College Football Predictions – Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2020 College Football Preview
August 23, 2020
2019 Recap
Record – 4-8
ATS – 7-5
The Golden Hurricane struggled yet again and posted their 3rd consecutive losing season. In fact, Tulsa has a cumulative record of 9-27 (!) over the last three years. The good news? They managed to SHOCK the WORLD and beat UCF (W 34-31) late in the campaign. They also finished on a positive note by demolishing East Carolina (W 49-24).
It’s true that they had a few close calls against good teams (lost to Memphis by 1, lost to SMU in OT) but there’s no doubt this could be HC Philip Montgomery’s last kick at the cat in Tulsa if things don’t improve.
2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
American Athletic Conference – #10
<Note. No divisions this year. One 11-team conference.>
Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2020 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Golden Hurricane showed some flashes last year but still ended the year with mediocre statistics (#7 AAC total offense, #9 scoring offense, #10 rushing offense, #5 passing offense). If you managed to catch any Tulsa football LY you are more than aware that the major problem holding these guys down was the play of the offensive line. They allowed 39 sacks (2nd worst AAC) and couldn’t find consistency with the ground game.
Things are looking up in 2020. QB Zach Smith is back to lead the offense and he put up decent numbers LY considering that he was PULVERIZED by opposing defenses ON THE REGULAR (3,279, 19-9 TD to INT). The top-two WRs are back in the mix and it’s good to know that Keylon Stokes and Sam Crawford Jr combined to catch 121 balls for over 1,800 yards and 11 TDs LY. Our DEEP AAC INSIDERS feel pretty good about the continuity of the THROW GAME. The Golden Hurricane also look set in the RB department with the return of 1,000-yard rusher Shamari Brooks and #2 RB Corey Taylor II (461, 6 TD). All the skill elements are in place but they need the offensive line to step up and provide a solid foundation. Three starters return to the group.
Look for an decent improvement in output with SPICY upside IF the offensive line can exceed expectations. <grabs popcorn>
DEFENSE
The defense wasn’t a total disgrace last year (#7 AAC total defense) but there are some yuuuuge concerns heading into this season as they only return three starters to the stop unit. If you want to spin things in a positive light, it’s fair to say that the starters returning for battle are good players to build around. NG Jaxon Player is a good chess piece on the DL, LB Zaven Collins was #2 in tackles LY and CB Allie Green IV is one of a pair of decent-looking CBs. The bad news? We worry a great deal about the overall depth and recall that Tulsa had a mere 14 (!) sacks last year. That ranked them #123 in the FBS. Fun fact. Tulsa’s sack totals over the past three years are 14,14 and 12. We’re not sure, but that might be the lowest total in the FBS over that time horizon. We’ll call on MEGALOCKS HOME GAMERS to do some digging and get scoop.
It’s hard to take this defense too seriously and we foresee another tough season ahead.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The PK situation was a GONG SHOW last year (15/23 FG, 2/6 from 40+ yards) and the job is open heading into 2020. They also need to find a new punter and will hope for some AUSSIE MAGIC with the addition of Lachlan Wilson to the roster. The only positive we note is the talent of return man Keylon Stokes.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – 10 games are locked in. The two non-conference affairs can be labeled as nasty (at Oklahoma St) and very tricky (at Arkansas St). Their first two AAC games are against UCF (A) and Cincinnati (H). (!) They avoid Memphis this year.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at UCF (October 3rd)
This could be a bloodbath. The Knights are loaded and this will be Tulsa’s third straight week ON THE HIGHWAY.
Season Win Total
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.
MEGALOCKS says:
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore number.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
Tulsa has retired nine jersey numbers and one of those is the #83 of WR Steve Largent. That was young MEGALOCKS’ favorite player whilst watching the NFL as a young sparky.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
It’s a bit of a mixed bag. The offense is definitely capable of putting up points but we have serious concerns about a sketchy defense that will likely take a step back this year. It’s not going to be easy to get off to a good start given all the tough opponents they play early on. We’ll call for another losing season but give them an excellent shot to pull a major upset like last year.
#ReignCane !
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