Paw Prints Football News

Let’s take a look back at what I wrote in late August about the 2008 UConn Huskies football season.

The following was written on August 26th.

In looking at the Huskies schedule, I fully expect them to start the season 4-0 with wins over Hofstra, Temple, Virgina and Baylor. They will get their first test in the Big East Conference against Louisville in Louisville. To me that game can go either way but I’d expect to the Huskies to lose a close one.

The week after, the Huskies will travel to Chapel Hill to take on Butch Davis and UNC Tar Heels. This is another game, I think could go either way but I see the Huskies pulling this one out. While UConn beat Rutgers last season, I just don’t see that this year unless Rutgers has trouble replacing Ray Rice.

With the Huskies at 5-2, the Cincinnati Bearcats come to town for homecoming weekend and will give the Huskies a battle. The Bearcats have the potential to be one of more improved teams but the Huskies win this one in front of the hometown crowd to become bowl eligible. A big matchup follows the week after against West Virginia and the only shot the Huskies have at winning is to beat the Mountaineers, a feat I don’t see happening.

After whooping up on Syracuse, the Huskies will have two big games against South Florida and Pittsburgh. I see the Huskies losing both games as the home team in the USF series has won each time. While the Huskies have beaten Pittsburgh the past two seasons, the Panthers are the most improved team in the Big East and even though it’s a home game for the Huskies, I see a Pittsburgh upset.

The Huskies finish the season at 7-5 (3-4 Big East). The great thing about predictions like this is that I suck at them because I had the Huskies going 6-6 last season and they finished 9-4. My bowl prediction for the Huskies is either The St. Petersburg Bowl or the International Bowl, giving them their 3rd bowl bid in 5 years.

Ironically enough, UConn finshed up at 7-5 (3-4 Big East) and I got the pick of the International Bowl correct as well. The only differences in the predictions and the season was that UConn beat Louisville and lost to UNC. I even predicted that UConn would become bowl eligible in a win over Cincinnati which is exactly what happened.

It’s not too often that I’m good at predictions so I’ll take it.