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Florida International Golden Panthers 2006 Preview

Florida International Football Preview By: Matt Fargo
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college football previews: #115 – Florida International Golden Panthers Preview

by: Matt Fargo

Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#115 – Florida International Golden Panthers 5-6 SU; 5-4 ATS

Fargo’s Take -The Golden Panthers seemed to have a successful season last year but the five victories to their credit were nothing to brag about. Two of those wins came against 1-AA teams Florida A&M and Western Kentucky while two other Sun Belt wins were by a combined six points. The five wins can certainly give the team some confidence but the schedule is much more difficult and matching those five wins just isn’t going to happen. The offense should be slightly better in 2006 as it caught fire near the end of the season and Florida International returns 2nd Team SBC quarterback Josh Padrick, who led the conference in passing yards per game. The big question mark is the defense, where six players are returning but it could not make a difference. Reason being is that the secondary will likely not be improved and it was a horrible unit last year. With any other Sun Belt team, there is a reason for optimism because any improvement could mean a conference title and a bowl game but this team is only in its fifth year of 1-A so there are still plenty of depth issues.

Returning Starters on Offense – 5 Padrick is the heart and soul of this offense and the team will only go as far as he can take them. His numbers were excellent last season and they improved as the season went along meaning he will be coming into 2006 with a ton of confidence. He gets his leading catchman back along with tight end Samuel Smith, another 2nd team SBC player. The running game is adequate meaning that the offense has the chance to be a real solid unit and put up plenty of points. They will likely need to win a lot of games via shootout since the defense is not going to be holding many teams to a few number of points.

Returning Starters on Defense – 6 If somehow the secondary does a 180 and turns into a good unit, the Golden Panthers could very well win the conference. The problem is that it isn’t going to happen. Two starters return in the defensive backfield which based on last season’s 67 percent completion rate allowed, that isn’t a good thing. The defensive line and linebackers are stocked with returnees and some decent depth but it isn’t good enough to make up for the secondary. The defense allowed 29.4 ppg last season and that was with two games against teams from a lower class. With a much more difficult schedule, that average is sure to rise this year.

Schedule - The Golden Panthers went the route a lot of smaller conference teams do and that is to play the big boys, get crushed but collect a huge paycheck from it. Florida International got rid of the patsies and signed on Miami (Fla.), Alabama, South Florida, Maryland and Bowling Green. The game against the Falcons is the only one not on the road and it’s a likely guarantee that it walks away 0-5 from that non-conference slate. Four of the Golden Panthers seven conference games are at home including frontrunners UL-Lafayette and Troy. A road win here or there could mean possible contention late in the season.

You can bet on… As promising as some aspects look on this team, this is still a young team that does not have the overall talent to compete for a conference title. The non-conference slate is extremely difficult and those losses could do some serious damage because they will be so large. The Golden Panthers did finish with a positive record against the number last year but that will be tough to match given the much more difficult schedule. They will be getting a ton of points and while the offense can keep the back door cover a possibility, the defense can just as easily keep the front door open for the opposition as well.