http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college...in-gordon/

Consider this your first opportunity to hop on the Marshall bandwagon. No team in college football appears to have a better chance to go undefeated next season. The Thundering Herd went 10-4 in 2013, with two of losses coming by a field goal or less and another a triple-overtime defeat at Virginia Tech. Marshall coach Doc Holliday returns nine starters on defense and nine on offense, none more important than star quarterback Rakeem Cato.

Cato, a senior from Miami Central High, finished last season with 39 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The only returning player in college football who threw for more touchdowns was Florida State's Jameis Winston. In his career, Cato has 91 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. He's thrown touchdown passes in 32 consecutive games, which puts him on track to break Russell Wilson's FBS record of 38. He could break the record at FIU, in his hometown of Miami on Oct. 18. He's also on track to break a slew of Marshall career quarterback records, no small feat considering Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich both starred there.

"He is maybe the most competitive player I've been around," said Marshall coach Doc Holliday. "That includes all the kids at Florida and West Virginia I coached."

The schedule sets up well for Cato and Marshall as the Herd doesn't play any teams from the Big Five conferences. Marshall's non-league schedule features road games at Miami (Ohio) and Akron and home games against Rhode Island and Ohio. Defending Conference USA champion Rice comes to Huntington, W.V.

When Cato arrived at Marshall he was about 150 pounds and Holliday said he couldn't bench the bar. Now he's raising the bar for Marshall's program.

Good luck to Marshall and yes I'll be on your bandwagon only OOC. I think we'll make use of that new found money from a Bowl game.

Anything less than undefeated for the Herd next year will be disappointing, especially if a loss happens OOC.

I really think Marshall goes 12-0 next season. No reason they shouldn't.

(03-04-2014 04:00 PM)ECUGrad07 Wrote:  I really think Marshall goes 12-0 next season. No reason they shouldn't.

The real question is: does that get them the spot in the access bowl?

Does 12-0 get the Herd ranked in the top 15? I'm not sure it does unless CUSA is stronger than expected next year.

We'll probably start off ranked in the low 30's so I think we could be ranked high enough by seasons end. If we were starting off in the 80 or 90's we probably wouldn't.

Hoping you go 11-1. Good luck!!!

It will be an honor for us to have Marshall in Norfolk!!!

(03-04-2014 04:31 PM)GO_MONARKS Wrote:  Hoping you go 11-1. Good luck!!!

It will be an honor for us to have Marshall in Norfolk!!!

Congrats to Marshall for having such an easy schedule it'll be a big disappointment if you lose a game.

(03-04-2014 05:53 PM)NorthTexan95 Wrote:  Congrats to Marshall for having such an easy schedule it'll be a big disappointment if you lose a game.

Let's not pretend they're not good though...the injustice is if they lose one game for any kind of reason, they will be blocked out. Despite what that other post said about schedules, I doubt their OOC is easier than plenty P5 teams, and it's pretty hard to blame them for not being invited to a tougher conference than this one. That's the only way most of the time to get a fair deal in scheduling P5 teams

13-0 is not easy, I don't care what the schedule is like. In the last 10 years only 12 FBS teams have gone undefeated, so that's 12 out of approximately 1,250 opportunities, a little less than a 1% chance. Only 27 teams have gone undefeated since 1990. Only 5 teams from non-power conferences have gone undefeated since 1990 - Tulane, Marshall, Utah, Boise and TCU. Boise is the only one to do it twice of those 5.

If you figure there are, or have been, about 60 non power conference teams, that's 6 times in about 1,380 opportunities. I certainly wouldn't bet on us going undefeated even though I would say we would be considered at least a TD favorite in every game if Vegas put out a preseason line.

The schedule isn't our fault. We were supposed to have Louisville but their move to the ACC and the new contract with Notre Dame forced their hand. They took a road game against a team they haven't beaten in 30 years off their schedule. Can't blame them. Especially with all the turnover from HC on down they have had. Because of how late in the game this happened we had no one to turn to but a lowly FCS team looking for a payday.

Now if we go undefeated we will have plenty of votes to get in. I broke this down the other day at work. Louisville with one loss was a top 20 team and their schedule last season was deplorable for all the hype they had. That hype, that extreme overhype vaulted UCF to the lead position of the G5. All we have to do is be the highest ranked G5 school to gain access under the new format. All the schools that were ranked in the top 25 (UCF, Louisville Fresno St, and NIU) are all losing big parts of their teams. All are losing their star QBs.

