NCAA point spread numbers show that Tulsa went a surprising 10-4 straight up but a disappointing 5-9 versus the College football point spread in 2007.
College point spread numbers show that Tulsa went 6-8 in terms of over/unders in 2007 which shows just how high their totals were. Losing Paul Smith to the NFL will definitely hurt the Hurricane in 2008 according to College football point spread experts. Also having a good year was running back Tarrion Adams who ran for 1,225 yards on 219 carries according to College point spread stats. The offensive line returns four starters according to NCAA point spread stats, so the running game and pass protection should be solid in 2008. Head coach Todd Graham led the Hurricane to a super season with a great offense according to College point spread experts. Quarterback Paul Smith had a super season, throwing for 60 touchdowns and 5,184 yards according to NCAA football point spread numbers.
A couple of disappointments were the losses to Central Florida where the defense just couldn’t stop the Knights. The 2008 season will see David Johnson probably take the reigns at quarterback and if he plays well Tulsa could be just as good. It could also be that top JUCO transfer Jacob Bower gets the job according to college point spread experts. Eight overall starters return on offense so coming close to the 41 points per game averaged according to College point spread stats in 2007 is not out of the question.
The defense was a problem and in Conference USA that is pretty much the case with every team. The problem for the Hurricane is that they lose some starters on that side of the ball and the numbers could be worse in 2008 according to NCAA point spread experts. That is not good news considering the defense was 109th in total yards allowed in 2007 according to NCAA point spread numbers. They were 101st in points allowed according to College point spread stats.
Obviously the offense can’t be much better in 2008 when they ranked 1st in the country in total yards at 543.9 per game according to college point spread stats. They were 6th in the country in points scored according to college football point spread stats.