Realistic expectations for next year

[Wiedersehen]

Cignetti will be 10x better than CTA. If he’s able to keep our core guys from transferring, we should be solid.

Honestly 9 wins is easily possible. Shit, starting 9-0 isn’t totally out of the question.

FIU - W
Western Illinois - W
@UCLA - Toss up but they’ve been bad
Charolette - W
Maryland - W
@Northwestern - W
Nebraska - W
Washington - probably L, but they lose a lot
@MSU - W
Michigan - L
@Ohio State - L
Purdue - W

 

[Sonap]

5-6 wins

 

[td75]

With competent deployment of our NIL 💰 and a bit of retention of our current players, a bowl season is/should be the expectation.

4M-5M in NIL, should really bolster the roster.

 

[IUgradman]

The roster is so fluid it is impossible to know how good the team will be next year.

 

[BoilerN]

The roster is so fluid it is impossible to know how good the team will be next year.

About the only certainties are osu, um, psu, and Oregon being good imo. Everyone else is a hope and a dream without seeing the fall roster.

 

[MMcCormick]

I would think six wins.

 

[Harry Hondo]

Well, if they can field a team next year with the same talent level as this year you gotta give CC 3-4 more wins than this year, because our close losses were from poor in-game coaching decisions. That’s 6-7 wins and a bowl game, minimum. Remember, Cignetti has never had a losing season and he’s been in some challenging situations and has always come through.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

LOL 9-0?

We don’t even have a team right now.

 

[Harry Hondo]

LOL 9-0?

We don’t even have a team right now.

Classic example of fan expectations leading to failure once the new coach “fails to live up to (unrealistic) expectations.”

 

[BattleCreekHoosier]

LOL 9-0?

We don’t even have a team right now.

Why do you think he posted that? It's pretty obvious why he posted it, don't you think?

 

[Jssanto]

The roster is so fluid it is impossible to know how good the team will be next year.

Or how bad.

 

[76-1]

Let's see where we are roster-wise around 1/5/24 before we make any rash assumptions about win totals... I'd want to know not only how our roster has changed but also that of the adversaries...

I doubt many noticed but Akron had several decent players on both sides of the ball from big time programs who for one reason or another ended up there in "last chance" mode... We almost paid with an L by not taking them seriously...

3 years of losses to Ball State is another example. They had a few "ringer" type transfers that suddenly transformed them into a type of team closer to Northwestern than Kent State in terms of playmakers on both sides of the ball...

If we can revamp our team by bringing back most of our original two deep types from the Portal augmented by some other top level help then I'll feel a lot more comfortable about making sweeping predictions...

The good news is that by having made the hire today our AD has given our new Coach time and a fighting chance to bring in our high school freshman class in relatively intact and have our best chance ever of evaluating and bringing in the type of serious talent on both sides of the ball who might be difference makers in crunch time with the influx of new NIL funds...

This next few weeks should be very interesting...

Thanks again Scott Dolson for giving us a reasonable chance of competing...

 

[JBT Assoc]

“Realistic” expectations??? NO f—-ing idea what is realistic.

I realistically expect:
- Coach will have to re-fill the roster with a number of less-than-Big Ten caliber players.
- Thus, I expect 4 wins, 5 max.
- I expect more imagination and creativity on Offense than we saw last year.

 

[OpenWheels]

No way to know. See what sort of team he puts together.

But I think 6-7 wins if we're making really rough guesses. If we get 3 wins but we see the framework for future success, I'm good with it.

We're out of this hell. If we have to suffer another year or two fine, and I think momentum will be with us almost no matter what.

 

[ElMeson]

I’d definitely wait until the portal season pans out. We will lose a few and also gain a few. if all things were equal and CC had our current talent before the portal, I’d definitely say 7 but what or who has declared portal status… not many. Obviously it’s fluid but our OL& DL have taken a major blow. Let’s see what’s left come mid February before we start predicting an entire season.

 

[CC Mac]

Cignetti will be 10x better than CTA. If he’s able to keep our core guys from transferring, we should be solid.

Honestly 9 wins is easily possible. Shit, starting 9-0 isn’t totally out of the question.

FIU - W
Western Illinois - W
@UCLA - Toss up but they’ve been bad
Charolette - W
Maryland - W
@Northwestern - W
Nebraska - W
Washington - probably L, but they lose a lot
@MSU - W
Michigan - L
@Ohio State - L
Purdue - W, sucks that’s a road game again

Purdue game is in Bloomington next year

 

[Middawg]

Can we all just agree the top half of the Sunbelt is competitively comparable to the Big Ten West?

