Season Recap: Five Bold Predictions Revisited

The 2013 Rutgers football season is in the books. Let's take a moment to look back on what I predicted back in August. Hope you guys have crow ready.

First of all, I predicted a 9-3 regular season with losses to Fresno State, Louisville, and Houston, and a bowl win to cap off a 10-win campaign. I guess I was a bit off after Kyle Flood's second term ended with a 6-7 record. Gary Nova kept being Gary Nova, but the defense was the biggest problem. When you keep the ineptitude at quarterback AND lose the high-level defense, you get a losing record.

Now let's move on to the five bold predictions:

1. Gary Nova throws for 3500 yards, 30 TDs, and less than 10 INTs en route to an All-American (Athletic Conference) selection

Yikes. Talk about a bold prediction. Instead of the banner year for Nova, he instead finished with 2159 yards, 18 TDs, and 14 INTs en route to being benched with two games left in the regular season. Maybe it's just me, but I look at that stat line and I wonder, "Only 14 INTs?" It actually feels like he threw so many more, but he did sit for the Connecticut and USF games. Nova also had a 54.5% completion percentage, down from 57% after his less-than-stellar 2012 campaign. The crazy thing to remember is that Gary might still be starter for the first season in the B1G, unless Chris Laviano, Mike Bimonte, or Blake Rankin can step up.

2. Savon Huggins fails to live up to the hype

Bingo! More from the prediction: "The pressure of being the number one recruit back in 2011 haunts Huggins and he is overtaken by walk-on Paul James as the starting running back." I even mentioned Justin Goodwin becoming a major player as well. Although I guess this wasn't reaching out on a limb. After two sub-par seasons, it's easy to understand that Savon wouldn't magically find his groove. An unfortunate story for the premier recruit from a couple of years ago, as 2013 might be the last time we see him in Scarlet.

3. Kyle Flood receives a contract extension

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Basically the opposite happened, as Kyle Flood came fairly close to the chopping block. Whatever the reason, the former Schiano-ite will be the top guy for Rutgers in its inaugural year in the Big Ten. No big deal, it's not like it's one of the most important seasons in school history or anything.

4. Brandon Coleman is a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft

There isn't really a good reaction GIF for this one, so let's just pretend Nerlens Noel is waving goodbye to all that money that Brandon Coleman won't be getting now that he's being relegated to a later round. Now, a lot can happen between now and the Draft. The NFL Combine and Rutgers Pro Day can really upgrade his stock, and other prospects might turn out to be complete nutcases. Realistically, though, Coleman looks to be a second-rounder at best, most likely being selected in the third or fourth round.

5. Rutgers takes down Louisville on Thursday Night

Remember the momentum the Scarlet Knights had after the Arkansas win? Remember 4-1, and on the cusp of the rankings? Enter the cold, unforgiving hardwood floor (aka the Louisville game). The most painful memory was that Rutgers had a decent shot that night, except for the whole quarterback problem and everything. Who am I kidding. This whole season was a joke. Time to get outta here.

Your turn. Were there predictions you got absolutely right/wrong? Share with the rest of us below by leaving a comment!