Florida International Panthers 2016 NCAA Football Preview
FIU PANTHERS
Conference USA
2015 Record – 5-7
ATS – 5-5-2
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
East Division #4
Conference #6
2015 Recap
Things started out just fine. They came up with a win as a double-digit underdog in their first game of the season. However, as it turned out, UCF ended up 0-12 and it was far from a quality win. At least that is what we learned as time went on. FIU struggled through the remainder of the season losing the Shula Bowl to Florida Atlantic and getting pasted in their final two games by a combined score of 115-7.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
The Panthers are shaping up to be pretty good on offense this season. All of the key components are in place to score a lot of points including junior QB Alex McGough who is a rising star at the position. Leading rusher Alex Gardner is back and he is a versatile weapon that can run the ball effectively (760, 9 TD – 2015) and catch the ball out of the backfield (60 ! receptions last season). The offensive line could only lead the way for 3.4 yards per carry and yielded 27 sacks in 2015. The good news is that this is a very experienced line that returns 5/5 starters. There is no reason not to expect significant improvement.
FIU brings back their top WR from last season Thomas Owens (638, 8 TD – 2015) and dangerous TE Jonnu Smith who missed a good chunk of the 2015 campaign. Don’t forget that Smith had 61 receptions for over 700 yards and 8 TDs in 2014.
DEFENSE
The Panthers could be in for some high-scoring games this season. As effective as the offense should be, there are questions regarding the defense, as only five starters return. Several key players from the 2015 team depart including six of the top eight tacklers.
The linebackers look to be in good shape, but the defensive line lost a lot of production, and there is a worry at CB where depth is a major concern. The run defense was ranked 9th in C-USA last year and they only managed 22 sacks while giving up 61% completions. Nobody with more than ONE sack in 2015 returns to the defense this year.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Panthers appear set at P and PK where Austin Taylor and Stone Wilson return to their roles. They are going to need to replace reliable KR/PR Richard Leonard.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 4.0
MEGALOCKS says:
The schedule is favorable after the first two games against Indiana and Maryland. There are five straight games that are very winnable and anything less than four wins in that stretch probably means that FIU is not going bowling. The Panthers are going to score some points but we have grave concerns about the ability of the defense to slow down teams with decent offenses. Sadly, there a more than a few of those teams on the docket this season.
Overall, we give the PANTHERS a 4.0 ATS Value Rating (Below Average) this season. Ron Turner has done a good job of getting this team to play better football and has a .500 record ATS at FIU. We might take a peek if they are getting a ton of points, but otherwise. no plans on backing the Panthers on a regular basis.
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