Senior Derek Thompson will start for the third straight season for North Texas. Thompson threw for 2,649 yards last season, and his 4,551 career yards are sixth best in school history

Idaho, which held just one opponent (New Mexico State) under 20 points, ended up ranking 118th in the country with a whopping 42.4 ppg allowed.

Many of the defenders who were able to make any kind of an impact in 2012 are now gone, specifically the top six tacklers, which means the squad is again in rebuilding mode.

UNT will have a much better offense, because last year they left so many points on the field. Already able to move the ball, being experienced will improve their efficiency. Averaging 20.9 ppg, UNT was 103rd in the country in that department, and yet the team was still good for almost 400 ypg and ranked first in the nation with just .50 sacks per game allowed.

The unit brings back eight starters, including quarterback Derek Thompson who has 24 career starts to his credit. The signal-caller threw for more than 2,600 yards and 14 TDs in 2012, but he was also picked off just as many times which means he has to make better decisions moving forward.

But again, that unit has a ton of upside.