KU vs Northern Colorado Preview and Prediction
Just over a day to go before KU begins their 2009 football season. 2007 was a dream season and 2008 probably seemed a letdown to fans. Considering where the KU football program has been, it is really difficult to call an 8-5 season a letdown. There are certainly some questions about the 2009 team and this first game should at least help answer some of those questions.
Northern Colorado is an FCS (formerly 1-AA) team and they have only won 3 games in the past three seasons. That means KU shouldn't have any problem winning this game. Lest we get too excited, we should remember how Appalachian State beat #5 Michigan in the opener just two years ago. Of course Appalachian State is a powerhouse in the FCS division and that can't be said for Northern Colorado.
In the Sagarin ratings, KU is ranked #25 with an 80.09 score and Northern Colorado is #198 with a score of 42.32. In order to calculate the theoretical margin of victory, you should add 3.14 points to the score of the home team. Based on those numbers, KU should win by 40.91 points. Of course, that is a computer generated rating and it is the players and coaches on the field that determine the true outcome. It simply shows that KU should win by a large margin.
A year ago Northern Colorado traveled to Purdue. After three quarters, it was 21-0 and the final score was 42-10. So this isn't the first time Northern Colorado has traveled to play a high-quality opponent and they did keep the game somewhat close, for three quarters, last year.
At quarterback for the Bears is Bryan Waggener and he knows a little bit about playing big-time football. He started his career at Florida as a backup (fourth string) to Tim Tebow and transferred to Northern Colorado when he realized he wouldn't get much playing time at Florida. Last season he threw for 2,546 yards. The Bears also have a very athletic receiver in Darren McDonell. He is a little older than the other players having spent several years playing pro baseball. With talent at these skill positions, it is possible that they will hook up for some big plays and keep the Bears in the game.
The talent is definitely more plentiful on the Jayhawks side. Todd Reesing has proven himself the last two seasons to be an elite college quarterback. Jake Sharp is a proven quantity in the backfield. Kerry Meier, Dezmon Briscoe and Jonathan Wilson are probably the best receiving trio in the nation. There are certainly a few questions about the Jayhawks offensive line and the defense and hopefully they will prove to be better than expected. I'm also very curious to see Kale Pick, the backup quarterback, as he will most likely be the quarterback in the coming years.
I'm going to say that KU will win this game 59-10. The Bears just don't have the talent to keep this game close. This should give some of the KU backups and newcomers valuable playing experience that will help in the tougher games later in the season.
I'll post a wrap-up on the game and we'll see how close I did with my prediction.
Northern Colorado is an FCS (formerly 1-AA) team and they have only won 3 games in the past three seasons. That means KU shouldn't have any problem winning this game. Lest we get too excited, we should remember how Appalachian State beat #5 Michigan in the opener just two years ago. Of course Appalachian State is a powerhouse in the FCS division and that can't be said for Northern Colorado.
In the Sagarin ratings, KU is ranked #25 with an 80.09 score and Northern Colorado is #198 with a score of 42.32. In order to calculate the theoretical margin of victory, you should add 3.14 points to the score of the home team. Based on those numbers, KU should win by 40.91 points. Of course, that is a computer generated rating and it is the players and coaches on the field that determine the true outcome. It simply shows that KU should win by a large margin.
A year ago Northern Colorado traveled to Purdue. After three quarters, it was 21-0 and the final score was 42-10. So this isn't the first time Northern Colorado has traveled to play a high-quality opponent and they did keep the game somewhat close, for three quarters, last year.
At quarterback for the Bears is Bryan Waggener and he knows a little bit about playing big-time football. He started his career at Florida as a backup (fourth string) to Tim Tebow and transferred to Northern Colorado when he realized he wouldn't get much playing time at Florida. Last season he threw for 2,546 yards. The Bears also have a very athletic receiver in Darren McDonell. He is a little older than the other players having spent several years playing pro baseball. With talent at these skill positions, it is possible that they will hook up for some big plays and keep the Bears in the game.
The talent is definitely more plentiful on the Jayhawks side. Todd Reesing has proven himself the last two seasons to be an elite college quarterback. Jake Sharp is a proven quantity in the backfield. Kerry Meier, Dezmon Briscoe and Jonathan Wilson are probably the best receiving trio in the nation. There are certainly a few questions about the Jayhawks offensive line and the defense and hopefully they will prove to be better than expected. I'm also very curious to see Kale Pick, the backup quarterback, as he will most likely be the quarterback in the coming years.
I'm going to say that KU will win this game 59-10. The Bears just don't have the talent to keep this game close. This should give some of the KU backups and newcomers valuable playing experience that will help in the tougher games later in the season.
I'll post a wrap-up on the game and we'll see how close I did with my prediction.
posted by Foster D. Coburn III at
9:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home