Thought this would be a good thread to talk some Griz football as we were discussing it a bit in the EGriz Club. What are your 2019 expectations of this team? What does your heart and head tell you they’ll achieve?
I am usually a very optimistic poster, but I also try to be very realistic. There’s been some talk that it’s officially “put up or shut up time” and that this team needs to get 8 wins and make the playoffs and anything short is a failed experiment with Hauck. Then there’s the camp that says you need to give Hauck at least 3-4 years to rebuild this thing in its entirety before you can get too crazy either way.
I’m more in the camp that we need to give Hauck (or any coach for that matter) at least 3 years to see what we’ve really got. I don’t think even the most gifted coaches out there can easily turn a team around and build an entirely new culture within 2 seasons. That’s a rare event. Saying that’s what needs to happpen is being pretty unrealistic in my opinion.
Especially this year, looking at our schedule, I think we need to be pretty realistic that 2019 is going to be a very big challenge. The Griz look to have easily the toughest schedule in the Big Sky if not one of the toughest in all of FCS. It’s a 12 game grind this year, where the Griz take on an FBS powerhouse in Oregon as well as play ALL the top ranked finishers from the Big Sky (where most Big Sky teams only play 1 or 2). Take s look at this thing:
@ South Dakota - MVFC team also trying to rebuild (4-7 last year)
North Alabama - were an independent last year and went 7-3 and will be a member of Big South this season
@Oregon - yea, that one should be fun.
Monmouth - finished second to playoff team Kennesaw St in the Big South with a record of 8-3
@UC Davis - will be a top 10 FCS team, went 10-2
Idaho St - finished 4th in Big Sky last year
@Sac St - 2-8 last year
EWU - will be a top 10 FCS team, finished 12-3 last year
@PSU - finished tied for 9th in big sky with 4-7 record
Idaho - same as above
Weber St - will be top 10 FCS team and finished at 10-3
Montana St - could easily be a top 15 team (their schedule is pretty weak this year), finished 8-5 last year
So in looking at all of this, and being very realistic with where this team is, I am not getting my hopes up too much beyond maybe a 6-6 record. I’d call a 7-5 record as surpassing my expectations.
What say you!
I am usually a very optimistic poster, but I also try to be very realistic. There’s been some talk that it’s officially “put up or shut up time” and that this team needs to get 8 wins and make the playoffs and anything short is a failed experiment with Hauck. Then there’s the camp that says you need to give Hauck at least 3-4 years to rebuild this thing in its entirety before you can get too crazy either way.
I’m more in the camp that we need to give Hauck (or any coach for that matter) at least 3 years to see what we’ve really got. I don’t think even the most gifted coaches out there can easily turn a team around and build an entirely new culture within 2 seasons. That’s a rare event. Saying that’s what needs to happpen is being pretty unrealistic in my opinion.
Especially this year, looking at our schedule, I think we need to be pretty realistic that 2019 is going to be a very big challenge. The Griz look to have easily the toughest schedule in the Big Sky if not one of the toughest in all of FCS. It’s a 12 game grind this year, where the Griz take on an FBS powerhouse in Oregon as well as play ALL the top ranked finishers from the Big Sky (where most Big Sky teams only play 1 or 2). Take s look at this thing:
@ South Dakota - MVFC team also trying to rebuild (4-7 last year)
North Alabama - were an independent last year and went 7-3 and will be a member of Big South this season
@Oregon - yea, that one should be fun.
Monmouth - finished second to playoff team Kennesaw St in the Big South with a record of 8-3
@UC Davis - will be a top 10 FCS team, went 10-2
Idaho St - finished 4th in Big Sky last year
@Sac St - 2-8 last year
EWU - will be a top 10 FCS team, finished 12-3 last year
@PSU - finished tied for 9th in big sky with 4-7 record
Idaho - same as above
Weber St - will be top 10 FCS team and finished at 10-3
Montana St - could easily be a top 15 team (their schedule is pretty weak this year), finished 8-5 last year
So in looking at all of this, and being very realistic with where this team is, I am not getting my hopes up too much beyond maybe a 6-6 record. I’d call a 7-5 record as surpassing my expectations.
What say you!