[adam42381]

09/01 - 6:30 PM @ Wake Forest L
09/08 - 7:00 PM Norfolk State W
09/15 - 3:30 PM @ Montana L
09/22 - 7:00 PM Lehigh W
09/29 - ........... BYE
10/06 - 3:30 PM Gardner-Webb* W
10/13 - 1:30 PM @ Presbyterian W
10/20 - 3:30 PM Concord W
10/27 - 3:00 PM @ Coastal Carolina W
11/03 - 3:30 PM Charleston Southern W
11/10 - 3:30 PM Stony Brook L
11/17 - 1:30 PM @ VMI* W

[thepostman]

9-2 isn't going to happen. I say 7-4 is more accurate, maybe 8-3 at the very best.

We have a new coach, new system, lost a lot of important pieces. I mean looking at our schedule you would think 9-2 doesn't seem out of reach but we'll be young and will lose a game or 2 we shouldn't.

BJ never fails to come through every year with his ridiculously optimistic predictions...maybe one day he will learn.

[BJWilliams]

I would say 8-3 isn't a bad guess. A loss to Wake Forest and Montana, plus our annual Big South "how the @#$% did we lose that game" game.

To be fair, we didnt have a " Big South how the @#$% did we lose that game" game last year (i.e. a game that we lost that we should have won...) We had a couple ""how the @#$% did that game end up so close" games last year though.

[Flame Convert]

The Flames lose to
Wake, Montana, Lehigh, Stony Brook and either Presby or VMI on the road to go 6-5.

[Stevev]

I will say we will go 8-3 with losses to Wake, Montana, and Coastal (our WTF kind of game on the road). We will pull the upset against Stony Brook I think. We should beat Lehigh. We should not lose to anyone else on our schedule.

[jmdickens]

I am going to confer with Coach Williams on this topic. Not because of any logical reason, but because I like the optimism. Haters gonna hate BJ

[01LUGrad]

Johny Raincloud here.

I guess I have been missing some stuff (even though I have been gobbling up any info I can get on us and our opponents), but how are you guys so confident about this team? Sure, the defense looks good, but the offense??? I have no idea what to expect out of them. The idea that we are going to run through Coastal, Presby, and SB without even knowing what half of the team is capable of is a little ridiculous, don't you think?

Again, I have already made plans to attend at least 3 games and I am even teaching my 18-month-old daughter the fight song (4-year-old son already knows it), so it's not like I am some sort of hater here. I just don't see where all of the sunsine, skittles, and unicorns are coming from.

[Chippy]

Johny Raincloud here.

I guess I have been missing some stuff (even though I have been gobbling up any info I can get on us and our opponents), but how are you guys so confident about this team? Sure, the defense looks good, but the offense??? I have no idea what to expect out of them. The idea that we are going to run through Coastal, Presby, and SB without even knowing what half of the team is capable of is a little ridiculous, don't you think?

Again, I have already made plans to attend at least 3 games and I am even teaching my 18-month-old daughter the fight song (4-year-old son already knows it), so it's not like I am some sort of hater here. I just don't see where all of the sunsine, skittles, and unicorns are coming from.

We have a fight song?

[BJWilliams]

Johny Raincloud here.

I guess I have been missing some stuff (even though I have been gobbling up any info I can get on us and our opponents), but how are you guys so confident about this team? Sure, the defense looks good, but the offense??? I have no idea what to expect out of them. The idea that we are going to run through Coastal, Presby, and SB without even knowing what half of the team is capable of is a little ridiculous, don't you think?

Again, I have already made plans to attend at least 3 games and I am even teaching my 18-month-old daughter the fight song (4-year-old son already knows it), so it's not like I am some sort of hater here. I just don't see where all of the sunsine, skittles, and unicorns are coming from.

Run through them, I certainly dont expect us to do that. I figure all three of those games are gonna be within a touchdown.

[NotAJerry]

I'm far less bullish on Gill than most here. I don't think he's a good gameday coach, but he's also not been in the best of situations, so Liberty just might be his best opportunity. Maybe Buffalo was a no win situation and Kansas just lost their minds, but he did lose to ND State and struggled to put away McNeese State who was a whopping 6-5 last year. I'm hoping for the best, but feel like Turner could be gone in 3 years or be our first legacy coach who is here for 25-30 years. I have no idea which will happen, but mediocrity doesn't seem to be an option for him.

Going into this year, Montana is a mess but is still supremely talented. Lehigh is still good. Presby is getting more competitive. Coastal, despite our past with them, has a complete joke of a head coach now. Stony Brook is the best team in the conference.

