(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 12:15 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I dont think anyone expected CUSA to take over the reigns as the best G5 conference in America. Most expected the MWC or the American to take that spot but it simply didnt happen. CUSA is 11-0 against fellow G5 schools and has had some strong showings against some P5 schools. My point is, if the American wants to be in the conversation as the best G5 conference then you have to win those OOC games against the other G5 schools which they have not done.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-foot...ng-by-conf

You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

Yeah, that URI win was tough. So, so tough. How did they find the intestinal fortitude to pull out that really, really hard fought win?

(09-17-2014 03:54 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:48 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 12:15 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I dont think anyone expected CUSA to take over the reigns as the best G5 conference in America. Most expected the MWC or the American to take that spot but it simply didnt happen. CUSA is 11-0 against fellow G5 schools and has had some strong showings against some P5 schools. My point is, if the American wants to be in the conversation as the best G5 conference then you have to win those OOC games against the other G5 schools which they have not done.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-foot...ng-by-conf

You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

National perception is what matters.

I agree.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...onference/

National perception is that an undefeated team from CUSA can't get to the Access game unless the champions of the AAC, MWC and MAC lose games. So how good could your conference possibly be if an undefeated prospective champion will not jump 1 loss teams from the other G5's?

(09-17-2014 07:23 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 12:15 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I dont think anyone expected CUSA to take over the reigns as the best G5 conference in America. Most expected the MWC or the American to take that spot but it simply didnt happen. CUSA is 11-0 against fellow G5 schools and has had some strong showings against some P5 schools. My point is, if the American wants to be in the conversation as the best G5 conference then you have to win those OOC games against the other G5 schools which they have not done.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-foot...ng-by-conf

You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

How can you have proved it when OOC play is still going on?

On the field. CUSA 11-0 vs G5 competition.

(09-17-2014 07:28 PM)DefCONNOne Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 12:15 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I dont think anyone expected CUSA to take over the reigns as the best G5 conference in America. Most expected the MWC or the American to take that spot but it simply didnt happen. CUSA is 11-0 against fellow G5 schools and has had some strong showings against some P5 schools. My point is, if the American wants to be in the conversation as the best G5 conference then you have to win those OOC games against the other G5 schools which they have not done.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-foot...ng-by-conf

You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

Yeah, that URI win was tough. So, so tough. How did they find the intestinal fortitude to pull out that really, really hard fought win?

Says the guy whose team had to pull off a last minute win (72 yard punt return) to avoid an upset at home against "Stony Brook". Thats right, Stony Brook. The same team that just come off a loss to "Bryant".


And by the way...since it seems like you are having a little trouble comprehending the conversation, when i say "We've proved it on the field".....I'm not talking solely about Marshall. I'm talking about CUSA.

(09-17-2014 07:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:54 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:48 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

National perception is what matters.

I agree.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...onference/

National perception is that an undefeated team from CUSA can't get to the Access game unless the champions of the AAC, MWC and MAC lose games. So how good could your conference possibly be if an undefeated prospective champion will not jump 1 loss teams from the other G5's?

Really? Is this the "national perception" you are speaking of?

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...onference/




.

(09-17-2014 08:24 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 07:28 PM)DefCONNOne Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 12:15 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I dont think anyone expected CUSA to take over the reigns as the best G5 conference in America. Most expected the MWC or the American to take that spot but it simply didnt happen. CUSA is 11-0 against fellow G5 schools and has had some strong showings against some P5 schools. My point is, if the American wants to be in the conversation as the best G5 conference then you have to win those OOC games against the other G5 schools which they have not done.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-foot...ng-by-conf

You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

Yeah, that URI win was tough. So, so tough. How did they find the intestinal fortitude to pull out that really, really hard fought win?

Says the guy whose team had to pull off a last minute win (72 yard punt return) to avoid an upset at home against "Stony Brook".

And by the way...since it seems like you are having a little trouble comprehending the conversation, when i say "We've proved it on the field".....I'm not talking solely about Marshall. I'm talking about CUSA.

The only difference being that UCONN never claimed to be an Access Bowl contender...

