College Football Predictions – Toledo Rockets 2019 College Football Preview
2018 Recap
Record – 7-6
ATS – 6-7
The Rockets were a disappointment and failed to win at least eight games for only the second time in nine years. In fact, Toledo hasn’t had a losing campaign since 2009 when they finished with a mark of 5-7. The season was marked with inconsistency and they didn’t win more than two consecutive games. Their final contest was an entertaining Bahamas Bowl in which they were defeated by the FIU Panthers (L 35-32).
You always have to consider the Rockets as MAC West contenders. This year is no different.
2019 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
West Division – #1
MAC – #2
Toledo Rockets 2019 Outlook
OFFENSE
WHOA NELLIE. Toledo has a LOADED QB room. The starter will likely be Mitchell Guadagni, a dangerous dual-threat quarterback who will hopefully stay healthy this season. Eli Peters is a legitimate MAC starter and will be ready if necessary. They also boast a number of exciting young signal callers that will keep the competition level high throughout fall camp.
The RB group is one of the best in the MAC with the top-two rushers back for duty. Bryant Koback led the MAC with 14 (!) rushing TDs a season ago and averaged 6.0 YPC. The big question mark is a WR unit that goes from a team strength to a potential weakness. The top-three (!) wideouts from last year’s team are gone including 3rd-round NFL draft choice Diontae Johnson (Steelers). We are pleased to note that the offensive line returns three starters including excellent seniors at C and LT. Toledo has one of the best fronts in the MAC.
Toledo has posted 35+ PPG in each of the past five years. It might be challenging to get to that threshold with the reload at WR, but we love the QB situation and rushing attack.
DEFENSE
The Rockets’ defense was a sore spot last year as they yielded 30+ PPG for the first time since 2014 (30.5). They got decent PENETRATION (35 sacks) but were very average vs both the run and the pass. Only five starters and two of their top-seven tacklers return for duty so it will be interesting to see if they can improve on this side of the ball. The defensive line has potential with nice size on the interior, and DE Jamal Hines is a nice piece to build around. It remains to be seen how the LB and DB corps will perform this year but they do have a pair of veteran safeties and a solid LB in Dedarallo Blue.
We expect better performance from the defense but they don’t appear to be one of the better stop units in the MAC.
SPECIAL TEAMS
They were FANTASTIC on special teams last year but lose the dynamic, deadly and DEVASTATING return man Diontae Johnson who bagged a punt return TD AND kickoff return TD in 2018. They also need to find a replacement for ace PK Jameson West. The jury is still out. We’ll be watching early on to see how the new faces fare in game action.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – It looks good. Their road slate includes road games with Kentucky (down?) and Colorado St (dung?) and they get both of their main MAC West rivals at home (Western Michigan, Northern Illinois).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Can’t say we see anything too sinister.
Season Win Total
Over 8 +135
Under 8 -155
MEGALOCKS says:
That feels like a perfect line. We have them pegged as an eight-nine win team.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Toledo played without a nickname for a number of years but was dubbed the “Rockets” after two long touchdown runs in a 1923 loss to Carnegie Tech. Impress the ATTRACTIVE BIMBO next door with that trivia nugget.
Your pal Nick Saban was head coach of the Rockets for one season, leading Toledo to a 9–2 record and a MAC co-championship in 1990.
MEGALOCKS ATS Outlook: Neutral
The Rockets have a great shot to get back to the MAC Championship Game. The roster looks good and the schedule is kind. In an ideal world, Toledo takes care of Western Michigan in their MAC opener and roll from there. It’s not a team without flaws as the WR group and defense don’t appear to be elite.
Toledo has been a 50/50 proposition ATS under the tutelage of Jason Candle. We’ll take a neutral stance for now, but keep in mind they are 16-3 SU at home the past three years, and 10-7 ATS as home chalk over that time horizon.
Want more Toledo football ?
WEBSITE
http://utrockets.com/index.aspx?path=football&
FORUM
http://csnbbs.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=479
NEWS
http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2649/toledo-rockets
http://bleacherreport.com/toledo-football
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/toledo-rockets
https://www.hustlebelt.com/toledo-rockets
TWITTER
Hashtags – #LiftOff
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