Alright guys, realistically speaking how many wins do you think this team gets this season?
Home schedule is favorable. Host ND to open. Host Baylor in the 8th game, time to develop over the season. Same for TCU, at home, the final game. WVA at home also, a late season game.
Road obstacles at Ok State first half of season. Later at K-State for usual trap game that it is. Worse when it is late Nov and at night. But this one is Oct. 22.
If... big IF... get by Notre Dame and by Cal on the third game, a road game, sets up having to deal with a revenge game from OU. Get by all that and the Gilbert offense and newer defense could be in place well enough to win out.
I do not know enough about all the teams reloading, what the QB situations are, and so forth. If the team is good enough to win key games, it will be good enough to win many if not all the games. But always there's a bad day at black rock. Last year only one major ran the table.
How about 11-1 or 10-2, and taking the conference! Loses to one of the Oklahoma teams, both are away from DKR and are the 4th and 5th games, so with ND, have to ready to play all five games through OU. No time to figure things out.
But if Gilbert's offense does, and special teams, penalities, flip of coins, handling the clock, can all be figured out by then... it's there to win the rest of them, getting Baylor and TCU both at home. Could Tech on the road be a thorn? it's there, Nov. 5th.