Interesting article. http://www.sbnation.com/college-football...utah-state

La Tech deserves to be on that list more than many of the others.

Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

(02-18-2015 11:42 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

I'd guess it's because the AAC finished 3rd among the G5 conferences in football this season. Fair or not, that tends to stain the reps of all the teams in a conference, just as teams in a top conference will tend to receive some reflected glory they don't necessarily merit.

Also, even if we look past the bad year the AAC had, you guys had an 8-5 season. That's not close to getting it done in any way that would breed lots of optimism for the next season.

Heck, you only went 5-3 in the soft AAC, despite playing a VERY favorable conference schedule. Your 5 wins were against the bottom 5 AAC teams, real bottom-feeders that went a combined 9-31 in the AAC. Three of those five teams lost TEN or more games last year, and none lost fewer than eight! Of the 8 conference games you played, only three were against teams with at least a .500 record in or out of conference, and you lost all of them while not even playing the other two with winning records, Memphis and Houston.

So, i think the author's skepticism is understandable.

Cincinnati underrated at #8....

(02-19-2015 09:11 AM)Maize Wrote:  Cincinnati underrated at #8....

IMO Georgia Southern is too low as well.

NIU < WMU is ridiculous let alone by 3 spots.

"The Broncos were one of the best non-power conference teams in 2014, and also one of the youngest."

NIU was obviously better than WMU since they went to Kzoo and won the game.

NIU had a younger 2 deep than WMU and the Huskies will return more players from that 2 deep than WMU.


UC is underrated and I am sure that ECU and or UCF will be better than Temple.

We have a game early in the season against WMU, so that will knock one of us off the list.

While I do like the Access Bowl slot I still can't help but feel like it's the P5 dangling a carrot on a string to keep the G5 in check. Then again, maybe it's the best situation the G5 could hope for in this case.

(02-19-2015 10:01 AM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  While I do like the Access Bowl slot I still can't help but feel like it's the P5 dangling a carrot on a string to keep the G5 in check. Then again, maybe it's the best situation the G5 could hope for in this case.

If the P5 wanted to keep the G5 in check, there wouldn't be any auto-bid to the Access Bowl. Really, the only thing the will keep any G5 conference in check is the $$ and the any autonomous rules that enact.

(02-19-2015 10:17 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 10:01 AM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  While I do like the Access Bowl slot I still can't help but feel like it's the P5 dangling a carrot on a string to keep the G5 in check. Then again, maybe it's the best situation the G5 could hope for in this case.

If the P5 wanted to keep the G5 in check, there wouldn't be any auto-bid to the Access Bowl. Really, the only thing the will keep any G5 conference in check is the $$ and the any autonomous rules that enact.

Outside of USF, UConn and Cincinnati the G5 has it pretty good...making more $$$ from the system then EVER and a Guaranteed spot in a New Years Six Bowl...

(02-19-2015 10:17 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 10:01 AM)All Dukes_All Day Wrote:  While I do like the Access Bowl slot I still can't help but feel like it's the P5 dangling a carrot on a string to keep the G5 in check. Then again, maybe it's the best situation the G5 could hope for in this case.

If the P5 wanted to keep the G5 in check, there wouldn't be any auto-bid to the Access Bowl. Really, the only thing the will keep any G5 conference in check is the $$ and the any autonomous rules that enact.

The P5 don't have any need to do anything special to keep the G5 in 'check', as natural market forces do that for them. There is just a lot less appeal to the G5 conferences - in terms of fans, TV viewers, recruits, etc. - such that the P5 conferences are naturally better.

Just like G5 conferences don't need to do anything special to keep FCS schools "in check", meaning well below* them, either.

* by 'well below' i mean on average, at the conference level. Doesn't mean there aren't some G5 schools that aren't better than some P5 schools, surely there are, just as there are some FCS schools that are better than G5 schools. But those are exceptions that prove the rule.

