I'm not quite sure why people assume you Have become something if your in AAC or you have not bc your Sun Belt That's not how it works. Every G5 conference has Teams capable of going on a good run and making the Access Spot. It takes a good but not too terribly tough schedule and good coaches and players.

AAC/MWC/CUSA/SUN BELT/MAC are not tiers. Their conferences within the tier. All 5 have good teams and all 5 have bad teams.

(09-03-2014 05:28 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(09-03-2014 04:00 PM)Cali_Cat Wrote:  The AAC isn't much ahead of the rest of the G5. Really only Cincinnati and Connecticut can make that claim, the rest are about on par with the remainder of G5 overall as athletic departments (UCF is the next closest)...

I don't know about that. The strongest C-USA/MAC/Sun Belt athletic programs are Ohio, UTEP, and WKU (not just football, entire athletic dept). It's a pretty big drop off after that. As much as I think highly of those programs, it's pretty clear that UCF, USF, Memphis, and ECU are ahead of them (as is SDSU). And those 3 aren't really ahead of the rest of the AAC or MWC (other than SJSU, Tulsa, and Tulane).

Basically, every MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt school other than Ohio, UTEP, or WKU would be a perennial bottom feeder in the AAC, and probably in the MWC too.

If you go through the entire athletic dept in the MAC Kent State is the best overall. Kent State has been number one in the Sears Cup for the MAC every year I can find (and whatever it is called now) and is usually in the 70s and sometimes better overall. Kent State won the Reese trophy 5 years in a row (award for best men's programs) and have won many Jacoby trophies as well (for best Women's program in the MAC).

I don't think Ohio is even close in comparison. In fact I think overall the MAC's overall success is probably Kent State, CMU, and then Akron overall for the past nearly 20 years.

The top 3 teams are the three teams that finish the season with the best record. Not begin it.

Lol I wonder what the OP will be saying on Sunday. This weekend may not go very well for CUSA.

(08-30-2014 10:58 AM)NCHerd Wrote:  Anytime ucf loses it is good news

Any 11-1 AAC team with one or more quality wins against P5 gets in over a 13-0 Marshall. That said, I have full faith in Marshall's ability to crap the bed once or twice every season.

(08-30-2014 10:57 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  UTSA beats Houston
Penn State beats UCF

Two of the three top teams in the AAC have fallen in week1. Are their hopes of earning the access bowl fading? Is the UCF loss good news for C-USA?

who has N Texas beaten? Darling UTSA just lost at home.

(09-05-2014 08:29 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 10:57 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  UTSA beats Houston
Penn State beats UCF

Two of the three top teams in the AAC have fallen in week1. Are their hopes of earning the access bowl fading? Is the UCF loss good news for C-USA?

who has N Texas beaten? Darling UTSA just lost at home.

I'd hardly say that losing 26-23 to Arizona takes the bloom off UTSA's rose.

(09-05-2014 07:58 AM)UCF_SystemsEng Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 10:58 AM)NCHerd Wrote:  Anytime ucf loses it is good news

Any 11-1 AAC team with one or more quality wins against P5 gets in over a 13-0 Marshall. That said, I have full faith in Marshall's ability to crap the bed once or twice every season.

If you are saying that a AAC team that has a quality win and only 1 loss will probably go to the access bowl over a 13-0 Marshall team that did nothing but cupcakes, then I think you are correct.

But know that it isn't because Marshall is CUSA and the AAC is so much better, but rather because Marshall has a crappy schedule. An 11-1 AAC team would probably lose out to an undefeated ULL or Arkansas State team from the Belt.

(09-05-2014 09:40 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-05-2014 07:58 AM)UCF_SystemsEng Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 10:58 AM)NCHerd Wrote:  Anytime ucf loses it is good news

Any 11-1 AAC team with one or more quality wins against P5 gets in over a 13-0 Marshall. That said, I have full faith in Marshall's ability to crap the bed once or twice every season.

If you are saying that a AAC team that has a quality win and only 1 loss will probably go to the access bowl over a 13-0 Marshall team that did nothing but cupcakes, then I think you are correct.

But know that it isn't because Marshall is CUSA and the AAC is so much better, but rather because Marshall has a crappy schedule. An 11-1 AAC team would probably lose out to an undefeated ULL or Arkansas State team from the Belt.

Very well said.

(09-05-2014 09:32 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(09-05-2014 08:29 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 10:57 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  UTSA beats Houston
Penn State beats UCF

Two of the three top teams in the AAC have fallen in week1. Are their hopes of earning the access bowl fading? Is the UCF loss good news for C-USA?

who has N Texas beaten? Darling UTSA just lost at home.

I'd hardly say that losing 26-23 to Arizona takes the bloom off UTSA's rose.

Neither did I.

(09-05-2014 10:57 AM)Ned Low Wrote:  

(09-05-2014 09:40 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-05-2014 07:58 AM)UCF_SystemsEng Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 10:58 AM)NCHerd Wrote:  Anytime ucf loses it is good news

Any 11-1 AAC team with one or more quality wins against P5 gets in over a 13-0 Marshall. That said, I have full faith in Marshall's ability to crap the bed once or twice every season.

If you are saying that a AAC team that has a quality win and only 1 loss will probably go to the access bowl over a 13-0 Marshall team that did nothing but cupcakes, then I think you are correct.

But know that it isn't because Marshall is CUSA and the AAC is so much better, but rather because Marshall has a crappy schedule. An 11-1 AAC team would probably lose out to an undefeated ULL or Arkansas State team from the Belt.

Very well said.

Yep. Marshall's schedule doesn't just stink because of the CUSA opponents, its because they don't play a single OOC opponent from the MWC, AAC, or any p5 league. An undefeated Champ out of the Sun Belt is going to have 1, maybe two P5 wins to their credit, which would give them an edge over Marshall.

AAC or MWC will always win with an undefeated champ, if they don't, then we start looking at other leagues.

(09-05-2014 09:32 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(09-05-2014 08:29 AM)SuperFlyBCat Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 10:57 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  UTSA beats Houston
Penn State beats UCF

Two of the three top teams in the AAC have fallen in week1. Are their hopes of earning the access bowl fading? Is the UCF loss good news for C-USA?

who has N Texas beaten? Darling UTSA just lost at home.

I'd hardly say that losing 26-23 to Arizona takes the bloom off UTSA's rose.

The point he was making is CUSA fans were beating their chest about beating Troy, Houston, and a bunch of FCS teams. And making a big deal about AAC teams losing to good teams like BYU, Baylor, Penn State, and UTSA.

UTSA is a damn good team

(09-03-2014 09:51 PM)randaddyminer Wrote:  

(08-30-2014 11:05 AM)The Knight Time Wrote:  Hilarious considering the "best CUSA" team doesn't even play a team remotely as good as Penn State all season.

Penn State? that school that is on probation, penn state?

Yeah you know the Penn St. That would pull a "Sandusky" on your entire team at mid-field in front of a national audience if your team was even remotely good enough to schedule them, yeah that Penn St.