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Why does ESPN FPI like the Cats (No. 25) this year?

Max_Power

Max_Power

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Hint: Not TJ Green or Hunter Johnson or Andrew Marty

When the computers were fed a dose of Peyton Ramsey, the Cats went from 38 to 25 in ESPN's FPI preseason rankings.

Yes, stats are for losers but moving up 13 places because of a grad transfer and how he changes the metrics of the team is interesting.
 
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Sounds about right. He'll be a game changer for us.
 
Max_Power said:
Hint: Not TJ Green or Hunter Johnson or Andrew Marty

When the computers were fed a dose of Peyton Ramsey, the Cats went from 38 to 25 in ESPN's FPI preseason rankings.

Yes, stats are for losers but moving up 13 places because of a grad transfer and how he changes the metrics of the team is interesting.
Click to expand...

link?
 
NorthNJCatsfan said:
link?
Click to expand...

There you go. This is post Ramsey May version (No. 25).
https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/season/2020

Here is the pre-Ramsey from February (No. 38):
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...2020-preseason-college-football-fpi-breakdown

I think a good way to look at this is Ramsey 65% completion rate is now the baseline for NU and that is a huge improvement. I think Ramsey can be a very competent QB with the current compliment of McGowan, Lees and Jefferson as his primary receivers and Bowser at RB. Add in a competent grad transfer tight end and the offense starts to look, dare I say, competent from an preseason analysis point of view.

I really like Jesse Brown at RB if he stays healthy and there is hope that one of the RS freshman WRs develops. The wildcard is the offensive line and whether it improves.
 
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Max_Power said:
The wildcard is the offensive line and whether it improves.
Click to expand...

To me, this is a given. We might have some growing pains if some of the newcomers like Skoronski, Priebe, etc. beat out some returning starters but I am confident the OL is pointed in the right direction. #OLINEPRIDE.
 
Max_Power said:
There you go. This is post Ramsey May version (No. 25).
https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/season/2020

Here is the pre-Ramsey from February (No. 38):
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...2020-preseason-college-football-fpi-breakdown

I think a good way to look at this is Ramsey 65% completion rate is now the baseline for NU and that is a huge improvement. I think Ramsey can be a very competent QB with the current compliment of McGowan, Lees and Jefferson as his primary receivers and Bowser at RB. Add in a competent grad transfer tight end and the offense starts to look, dare I say, competent from an preseason analysis point of view.

I really like Jesse Brown at RB if he stays healthy and there is hope that one of the RS freshman WRs develops. The wildcard is the offensive line and whether it improves.
Click to expand...

To use your word, a *competent* offense with a defense like last year's should be expected to win 7 or 8 games and have a real chance every week.
 
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JournCat said:
To use your word, a *competent* offense with a defense like last year's should be expected to win 7 or 8 games and have a real chance every week.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you mean by competent. If you hold the bar high and say a top 25 offense is competent, then you add that to a competent D (which we have had perennially with Mike Hankwitz) and we are contending for the B1G. Unfortunately, we never had a competent offense since McCall arrived.
 
Max_Power said:
There you go. This is post Ramsey May version (No. 25).
https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/season/2020

Here is the pre-Ramsey from February (No. 38):
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...2020-preseason-college-football-fpi-breakdown

I think a good way to look at this is Ramsey 65% completion rate is now the baseline for NU and that is a huge improvement. I think Ramsey can be a very competent QB with the current compliment of McGowan, Lees and Jefferson as his primary receivers and Bowser at RB. Add in a competent grad transfer tight end and the offense starts to look, dare I say, competent from an preseason analysis point of view.

I really like Jesse Brown at RB if he stays healthy and there is hope that one of the RS freshman WRs develops. The wildcard is the offensive line and whether it improves.
Click to expand...

Thank you
 
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EvanstonCat said:
Depends on what you mean by competent. If you hold the bar high and say a top 25 offense is competent, then you add that to a competent D (which we have had perennially with Mike Hankwitz) and we are contending for the B1G. Unfortunately, we never had a competent offense since McCall arrived.
Click to expand...

