Well, figuring that Coach Quick has not had much success against John King teams no matter the talent level at his disposal should factor into this game. Lufkin missing the playoffs three years in a row should factor into this game, you just don't turn things around on a dime just because you suddenly feel there is some special talent. The Panthers are still coached by the same guys, at least on the offensive side of the ledger. Yes, this was considered a special group of freshmen three years ago. That hasn't transitioned well the last two years.
Another thing to consider, who has been building a football program the last few years, it hasn't been Lufkin. Think Lufkin is substantially improved from the last two years, however Longview has dominated some of this same group these past two meetings too. The question should be, will Lufkin be improved enough to close a four score gap from the past two years? Base on that factor, I'm thinking DCTF will have Longview at least a 10 point favorite in this game, even played in Lufkin. Then again sometimes there are those rare occasions one can throw out past factors. You just never know, this game might be one of them.