As far as proving it on the field is concerned, it looks like the pollsters (the closest thing to a selection committee right now) believe ECU (at 31/33) has proven the most of any G5 team.

As far as conferences are concerned, please note which conference has more than 1 school represented right now.

ECU at 31/33
Marshall at 35/35
Cincinnati at 40/38
Northern Illinois at NR/39
Memphis at NR/46
Boise State at NR/48

(09-17-2014 03:54 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:48 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 12:15 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I dont think anyone expected CUSA to take over the reigns as the best G5 conference in America. Most expected the MWC or the American to take that spot but it simply didnt happen. CUSA is 11-0 against fellow G5 schools and has had some strong showings against some P5 schools. My point is, if the American wants to be in the conversation as the best G5 conference then you have to win those OOC games against the other G5 schools which they have not done.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-foot...ng-by-conf

You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

National perception is what matters.

I agree.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...onference/

Yes, but a conference having the most wins against fellow G5 conferences isn't gonna to shape national perception. According to one national media analyst, it is an individual school's body of work. So, is beating a bunch of G5s alone good enough or does it need to be wins against G5s and P5s? Or in the case of this analyst "Autonomous Schools," not P5.

Click the link, then click the mp3 link. Skip to about the 12 minute mark.

Tim Brando on the David Glenn Show (99.9 The Fan - ESPN Radio)

Oh so NBC wasn't the national perception you wanted? Well I guess look around until you find one that fits.

(09-17-2014 10:21 PM)apex_pirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:54 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:48 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:12 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  You haven't. Its week 4. Lets revisit at the end of the season. Good grief.

Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

National perception is what matters.

I agree.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...onference/

Yes, but a conference having the most wins against fellow G5 conferences isn't gonna to shape national perception. According to one national media analyst, it is an individual school's body of work. So, is beating a bunch of G5s alone good enough or does it need to be wins against G5s and P5s?

Seems like you might be conflating perceptions of conference strength with perceptions of a school's strength. I think this is because Aresco tried to tie so much of his argument that the AAC is a "power" footbal conference to UCF's win in the Fiesta bowl. It's the flagship argument, the "if our best team is better than your best team, our conference is better" view.

But that's not how it usually works. E.g., last year, just about everyone perceived that FSU was the strongest team, stronger than any SEC team, but everyone also thought the SEC was a much stronger conference than the ACC.

So this year, it could very well end of up being that while ECU has the best resume and is nationally regarded as the top G5 team, C-USA or some other G5 conference could be regarded as stronger than the AAC.

IMO, that's how it stands right now, after week three: ECU is the #1 team in the G5 poll, thanks to their win over VT. But the AAC is regarded as the #2 or #3 G5 conference thanks to other poor results.

(09-18-2014 07:53 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  Oh so NBC wasn't the national perception you wanted? Well I guess look around until you find one that fits.

Or he could just use the article you presented.

Conference USA looks to still be a conference developing talent and programs and is more fo a long-term project compared to some of the other conferences like the Mountain West or American, but this is certainly a great way to get started in the new era of the College Football Playoff.

(09-18-2014 08:14 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 07:53 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  Oh so NBC wasn't the national perception you wanted? Well I guess look around until you find one that fits.

Or he could just use the article you presented.

Conference USA looks to still be a conference developing talent and programs and is more fo a long-term project compared to some of the other conferences like the Mountain West or American, but this is certainly a great way to get started in the new era of the College Football Playoff.

A long-term project that's already the best? Wow, think of how much better we can become.

I'm not going to sit here an insult C-USA. They are having a great year so far. Their record against the other G5 leagues is awesome and great for bragging rights, but it's really only bragging rights that fans of those conferences will care about. I'm just speculating but I doubt the committee will give that much consideration at all when deciding who ends up getting the access spot. My guess is they'll probably view almost all G5 vs G5 wins the same and any ties will be broken by performance against P5 teams. That's what could end up killing Marshall, because you guys have a good enough team that if you had ECU's OOC schedule you could easily have gone 2-1 or 3-0 and been in the drivers seat. I know that's not really completely under your control, especially when Louisville got out of the game at your place this year, but I'm wondering if maybe it would have been possible to find a 1 and done against some P5 team on short notice.

