2016-17 Football Previews – (AAC) – Huskies
Looking for 2016 Connecticut Huskies predictions? The 2015 season was a positive one for UConn. The team went just 6-7 on the year (including a bowl loss to Marshall), but that was a welcomed record for a fanbase that went 2-10 the year prior. After watching this team go to a Bowl game, the expectations have risen.
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2016-17 College Football Preview – Connecticut Huskies
Head Coach: Bob Diaco 3rd year, 8–17 (.320)
2015 Record: 6–7 (4–4 The American)
Connecticut Huskies Odds to win the 2017 FBS Championship: Bet The Field
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This team officially strives for postseason play, as we’ve officially seen this program takes strides in the right direction.
Connecticut Huskies Predictions: Team Strengths
UConn’s offense was not a strength last year. The team was 124th in the country in terms of total yards per contest; however, this group has cohesion on its side with nine starters returning from last season’s squad.
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One position to look at if you’re a UConn fan in terms of potential is running back. Arkeel Newsome may be just 5’7″, 180 pounds, but he is the kind of player who can make an impact in both the running game and the catching game (he totaled 1,686 all-purpose yards as a sophomore).
Quarterback will be another position with a lot of potential. Dual-threat Bryant Shirreffs dealt with injuries late in 2015, but he’s the kind of playmaker who can spark this offense when healthy.
He combined for 2,078 yards (60 percent completion rate) and nine scores through the air while also adding 503 yards rushing.
Defensively, the Huskies were solid last season. They gave up just 19.5 points per contest, which was good enough for 15th in the nation.
Linebacker specifically will be the crux of the defense’s success in 2016. Junior Joseph and Matt Walsh are both back, but this group will be further enhanced with the addition of Florida State transfer E.J. Levenberry.
Connecticut Huskies Predictions: Team Weaknesses
Offensively, there are plenty of areas to choose in terms of weaknesses if you’re looking to nitpick (see: last season’s total yards).
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But where it all starts is on the line. The offensive line needs to improve for this group to improve upon last season’s struggles.
As head coach Bob Diaco put it (bluntly) at the 2014 media day, “Not a lot of dudes there who can play 12 games of competitive football.”
Improving the offensive line becomes increasingly important for UConn when you consider the beating the quarterbacks took last season. Tim Boyle had to remove his redshirt with Casey Cochran going down with a career-ending injury and backup Chandler Whitmer also going down during the year.
The Huskies offer plenty of optimism entering 2016, and while the offensive line is a point of concern, it could also be the thing that pushes this group over the top if it improves along with the rest of the roster.
Connecticut Huskies 2016 Prediction: (6-6)
If the Huskies can get improvement out of their line and find consistent play from both the quarterback and running back positions, our six-win prediction could be low. UConn is a wild card, but being a wild card means there’s a gamble is assuming too many wins.
Connecticut should be in good position to improve upon its six wins in 2017, but for the time being, we’re pegging them to be a .500 program.
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The defense should be strong once again, which is what’s going to keep this program from falling into the subpar category in 2016.
2016 Connecticut Huskies Football Schedule
- Thursday, Sept. 1 vs. MAINE – 7:00 PM ET
- Saturday, Sept. 10 @ Navy – 3:30 PM ET
- Saturday, Sept. 17 vs. Virginia – 1:30 PM ET
- Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Syracuse – TBD
- Thursday, Sept. 29 @ Houston – 8:00 PM ET
- Saturday, Oct. 8 vs. Cincinnati – 11:30 AM ET
- Saturday, Oct. 15 @ USF – TBD
- Saturday, Oct. 22 vs. UCF – TBD
- Saturday, Oct. 29 @ East Carolina – TBD
- Friday, Nov. 4 vs. Temple – 7:00 PM ET
- Saturday, Nov. 19 @ Boston College – TBD
- Saturday, Nov. 26 vs. Tulane – TBD
What do you think about our 2016 Connecticut Huskies predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2016!
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