A top 25 offense would be excellent and probably beyond expectation given how far behind we were last year. Let's define competent as ... top 50 or 60?
 
Man I really hope there's a college football season this year. There's so much intrigue on offense between Ramsey and Coach Jake.

Of course a pandemic hits just a few months after McCall is finally shown the door.
 
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How about the converted RBs that played against Illinois-they had a little "pop"
 
freewillie07 said:
Man I really hope there's a college football season this year. There's so much intrigue on offense between Ramsey and Coach Jake.

Of course a pandemic hits just a few months after McCall is finally shown the door.
Click to expand...

I am with you! I can take all the pandemic throws us, but don't take away the Cats Football season! Losing the Masters was tough, but really looking forward to the new O and the QB scrum that seems to be developing...Peyton definitely is favored, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him pushed. And I hope he is!!
 
Anyone know to what extent the players are allowed to practice together at this point in time? Obviously no coaching would be allowed but if say one of the potential quarterbacks wants to throw to one of the receivers on the team in his backyard is that OK as per NCAA? Sure would be no problem keeping 6 feet apart for the government mandates.
 
Alaskawildkat said:
Anyone know to what extent the players are allowed to practice together at this point in time? Obviously no coaching would be allowed but if say one of the potential quarterbacks wants to throw to one of the receivers on the team in his backyard is that OK as per NCAA? Sure would be no problem keeping 6 feet apart for the government mandates.
Click to expand...

Spoke to my friend whose son plays for one of our divisional rivals, he is working out alone and they have no set date to return. She said the real issue her family has is that her to be HS senior has MAC talent but got injured as a Jr. and will not be able to camp anywhere. This was going to be a huge summer for him so he needs the fall to get a chance to get noticed more.
 
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Alaskawildkat said:
Anyone know to what extent the players are allowed to practice together at this point in time? Obviously no coaching would be allowed but if say one of the potential quarterbacks wants to throw to one of the receivers on the team in his backyard is that OK as per NCAA? Sure would be no problem keeping 6 feet apart for the government mandates.
Click to expand...
Yeah but they would be touching the same ball and then their faces. They would just have to quarantine together for two weeks or something.
 
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Deeringfish said:
Yeah but they would be touching the same ball and then their faces. They would just have to quarantine together for two weeks or something.
Click to expand...

I did consider that, but wearing gloves and face masks would go a long way to minimizing that as a problem. Assuming they wash their hands after practice would probably technically comply with the government mandates as well. The real question to my mind though is whether any NCAA rules would be broken by allowing teammates to practice together? Getting in sync between a quarterback and his potential receivers before official practices would seem to be optimal.

I keep remembering how one of our more successful Northwestern quarterbacks spent much of his summer "working out" with a former Northwestern quarterback which certainly complied with the then existent NCAA rules. Has anything changed on that front?
 
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Max_Power said:
Hint: Not TJ Green or Hunter Johnson or Andrew Marty

When the computers were fed a dose of Peyton Ramsey, the Cats went from 38 to 25 in ESPN's FPI preseason rankings.

Yes, stats are for losers but moving up 13 places because of a grad transfer and how he changes the metrics of the team is interesting.
Click to expand...

Not terribly surprising that adding a ton of experience at QB is a good thing.
 
Max_Power said:
There you go. This is post Ramsey May version (No. 25).
https://www.espn.com/college-football/fpi/_/season/2020

Here is the pre-Ramsey from February (No. 38):
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...2020-preseason-college-football-fpi-breakdown

I think a good way to look at this is Ramsey 65% completion rate is now the baseline for NU and that is a huge improvement. I think Ramsey can be a very competent QB with the current compliment of McGowan, Lees and Jefferson as his primary receivers and Bowser at RB. Add in a competent grad transfer tight end and the offense starts to look, dare I say, competent from an preseason analysis point of view.

I really like Jesse Brown at RB if he stays healthy and there is hope that one of the RS freshman WRs develops. The wildcard is the offensive line and whether it improves.
Click to expand...
If healthy, it isnt hard to see Jesse being the main guy. Bowser is solid as well.
 
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