(01-15-2015 07:48 AM)Cnelson203 Wrote: For a football geek, like me, things will be pretty quiet until a small adrenalin jolt in the Spring. Not a Basketball or baseball hater, at all, but football's the thing, from my perspective.
So looking back on this season, here are some things I learned or that were reinforced for me concerning C-USA football.
1. Strength of Schedule matters
2. C-USA is developing an excellent football conference with it's new configuration.
3. It will be hard for anyone to dominate this conference year and year out. Significant parity already, inside the conference, but we do very well outside of our conference with our peer institutions.
4. The UAB debacle was...well, just that, a debacle. Just wrong on every conceivable front.
5. Considering both of the last two seasons, EVERY SINGLE NEW ADDITION did something to get our attention in a positive way. Last year FAU, UTSA and North Texas did very well and were strong competitors. This year, WKU was an offensive beast, ODU knocked of two West Division powerhouses, FIU was a strong, strong defensive unit, LaTech played for a championship.
6. I really do NOT like ESPN.
What did you learn this season?
1. I think strength of schedule has always mattered, to a degree, but it's front and center in this new "playoff" structure, for sure. I'm not going to argue about Marshall's schedule anymore because it ultimately didn't matter, but if a team has to go 11-0 to get ranked AT ALL, that tells you all you need to know. If anything, that was the perfect litmus test for one extreme on the strength of schedule argument in this new "playoff" era and it was in the very first year. All G5 programs now where we stand now.
2. I wouldn't say CUSA is developing an "excellent" football conference, but we are without a doubt way better than outsiders thought we were before this, and last, season started. By many metrics, we're the best G5 conference this past season .
3. CUSA just finished season 2 of the new membership structure, for the most part, for football and while I would agree there's decent parity, you're starting to see some 'tiers' develop:
Tier 1: Marshall, Rice, LaTech, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky
Tier 2: UTEP, Old Dominion, UTSA, North Texas, FAU
Tier 3: FIU, Southern Miss
Please don't take this tier listing as "smack" simply because this is only based on the last 2 seasons, with more weight put on the most recent season. LaTech and WKU could've gone in either Tier 1 or Tier 2.
4. Pretty heartbreaking for UAB, no doubt. Had this happened during a typical UAB football season of 2, 3, or 4 wins, I wouldn't have really cared much about the football impact to CUSA going forward, but Clark really had that program on the uptick.