After back to back winning seasons in 07 & 08 it appeared as if the Florida Atlantic program was one to keep an eye on, but the final 3 Howard Schnellenberger teams went a combined 10-36.

New coach Carl Pelini comes from Nebraska where he was the defensive coordinator under his brother Bo Pelini.  I like the hire as it still gives the Owls a coach with a name everyone nationally is familiar with.

While Pelini will be the man that plans most of the defensive schemes, it will be Brian Wright who leads the offense.  Wright set school records at Montana State in 2010 & 2011 as the offensive coordinator.  The Bobcats 440.6 yards per game average over the last 2 years is the highest in school history.  Montana State led the Big Sky in scoring a season ago.  Wright's offense is known for its passing attack, so it will be interesting to see how this mixes with Pelini's defensive mindset.

FAU plays Georgia and Alabama in back to back weeks.  Ouch!  This is a team that is experienced on defense, but the offensive talent left behind isn't great.  The loss of Alfred Morris means the Owls lose what was really their only playmaker a season ago.

Graham Wilbert had a good Spring Game at QB going 8-10 for 71 yards and running for 49 yards.  Wilbert must cut down on his INTs from a year ago for this passing attack to work.

Year 1 for Pelini is going to be a struggle and I don't see the Owls winning any more than 4 games this season(predicting 2 wins).  I do like the future for FAU under Pelini, but it's going to take 3 years to get this program back into a bowl game.

Full Preview

Pedicting this team is silly right now.  Who knows how good (or bad) these current players will be with good coaching and a new system.  I can see this year being a tough transition year (2-4 wins), but it won't take 3 years to get back to being bowl eligible, especially if this staff hits on a few of these JUCOs.

2 to 4 wins IF several of the JUCO's fail to qualify (primarily German). But if they all show, I call for the Owls being bowl eligible THIS SEASON!

Remember, this is the Belt and we saw last year how quickly the tables can turn in the Belt. NOBODY is dominant as a program so you lose a few good players….you can crash and burn (FAU, Troy, MTSU - the BOTTOM three teams last year!).

Or you pick up a few good players and….zoom (FIU ASU, ULL).

Who'd a thunk three years ago the Belt would turn out like it did in 2011?

i am thinking at least a five hundred season.