[silverliningsurfer]

We have a strong O-Line behind what should be one of the best rushing attacks in the conference. Reminder that we play in a conference that does not care about defense. Many (myself included) thought our defense was noticeably worse last year and we were still #1 or 2 in the conference. We were in a ton of games despite abysmal offensive performances. Their schedule is a joke, somehow even worse than last year.

If our key offensive guys can stay healthy (which is a big if these days), we are in-line to be the B12’s annual “awful team that makes a jump to CCG contention”.

[silverliningsurfer]

This coaching/conditioning staff needs to prove they can get a QB through the season uninjured. My biggest fear is we’ll have a strong early showing that is extinguished by a QB injury.

[silverliningsurfer]

The victim withdrawing the case is an entirely separate can of worms that I’m not going to touch. That said, it is so on-brand for BYU that he is still transferring because even without a formal charge or legal case, he was suspended due to honor code violations.

I don’t think he’s anything special at QB but I think they’d have benefited from some consistency at the position, so I see this as a win for us, speaking purely about on-field.

[silverliningsurfer]

After the last few years, I am going to be more cautiously optimistic rather than blindly confident.

That said, until proven otherwise, we should expect the defense to have a strong baseline. On the offensive side, everyone’s been really high on Dampier thus far. If he can show out against a conference that doesn’t prioritize defense, they should score points.

The biggest question mark everyone should have is Dampier’s health. Even ignoring Rising, all of our other QBs have gotten injured over the last few years. Whether it’s the fault of the players, the offensive system, the strength & conditioning staff, or some combination of everything, we’ve seen how QB injuries can derail a season. IMO their season will depend on the health of QB1. If they have a relatively injury-free season, I think they will be right in the mix for the CCG.

[silverliningsurfer]

In its current form, it is not sustainable. There is a fine line to walk between standardizing/regulating NIL deals, and maintaining some semblance of “student-athlete” rather than players as employees of the university, or the teams basically becoming university-sponsored minor league teams.

If NIL is more regulated (e.g. players are contractually obligated for a period of time or lose a year of eligibility for transferring), Utah can still be competitive in this era. CFB just needs to remove the incentive for players to transfer schools every single offseason. In a world where Utah can remain competitive financially in say, the 2nd or 3rd tier of schools (we’ll never have Texas/Bama/OSU budgets), and players are incentivized to stay at a school longer-term, Utah’s culture can become a selling point again.

[silverliningsurfer]

I understand jacking up the prices but I think it’s a joke that the last two years have gone from:
2023: USC, Oregon, Washington, etc.
2024: Kansas State, Iowa State, Cincinnati, etc
2025: same 2024 garbage but one less game

while increasing the cost each year.

[silverliningsurfer]

I think the team’s biggest problem over the last few years is Madsen is the only guy who can come off-ball and somewhat create his own shot. The team has been too dependent on his 3pt shooting.

If he’s hot, teams have to give him attention and other guys get easier looks. If he has an off night, no one else has been able to step up.

[silverliningsurfer]

If they were to keep the huntsman it’d need a facelift. I figured they could have finagled some Olympic funds to update the arena (assuming it would be used for something in ’34) but I’m also not opposed to a new arena. My only question is where would they put it? They’re running out of old buildings on campus to tear down.

Could they buy out the LDS institute across the street and keep it with access to 400S?

[silverliningsurfer]

Allegedly boosters have agreed to 3x the current NIL allocation, whatever that was.

What will also be big for Utah in 2025 onward is revenue sharing. Our NIL budget may not match big schools but we are somewhere in the top 20 for revenue so that will hopefully help keep us somewhat competitive.

[silverliningsurfer]

I mean, Kevin O’Connell was an absolute scrub as a professional but he’s one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL right now. Historically speaking, it’s usually the guys who understand the game really well but just don’t have the physical talent to excel that become great coaches. Hell, Sean McVay is another example.

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