FIU Football: Panthers hope to rebound and return to bowl game in 2021

Early schedule presents opportunity for FIU for momentum

FIU is going to have a pretty favorable schedule to open the season before it gets tougher when facing some of  C-USA’s best teams. Early momentum will be key for a team that is coming off of an 0-5 season.

• Game 1: Long Island (W)- The easiest game of the season for the Panthers should result in a big win.
• Game 2: Texas State (W)- Texas State has a good offense, but I think FIU’s secondary can make life tough for them and get the win at home.
• Game 3: At Texas Tech (L)- Texas Tech has a lot of question marks, but they will be too tough for FIU, especially in Lubbock.
• Game 4: At Central Michigan (L)- CMU will be a tough team on the road and they are also looking to have a big bounceback season.
• Game 5: At FAU (L)- Willie Taggart is going to get things rolling at FAU and I think they will be a good team this season, resulting in a loss for the Panthers.
• Game 6: Charlotte (W)- Charlotte is usually one of the top teams and offenses in the conference, but I like FIU to get a win here at home.
• Game 7: Western Kentucky (L)- This is a tough game to predict, as both teams are really similar to me, but I think that WKU has more talent.
• Game 8: At Marshall (L)- Marshall should be one of the top teams in the group of five and I don’t think FIU can hang with them on the road.
• Game 9: Old Dominion (W)- ODU is also looking to bounce back this season, but give me the Panthers and their running game at home.
• Game 10: Middle Tennessee (L)- This is a toss-up game to me and I think MTSU has the better offense and quarterback play.
• Game 11: North Texas (L)- Even at home, I think North Texas’s offense is going to be too much for FIU.
• Game 12: At Southern Miss (L): The Golden Eagles are going to be competing for the conference title and will be too much for FIU.

Final Record: 4-8 (2-6 C-USA)

While I think they will miss a bowl game, there are enough tossup games to where I think FIU can outperform the 4-8 record I gave them.

Games against North Texas, MTSU, and Western Kentucky are all projected to close and I can see the Panthers winning those games. This team should be better than last season and quarterback play will be the determining factor in this team’s ceiling.