Texas State hasn’t won more than three games in any of the past six seasons. And without a major breakout behind center, Pro Football Focus doesn’t see that changing in 2021.
PFF released its College Football Preview magazine on Monday, giving the Bobcats a 128th out of 130 Preseason ELO ranking and a 0% chance to win the Sun Belt title. The team is projected to win just 3.7 games this year despite its strength of schedule being listed at 118th in the FBS.
The maroon and gold’s biggest concerns come on defense and at quarterback. Texas State’s defensive line is considered the worst in the Sun Belt by PFF and the secondary was ranked bottom three in the league.
PFF also graded the QBs as ninth best in the conference and 117th overall, stating that the position group could be the team’s biggest weakness.
“The quarterback situation is not good enough to tap into the potential out wide,” PFF wrote. “Both Brady McBride and Tyler Vitt drew starts in 2020, but they combined to lead Texas State to the 110th-ranked team passing grade in the FBS. NC State transfer Ty Evans could push for the starting job, but he has no playing experience at the college level on his resume.”
However, PFF was higher on the other parts of the Bobcats’ offense. Both the offensive line and running backs were ranked fifth in the Sun Belt. And the maroon and gold’s wide receivers were considered their biggest strength, ranking second in the Sun Belt.
“This Texas State receiving corps is no joke,” PFF wrote. “Not only does it boast one of the five highest-graded returning wide receivers in the Sun Belt with Marcell Barbee, but it also has one of the top receiving backs in the Group of 5 with Calvin Hill. The Bobcat back ranks third among returning Group of 5 running backs in receiving grade from last season. Wide receiver (Javen) Banks started to show some promise down the stretch in 2020, too, playing a major role in the last five games and earning the seventh-highest-grade (72.6) among Sun Belt receivers from Week 9 on.”
Barbee and Hill were each named one of the team’s top-three returning players, along with safety Troy Lefeged Jr. The Utah State graduate transfer received a 77.3 PFF grade in 2019, with the 13th-best run-defense grade among FBS safeties, before being injured early in the 2020 season.
Texas State’s win total was set at 4.5 by Caesars Sportsbook earlier this month, with the odds slightly favoring the under at -140. The team begins the 2021 season on Sept. 4, hosting Baylor inside Bobcat Stadium at 6 p.m.