(09-18-2014 08:43 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  I'm not going to sit here an insult C-USA. They are having a great year so far. Their record against the other G5 leagues is awesome and great for bragging rights, but it's really only bragging rights that fans of those conferences will care about. I'm just speculating but I doubt the committee will give that much consideration at all when deciding who ends up getting the access spot. My guess is they'll probably view almost all G5 vs G5 wins the same and any ties will be broken by performance against P5 teams. That's what could end up killing Marshall, because you guys have a good enough team that if you had ECU's OOC schedule you could easily have gone 2-1 or 3-0 and been in the drivers seat. I know that's not really completely under your control, especially when Louisville got out of the game at your place this year, but I'm wondering if maybe it would have been possible to find a 1 and done against some P5 team on short notice.

Possibly, but then we would have only had 5 home games. Hamrick wasn't going to do that to the fans.

Marshall fans pushing the CUSA narrative because they're bitter they didn't get invited to the AAC. They'll never admit it, but we all know thats the case.

(09-18-2014 08:30 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 08:14 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 07:53 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  Oh so NBC wasn't the national perception you wanted? Well I guess look around until you find one that fits.

Or he could just use the article you presented.

Conference USA looks to still be a conference developing talent and programs and is more fo a long-term project compared to some of the other conferences like the Mountain West or American, but this is certainly a great way to get started in the new era of the College Football Playoff.

A long-term project that's already the best? Wow, think of how much better we can become.

Are you the best? Your are basing that off 3 of CUSA's top teams knocking of 3 bad AAC teams (those 3 AAC teams have a combined 1-7 record vs FBS). Lets see how the bowls go where a CUSA team with a winning records would have to beat AAC teams with a winning record. That's where we might actually learn something.

(09-18-2014 09:04 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  Marshall fans pushing the CUSA narrative because they're bitter they didn't get invited to the AAC. They'll never admit it, but we all know thats the case.

I think it's more of C-USA fans serving up a nice helping of crow after all the preseason talk from the AAC being above the rest of us. To each his own though.

(09-18-2014 08:49 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 08:43 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  I'm not going to sit here an insult C-USA. They are having a great year so far. Their record against the other G5 leagues is awesome and great for bragging rights, but it's really only bragging rights that fans of those conferences will care about. I'm just speculating but I doubt the committee will give that much consideration at all when deciding who ends up getting the access spot. My guess is they'll probably view almost all G5 vs G5 wins the same and any ties will be broken by performance against P5 teams. That's what could end up killing Marshall, because you guys have a good enough team that if you had ECU's OOC schedule you could easily have gone 2-1 or 3-0 and been in the drivers seat. I know that's not really completely under your control, especially when Louisville got out of the game at your place this year, but I'm wondering if maybe it would have been possible to find a 1 and done against some P5 team on short notice.

Possibly, but then we would have only had 5 home games. Hamrick wasn't going to do that to the fans.

Yeah and I understand that had to be a consideration as well, but with the team you guys have and the opportunity that is out there to get a major bowl game I know just me personally as a fan I'd hate to have a team that I know is good enough and possibly miss out because our OOC killed us. I haven't looked but I'm guessing you guys replaced Louisville with an FCS game, so it's not like it's a game any fans actually get excited about. I'd probably for 1 year have been ok with 5 home games (especially since you have 2 extremely close OOC road games) and gotten a 1 and done for the shot to beat down a "big boy" and make a splash. That's just my opinion though and I know it's not that simple and no decision can be made in a vacuum.

(09-18-2014 09:50 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 08:49 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-18-2014 08:43 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  I'm not going to sit here an insult C-USA. They are having a great year so far. Their record against the other G5 leagues is awesome and great for bragging rights, but it's really only bragging rights that fans of those conferences will care about. I'm just speculating but I doubt the committee will give that much consideration at all when deciding who ends up getting the access spot. My guess is they'll probably view almost all G5 vs G5 wins the same and any ties will be broken by performance against P5 teams. That's what could end up killing Marshall, because you guys have a good enough team that if you had ECU's OOC schedule you could easily have gone 2-1 or 3-0 and been in the drivers seat. I know that's not really completely under your control, especially when Louisville got out of the game at your place this year, but I'm wondering if maybe it would have been possible to find a 1 and done against some P5 team on short notice.

