PirateTreasureNC Wrote:CUSA-E

1) USM
2) ECU
2) UCF
4) Memphis
5) UAB
5) Marshall


CUSA -W

1) Tulsa
2) UTEP
2) SMU
4) Houston
5) Tulane
6) Rice


Since ECU will beat UCF head to head htey will have the tie breaker.

I think SMU is a sleeper this year in the west.

UCF has the best road to the East. We have USM, ECU, and UAB at home. Memphis and Marshall on the road.

EAST

UCF
USM
ECU
Marshall
Memphis
UAB

WEST

UTEP - * wins conference
Tulsa
Houston
SMU
Rice
Tulane

Jugnaut Wrote:

PirateTreasureNC Wrote:CUSA-E

1) USM
2) ECU
2) UCF
4) Memphis
5) UAB
5) Marshall


CUSA -W

1) Tulsa
2) UTEP
2) SMU
4) Houston
5) Tulane
6) Rice


Since ECU will beat UCF head to head htey will have the tie breaker.

I think SMU is a sleeper this year in the west.

UCF has the best road to the East. We have USM, ECU, and UAB at home. Memphis and Marshall on the road.

If you think that USM is just going to lay down because we're on the road, you're going to be quite disappointed.

HornLakeTiger Wrote:I got nothing but respect for Marshall, but they ain't finishing ahead of us this season. Memphis is going to seriously surprise some folks in 2006.

1. UCF
2. Memphis (and the top two could EASILY be flipped around)
3. Southern Miss
4. East Carolina (ECU and USM will finish in a dead heat for third)
5. Marshall
6. UAB

No offense, but Memphis relied on Williams heavily, now he is gone. He is not a talent you can replace easily. Predicting them near the top right now is ludacris for anyone who isn't drinking the blue cool-aid. Its totally ok to be a homer for your team though

NastyBunch33 Wrote:You're forgetting the West.

T1. Rice
T1. UTEP
T1. Tulsa
T1. Houston
5. SMU
6. Tulane

Nice! That reminds me of 1994. A&M were the best team in the SWC but were on probation, leaving 5 teams (Tech, Rice, Baylor, TCU, UT) tied for first. IOW, everybody except for SMU and UH. The tie-breaker for the Cotton Bowl was the team that had least-recently represented the conference there, which went to Tech, who never had. Another oddity: A&M's only blemish on the season was a neutral-site tie with 9-loss SMU.

oasispirate Wrote:I think Memphis is seriously underestimating the loss of Avery. The kid was more effective than the kids that got hurt.

Hudgens, the backup last year aka the 2nd QB to go down with a broken leg, was just named the backup QB today. The reason West waited so long is because he made a serious push for the starting job.

KNIGHTTIME Wrote:

gvegaspirate Wrote:

The Knight Time Wrote:

Hummell Wrote:LOL, you UCF idiots are priceless.

It's just unfathomable how every media outlet can "overlook" the ECU Pirates, home of a winning record back in 2000.

Every media outlet overlooked UCF last year........whats the difference?

Our situation was much different. We had 10-15 players get kicked off the team. We had another bunch that quit. Now we had 68 players on scholarship who were mostly true freshman that were playing positions that never played in their lives. Everything is back to normal now....

Normal??? So when did ever go to a bowl before??

You did beat the normal group of mediocre non BCS teams and D1aa/sun belters you normally did last year and raised your 4 total D1a victories with winning records in your entire history to 6 now. None of those BCS or ranked either. Yeah your back to normal.

Anybody else think the Orlando Sentinel is in on the UCF-ECU rivalry? lmfao lmfao

eaglefan2999 Wrote:

Jugnaut Wrote:

PirateTreasureNC Wrote:CUSA-E

1) USM
2) ECU
2) UCF
4) Memphis
5) UAB
5) Marshall


CUSA -W

1) Tulsa
2) UTEP
2) SMU
4) Houston
5) Tulane
6) Rice


Since ECU will beat UCF head to head htey will have the tie breaker.

I think SMU is a sleeper this year in the west.

UCF has the best road to the East. We have USM, ECU, and UAB at home. Memphis and Marshall on the road.

If you think that USM is just going to lay down because we're on the road, you're going to be quite disappointed.

USM will not lay down and die, but UCF will play much better at home. USM plays worse on the road than at home I'm sure. UCF, last year, was like the 4th team ever to go to a bowl with 7 road games. This year we have 7 home games. We were 4-1 at home last year with the only loss to Tulsa in the Champ game.

Jugnaut Wrote:

eaglefan2999 Wrote:

Jugnaut Wrote:

PirateTreasureNC Wrote:CUSA-E

1) USM
2) ECU
2) UCF
4) Memphis
5) UAB
5) Marshall


CUSA -W

1) Tulsa
2) UTEP
2) SMU
4) Houston
5) Tulane
6) Rice


Since ECU will beat UCF head to head htey will have the tie breaker.

I think SMU is a sleeper this year in the west.

UCF has the best road to the East. We have USM, ECU, and UAB at home. Memphis and Marshall on the road.

If you think that USM is just going to lay down because we're on the road, you're going to be quite disappointed.

USM will not lay down and die, but UCF will play much better at home. USM plays worse on the road than at home I'm sure. UCF, last year, was like the 4th team ever to go to a bowl with 7 road games. This year we have 7 home games. We were 4-1 at home last year with the only loss to Tulsa in the Champ game.

I seriously doubt that home field advantage will give you a 31 point swing (or however many points we were up before we sent in the scout team in the 3rd quarter).

This thread is why I love CUSA. Lot's of passion and fire. And to be honest with you, there are about as many possible scenerios for the finish of this conference as you can count. With the exception of probably Tulane and Rice (sorry guys not meaning to pick on you), I honestly believe that almost any team has a real shot at winning their division. I truly believe that this conference is very competitive. Honestly, in the west, you have UTEP, Houston, and Tulsa. But really, I do believe that SMU is going to shock people at how much better they are. And in the East, if last year taught us anything is that the worst team in the conference can turn it around on a dime. ECU may have had some tough breaks the last couple of years but there was a lot of progress made with Holtz at the end of the year and they had a great recruiting class. Yeah, Tulsa and UCF are predicted to play in the Championship. But I won't be dumbfounded if it's ECU and SMU. Or Marshall and Houston. Or Memphis and UTEP. Or USM and .... well you get the idea.

When Marshall played in the MAC, we fans had 1 maybe 2 conference games that we looked to as "pivotal." I really think that you have to be up for each and every game in this conference and don't count any "W's" until the clock reads 00:00.

On that note, I will make my one and only bold prediction. Marshall was the goat last year that turned around UCF's record. This year, I look for Marshall to reverse their fortunes against the Knights in Huntington. ;-)