DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The annual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Media Day has come and gone, and with it of course come predictions. How correct have they been in the past, and how do we think they'll line up this season?

Hello, I'm Nolan Alexander, the "Voice of the Wildcats"/Director of Broadcast Media/SID/Terrible Pun Lover. No terrible puns today – we save those for on-air – but today is the start of an added written piece for BCUathletics.com that I will contribute with regularly. I want to add another piece of storytelling of the incredible Wildcats student-athletes. Not every story or detail makes its way into a broadcast, coach's show or podcast. So, if you'll allow me, I'd like to dive deeper into the background of our Wildcats.

Before we dive into the regular season, I'd like to look at the MEAC as a whole going into the season, and see how past projections have panned out. Last season, much was made about the parity of the conference. Credit North Carolina A&T for its perfect season. The parity conversation gained strength with some close calls for the Aggies. However, like any perfect season across sports, you can't win every game in blowout fashion. The great teams find a way to win even when they aren't at their best. 

There was a two-way tie for second between Bethune-Cookman and the Howard Bison at 6-2 (MEAC) and 7-4 (overall). Throw in North Carolina Central's 7-4 mark, and there were three teams that finished with the same overall record. Hampton walked the plank outta here with a 5-3 record after sprinting to a 4-0 start (first loss, Homecoming weekend), but Norfolk State, Savannah State, South Carolina State and Florida A&M, who finished in that order, respectively, each scored wins against opposition that finished higher than themselves in the final standings.

Delaware State and Morgan State have a fresh look at leadership.

So, will the parity be even greater in 2018?

I don't think so.

Will each team be better than last season?

In my opinion, most will be, but I don't think parity will be as strong because the teams at the top will separate themselves this season. 

For example, NCCU may go 5-3 again, but one of those losses won't be to the sixth place finisher. If it loses thrice, I believe all of its losses will be to teams that finished higher than it did, similar to BCU last fall. 

Let's start with this year's projections by the coaches and SIDS, and a little capsule that questions something that maybe doesn't pop out on the stat sheet or is harder to quantify. Again, solely my opinion on this.

1 – North Carolina A&T

2017: project-2 finish-1 2016: project-1 finish-2 2015: project-1 finish-1 2014: project-3 finish-1 2013: project-3 finish-5 Aggregate: 0

The Aggies' may take a step or two back in the win/loss column, but that doesn't mean they will be worse in 2018. So, many things have to fall in line for a championship season, and the ball has to bounce your way multiple times for a perfect year. The Aggies earned it, and with a table-setting win against Jacksonville State in the lid-lifter, maybe momentum carries into Greenville, North Carolina for another Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) upset against East Carolina. It's just hard to see both happening to achieve another 12-0 season. For the remainder of the schedule, the two most difficult games based on opponent's record are on the road at BCU (Oct. 20) and NCCU (Nov. 17).

I won't give a prediction on the Aggies nor anyone's record, but it would come as a shock to no one if A&T finished in the MEAC's top three spots.

Offensively, the returning Offensive Player of the Year, Lamar Raynard, is back under center (or 3-5 yards back because it's 2018), and maintains his armory in running back Marquel Cartwright and receiver Elijah Bell. We know those three can play at a high-level, but I'm curious to see how the offensive line develops. This ain't Bama, and third round NFL Draft picks don't walk through the doors every season. Brandon Parker earned MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year for the third consecutive season and a bevy of All-America odds. He was one of 12 First Team honorees, including three up front. N.C. A&T returns seven of the first teamers, including the three aforementioned skill players. Much like how I think BCU's season will go, much will ride on the development of new faces along the offensive line. One of the more frustrating things to watch in football is a star player unable to reach his full potential from sub-par offensive line play (see Jackson, Lamar, who I think has a fantastic career ahead of him). If All-MEAC First Team selection and rising junior Marcus Pettiford leads a group to perform near an all-conference pace again, it will be a tall task to slow down North Carolina A&T's march for consecutive crowns.

2- Howard

2017: project-9 finish-2 2016: project-10 finish-10 2015: project-9 finish-8 2014: project-4 finish-7 2013: project-6 finish-5 Aggregate: +6

Bison fans fell in love with Howard Football again after Mike London shattered expectations in his first season. The 7-4 record and 6-2 MEAC mark surpassed expectations, and the upset road victory at UNLV will live in college football annals. 

