I don't know how credible this article is considering he thinks Munchie is our "real QB". Must not have done much research on the Cats. Thanks for the props though.

http://www.newbernsj.com/sports/local/co...c-1.352643

Shane Carden - Player of the Year? Always possible, I guess.

I would be nice if he knew Kiel was (most likely) our top QB, but it was a nice analysis overall.

I think he underestimates UConn this year - they may go 6-6 this year - it's entirely possible.

(07-31-2014 06:30 AM)mac6115cd Wrote:  I would be nice if he knew Kiel was (most likely) our top QB, but it was a nice analysis overall.

I think he underestimates UConn this year - they may go 6-6 this year - it's entirely possible.

ECU fans have this bizarre obsession with UConn and USF. They hate both schools because they were part of the Big East and ECU believes they were more deserving.

All three schools also have a Skip Holtz connection (Skip coched at UConn before going to ECU. He left ECU for USF).

(07-30-2014 10:58 PM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  Shane Carden - Player of the Year? Always possible, I guess.

He's def. the front runner

(07-31-2014 07:29 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 06:30 AM)mac6115cd Wrote:  I would be nice if he knew Kiel was (most likely) our top QB, but it was a nice analysis overall.

I think he underestimates UConn this year - they may go 6-6 this year - it's entirely possible.

ECU fans have this bizarre obsession with UConn and USF. They hate both schools because they were part of the Big East and ECU believes they were more deserving.

All three schools also have a Skip Holtz connection (Skip coched at UConn before going to ECU. He left ECU for USF).

Problem is, UConn was ALREADY in the BE, even for the first raid.

(07-31-2014 07:29 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 06:30 AM)mac6115cd Wrote:  I would be nice if he knew Kiel was (most likely) our top QB, but it was a nice analysis overall.

I think he underestimates UConn this year - they may go 6-6 this year - it's entirely possible.

ECU fans have this bizarre obsession with UConn and USF. They hate both schools because they were part of the Big East and ECU believes they were more deserving.

All three schools also have a Skip Holtz connection (Skip coched at UConn before going to ECU. He left ECU for USF).

I suspect that's true about many ECU fans--they felt UCONN and USF were annointed with a BCS conference affiliation when the Pirates might have actually had better teams. Fans being fans, I believe lots of UC folks may have had similar feelings about Pitt and Syracuse when Cincinnati joined the BE conference. The beauty of that was, UC proved on the field to be the better football team for most of those years. ECU now has a better platform to make their case about the quality of their football. Time will tell if their claims are justified.

ECU definitely has a case on the football field as has Cincinnati for a while. Few can argue just how consistently strong the Pirates program has been for the last decade. But what puts them in a far worse situation than UC is their media market, which is small and saturated by UNC, Duke, and NC State. As long as media market size dictates conference realignment, East Carolina will have a very difficult time making a case for a P5 conference.

(07-31-2014 08:40 AM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  ECU definitely has a case on the football field as has Cincinnati for a while. Few can argue just how consistently strong the Pirates program has been for the last decade. But what puts them in a far worse situation than UC is their media market, which is small and saturated by UNC, Duke, and NC State. As long as media market size dictates conference realignment, East Carolina will have a very difficult time making a case for a P5 conference.

Actually aside from the last couple seasons, ECU has been terrible to mediocre the past 10-15 years (all while playing in C-USA). I would also argue C-USA 2005-2013 was not as strong as C-USA pre-2005. Their high water mark was last year. It was the first 10 win season in school history. ECU's best years were back in the 80's and 90s.

2000: 8-4
2001: 6-6
2002: 4-8
2003: 1-11
2004: 2-9
2005: 5-6
2006: 7-6
2007: 8-5
2008: 9-5
2009: 9-5
2010: 6-7
2011: 5-7
2012: 8-5
2013: 10-3

(07-31-2014 06:30 AM)mac6115cd Wrote:  I would be nice if he knew Kiel was (most likely) our top QB, but it was a nice analysis overall.

I think he underestimates UConn this year - they may go 6-6 this year - it's entirely possible.

Anything is possible...

I get that UConn's schedule is not tough.
I get that UConn finished last season on an upswing.

But...

The Coach that took UConn on that upswing is gone.
Their new Head Coach is a complete rookie and unproven.
In his one year as DC at UC, Diaco showed a remarkable (IMO) rigidity and inability to adjust to the players he HAD versus the style and scheme of play he WANTED.
UConn has had departures visa-via graduation and at least one RB who left the program over the summer.

I think UConn...even if Diaco turns out in the long-term to be a genius...is going to be horrible this year. 6 wins is "possible" but I don't see much to indicate that it's "likely." Looking over their schedule, I don't feel comfortable in calling any of their games "Should win".... not even Stony Brook (a pretty good FCS) or Army (which plays an odd style which could give UConn trouble).

We'll see, but I think UConn and Tulsa are in the basement this season with Tulane and Memphis not far ahead.

(07-31-2014 08:54 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(07-31-2014 08:40 AM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  ECU definitely has a case on the football field as has Cincinnati for a while. Few can argue just how consistently strong the Pirates program has been for the last decade. But what puts them in a far worse situation than UC is their media market, which is small and saturated by UNC, Duke, and NC State. As long as media market size dictates conference realignment, East Carolina will have a very difficult time making a case for a P5 conference.

Actually aside from the last couple seasons, ECU has been terrible to mediocre the past 10-15 years (all while playing in C-USA). I would also argue C-USA 2005-2013 was not as strong as C-USA pre-2005. Their high water mark was last year. It was the first 10 win season in school history. ECU's best years were back in the 80's and 90s.

2000: 8-4
2001: 6-6
2002: 4-8
2003: 1-11
2004: 2-9
2005: 5-6
2006: 7-6
2007: 8-5
2008: 9-5
2009: 9-5
2010: 6-7
2011: 5-7
2012: 8-5
2013: 10-3

Yikes. That's what I get for not doing a ton of research. I guess I just put ECU on a pedestal...

^^^ That's ok Chris. If you listen to ECU fans on the AAC board they have been knocking off Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State every year en route to 10+ win seasons every year. They have infated views of self. They should be commended though for drawing crowds of 43K a year (not over 50K as they usually claim).

Their team this year should be decent. They have a good QB and some good receivers. Their defense has a lot of questions as does their offensive line. I put them top 4 in the conference, but I think they are not at the level of us, UCF and Houston.

Carden and Hardy are great, but the offenses in the AAC are better than what they faced in C-USA a year ago and their defense won't be as good. They are a good team, but their struggle to get stops is going to be a problem.