PROVO, Utah – One of the main events in the college football offseason is the launch of the Phil Steele college football preview. As an avid reader since 2003, Steele magazine has become my favorite and goes in my backpack wherever I go.
One thing that makes Steele great is that he is willing to go against group thinking and make his own predictions on a team. Steele’s bold predictions have made his magazine the most accurate preseason publication of the past 22 years.
Before the Big Ten and Pac-12 Solo Conference schedule announcements, outlets had forecast five to seven wins for this year’s BYU team. Steele felt that this 2020 edition of BYU was ready to step forward with a 12-game schedule.
But now the schedule has been reduced to seven games for BYU and if the Cougars can form a team this year, Steele expects an improvement from the Cougars.
Phil Steele at BYU in 2020: “This is a very talented team”
“I have spoken to Coach Sitake every year of his five years that he has been there. I have to be honest with you reviewing the list with him. And I go three, four deep in each position. This is a very talented BYU team. This is clearly the best team he has put on the field, ”Steele told KSL Sports.
“So if you get to the third or fourth quarter, you’re like, wow, they have some talent built up here. I like how you have built this team. I like the level of experience that comes back this year, I like the depth they have in almost every position and I will say it, this is the best team they have put on the football field this year. “
Over the course of four years as head coach, Kalani Sitake has posted a record of 27-25. Sitake has been suffering more and more from gaining experience for both himself and his players. The youth movement seems to have a reward in the fifth year if we have a soccer season.
BYU has 15 starters from last year’s team who posted a lackluster season of 7-6. Steele named eight BYU players to its fully independent first-team squad, which was second behind Notre Dame.
“I spoke to Coach Sitake when I was going through the list, and after my conversation with him, I’m like, wow, I love the talent of this year’s team and Sitake says, ‘Well, Phil, you realize we’re not play the schedule we used to 20 years ago. ” And he is right. The schedule was much harder. There were so many power five teams there that it was ridiculous. However, now the new schedule could be back to that. [schedules of the past]. And we could see BYU gross and well, let’s say total loss will be much less than what we’ve seen in recent years. “
Phil Steele College Football Preview
Phil Steele’s 2020 college football preview is available on PhilSteele.com right now and hits the newsstands July 24 at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and presents the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12 to 3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
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