 

[Bucket Getter]

“Realistic” expectations??? NO f—-ing idea what is realistic.

I realistically expect:
- Coach will have to re-fill the roster with a number of less-than-Big Ten caliber players.
- Thus, I expect 4 wins, 5 max.
- I expect more imagination and creativity on Offense than we saw last year.

Do you expect we should actually be able to tackle someone? That alone is worth 3 more wins.

 

[Hoosierfan1901]

I’ll hold my horses and wait who add/lose over the next few months

 

[HoosierJimbo89]

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

I don’t have any expectations but I do have hopes and dreams. Playing good fundamental football with sound in game decisions and a bowl would make me very happy.

 

[td75]

View embedded media

One of the best actors ever right there! His character in Platoon was ridiculously good.

 

[Carib04]

Cignetti will be 10x better than CTA. If he’s able to keep our core guys from transferring, we should be solid.

Honestly 9 wins is easily possible. Shit, starting 9-0 isn’t totally out of the question.

FIU - W
Western Illinois - W
@UCLA - Toss up but they’ve been bad
Charolette - W
Maryland - W
@Northwestern - W
Nebraska - W
Washington - probably L, but they lose a lot
@MSU - W
Michigan - L
@Ohio State - L
Purdue - W

As said in this thread earlier. Too early to tell, let's see who the other coaches are, what personnel can be retained/obtained. Probably safe to say WIU is a win, much beyond that any predictions for next season can be said to be speculation and that is generous, soothsaying probably more accurate.

 

[HoosierJimbo89]

One of the best actors ever right there! His character in Platoon was ridiculously good.

I think Dafoe and Berenger were both nominated for Oscars for Platoon.

 

[IUNorth]

Until the roster and full coaching staff all shake out...

I'd expect that next years team and program will be well run, and well prepared.

 

[Bowlmania]

The roster is so fluid it is impossible to know how good the team will be next year.

First time, I think, I've ever agreed with you about anything, but you're spot-on here.

He might be the greatest coach in the history of mankind but he needs talented, Big Ten-ready players to win, and we have no idea at this point what kind of a roster he'll be able to put together.

 

[JBT Assoc]

Do you expect we should actually be able to tackle someone? That alone is worth 3 more wins.

Sure…. “IF” our roster were the same, and our opponents were the same or worse next season.

 

[Euro]

6 should be a gimme

 

[PhyloeBedoe]

Anyone offering a prediction on total wins and losses for next season, without knowing who’s going to be on the roster, is a knucklehead destined for the ‘ignore’ button.

 

[IUCrazy2]

There are 3 likely wins you could point to now. Anything else is a toss up at best.

 

[Orbit7958]

Really might need to adjust my annual 3-9 prediction

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

Really might need to adjust my annual 3-9 prediction

Turn that frown around?

9-3?

All joking aside, I think we will be better because I don’t know if we can look less prepared than the last 3 seasons.

 

[OpenWheels]

Good thing we don't face Louisville.

Since we don't, now that I saw the press conferences, I revise my early prediction upward. Undefined though, we don't set limits on ourselves.

 

[Orbit7958]

Turn that frown around?

9-3?

All joking aside, I think we will be better because I don’t know if we can look less prepared than the last 3 seasons.

Might not go that far 🤣
From what I'm reading, I'm liking this hire

 

[ESalum86]

Everyone who is in wait and see mode is right. We have no idea who our team will be right now, and honestly we're probably 7 months away from knowing.

But I say this, MINIMUM expectations every year should be:
1) Beat Purdue
1A) Bowl game

 

[bang63]

I’m guessing, maybe hoping with the retention of Bostad we’ll be able to get our o-line players out of the portal that we want. We then fill out the o-line from the portal and recruit some hs players for the future. The o-line will determine the success of our offense next year so it’s difficult to impossible to make predictions this early.

 

[It Will Do]

My hope is that we cut down the amount of mental mistakes that are made. Physically I hope we can figure out a way to win more one on one battles. Those would be great starts.

 

[76-1]

My only realistic expectation at this point is that we will re-learn how to tackle... If we're able to do that then that skill is probably worth another 3 wins by itself...