Checking the Odyssey’s Pre-Season Predictions vs. Phil Steele

In August, the Odyssey had two posts previewing our predictions, including one post where we directly took on the gold standard of college football pre-season magazines, Phil Steele.

The Odyssey guaranteed to buy Phil Steele a dinner at any San Diego restaurant he wished if he was right on most of the following predictions with which we disagreed.  Our bank account is happy to say that we will not have to fork out.  Let’s revisit the 6 predictions of contention:

1. Steele put Northern Illinois on his “coveted” Most Improved Team list.  Coveted is his Trumpian word usage, not ours.  NIU’s 2016 record was 5-7.  The Huskies now sit at 8-3, going into their regular season finale with Western Michigan and have been impressive, even in their 34-28 loss at San Diego State.  The Odyssey projected that NIU would lose at Nebraska but two first-half, pick sixes propelled the Huskies to what seemed to be an upset at the time.  This game helped seal the fate for Mike Riley’s coaching tenure in Lincoln.  STEELE 1, ODYSSEY 0.
2. We expected Kansas State to have a big year and thought Steele underrated the Wildcats.  At 6-5, we were wrong.  K-State could easily have had a big year, especially given their two recent road wins at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, but 4 very, very close losses derailed their season.  Lack of a pass defense and an inexplicable loss to a mediocre Vanderbilt team presaged a disappointing year in what may well be the final go round for their 78-year-old legend, Bill Snyder  Vanderbilt’s defense is on a path to historical lows in their SEC games yet K-State’s conservative, run-based offense woefully managed one touchdown in a 14-7 loss.  Some advice to the K-State AD:  Sometimes the apple falls far from the tree.  Do not have Bill Snyder foist his son on Manhattan as the next Wildcat coach.  Former defensive coordinator, Jim Leavitt, would be a much stronger choice.   Talk about awkward politics!!!   STEELE 2, ODYSSEY 0.
3. Steele rated Northwestern at #28.  We expected more of Northwestern and correctly opined their September 30 game at Wisconsin would determine the Big 10 West.  Northwestern’s defense played well enough to beat the Badgers, holding Wisconsin to 307 yards.  Northwestern had a really shaky September, lowlighted by a loss at Duke, but Pat Fitzgerald’s crew has righted the ship, crushing Minnesota yesterday, 39-0, en route to the first 6-game winning streak in the Fitzgerald era.  At 8-3 and currently ranked in the Top 25, we really are impressed with the Wildcats’ play in the second half of the year, featuring 3 straight overtime victories.  Given that their finale is with woeful Illinois, NW will finish at 9-3.    STEELE 2, ODYSSEY 1.
4. In Phil Steele’s Power Poll, he ranked Toledo at #68.  Too low!!  Given the Rockets’ 9-2 record, enough said.   STEELE 2, ODYSSEY 2.
5. Steele projected Nevada as the #2 team in the Western division of the Mountain West.  Despite their improved offense in the second half of the year, no hiding from their 2-9 record, including the most mind-boggling loss of the year to Big Sky bottom feeder, Idaho State.  STEELE 2, ODYSSEY 3.
6. Steele projected Josh Allen to be the #16 pick in the upcoming NFL draft but the Odyssey felt that Allen would go significantly higher given the NFL’s never ending thirst for potential franchise quarterbacks.  Allen’s production has been poor this year, but NFL draft experts have largely given him a pass due to the mass exodus of offensive talent from last year’s Wyoming team.  Being in the press box for their opener at Iowa, the Odyssey can attest to the Cowboys’ lack of reliable receivers.  Let’s view this as incomplete even though Kiper currently has Allen at #5 in his latest mock draft.  McShay has Allen at #7.   Leaning to the Odyssey.
7. If we were 3-3 in the previous six, we had the following tiebreaker.  Steele had Michigan State too low at #70 in his power poll.  The Odyssey has too much respect for Mark Dantonio.  We said that MSU would beat BOTH of two teams ranked ahead of them in Phil’s power poll:  Western Michigan and Indiana.  Done!     STEELE 2, ODYSSEY 4, ODYSSEY lean 1

Our other preseason article dealt with storm clouds for traditionally successful programs staring with the letter “N”   While we whiffed on Northern Illinois, our pessimism for a 3-8 North Carolina team and a 2-9 Nevada were fully justified.  We also warned folks not to drink too much of the optimistic Nebraska kool aid.  We thought the Huskers were placing an awful lot of optimism on a quarterback transfer from that quarterback hotbed, Tulane.  Huskerland now is aghast at 4-7, ensuring that Mike Riley will not be returning for a 4th campaign.  Not close to all the blame can be blamed on the QB, Tanner Lee.  While he was a turnover machine early in the year, Bob Diaco’s defense and its inability to tackle were often ridiculous.  Why anybody would hire Diaco, the architect of the laughable Civil COFLict trophy while at UConn, baffles the Odyssey.  For that act alone, the genuinely wonderful Mr. Riley should be excused from further duty and enjoy the retirement he so richly deserves.

So, overall, we think we did pretty well in 2017.  We cannot wait to bring some perspective to Phil Steele’s numerous predictions in 2018!