Temple will beat Penn State opening weekend
In the forty-three meetings between Penn State and Temple, Temple has only won three times, tied one, and lost the 39 other times. The last time Temple has won, however, was 1941 when the Owls took down the Nittany Lions 14-0 in Philadelphia. However, 2015 will be different for both teams. The Owls defense is one of the best around and the offense is working to be revamped, while the Nittany Lions struggled and lost their top running back and second best wide out. Expect Temple to take the field and Lincoln Financial Field and walk off with a win for the first time in 74 years years.
Temple will make it to the American Athletic Conference Championship
Following a 6-6 year last season, the Owls are ready to make the leap forward this year. However, they might even make a bigger leap than they were expecting. Looking at the Owls FPI projections, the Owls will go 9-3. However, the Owls can do even better than that. Following a win over Penn State to open the season, the Owls will only stumble twice to Cincinnati and Notre Dame and finish the year at 10-2. Also, the Owls will catch a break in the East Division since Cincinnati will stumble towards the end of the season and finish on top of the division, which will put them in the American Athletic Conference Championship game.
Temple will play in the Birmingham Bowl
Yes, Temple will make it to the Conference Championship game, but they will not walk away victorious. They will finish the American Athletic Conference second overall and find themselves in the Birmingham Bowl against the tenth or eleventh overall team in the SEC, most likely either Tennessee or Missouri. This will be the first bowl game Temple has been in since 2011 when they beat Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl.
P.J. Walker will accumulate over 3000 total purpose yards
In 2013, P.J. Walker was a standout star in the portion of the season he played in. In 2014, he played the entire season but did not live up to his 2013 form. However, with more experience under his belt and a new quarterback coach for him to work with, expect Walker to throw more this year, make smarter choices with passes, and know when to take off with his feet when the pass is not open. Walker will throw for over 2600 yards this season and also rush for over 500 yards this season. Also, Walker will throw 26 touchdowns, run for six touchdowns, and only throw seven interceptions.
Tyler Matakevich will be a finalist for the Bednarik Award
The Bednarik Award is given to the top defensive player in a given college football season. Before the start of this season, the Bednarik award watch list was released with 74 players making the list. Featured on the list is Temple’s own, linebacker Tyler Matakevich. Matakevich, heading into his senior year, was featured on the All-American Athletic Conference first team the past two seasons. With now being his final year at Temple, Matakevich is primed to excel this season, lead Temple’s defense to be one of the best in the nation, and will find himself on the finalist list come late November.