Season Prediction Part I: worst case scenario

For those new to the blog, prior to our first game, I always post three different season predictions. Part 1 (today's edition) takes a look at the worst-case scenario. I will follow with the best case and conclude with my actual forecast. In the TOB days this was a simple task. The past two years were more challenging but fortunately we got to see the upside each season. Given how terrible this offseason has been, we could easily fall into the worst case situation outlined below. But I remain optimistic and think Spaz will keep things from falling apart.

Northeastern. Win. Regardless of all our problems and issues, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Northeastern is terrible. We will not lose this game.

Kent State. Win. Kent State is better than they were last year. We are probably worse. Yet this game is at Alumni and shouldn't be an issue.

At Clemson. Loss. Our first real test and we lose. Death Valley is a tough environment for an experienced talented team. Our green guys get a bit overwhelmed by the noise, the heat and Clemson's speed.

Wake Forest. Loss. Back at home, we keep it close but make too many mistakes against a solid Wake team.

Florida State. Loss. Another hard-fought game. We keep it close with a grind it out scheme but cannot hold off the 'Noles. With this loss, morale starts to drop a bit.

At Virginia Tech. Loss. This game is ugly. We make mistakes on Special Teams and on Offense. The D tries to do their part but it's a long day.

NC State. Win. This is the game that gives everyone a lift. NC State comes in ranked. The media is talking about the mistake BC made in letting TOB walk. Spaz and Tranq pull off a strong gameplan and a few things break our way.

At Notre Dame. Loss. We come in riding high off of the NC State game. Notre Dame is coming off a loss to USC and looking to rebound. We don't put enough pressure on Jimmy Clausen and he makes some big plays against us.

Central Michigan. Win. This is another nice little surprise as Central Michigan comes in with the better record. Like our 2006 game, we establish a physical dominance early and hang on with opportunistic defense late.

At Virginia. Win A battle of two struggling ACC teams. It is an ugly, low scoring defensive game. We are playing better and hold on for the win.

North Carolina. Loss. Like last season they score in bunches and burn our DBs. We also make plenty of mistakes.

At Maryland. Loss. As usual Maryland moves the ball on Spaz, only this year we don't force any turnovers. Our passing game doesn't click and they stuff our run. We miss out on bowl season.

As I said, I don't think this will happen. This was actually encouraging as it shows that even if the bottom falls out, we can remain competitive.