Will Temple football see progress in 2022 after sharp decline?

How will Temple football fare in 2022?

There is serious work to be done for the Temple Owls for the remainder of this off-season to have a chance to compete with any of their rivals in the AAC. That being said, there has been some traction already in the recruiting field and in the confidence of the football program. Working on the practice field and off the field is a difficult way to measure a team’s success.

• Game 1: at Duke (L) – There is a new era debuting for both teams at kickoff. The Blue Devils, however, still have their efficient Power Five recruits.
• Game 2: Lafayette (W) – The Owls get their first win in the Drayton era in their first home game of the season.
• Game 3: Rutgers (L) – Temple will be facing a Rutgers team that looks to be more serious as a contender to its big brothers in the Big Ten.
• Game 4: UMass (W) – Many teams in the FBS are in a tougher situation than the Owls, but they should be big favorites at home over the Minutemen.
• Game 5: at Memphis (L) – After winning two of their last three games at home, they come back down to earth against a tough Memphis team.
• Game 6: at UCF (L) – Temple’s luck goes from bad to worse despite having almost two weeks of preparation for the Golden Knights.
• Game 7: Tulsa (L) – The Golden Hurricane offense will give the Owls’ young defense too much of a fight.
• Game 8: at Navy (W) – Navy will be coming off some brutal games and will have to prepare for Cincinnati after Temple, a game they will be more ready for.
• Game 9: South Florida (L) – There is more pressure for the Bulls to win now than a recovering Owls team that will keep the game close.
• Game 10: at Houston (L) – Last year, the Cougars were just scratching the surface of their potential. This year, the Cougars look to win big with their offense.
• Game 11: Cincinnati (L) – Despite losing some key talent on both sides of the ball, they are still an elite playoff contender.
• Game 12: East Carolina (L) – This game could come down to the battle of the trenches, an area that gives the Pirates a significant advantage.

Prediction: 3-9, 1-7 AAC

There should not be shame within this Temple team looking to make a quick recovery as a football program. Their confidence should grow with three big wins and some games they could make close, like against East Carolina and South Florida. The fact that they could close games this season is much better than having blowout losses like last season, where they averaged a loss of 34.7 points. Even with the 3-9 overall record, this program is on the rise.