Okay, so I’ve been diving deep into the 2024 CUSA football predictions, and man, it’s been a wild ride! I wanted to share my whole process, from start to finish, because it’s been more involved than I initially thought.
First, I started by just gathering information. I mean everything I could find. I looked at last year’s standings, of course. Who finished strong? Who totally tanked? That’s a decent baseline, but it’s not the whole picture.
Then, I dug into recruiting classes. This took forever. I went through each team, one by one, checking out all the major recruiting sites. I wasn’t just looking for the star ratings, though. I tried to get a feel for what positions each team was focusing on. Did they need a quarterback badly? Were they loading up on defensive linemen? That kind of stuff tells you a lot about a team’s strategy.
Next up, I checked out the coaching changes. Any new head coaches? Offensive or defensive coordinators? A new coach can totally shake things up, for better or worse. Sometimes a team with a terrible record suddenly becomes a contender because they brought in the right guy. So, I read a bunch of articles and press releases about the new coaches, trying to understand their philosophies.
Spring Game Reviews
- Liberty: The Flames Return A Lot.
- Jacksonville State: They Are A Tough Team.
- Western Kentucky: Will they be a contender?
- MTSU: Improved Defense.
- UTEP: Rebuild in Progress?
After that, it was time to factor in returning starters. This is huge. A team losing their star quarterback and their top three receivers? That’s a problem. A team bringing back almost their entire offensive line and their starting running back? That’s a good sign. I made a big spreadsheet (nerd alert, I know!) to keep track of all this.
Finally, I started to put it all together. I looked at each team’s schedule. Who are they playing? Are there any “easy wins” in there? Any brutal stretches of games? Strength of schedule matters a lot. I tried to be realistic, not just optimistic. It’s easy to get excited about your favorite team, but you have to look at the facts.
So, after all that work, I finally came up with my predictions. It’s not an exact science, of course. There are always surprises in college football. But I feel like I put in the time and did the research, so I’m pretty confident in my picks. It was definitely a learning experience, and I’m already looking forward to seeing how it all plays out this season!
