College Football Predictions – Temple Owls 2017 NCAA Football Preview
2016 Recap
2016 Record – 10-4
2016 ATS – 12-2
The Owls breathed HOT FIRE down the stretch last season winning their last SEVEN regular season games en route to a win in the AAC Championship game (34-10 over Navy). Back-to-back 10-win seasons. Yes, that happened. Temple gets full marks for their yuuuuuge comeback win vs UCF that spearheaded the aforementioned 7-BAGGER.
What can the Owls do for an encore ? Whatever lies ahead, it will have to be without former HC Matt Rhule, as he is now the head man at Baylor.
2017 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
East Division – #3
American Athletic Conference – To be determined
OFFENSE
It is going to be strange watching the Owls without four-year starter QB Phillip Walker leading the way, While it is true that he had the uncanny ability to amaze you and annoy you (often on the same play), there is no doubt, he was a winner as evidenced by the 20 wins Temple bagged in the last two seasons. Yes, they were a complete team, but we feel that Walker was underappreciated.
Fast forward to 2017. It looks as though either redshirt freshman Anthony Russo or sophomore Logan Marchi will get the nod at QB. That is a big step down in experience. Either guy will have plenty of weapons at his disposal including one of the best WR units in the conference. Their top-4 WRs from the 2016 team return for duty this season.
The consistency and versatility of RB Jahad Thomas will be missed. Thomas finished up his career at Temple rushing for 953 yards and 13 TD while also catching 33 balls out of the backfield. Ryquell Armstead was excellent in shared duty last season (919 yards, 5.9, 14 TD) and will lead a solid group of backs. The OL paved the way for 176 yards rushing last year and returns 3/5 starters to the mix.
DEFENSE
Temple’s strength the past three seasons has been the stellar play of their defense. Over the past three campaigns the Owls have only yielded 18.4, 20.1 and 17.5 points per game. It will be a challenge to meet that high bar in 2017 as only four starters return from the 2016 squad.
Temple was excellent at getting PENETRATION last season (3rd AAC sacks per game; 3rd TFL per game) but only bring back one returning starter in the front seven. That is a lot of lost production, and of course, they also have a new DC. Thankfully, the Owls do bring back most of their excellent secondary, and that includes 2nd team AAC star SS Sean Chandler.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Yes guy. The Owls special teams look to be in really good shape. Temple’s PKs combined for a MIND BOGGLING 25/29 FG success rate in 2016 so they appear set no matter who eventually wins the job in 2017. Alex Starzyk is a fixture at P and the return game should be decent.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot
September 15 – MASSACHUSETTS. This is their easiest FBS game of the season (on paper) and they will be yuuuuuge favorites. Two back-to-back conference games are on deck (USF, Houston).
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Check this out, yo. Temple allowed a TOTAL of 33 points in their last five regular season games on their way to a conference title. That is less than a converted TD per game. #FunWithMath.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 2.5
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the OWLS a 2.5 ATS Value Rating (Poor) this season.
It’s a transition season. Best to be cautious.
The Owls had only ONE 10-win season in school history before 2015. Now they have THREE. We have no doubt that Temple can be a consistent power in the AAC, but in reality, it may be too much to ask in 2017. They have a ton of uncertainty at QB and a lot of inexperience on defense. Not to mention a new coaching staff.
Matt Rhule was an absolute POINT SPREAD COVERING MADMAN going 35-17 (!!) over four seasons with Temple against the number (67%). We are sad to see Temple leave our group of reliable GO-TO TEAMS when crafting weekly cards, but to be honest, it appears that they may need some time to gel. Hoot Hoot.
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