MNVCGUY
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I know it has been a while since we lost but have been impressed by the lack of meltdown in here after yesterday's game. Frustration, disappointment sure, but not much in the sky is falling camp outside of a couple of posters. My take on where we are at and where we are headed.
CFP - All the college football playoff speculation has been fun but the reality is this team is not ready for this level yet. We don't have a strong enough defense to truly compete to be one of the best in the country. Coming into the season, nobody anywhere, thought we were a CFP contender. The exciting part is that we might not be as far away from that level as we once thought.
Big Ten West - Despite the loss we still have a great chance of winning the Big Ten West and earning a trip to Indy. Won't be able to lock it up before the Wisconsin game (unless they lose to Purdue) but I like our chances against them at home to close out the regular season. Coming into the year I wanted to see this team compete in the West and they have absolutely done that.
Future - Future still looks very bright. Should get a very nice bowl game (maybe even the Rose Bowl) and then we hopefully launch into next year at full speed. The offense should be even better next year, we have to replace some skill guys but lots of weapons return and everyone will be another year older and more experienced. My hope is that they will trust Morgan more and more to make his own reads as he gets more experience. May eliminate some of the confusion or struggles we have at times getting the plays in. Regardless the offense should be very good again next season with all the experienced talent we will have returning.
Defense has to replace a number of seniors. None of them are irreplaceable (outside of maybe Winfield if he leaves early) but we also haven't seen a ton out of the younger guys yet either due to the presence of all the seniors. Need to maintain the same level of play and hopefully find some playmakers that can push that unit to the next level. At some point we have to develop a true pass rush, has been an issue around here for quite a while.
Special teams - by far the biggest area that will need to be addressed in the off season. We have some kickers on the roster, need to figure out if they will be the answer or if we need to go find someone else. Special teams across the board leave plenty of room for improvement.
Lots left to play for this season. 9-1, 6-1 in year three is great. 11-1, 8-1 is very much within reach for this team if they rebound, refocus and come out firing these next two weeks. Yesterday was disappointing to be sure but this has been a heck of a ride and it isn't over yet.
CFP - All the college football playoff speculation has been fun but the reality is this team is not ready for this level yet. We don't have a strong enough defense to truly compete to be one of the best in the country. Coming into the season, nobody anywhere, thought we were a CFP contender. The exciting part is that we might not be as far away from that level as we once thought.
Big Ten West - Despite the loss we still have a great chance of winning the Big Ten West and earning a trip to Indy. Won't be able to lock it up before the Wisconsin game (unless they lose to Purdue) but I like our chances against them at home to close out the regular season. Coming into the year I wanted to see this team compete in the West and they have absolutely done that.
Future - Future still looks very bright. Should get a very nice bowl game (maybe even the Rose Bowl) and then we hopefully launch into next year at full speed. The offense should be even better next year, we have to replace some skill guys but lots of weapons return and everyone will be another year older and more experienced. My hope is that they will trust Morgan more and more to make his own reads as he gets more experience. May eliminate some of the confusion or struggles we have at times getting the plays in. Regardless the offense should be very good again next season with all the experienced talent we will have returning.
Defense has to replace a number of seniors. None of them are irreplaceable (outside of maybe Winfield if he leaves early) but we also haven't seen a ton out of the younger guys yet either due to the presence of all the seniors. Need to maintain the same level of play and hopefully find some playmakers that can push that unit to the next level. At some point we have to develop a true pass rush, has been an issue around here for quite a while.
Special teams - by far the biggest area that will need to be addressed in the off season. We have some kickers on the roster, need to figure out if they will be the answer or if we need to go find someone else. Special teams across the board leave plenty of room for improvement.
Lots left to play for this season. 9-1, 6-1 in year three is great. 11-1, 8-1 is very much within reach for this team if they rebound, refocus and come out firing these next two weeks. Yesterday was disappointing to be sure but this has been a heck of a ride and it isn't over yet.