(02-19-2015 08:13 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 11:42 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

I'd guess it's because the AAC finished 3rd among the G5 conferences in football this season. Fair or not, that tends to stain the reps of all the teams in a conference, just as teams in a top conference will tend to receive some reflected glory they don't necessarily merit.

Also, even if we look past the bad year the AAC had, you guys had an 8-5 season. That's not close to getting it done in any way that would breed lots of optimism for the next season.

Heck, you only went 5-3 in the soft AAC, despite playing a VERY favorable conference schedule. Your 5 wins were against the bottom 5 AAC teams, real bottom-feeders that went a combined 9-31 in the AAC. Three of those five teams lost TEN or more games last year, and none lost fewer than eight! Of the 8 conference games you played, only three were against teams with at least a .500 record in or out of conference, and you lost all of them while not even playing the other two with winning records, Memphis and Houston.

So, i think the author's skepticism is understandable.

While I have a soft spot in my heart for my wife's alma mater, I have to agree with your assessment. Even expand on it. If 8-5 were atypical for ECU - a down year, if you will - that would be one thing. But that 8-5 equals their best record this century except for a single 10-3 season in 2013. The Pirates have averaged 6 losses a year over the past 15 years. That's not going to earn them the benefit of any doubts.

They got a lot of early season hype for the access slot in 2014 because they returned Shane Carden and a large senior class from that 10 win team. Then they couldn't finish. Now that Carden is gone, along with their OC, this team has a lot of unanswered questions going into 2015.

(02-18-2015 11:42 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

We return an elite D, have a young QB with top potential in PJ Walker, and ECU loses everyone.

(02-19-2015 02:09 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 08:13 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 11:42 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

I'd guess it's because the AAC finished 3rd among the G5 conferences in football this season. Fair or not, that tends to stain the reps of all the teams in a conference, just as teams in a top conference will tend to receive some reflected glory they don't necessarily merit.

Also, even if we look past the bad year the AAC had, you guys had an 8-5 season. That's not close to getting it done in any way that would breed lots of optimism for the next season.

Heck, you only went 5-3 in the soft AAC, despite playing a VERY favorable conference schedule. Your 5 wins were against the bottom 5 AAC teams, real bottom-feeders that went a combined 9-31 in the AAC. Three of those five teams lost TEN or more games last year, and none lost fewer than eight! Of the 8 conference games you played, only three were against teams with at least a .500 record in or out of conference, and you lost all of them while not even playing the other two with winning records, Memphis and Houston.

So, i think the author's skepticism is understandable.

While I have a soft spot in my heart for my wife's alma mater, I have to agree with your assessment. Even expand on it. If 8-5 were atypical for ECU - a down year, if you will - that would be one thing. But that 8-5 equals their best record this century except for a single 10-3 season in 2013. The Pirates have averaged 6 losses a year over the past 15 years. That's not going to earn them the benefit of any doubts.

Wow ... I didn't realize that. For some reason, I had it in mind that ECU has historically been a dominant program in the minor conferences it played in.

(02-19-2015 02:09 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 08:13 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 11:42 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

I'd guess it's because the AAC finished 3rd among the G5 conferences in football this season. Fair or not, that tends to stain the reps of all the teams in a conference, just as teams in a top conference will tend to receive some reflected glory they don't necessarily merit.

Also, even if we look past the bad year the AAC had, you guys had an 8-5 season. That's not close to getting it done in any way that would breed lots of optimism for the next season.

Heck, you only went 5-3 in the soft AAC, despite playing a VERY favorable conference schedule. Your 5 wins were against the bottom 5 AAC teams, real bottom-feeders that went a combined 9-31 in the AAC. Three of those five teams lost TEN or more games last year, and none lost fewer than eight! Of the 8 conference games you played, only three were against teams with at least a .500 record in or out of conference, and you lost all of them while not even playing the other two with winning records, Memphis and Houston.

So, i think the author's skepticism is understandable.

While I have a soft spot in my heart for my wife's alma mater, I have to agree with your assessment. Even expand on it. If 8-5 were atypical for ECU - a down year, if you will - that would be one thing. But that 8-5 equals their best record this century except for a single 10-3 season in 2013. The Pirates have averaged 6 losses a year over the past 15 years. That's not going to earn them the benefit of any doubts.

