Goals for 2008 (per team)

[EvilVodka]

I think alot of teams have clear cut goals, so here's a few benchmarks that I see are imperative for some teams...

Must win the National Championship
For Ohio State, this is a must...the buckeyes have been embarrassed vs. the SEC in the last two championship games, and they're pretty loaded again this year, and will probably run through the Big 10 again (like a warm knife through butter!)...its bring home a championship or bust for Ohio State, lest they become the college version of the Buffalo Bills

Get to the BCS Title game
USC, Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma all fall into this category...anything short is a disappointing season. USC has the talent to be in this game every year and should make another run at it. For Georgia, its time Coach Richt made the leap & took the Bulldogs to the championship. Florida and Oklahoma are also loaded and have the schedules and coaches for championship runs. Of course, the idea is to win the whole thing, but thats easier said than done...the programs mentioned above are the type that want to be playing in the game every year: perennial contenders

Win a BCS Bowl
This category is for Virginia Tech or whoever the ACC Champion is...until the ACC wins a BCS bowl, the conference will be seen as mediocre and expansion sort of a bust.

You could also throw Oklahoma into this category...

Win the conference
Alot of teams could fit in this category, but I'll just go over a few...Texas needs to win the Big 12...as good as the Longhorns have been, they just have 1 conference championship this decade, blowing opportunities in '01 and '06. Can Texas remain an elite team, or will they settle in the role of Big XII also-ran/annual Holiday Bowl representative?

Clemson needs to win the ACC...Miami and FSU won't stay down forever, and Clemson has not been atop the ACC since 1991...its put up or shut up time for Tommy Bowden

Texas Tech has 19 returning starters...they've got QB Graham Harrell, WR phenom Michael Crabtree, and arguably one of Mike Leech's best teams...if they're ever going to bust through, this has to be the team to do it...

Missouri and Kansas both return well-stocked teams with excellent QBs...anything short of a Big XII championship will be a disappointment

Rutgers and Greg Schiano must continue to climb and win the Big East

Win a Bowl
Notre Dame has big expectations, but step 1 is to just win a freakin bowl game, even if its against Podunk Univ. Their last win was the '94 Cotton Bowl, they've got a 9-game losing streak...

Bust the BCS
The most prestigious "non-BCS" school, BYU, needs to bust the BCS...they've swept through the Mountain West conference the last 2 years, and have no where to go but up, which means BCS

Time to go bowling!!!
If Mike Stoops is ever going to succeed at Arizona, this is the team that has to break through...QB Willie Tuitama is a senior and they return 10 starters on offense...

[GatorGrad]

Interesting post. The one I most agree with is that Clemson needs to win the ACC. This has to be their year, doesn't it? They have been knocking on the door for years but can never bust through. Last year they had it set up perfectly...Boston College at home in Death Valley in the final conference game with the winner winning the division and advancing to the ACC Title Game. It was a good hard-fought game, but of course Clemson choked it away late in the 4th Qtr. I was at that game and I had never seen so many people so disappointed. They have the team this year and there are no excuses.

[Lincoln Tower]

I think you throw around the term "must" a little loosely for some of those teams, certainly the ones at the top.

Ohio State is 33-5 over the last three years. USC is 70-8 over the last 6 years, and UGA is 64-15 over that same stretch. Urban Meyer is 31-8 with a MNC in 3 years.

I don't think those teams "must" do anything.

I will agree on Clemson, though. It seems they are the most talented team "on paper" in the ACC.

I agree on Arizona, as well. 2005 looked like the "truning point". They lost a bunch of close games, but annihilated a good UCLA team. The 11-13 they've gone since then is the best 2 year stretch since the Dick Tomey era, but still.

[AJBuckeye]

I will agree with Evil that anything short of a national title for the Buckeyes will be a big disappointment. The only way for this season to be a success without the National Title is if they lose a close game to USC then run the table including a BCS bowl win.

With Florida I don't the same sense of urgency with a National Title 2 years ago. Georgia on the other hand hasn't seen a national title in nearly 30 years.