Possibly, but then we would have only had 5 home games. Hamrick wasn't going to do that to the fans.

Yeah and I understand that had to be a consideration as well, but with the team you guys have and the opportunity that is out there to get a major bowl game I know just me personally as a fan I'd hate to have a team that I know is good enough and possibly miss out because our OOC killed us. I haven't looked but I'm guessing you guys replaced Louisville with an FCS game, so it's not like it's a game any fans actually get excited about. I'd probably for 1 year have been ok with 5 home games (especially since you have 2 extremely close OOC road games) and gotten a 1 and done for the shot to beat down a "big boy" and make a splash. That's just my opinion though and I know it's not that simple and no decision can be made in a vacuum.

Yeah I'm sure there were lots of variables to consider. Pros and cons to whatever the decision was. Luckily we have at least 1 'contract conference' team on the schedule the next four years. Three of which at home with a few open dates still to fill.

Conference strength of schedule itself is a little over-rated now due to the size of the conferences. The committee isn't going to look at Conference USA vs. American vs. Mountain West, etc. They are going to look at the schedule and results of team A vs. team B vs. Team C. Now conference strength indirectly factors in, but less than it would have in the past (14 team conferences with 8 conference game for instance are missing a full 38% of the conference each year).

(09-18-2014 08:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 10:21 PM)apex_pirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:54 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:48 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(09-17-2014 03:22 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  Sure we have. We've proved it on the field where it counts.

National perception is what matters.

I agree.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...onference/

Yes, but a conference having the most wins against fellow G5 conferences isn't gonna to shape national perception. According to one national media analyst, it is an individual school's body of work. So, is beating a bunch of G5s alone good enough or does it need to be wins against G5s and P5s?

Seems like you might be conflating perceptions of conference strength with perceptions of a school's strength. I think this is because Aresco tried to tie so much of his argument that the AAC is a "power" footbal conference to UCF's win in the Fiesta bowl. It's the flagship argument, the "if our best team is better than your best team, our conference is better" view.

But that's not how it usually works. E.g., last year, just about everyone perceived that FSU was the strongest team, stronger than any SEC team, but everyone also thought the SEC was a much stronger conference than the ACC.

So this year, it could very well end of up being that while ECU has the best resume and is nationally regarded as the top G5 team, C-USA or some other G5 conference could be regarded as stronger than the AAC.

IMO, that's how it stands right now, after week three: ECU is the #1 team in the G5 poll, thanks to their win over VT. But the AAC is regarded as the #2 or #3 G5 conference thanks to other poor results.

IMO, national perception is drawn from end of year results. The AAC didn't have a particularly stellar year last season yet the Fiesta win was huge in how it affected the perception of the AAC. Aresco is smart enough to see this and play on it...as he absolutely should. IMO, that end of year national perception will be drawn by the selection committee's G5 choice. Yes, the committee is smart enough to know they are only choosing the highest rated champ and that rating takes into account only the strength of that one school's resume. But ultimately, the general public forms much of its opinion of the G5 conferences based on its ability to get where it was chosen for a BCS or, this year, an Access bowl. The MWC basically had a few teams at the top and a horrid rest of the conference. Didn't stop the public from forming the opinion that the MWC was the strongest midget. The MWC was picked apart and is a shell of itself. Still good at the top but not what it was. If the AAC gets the G5 spot this year (very much in doubt), I see no reason why the wave the AAC is riding wouldn't continue. Obsessive fans like us could point all day at why C-USA or the MAC was actually better...but in the end, it will be the average joe fan who knows little about the G5 who makes their judgment...annointing whatever conference they feel is the best. ESPN doesn't have to write stories about which conference is the best. Articles like the NBC one get lost a few days after they are written. IMO, the team that gets the most exposure during and at the end of the season is the one that will help set the stage. If you have a few teams that do well, even if the rest of the conference sucks, then you will still reap the benefits of the exposure those schools received. Unfair as it may seem, that is exactly how the MWC made it to the top at one point and how ACC has remained a power conference in the eyes of the fans.