Starting today, the FootballScoop staff of Scott, Zach and I will be collaborating to bring you something new and exciting daily. The new feature will feature a daily dose of hot takes on how we see the 2015 football season shaking out - on a number of different fronts.
To kick off the Daily Dose feature, we each offered our take on: Which head coach with a new program will have the most wins when 2015 is all said and done?
Just to recap the head coaching changes of the 2014-2015 off season, here's the pool of 15 head coaches we chose from:
Scott's choice: Houston head coach Tom Herman
Out of all of the new FBS head coaches, I like Tom Herman's chances to finish the year with the most wins.
Taking a look at who the Cougars have returning, who might step up and contribute, and how their schedule plays out, I see the very real possibility of a 10 win season. Early in the season Houston has to go to Louisville - which will be a tough - and in October they travel to UCF as well, but other than those two road trips, if the Cougars play to their potential, they're capable of winning a lot of ballgames. Granted, a couple of things would have to go right for the Cougars; but Houston hosts Vanderbilt, Cincinnati and Memphis in consecutive weeks and closes with Navy at home. All four of those could be challenging ball games, but each one is winnable. If the Cougars' offense has found their identity by the time those games come around (first one is October 31) the Cougars could get hot and win out.
Doug's choice: Wisconsin head coach Paul Chyrst
One universal truth when it comes to head coaches taking over new programs is that change is the enemy. To come in and change the schemes on offense and defense, and more importantly the culture, is an uphill battle for most guys - which is precisely why I'm going with Paul Chryst as my choice.
Chryst is not only Madison born and bred with Wisconsin blood running through his veins, he's also won big with the Badgers already as an offensive coordinator. He's going to go into the fall with an intimate understanding of Wisconsin's brand of football, and be able to execute the vision without skipping a beat.
As far as the schedule goes, Wisconsin has to travel to Jerry's World to take on Alabama to open the season, but after that, the remaining 11 games on the schedule are very winnable. Big road games include trips to Nebraska and Minnesota, and the Badgers will get Iowa, Rutgers and Northwestern at home in Camp Randall - which is never an easy place for visiting teams.
The most overlooked aspect might be that if Chryst ever find himself in need of some advice, he can head to his athletic director's office, where Barry Alvarez (who won 119 games leading Wisconsin) sits. The two already have a strong relationship, and that will only help Chryst in year one leading the Badgers in Madison.
Zach's choice: Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst
On this, the 20th day of April in the year 2015, I bestow the curse of expectations on the head of Paul Chryst.
Yes, Wisconsin loses Melvin Gordon, Rob Havenstein and some other key pieces, but this program has churned out double-digit wins and January trips to Florida and California since long before Barry Alvarez was naming himself head coach on a semi-annual basis.
The Badgers open with Alabama but may not see another ranked team the rest of the year. Wisconsin misses Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State from the Big Ten East (also known as all the teams you'd want to miss from the East) on top of the Big Ten West division they won last season. Chryst is a Wisconsin lifer that was handed one of the most consistent programs in college football with instructions to hit the ground running. A 9-3, Outback or Citrus Bowl-type season should be the bare minimum for 2015.
If you have something football or coaching related you'd like to the FootballScoop staff tackle, shoot me a suggestion to doug@footballscoop.com or via Twitter @CoachSamz.