[Blue Hen]

National title ???? What's that? Florida, Georgia, OSU etc.etc don't compete for national titles.....only poll trophies.

[GatorGrad]

Hen - They do compete for national titles...just not NCAA titles. :)

[GatorGrad]

Georgia's schedule is sick, IMO. Yes, you have the five other traditional SEC powers having Bama, Auburn, and LSU as your three west opponents. We had the same in 1996 when we won the SEC & BCS Titles...so it can be done! That trip to AzSt would worry me. However, that game won't have any impact on the SEC race.

[Blue Hen]

Also, hang up the pre-season USA Today-ESPN Coaches Poll on the wall. That's an essential ingredient to UGA's impending MNC.

[Blue Hen]

Goals for my teams ;

The Blue Hens - Simply score some points, make first downs, drive the ball, give the defense a break. We've got a very green offense for 08, but an experienced defense. JMU looks like the team to beat in the CAA.

The Hokies - Going to be a tough season, I think. The defense went to the NFL. We've got two serviceable but average to mediocre QBs, no experienced receivers or running backs. Bud and Frank will come up with something but a winning season would be a reasonable goal. And of course, keep the dummies out of trouble.

[Blue Hen]

Oh ....well, you learn something every day around here.

[TommyTrojan]

I'm unsure why the expectations for Texas would be to win the conference, and for Florida they need to be in the MNC game. UT always has top tier talent (no different than Florida), and should reasonably expect to be in that game each season.

As it is, I don't think any team NEEDS to win a MNC. All you can really control is winning your conference. The rest is all determined by the voters and computers.

[GatorGrad]

My goal for Florida would be simple - win the SEC Championship. That's our Super Bowl and the only thing we can 100% control. There is nothing like celebrating an undisputed SEC Championship in Atlanta in early December.

[EvilVodka]

I'm unsure why the expectations for Texas would be to win the conference, and for Florida they need to be in the MNC game. UT always has top tier talent (no different than Florida), and should reasonably expect to be in that game each season.

As it is, I don't think any team NEEDS to win a MNC. All you can really control is winning your conference. The rest is all determined by the voters and computers.

IMO, you give Texas too much credit...I guarantee you that if Texas loses to Oklahoma and fails to win the conference, you're going to have people in Austin start scratching their heads, and the boo-birds for Mac Brown might resurface

Texas can only ride the '05 championship so long, and IMO, they are NOT a perennial contender...Another Holiday Bowl will be vastly disappointing...a BCS bowl would help ease the pain of losing another Big XII title to OU, but if I'm a coach, I'm not telling my kids "lets at least get in the BCS"...I'm setting the Big XII title as the goal they need to achieve

As for Florida, I think its different...Florida has too much talent & experience, and Urban Meyer is a better coach than Mac Brown...at Florida, you're shooting for a National Championship

I also think that absolutely having to win a National Championship is somewhat rare...certainly, the pressure for Tom Osbourne and Bobby Bowden to win National Championships before they did was pretty high, and some could even say the media helped them out...people weren't saying they should settle for conference championships first

Ohio State owns the Big 10 lately...the only way to improve on the previous two seasons is to win the National Championship....losing a 3rd title game in a row would be disappointing

[Doc]

Oh ....well, you learn something every day around here.

I'm going to be coaching 8th grade football again this year and Robby Schoenhoft's dad is also on the staff. I'm the offensive coordinator and he's my QB coach. (Pretty pathetic, there are 30 kids on the team and I think we have 10 coaches!) Anyway, I'll try to get you the inside scoop as much as possible...I will say this and I've said it 1,000,000 times - Robby has all the physical tools; he just hasn't exhibited the mental tools needed to play QB on the collegiate level...he locks in on one receiver and doesn't make quick decisions. If they can get him to improve in that area - he should do very well.

[Blue Hen]

good luck.....might be too many coaches there. Looking forward to seeing what Robby can do. Won't be easy following a 1st round draft QB but he's a quality kid. UD will appreciate that.