09/01 - 6:30 PM @ Wake Forest L
09/08 - 7:00 PM Norfolk State W
09/15 - 3:30 PM @ Montana L
09/22 - 7:00 PM Lehigh L
09/29 - ........... BYE
10/06 - 3:30 PM Gardner-Webb* W
10/13 - 1:30 PM @ Presbyterian L
10/20 - 3:30 PM Concord W
10/27 - 3:00 PM @ Coastal Carolina W
11/03 - 3:30 PM Charleston Southern W
11/10 - 3:30 PM Stony Brook L
11/17 - 1:30 PM @ VMI* W

I think we'll start out well defensively, including a real chance to steal either the Montana or Lehigh games. Offense will take more time to sync as bigger changes are happening on that side of the ball and it usually takes longer to learn an offensive system. We'll be competitive with Presby and the offense will start to really get moving as the season progresses. Stony Brook is simply the better team right now, but not for long as Gill is a tremendous recruiter. 6-5 this year, with a chance to be as much as 8-3, and things will be looking up going into next year.

[thesportscritic]

9-2 in the first year of a new system and we don't know who half the starters are?

Yep. Had to be Coach Beejay with that prediction.

I bet he screamed, "We can win this game!" before predicting all the wins.

[alabama24]

I'm thinking they make an exception this year and extend a BCS invitation and we play Alabama in National Championship Game.

I concur.

[ProudPapa73]

Warning: all predictions are one injury, one transfer, one arrest, one academic suspension, one girl friend, one family issue, one bad weather day, one bad play call, one bad play execution, one bad official call, one bad bounce, one illness, one sun in the eyes, one better prepared competitor away from being wrong.

Stay loose folks.
It's
a
long
road
ahead.
We are in it to win it.

Go Flames!!!

[drumnColby757]

9-2 isn't going to happen. I say 7-4 is more accurate, maybe 8-3 at the very best.

We have a new coach, new system, lost a lot of important pieces. I mean looking at our schedule you would think 9-2 doesn't seem out of reach but we'll be young and will lose a game or 2 we shouldn't.

BJ never fails to come through every year with his ridiculously optimistic predictions...maybe one day he will learn.

gotta give it to BJ idk how you can be a Flames fan and be THAT optimistic i say we win 6-5 games

[Chippy]

The Flames lose to
Wake, Montana, Lehigh, Stony Brook and either Presby or VMI on the road to go 6-5.

Quite possible especially given we have an untested Frosh QB.

[BJWilliams]

Im hedging on the SBU and CCU games at this point (I was even when I wrote the OP). 7-4 certainly isnt too far out of the realm of possibility. There are a lot more questions coming into this year with the coaching change than there were when DR came in in 2006.

[ProudPapa73]

We've got a spring under our belt with this staff and a solid D returning. The O line is huge and we're loaded at TE and RB. If the passing O comes around by NSU we can put a good season together!

Go Flames!!!

[Kolzilla41]

09/01 - 6:30 PM @ Wake Forest L
09/08 - 7:00 PM Norfolk State W
09/15 - 3:30 PM @ Montana W
09/22 - 7:00 PM Lehigh L
09/29 - ........... BYE
10/06 - 3:30 PM Gardner-Webb* W
10/13 - 1:30 PM @ Presbyterian W
10/20 - 3:30 PM Concord W
10/27 - 3:00 PM @ Coastal Carolina W
11/03 - 3:30 PM Charleston Southern W
11/10 - 3:30 PM Stony Brook L
11/17 - 1:30 PM @ VMI* W

I think there might be a 4th loss to either Presby or Coastal but I feel pretty confident about this. We also have to remember that we no longer have a coaching staff that cannot figure out how to run a successful offensive series or seize momentum. I know Gill an staff can do this, it's just up to the players.

[R i]

Manson, I wouldnt have included Presby as a toss up. Then I read flamerbob say we could lose to them as well.

Why wouldnt we be the favorite? I dont know much about them.

[NotAJerry]

Manson, I wouldnt have included Presby as a toss up. Then I read flamerbob say we could lose to them as well.

Why wouldnt we be the favorite? I dont know much about them.

They've gotten better each year under their current coach (0-11, 2-9, 4-7) and really played well down the stretch last year. They pushed us to OT and lost at Coastal by 7 in back-to-back weeks then blew out VMI and CSU, and could have gone 6-5 last year. They're probably ready to enter the mix at the top of the BSC. I would certainly slot them ahead of Coastal this year, right behind Stony Brook and us, with the potential to beat us since it's a road game and still fairly early in the season which may mean our offense hasn't fully gelled yet.

[Chris Lang]

Not a prediction, but another opponent blog, this time Montana:

http://www2.newsadvance.com/sports/2012 ... r-2044290/

Links to the other two previews completed so far are inside the post.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Either way, I am at the point that 53 days seems like forever. I NEED Flames football NOW! Withdrawl is EVIL!

[Kolzilla41]

Either way, I am at the point that 53 days seems like forever. I NEED Flames football NOW! Withdrawl is EVIL!

+1

[logic]

Something is wrong when the majority of us have Presby as a toss up.........

[BJWilliams]

Not really...Presby has been tough for us at their place so it only seems fair that some would think itll be tough again. we lost to them in 08 and two years ago we won by 10 but they gave us a workout and we gave up a 70 yard TD run to their QB (who has since been suspended). They will have questions at QB coming in but its not exactly doomsday scenario that some might think itll be tough for us