2009 USF Bulls Fantasy Preview
June 7th, 2009 by Vince Mullins
The Bulls continue to tempt their supporters with early Top Ten rankings only to fall – and often times fall hard.
USF QB Matt Grothe in familiar escape mode.
That underachievement can hardly be placed on setting the bar too high – this is a program that first snapped the ball in 1996.
But the Florida talent and the confidence in Head Coach Jim Leavitt makes me think that they knock at the door of success but cannot get themselves in the house.
As I mentioned in the CFFI Big East Mock Draft, the amazing amount of turnover of talent in the group clouds up the crystal ball for just about every offense.
Below is my SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and expected depth chart of our 34th rated offense since 2006.
STRENGTH
Matt Grothe – gritty, gutty, and fun to watch, senior Grothe puts the offense on his shoulders when he feels the team needs a spark. If you are in a Big East only league I think you have to think of him as the #1 overall based on consistency, if not huge fantasy numbers.
Defensive Line – all of our gentle readers should be aware of the force of nature known as DE George Selvie. They continue to load up on JUCOs and have a solid history of producing NFL-caliber DBs. A Top Twenty Defense that could shoot higher with an electric return game.
WEAKNESS
Green O-line – and I am not referring to the home uni’s, per Phil Steele only 43 career starts return (#100 FBS). But the 2007 squad was nothing special so perhaps the combo of higher-level recruits and FSU transfer Daron Rose will help.
OPPORTUNITY
Mike Ford – so much talent, so little production. He passes the swimsuit test (or makes Dick Vitale’s All-Airport team) but his huge frame breaks down repeatedly. That being said his size/speed combo is rare and there will be someone who will take a flyer on Ford – will it be you for your third RB?
Weak early schedule – if you choose to take a shot with Grothe or Ford or even late with Hester, take comfort that 2 FCS teams and three winnable road games await ahead of the Oct idle date. Then you can “sell high” and trade them off especially if they sneak into the early rankings.
THREATS
Little history of fantasy production – except for RB Andre Hall in 2004-5 the Bulls have never put a player near the top of the positional rankings. Even Grothe has never broken the Top 15 in total offense (pass + run yds) but even then his career TD/int ratio is 47-42. The defense again is likely your best fantasy bet unless that O-line really comes together.
Depth – kinda like Tulsa last season, even in the best of situations there are so many talented skill people plus the history of frequent substitutions…you get my point. Picking a breakout star is a traditional needle-in-a-haystack exercise.
DEPTH CHART
QB – Grothe – Sr., BJ Daniels – rFr.
RB – Ford – Jr., Moise Plancher – Sr., Jamar Taylor – Jr.
WR – Jesse Hester Jr. – Sr., Carlton Mitchell – Jr., Dontavia Bogan – Jr., Evan Landi – rFr.
K – Maikon Bonani – So., Delbert Alvarado – Sr.
Defense is likely one of the Top 20 in the nation.
SCHEDULE
Sep 05 Wofford
Sep 12 at Western Kentucky
Sep 19 Charleston Southern
Sep 26 at Florida State
Oct 03 at Syracuse
Oct 10 IDLE
Oct 15 Cincinnati * (Thu)
Oct 24 at Pittsburgh
Oct 30 West Virginia * (Fri)
Nov 7 IDLE
Nov 12 at Rutgers * (Thu)
Nov 21 Louisville *
Nov 28 Miami (FL)
Dec 05 at Connecticut *
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