Now that there's a target on Howard's back, and the league is more familiar with the Bison's unique offense, what's Howard's follow-up act in year two of the London era? The conference schedule doesn't appear to be particular daunting after October 6. The Bison may just stay in the Buckeye State with matchups at Ohio and Kent State to begin the season. After a home opener against Savannah State, the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana against the Wildcats (snag those prime seats here, y'all), and a road game at NCCU, the schedule appears to ease a bit. But surviving that stretch with positive momentum and health may be the biggest obstacles. Home games against DSU, SCSU, FAMU, and Bryant conclude the slate, along with short roadies to MSU and NSU. Like the Wildcats, Howard's conference losses came by a combined single-digit total (HU: 9, BCU: 6), but Howard played Delaware State instead of North Carolina A&T. 

A question to answer is can MEAC Rookie of the Year Caylin Newton pass when the defense knows it is coming?

Newton was exactly what Howard needed. Someone with the moxie and "it" presence to lead a team in a new regime. London and his assistants crafted an offense to his abilities instead the other way around, and HU reaped the benefits by leading the MEAC with an outstanding 446 yards of total offense per-game. 

Newton averaged 12 completions for 221 yards per-game, which tells you the passing numbers came in big chunks. What happens though on third and medium to long?

Looking at 3rd down and at least six yards to go, I went through the box scores of Howard's final four games. Here's how the Bison fared: 

2-10 vs. Hampton

0-5 NSU

2-5 FAMU

2-13 SCSU

Yes, the caveat is third and medium to long is difficult to convert for any football team outside of New England. 

But Nolan, Howard was second in MEAC passing at 230 yards per-game? Yep, it sure was thanks to well-timed play-action calls and receivers winning one-on-ones in others. I don't think HU needs to switch much up in its passing game nor does it want to. Howard doesn't need to be balanced to win again in 2018, but to take the next step, Newton has to be better than a 50% passer and 13:12 TD:INT ratio.

3- North Carolina Central

2017: project-1 finish-4 2016: project-3 finish-1 2015: project-4 finish-1 2014: project-8 finish-1 2013: project-4 finish-9 Aggregate: +4

The Eagles are hoping new Head Coach Granville Eastman brings the hammer because the 2018 schedule is loaded from the start. We'll find out the identity of Eastman's team quickly with an ESPN2 audience for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on September 2, at Georgia State Stadium aka "Turner Field" for Braves Country. Prairie View A&M, who brings a three-game winning streak into 2018 and has not had a losing season since 2012, is the opposition. The Panthers will weirdly be playing their second game after kicking off the fall August 25 at Rice. Adding to the oddity is Prairie View's first six games are away from home. 

Anyways, after the home opener with St. Augustine's, the Eagles travel to South Carolina State and Duke, then host FAMU and Howard. That's not the smoothest path to usher in a new coaching area, but save the Duke game, it's perfectly reasonable to see NCCU sprint out to a 5-1 start. If the ball bounces right, it's easy to see NCCU coming into a November 10 battle at Daytona Stadium with only one loss. But closing the season at BCU and versus NCAT will define the success of NCCU's season.

Again, back to the offensive. Can the Eagles find the missing ingredient in the passing game? The pieces are there in other areas, including Isaiah Totten who led the conference with 5.74 yards per carry. The run and third down defense was strong, and I think the seventh ranking pass defense is misleading. I'm not quite sure what the missing part in the pass game is, whether it's better play up front (1.91 sacks per game, fifth in MEAC), more depth to spread out departed senior Jacen Murphy's MEAC-leading 5.5 receptions per-game, or progressing as a deep ball passer in Chauncey Caldwell or Naiil Ramadan. NCCU was fourth in passing completion percentage (55%), but averaged only 183.5 yards per game, good for seventh. Perhaps more explosive plays in the air leads to an improvement on the 21.5 points per-game, including just 11.33 on average over its last three games. 

4- Bethune-Cookman 

2017: project-4 finish-2 2016: project-2 finish-5 2015: project-3 finish-1 2014: project-1 finish-1 2013: project-1 finish-1 Aggregate: +1

I'm a little surprised to see BCU slotted fourth, but I understand concerns of replacing most of the offense and some key playmakers on defense.

The schedule features an easier non-conference slate from 2017, relatively speaking, but still has its challenges. Tennessee State in the 30th annual John Merritt Classic has all the makings of an all-timer. Last season, the Tigers walked into Atlanta and defeated eventual bowl-bound Georgia State in the opener, but a rugged Ohio Valley Conference slate led to a 6-5 finish.