They got a lot of early season hype for the access slot in 2014 because they returned Shane Carden and a large senior class from that 10 win team. Then they couldn't finish. Now that Carden is gone, along with their OC, this team has a lot of unanswered questions going into 2015.

Wrong, 8-4 2000, 8-5 2007, 9-5 2008*, 9-5 2009, 8-5 2012, 10-3 2013, 8-5 2014

* UNC vacated win not included, if done so 10-4.

Kert Benkurt is unproven, but has the potenial to better than Shane, we are stacked at WR and RB, lost only one starting OL. LB is fine leading tackler returns, we get back Terrel Stanley on the DL and return 3 others with starts. The secondary should improve. Our Senoir class wasn't that large 26, about average, but there more than a few that didn't play.

Until proven otherwise my money is on BSU. If the Cincy D is decent from day 1 we will be dangerous.

(02-20-2015 09:34 AM)ecumbh1999 Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 02:09 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 08:13 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(02-18-2015 11:42 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Cinci and Memphis I can buy....

While Temple beat us this year, I can't see how they magically get a nod for this instead of ECU.

I'd guess it's because the AAC finished 3rd among the G5 conferences in football this season. Fair or not, that tends to stain the reps of all the teams in a conference, just as teams in a top conference will tend to receive some reflected glory they don't necessarily merit.

Also, even if we look past the bad year the AAC had, you guys had an 8-5 season. That's not close to getting it done in any way that would breed lots of optimism for the next season.

Heck, you only went 5-3 in the soft AAC, despite playing a VERY favorable conference schedule. Your 5 wins were against the bottom 5 AAC teams, real bottom-feeders that went a combined 9-31 in the AAC. Three of those five teams lost TEN or more games last year, and none lost fewer than eight! Of the 8 conference games you played, only three were against teams with at least a .500 record in or out of conference, and you lost all of them while not even playing the other two with winning records, Memphis and Houston.

So, i think the author's skepticism is understandable.

While I have a soft spot in my heart for my wife's alma mater, I have to agree with your assessment. Even expand on it. If 8-5 were atypical for ECU - a down year, if you will - that would be one thing. But that 8-5 equals their best record this century except for a single 10-3 season in 2013. The Pirates have averaged 6 losses a year over the past 15 years. That's not going to earn them the benefit of any doubts.

They got a lot of early season hype for the access slot in 2014 because they returned Shane Carden and a large senior class from that 10 win team. Then they couldn't finish. Now that Carden is gone, along with their OC, this team has a lot of unanswered questions going into 2015.

[b]Wrong, 8-4 2000[/b], 8-5 2007, 9-5 2008*, 9-5 2009, 8-5 2012, 10-3 2013, 8-5 2014

* UNC vacated win not included, if done so 10-4.

Kert Benkurt is unproven, but has the potenial to better than Shane, we are stacked at WR and RB, lost only one starting OL. LB is fine leading tackler returns, we get back Terrel Stanley on the DL and return 3 others with starts. The secondary should improve. Our Senoir class wasn't that large 26, about average, but there more than a few that didn't play.

2000 was the last year of the 20th century so I didn't include it, since it doesn't change the overall point. Which is, that 5 or more losses has been typical for ECU over any period relevant to the question of whether their prior history should give them any kind of a leg up when it comes to preseason expectations for an access slot.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to be optimistic. You should. So far in the 2015 season you remain unbeaten.

WKU and LA Tech both need to be
On this list

(02-19-2015 09:26 AM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 09:11 AM)Maize Wrote:  Cincinnati underrated at #8....

IMO Georgia Southern is too low as well.

Ga Southern was essentially competing with 63 scholarship players and made a decent run at the access bowl last year. Had Ga Southern not given away games to GT and ncsu, last year would have been very interesting.

Look for the Eagles to improve each year and really make some noise soon.