If we can take care of business we are in. I don't think there will be any doubt about it. I am not discounting anyone in this conference at all. None of these games are going to be easy. The only thing is I think this is going to be the most talent Marshall team to ever take the field this year and for the first time in my memory we return every key piece of our staff. We lose our RB coach but I don't really think that is a very big loss.

We get most of the hardest team in conference at home which should set up nicely for us because we play worlds better at home than on the road. Something that I or anyone else can explain. I just hope we don't stub our toes by not showing up to a road game.

If we run the table there is not another G5 school out there that is going to be able to challenge us. We finished just outside the top25 and we should be in the top25 by the 2nd or 3rd conference game.

(03-04-2014 11:38 PM)BleedsGreen33 Wrote:  If we run the table there is not another G5 school out there that is going to be able to challenge us. We finished just outside the top25 and we should be in the top25 by the 2nd or 3rd conference game.

Last year's road team was a bit shakey at times but what I see as the real test this coming season will be Marshall's defense. In 8 out of 14 games, the opposing team scored 20 or more points, 30 points or more in 3 of those games, and MTSU racked up 49.

I've long said that offense makes the games interesting but it's the defense that wins 'em.

Can't wait for football season!!! Good luck this year.

T.T. Barber is lifting weights today thinking about Marshall's glorious undefeated season this fall......

12-0 is very hard for anyone, at any level. We've been known to lay big farts such as OU and MT last fall. I think we'll lay one again in 2014. Akron, ODU, UAB and USM will be our tougher games. All away from home.

We've had plenty of tough OOC schedules in the past, not going to apologize for this one, especially since we let UL re-schedule their game due to them moving to the ACC.

Our defense returns 9 starters and many subs, plus a few recruits are expected to help out and our D coaching staff returns intact.

Biggest question for us will be the O line play and staying healthy. If they (O line) play well and we stay healthy as a team, it could be a special year. We'll see.

(03-05-2014 08:28 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 11:38 PM)BleedsGreen33 Wrote:  If we run the table there is not another G5 school out there that is going to be able to challenge us. We finished just outside the top25 and we should be in the top25 by the 2nd or 3rd conference game.

Last year's road team was a bit shakey at times but what I see as the real test this coming season will be Marshall's defense. In 8 out of 14 games, the opposing team scored 20 or more points, 30 points or more in 3 of those games, and MTSU racked up 49.

I've long said that offense makes the games interesting but it's the defense that wins 'em.

Can't wait for football season!!! Good luck this year.

A few of those games had junk points scored at the end because we had our second and third string D in. The ECU game comes to mind.

You'll beat us. We should be better, but I doubt we'll be good.

(03-05-2014 09:06 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(03-05-2014 08:28 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 11:38 PM)BleedsGreen33 Wrote:  If we run the table there is not another G5 school out there that is going to be able to challenge us. We finished just outside the top25 and we should be in the top25 by the 2nd or 3rd conference game.

Last year's road team was a bit shakey at times but what I see as the real test this coming season will be Marshall's defense. In 8 out of 14 games, the opposing team scored 20 or more points, 30 points or more in 3 of those games, and MTSU racked up 49.

I've long said that offense makes the games interesting but it's the defense that wins 'em.

Can't wait for football season!!! Good luck this year.

A few of those games had junk points scored at the end because we had our second and third string D in. The ECU game comes to mind.

The rice game comes to mind...

(03-05-2014 09:14 AM)DowdyPirate Wrote:  

(03-05-2014 09:06 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(03-05-2014 08:28 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 11:38 PM)BleedsGreen33 Wrote:  If we run the table there is not another G5 school out there that is going to be able to challenge us. We finished just outside the top25 and we should be in the top25 by the 2nd or 3rd conference game.

Last year's road team was a bit shakey at times but what I see as the real test this coming season will be Marshall's defense. In 8 out of 14 games, the opposing team scored 20 or more points, 30 points or more in 3 of those games, and MTSU racked up 49.

I've long said that offense makes the games interesting but it's the defense that wins 'em.

Can't wait for football season!!! Good luck this year.

A few of those games had junk points scored at the end because we had our second and third string D in. The ECU game comes to mind.

The rice game comes to mind...

Did I touch a nerve?

(03-05-2014 09:07 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  You'll beat us. We should be better, but I doubt we'll be good.

We don't consistently play well on the road and I guess I am inclined to believe the USM of old will be back sooner than later.