CUSA Football Countdown, # 12

CUSA Football Countdown, Monday June 23 – July 5, 2014

Taken entirely from the Survey to rank the CUSA with 275 responses here is the order predicted by the voters.  Starting with the team voted to finish # 13 and ending with the #1 team.  I would like to thank all those that took part in the survey and the outstanding response we received. Using the surveys predicted finish we turned your voted order into a prediction of how each team may fair against schools on their schedule.  We looked at past history, home field advantage(s) and tried to correlate the predicted order with a win/loss projection. We hope this stimulates some conversation and good luck to everyone in CUSA in 2014.  The countdown starts today June 23 and will run till we reveal the #1 team as predicted by the survey on July 5, 2014.  We will also reveal all the stats from the survey on July 5, as well.

Again thanks and enjoy..

Recap of Rank

12 Texas El Paso (2-10)  CUSA:  2014 Prediction (3-9)

13.  Florida International (1-11) CUSA:  2014 Prediction (2-10)

Introducing # 12

  

12. Texas El Paso (2-10) CUSA:  Sean Kugler will be entering his 1^st full year after posting his only UTEP game in 2013, 0–1 (.000).  The Miners play in the 51,500 seat Sun Bowl Stadium.  A healthy Jameill Showers at QB will go a long way to put UTEP back on the right track for winning.  With a year of experience under Kugler’s and his offensive coordinator Patrick Higgins’ system, along with the return of a  backfield with more talent the Miners should be able to have improvement and post good numbers this fall.  This year UTEP should see explosiveness from Nathan Jeffery and Aaron Jones both were quite efficient last year and Nathan Jeffery was only a freshman. One more piece of the puzzle should be Autrey Golden, a former star recruit and a great return man could step in and aid the Miners to a improving  2014 team.  The offensive line should be bigger and more experienced and in the off season a few have added not only size but strength.  Starting guards Jerel Watkins and Kyle Brown, neither of whom 300-pounds last year appear to be moving to the outside to replace last year’s tackles that graduated nor make way for perhaps bigger guards like redshirt freshmen Derek Elmendorff or Will Hernandez in the starting lineup.

The area that will benefit the Miners the most will be a beefed up D and maybe a new system to overcome last year’s short comings.  As with the offensive line, most of returnees have put on 10 pounds, and some have put on 20. This isn’t guaranteed to help, and the four returning defensive tackles still average just 284 pounds, but it’s a start.    If 300-pound JUCO transfer Alex Villareal is ready to play able to adjust quickly to the FBS level the D will be better from day one.

This isn’t going to become a good line overnight, but Robertson-Harris certainly looks the part, and despite the loss of three of the top five tacklers, this unit realizies they must put in the work every day.  UTEP should see an improvement on last year’s record and ultimately for the future.

2014 UTEP Miners Football Schedule Prediction (3-9)
Date		Opponent	Predictions
Saturday Aug. 30	at New Mexico Lobos University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM	TBA	L
Saturday Sept. 6	Texas Tech Red Raiders Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX	9:00 p.m. MT FOX Sports 1	L
Saturday Sept. 13	New Mexico State Aggies Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX	6:00 p.m. MT TV TBA	W
Saturday Sept. 20	—	Open Date	—
Saturday Sept. 27	at Kansas State Wildcats Bill Snyder Family FB Stadium, Manhattan, KS	TBA	L
Saturday Oct. 4	at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, LA	5:00 p.m. MT FCS	L
Saturday Oct. 11	Old Dominion Monarchs Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX	6:00 p.m. MT TV TBA	W
Saturday Oct. 18	—	Open Date	—
Saturday Oct. 25	at UTSA Roadrunners Alamodome, San Antonio, TX	TBA	L
Saturday Nov. 1	Southern Miss Golden Eagles Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX	6:00 p.m. MT FCS	W
Saturday Nov. 8	at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers H. Ind. – L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY	TBA	L
Saturday Nov. 15	North Texas Mean Green Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX	Time TBA FS1 or FSN	L
Friday Nov. 21	at Rice Owls Rice Stadium, Houston, TX	6:00 p.m. MT FOX Sports 1	L
Saturday Nov. 29	Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX	TBA	L