No way they're better than 6-6 with that schedule. And they're going to fall apart culturally once everyone realizes Norvell is truly dead man walking. Unfortunately I think this is his last year.
I think you are right about this. Within the "F$U insiders", they keep talking about how Prison Mike Norvell has things "buttoned down" behind the scenes. They keep talking about this impending turnaround. But let's really think about this.
After the disastrous opening of the season, Prison Mike managed to finish 5-3 in the final 8 games. But against who?
Win over Syracuse at Doak? Give me a break. Not even bowl eligible at 5-7.
Win over North Carolina on the road? Now that is a legitimate win, and something that Miami fell short of doing in 2021, but still only a 6-win team.
Win over UMass at home? Come on, now.
Loss at Clemson? Just sad that Dabo didn't brutalize F$U for the 2020 last-minute cancellation.
Loss to NC State at home? That's why I think NC State beats F$U this year again.
Win over Miami at Doak? I think we've discussed our collapse and the firing of Manny at length. This was a UM giveaway, not a signature F$U win.
Win over Boston College on the road? That's why I think F$U beats BC at home this year, even if it is a toss-up. Still, BC only won 6 games.
Loss at Florida? When Florida's coach was fired, and players were deserting Hogtown? THIS is why you can't say that Prison Mike has turned things around.
Abysmal finish. Five wins, three at home, two on the road. One win over an FBS team. One win over a dead-coach-walking team (us). Only one win worth mentioning as having any quality (UNC), even though UNC finished 6-6 in the regular season. Technically, the "best" win was against a 7-win Miami team, but we all know that Manny's fate was already decided.
So in light of all of this, in light of a 5-7 season where F$U staggered to the finish line by beating 4 ACC teams with an average 6-6 record and lost to a coachless Gaytor team...
And with F$U losing some of their best defenders, they may have 4 guys drafted from that defense, and who will they be replaced with? Jared Verse and two other 3-star transfers? Hey, maybe F$U will surprise us all and bring in some serious defense-side Portal talent, but as of right now, I'm just laughing.
And on offense? Man, they can sign all the Portal WRs and RBs they want, but they still have the same awful QB as last year. And they are running headlines on whether their OL will get back to AVERAGE, but they've only signed 2 Portal OLs, and so far EVERY Portal kid on offense is a 3-star.
So allow me to revise:
W - Duquesne at Doak
L - LSU on the road, Brian Kelly dances
L - Louisville on the road, SALY
W - Boston College at Doak, no red bandana
L - Wake Forest at Doak
L - NC State on the road, SALY
L - Clemson at Doak, SALY, maybe NOW Dabo takes his revenge for 2020
W - Georgia Tech at Doak
L - Miami at Hard Rock, Mario drinks a gallon of Cuban coffee pre-game
W - Syracuse on the road
W - Louisiana, Billy Gaypier is not around to save Louisiana
L - Florida, Billy Gaypier finally does something right
Can Prison Mike Norvell survive another 5-7 campaign, with Neon Deion just a short I-10/I-55 drive down the road?
To get bowl-eligible, F$U would have to beat NC State or Louisville. To get to 7 wins, F$U would have to beat NC State AND Louisville. To get to the dream world of 8 wins, F$U would have to beat NC State AND Louisville AND either UM or UiF.
I just don't see all of that happening. And if Prison Mike is 3-6 leaving Hard Rock? We might just kill that corny cornrow boy the way that Dabo killed Golden.