2011 Ball State Cardinals Gambling Odds | Predictions

2011-2012 Football Previews – MAC Conference – Ball St. Cardinals

Ball State made a coaching change in the offseason, and it is Pete Lembo who will be the new head coach for the Cardinals.

Mid American Conference 2011-2012 Football Previews: Ball State Cardinals
Head Coach: Pete Lembo
2010 Record: 4-8
Ball State Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS: +15,000 (Part of Field)
Ball State Odds from WagerWeb to win MAC Championship: +3,000
Ball State Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>

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Lembo has been successful at Lehigh and Elon (79-36 in his career), and now he takes on an even bigger job and tries to get a program turned around.

Lembo has made it clear that Ball State will run a no-huddle offense as they try to wear down the opponent.

The Cardinals ranked 106th in total offense and 109th in passing offense in 2010, so the offense has a lot of room for improvement. The defense wasn’t very good last season either, but they did improve and help the team win two of their last three games. Lembo hopes to bring a new sense of confidence to this team in 2011.

Team Strengths:

The no-huddle offense that Lembo is putting into motion at Ball State can only work if you have capable wide receivers. Fortunately for this squad, wide receiver is an area of strength for the Cardinals.

Jack Tomlinson and Briggs Orsbon are both talented wide receivers who should be quite productive in this new scheme.

Jason Pinkston and Sean Baker are stars in the secondary, and Ball State’s back line of defense should be solid in 2011. Baker was fifth nationally with six interceptions last season. Kyle Hoke will also return to the secondary. Hoke is quality player that missed most of last season due to an injury.

The linebackers at Ball State are another area of strength. Travis Freeman was the team’s leading tackler in 2010, and he’ll be a good leader for this defense again this season. Justin Cruz and Tony Martin should help this unit continue to be one of the best in the MAC.

Team Weaknesses:

Can Ball State have someone step up at the quarterback position? The new offensive scheme will never work out terribly well if they can’t find a quarterback that can lead the team down the field consistently and make good decisions with the football. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Keith Wenning is likely to start under center, but he threw just as many picks as he did touchdowns last season.

Ball State’s defensive front was a huge weakness last year, and they lost their best defensive linemen from 2010 as well. The Cardinals were awful at applying pressure on the opposing quarterback, and they might be even worse this year. Ball State has a total of one measly sack from all of their returning defensive linemen.

If this group doesn’t get any penetration it will make life difficult on the back seven.

The Cardinals will need an improved rushing attack in 2011, but they appear a little short on talent in the backfield. Eric Williams was expected to be the leading running back for the Cardinals, but he transferred before the season started.

Cory Sykes and David Brown are likely to get most of the carries, but neither has that much experience on the field.

2011-2012 Ball State Football Prediction: 4-8

I expect Ball State to be better than last year, but the schedule will make life difficult on them.

Non-conference games against Indiana, Army, South Florida, and Oklahoma will make it extremely tough to get to six wins. The offense should be a little more productive as defenses struggle to get a handle on the uptempo offense that Lembo runs.

Ball State is pointing in the right direction for the future, but that might not show much in 2011.

2011 Ball St. Cardinals Schedule

9/3/11 12:00 PM ET @IND
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET @SOFLA
9/17/11 12:00 PM ET BUFF
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET ARMY
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET @OKLA
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET TEM
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET @OHIO
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET CMICH
10/29/11 12:00 PM ET @WMICH
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @EMICH
11/15/11 8:00 PM ET @NOILL
11/25/11 12:00 PM ET TOL