The Wildcats trade Miami for Virginia University of Lynchburg, but retain Florida Atlantic with a September 15 trip to Boca Raton. BCU gets another crack at the "Lane Train" after FAU plays Oklahoma and Air Force, but before a trip to the defending National Champion UCF Knights (nope, they're not the champs but if I was in their shoes, I'd do the same thing. My reasoning differs from others, but this story is already running longer than I imagined). So, maybe the Wildcats sneak up on the Owls, but regardless, I expect this game to go down much differently than 2017.  

The road to the Celebration Bowl won't be easy as BCU faces the second-toughest schedule in the MEAC based on the opposition's last season win totals. NCCU's conference foes accumulated 38 wins in 2017, while BCU's had 36. Fortunately for BCU, the Wildcats play both NCCU and N.C. A&T at newly remodeled Daytona Stadium. The schedule doesn't have any "breaks" where the team can come out with anything less than its best effort for consecutive weeks. So, if the Cats end up in Atlanta, make no mistake that they earned the trip. 

Similar to the outcome for the Aggies, much will hinge this season on how the offensive line shakes out. BCU retains the services of potential Offensive Lineman of the Year and First Team All-MEAC selection Dwayne Brown. However, his trench buddies may have to keep their last names taped to their helmets for the first game. Jamal Savage, L'Dre Barnes, Montel Jordan and Nicholas Roos were underclassmen listed on the final two-deep of the season, and with others in the returning fold and notable newcomers, the Wildcats won't lack options to replace all the experienced veterans lost to graduation.

No matter who takes the snap, the bevy of backs ready to step up and shoulder the rushing load, or the depth all-around at receivers, for the BCU offense to take the next step in year two of Allen Suber, holes have to be created and the quarterbacks need time to deliver. 

Defensively, BCU paced the MEAC and was 11th nationally with only 161.5 passing yards allowed on average. Todney Evans, Marques Ford, Marquis Hendrix, Gerome Howard, Uriah Gilbert and Kevin Thompson have all demonstrated an ability at some point in their careers to disrupt the passing game, and with corners Elliot Miller and Sam Marc back to lock down the perimeter, the main spot BCU must replace on defense is its old heart and soul, hammering safety Diquan "Deuce-Deuce" Richardson. Should longtime defensive coordinator Yogi Jones find a successor and see an improved rush defense in non-conference play, the BCU defense has all the makings of another top-10 FCS unit.

5- Florida A&M 

2017: project-6 finish-8 2016: project-8 finish-5 2015: project-8 finish-8 2014: project-N/A finish-7 2013: project-5 finish-10 Aggregate: -4

A semi-friendly, non-conference slate ushers in the Willie Simmons era in Tallahassee. Home tilts against Fort Valley State and Jackson State are sandwiched around a tough road game. But an easy bus ride at defending Sun Belt champion Troy continues the tilt. However, the MEAC slate features FAMU's most difficult games away from Bragg Stadium. North Carolina Central (Sept. 29), North Carolina A&T (Oct. 13) and Howard (Nov. 3) are all road games. Then, of course, the Florida Blue Florida Classic against Bethune-Cookman at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Home games include Savannah State, Norfolk State, Morgan State, and South Carolina State.

Much hoopla has been created with the hire of Willie Simmons, whose 2015 version of Prairie View A&M led the FCS in scoring at 45 points per game. With the continued progression of Ryan Stanley and weapons like Devin Bowers, Ricky Henrilus, and Chad Hunter, on paper, scoring won't be the issue. 

The Rattlers allowed 31.5 points on average over the last three seasons, but maybe the best defense is a good offense. For Florida A&M to surpass expectations in year one of Simmons, the Rattlers have to be better defensively in the marquee games. Overall, FAMU was last in the MEAC in third down defense by allowing the opposition to convert at around a 53 percent clip. While better in 2016, it was still last at 45 percent, and in 2015 was 10th at 45 percent. Can the Rattlers improve their third down defense to give the ball back to Simmons' offense?

If the Rattlers want to outscore the opposition, they've got to have more chances to do it. Slicing down on the average 30.6 points over the past three seasons allowed to BCU, NCAT, NCCU and Howard, the four teams predicted to finish ahead of FAMU, will go a long way to seeing if Simmons will have another first year spark like his 8-2 record in 2015 with the Panthers.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my thoughts. Agree or disagree? Tweet me @Nolan__Ryan and tell me what you think. Stay tuned for Part II that continues our MEAC preview. Set a reminder for Aug. 30 for the BCU Wildcat Football Insider where we will ask each MEAC Head Coach their program's question.