This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2024-07-07 16:15:50+00:00.

You can find the start of this series with links to all teams here

As Clay Helton enters his third season at the helm at Georgia Southern, Eagles fans have to wonder if they’re going to rise above his consistent results of a 6-6 season that qualifies for a bowl and a subsequent loss to a MAC team. They’ll be doing that with a new QB, since Davis Brin graduated and they appear set to go into 2024 with Indiana transfer Dexter Williams II, who hasn’t seen game action since throwing 38 passes in 2022. Needless to say, that hasn’t prompted much optimism among preseason prognosticators. FPI (-6.7) and Sagarin (59.52) both have Georgia Southern near the bottom of the Fun Belt, and with only 57% of their production returning, including replacing the right side of the OL, their best hope for improvement has to come from restocking the shelves. Unfortunately, neither their 247 recruiting ratings (156.6, middle of the pack in the SBC and 91st nationally) or their transfer portal ratings (17.36, 112th nationally) suggest that that’s likely. Here’s the 2024 schedule:

8/31 BOISE STATE (L)

9/7 @ Nevada (L, coin toss)

9/14 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (W)

9/21 @ Ole Miss (L)

9/28 @ Georgia State (L)

10/5 BYE

10/12 MARSHALL (W, coin toss)

10/19 JAMES MADISON (L)

10/24 @ Old Dominion (L, coin toss)

11/2 @ South Alabama (L)

11/9 BYE

11/16 TROY (L)

11/23 @ Coastal Carolina (L)

11/30 APPALACHIAN STATE (L)

Outlook Looking at that schedule, it sure seems like the Eagles have almost no room for error if they’re looking to bowl in 2024. Both Boise and Ole Miss look like mismatches on paper, and with games against most of the top of the Sun Belt, they would have to win more than their coin tosses to reach .500 this year. I have faith that Helton is a good enough coach to manage a win or maybe two where they’re outmatched, but this seems like a tall order (and I expect u/Thrombastics to post another “Remind Me” so he can throw it in my face if I’m wrong).