FIU football is projected to miss out on a bowl appearance in 2020. They must rebuild to avoid this collapse in the upcoming season.
In just three seasons, the Florida International Panthers have generated a vast amount of success than in the previous 13 seasons. Former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Butch Davis has a 23-16 record in his three seasons to a program that was 49-106 before his arrival.
In the three seasons of Davis as the head coach of the Panthers, they have been to three consecutive postseason bowl appearances. The first two seasons for coach Davis, the Panthers have either finished in second place of the C-USA East or tied for the division title. This past season was their least successful since 2016 as they finished with a 6-7 record (3-5 in C-USA play).
This was considered a disappointment due to the vast amount of talented players that the Panthers had. Quarterback James Morgan and cornerback Stanley Thomas-Oliver were drafted in the fourth and seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, respectively. Thomas-Oliver and middle linebacker Sage Lewis were selected as second-team All-C-USA for the 2019 season.
As the Panthers prepare for their fourth with Davis as head coach, they will face some challenges as they prepare for a rebound season. They will have to reload completely on the offensive side of the ball as they must find eight new starters. Their linebacking corps are depleted and will need to find only new players to fill in but players that will be efficient enough to stop the opposing rushing offense.
If the Panthers are to suffer a decline in productivity on the field, they will need to make sure they do not put too much pressure on their inexperienced starters. This season will be the most difficult year for Davis with the players having to be replaced but also to find the x-factors that will give them some form of identity on both sides of the ball.
The Panthers are playing in an East division that had four teams win at least seven games this past season. FIU can find itself at the bottom of the division based on the tough conference alone. They do have a more lenient non-conference schedule, though.
If the Panthers want to climb the chain in the C-USA, they will need to learn from their mistakes from last year’s tough season and prepare for a rough 2020 slate.