It has been a long time since Colonel fans had something to be excited about for football season, but this year will be different.

I am sure you are reading this and shaking your head thinking, “yeah, right,” or “What does this guy know?” So, let me pick your spirits up by giving you multiple reasons the Colonels will have a winning season this year.

 All great teams start with great leadership, and I do not think Colonel fans understand how great of a head coach we have in Charlie Stubbs. The experience this man has is tremendous as he was on the 1984 BYU national championship team coaching staff, and he was the SEC Offensive Coordinator of the Year at Alabama in 1999.

This is his second year, so now he has brought in some of his recruits, and the older players are used to running his scheme and how he coaches.

 But Stubbs cannot win the games by his coaching alone; it ultimately comes down to what players can do on the field. The Colonels are in good shape though as they return their starting quarterback LaQuintin Caston, along with other playmakers. 

 Caston is more of a dual threat quarterback as he is more dangerous with his feet rather than his arms. I am sure Stubbs centered the playbook around Caston’s tools and athleticism to give this offense more bang for its buck.

 The Colonels are also returning one of the Southland Conference’s leading rushers from a year ago—Jesse Turner. Turner is still trying to get over the leg injury he suffered last year, but when he gets back to full health, expect him to make big plays out of the backfield. 

 As for the defensive side of the ball, the Colonels will be led by preseason first team All-Southland defensive back Bobby Felder and preseason second-team selection defensive lineman Edet Udoh. 

 Finally, the reason the Colonels will have a winning record this season is the fact that the schedule is not as tough as last year. Last season, the Colonels started off 0-3 because they traveled to play three Division 1 opponents, and after those three losses, the Colonels were a 4-4 football team.

I do not expect the Colonels to beat the likes of Western Michigan, UL-Lafayette and Stephen F. Austin, but the rest of the games are winnable. So get excited for the Colonels this year.

Who knows, this could be the best season the Colonels have had in quite some time.