College Football Predictions – Texas St Bobcats 2020 College Football Preview
August 8, 2020
2019 Recap
Record – 3-9
ATS – 3-8-1
The Bobcats had a tough go of it in Jake Spavital’s first year as head coach and finished the campaign with a mark of 3-9. The high point of the season was a win over a decent Georgia St squad (W 37-34 in OT) but their other two wins came vs South Alabama and something called Nicholls. Texas St had one of the most experienced teams in college football in terms of returning upperclassmen starters heading into last year, and as a result, there will be a lot of new faces on board in 2020.
2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
West Division – #5
Sun Belt – #10
Texas St Bobcats 2020 Outlook
OFFENSE
Yikes.
Texas St was brutal on offense a season ago (#121 FBS scoring offense, #121 total offense) and had one of the worst rushing attacks in the country (77 YPG, #127 FBS). The THROW GAME managed to pick up some yardage (almost 3,000 yards as a team) but the Bobcats had an awful 17-20 TD to INT mark (!). QB Tyler Vitt was responsible for 14 of those INTs in just 231 attempts and is back in the mix this year. The inside track for the starting gig goes to Memphis transfer Brady McBride who sat out last season in accordance with transfer rules. Most of the WR group is back for duty although last year’s #1 WR Hutch White has run out of eligibility. #1 RB Caleb Twyford is back in the mix but the depth in the RB room looks sketchy. Two starters return to the offensive line.
Spavital is going to take over the play calling duties and that could make a difference, along with a new QB under center. Time will tell.
DEFENSE
Texas St was mid-pack in total defense in the conference last season (#6, #86 FBS) but they were one of the worst teams in the nation in terms of defending the run (218 YPG, #120 FBS). The Bobcats didn’t give up a ton of yards through the air but allowed 64% completions and posted a mediocre 24-7 TD to INT mark. PENETRATION? Nope. They were last in the conference in TFL/game and booked an impossibly low 13 sacks (#125 FBS). There are only four starters returning to the stop unit and the Bobcats are going to rely upon a significant influx of transfers to do the job this year. It certainly won’t be easy to replace LB Bryan London II who was a tackling machine during his time in San Marcos.
It’s hard to predict better than a mediocre performance from the defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The kicking game looks like a problem area as they must break in a new PK, and punter Seamus O’Kelly was mediocre LY. Also note that the Bobcats were #124 in the FBS in net punting in 2019. The Bobcats were solid on KRs last year and both primary return men are back.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – 12-game docket, buh-buh. Most of their tough contests are at home (SMU, Louisiana, Appalachian St, Arkansas St) and there are definitely some winnable games. Four of their final five games are in San Marcos.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at BYU (October 24th)
This will be the Bobcats’ 3rd straight road game and Provo is a tough place to play. Not a great spot for the road dog.
Season Win Total
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.
MEGALOCKS says:
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
It looks like another long season ahead for the Bobcats. They haven’t won more than three games in a season since 2014 and that streak is likely to continue. The offense will show more spark but the defense is a major question mark. Our best guess is that they show signs of improvement and pull a decent-sized upset along the way.
#EatEmUp !
Want more Texas St Football ?
WEBSITE
https://txstatebobcats.com/sports/football
FORUM
https://maroonandgolden.com/forum/index.php?forums/txst-football.3/
http://bobcatfans.com/viewforum.php?f=22
NEWS
https://www.statesman.com/sports/20200125/texas-state-notebook
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/326/texas-state-bobcats
TWITTER
Hashtags – #TEAM, #EatEmUp
Accounts to follow