vs a stout TCU D and that's no surprise with the makeshift OL.

And relative to the previous staff....it was 30-0 TCU before the first quarter ended when I was at the game two years before with Strong running the show.
 
JHop- TCU and Texas were more evenly match than the 24-7 score would indicate. I was at the game and have watched it twice on DVR. TCU's first score opening drive was all Texas penalties. Their second TD was legit. Final one was busted play Texas went all in on at the end of game defense hail mary. There was a long stretch of Texas D dominating. Really, the only difference btw the teams was Texas couldn't get any running game going vs a stout TCU D and that's no surprise with the makeshift OL.

And relative to the previous staff....it was 30-0 TCU before the first quarter ended when I was at the game two years before with Strong running the show.
I agree with you that we were more competitive vs TCU this year than in the few years prior. However, that still doesn't change the fact that IF the narrative is true and players were getting better/closer, trusting the coaches, coaches knew how to motivate the kids, and improvement occurred, then the Tech game at home to close the season on senior night should've been a piece of cake. The weak showing is indicative of an up-and-down emotions issue that has been plaguing us at multiple sports, where as soon as we overcome something, we cruise and stop trying and fall apart. The team did a victory lap after the win at WVU and the result against Tech was embarrassing. They were humbled, woke up, and played lights out again next vs Missouri. This problem though, has to be cured at the source, otherwise as soon as we win another one we shouldn't (USC? TCU? Oklahoma?) then watch out the following week.
 
If we have just a good offense this year than there's no reason for us not to win at least 8 games this year. I think we can have an outstanding defense this year. Why not? We have a top notch dc and he has an outstanding staff around him and they're intact from last year a big plus for our players. Our defense can carry us that far.

And if Cameron Dicker and that Australian boy, can't remember his name offhand, come through this year than with an outstanding special teams, and defense than I think even 9 is a possibility.

I'm tired of our offense being a stats game for the other teams defense and I know everyone else on here is to. Coach Herman talked about how good the early enrollees, Riesing, and Thompson, looked in the spring game. To me that's a read between the lines statement that one of them, probably Riesing, will be starting before the season is over.

But that's just my opinion I could be wrong.
 
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