What should be expected in our first season? Personally I don't see how we can do better than 6-5.

If I had to guess where we end up, I would say 5-6. 4 wins over the non D-I schools, then a win against either KSU, Robert Morris, or Saint Francis. Both RMU and SFU are Northeast Conference schools with only around 40 scholarships and are both picked near the bottom of their league. SFU has one of the FCS' better running backs though. I'm kind of worried about the KSU game. They have several JuCo upperclassmen.

What do you all think?

I feel that most everyone will (or should) be on the same page as you on that assessment Fan1. I would love to have a winning record so 6-5 would be great. I think we will get beat in this first game. If we were to pull that one off, perhaps 7 wins? But that would be a best case in my opinion.

(08-30-2015 07:21 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  I feel that most everyone will (or should) be on the same page as you on that assessment Fan1. I would love to have a winning record so 6-5 would be great. I think we will get beat in this first game. If we were to pull that one off, perhaps 7 wins? But that would be a best case in my opinion.

Best case will be 8 or 7 wins if we are lucky, but 5-6 wins are the realistic expectation. KSU worries me the most of out of our opponents that we could win against.

Notice that Charlotte went 5-6 their first two seasons as an FCS independent. Looking at their 2015 schedule, they're probably in for some real rear end kickings. As for ETSU, we all long for winning out of the gate. And, we all know there's nothing like winning no matter the opponent. If the Bucs do not have to declare their redshirts until after the fifth game, won't we be going all out to win those five games with the best personnel that we have?

No, we need a winner long term. This year the excitement will be there simply because it is new. Next year will be our first in the Southern Conference. The next year had better be our first year in the stadium (if we ever break ground!) which will keep the excitement up. Years 4 and on, the excitement will depend on winning and institutional support when we probably have a different coach, different AD, and possibly even a different President. I'm very supportive of redshirting as many of the incoming freshman as possible.

I hope the “Undefeated since 2003” T-shirts will be good till the Charleston Southern game. If we win the first game 6-5 if not 5-6.

The KSU QB will be the key, if he takes care of and is able to easily distribute the ball to the backs, our offense better be able to put up forty points. If we are able to force him into poor decisions, I see an ETSU victory.

I'm not terribly concerned about the win/loss record this year. They will probably pull off a win that we do not expect at some point and they will likely take a loss against a team that no one expects. I just want to be able to see marked improvement in the team from the first game against Kennesaw to the last game against Kentucky Wesleyan. If the team grows and improves throughout the season, the wins will take care of themselves and they will be headed in the right direction for their first season in the SoCon.

I would say 4-7, possibly 5-6. Those non-D1 games are not automatic wins this year. It's still juniors and seniors playing against freshmen. I fully expect to lose at least 1 of those games.

Forever the optimist, I'm going 7 wins. Maryville, KSU, Emory and Henry, Kentucky Wesleyan, Robert Morris, and St. Francis.
Would love to see them upset the other Bucs, but it'll be tough.

I'm thinking more 3-8/4-7.

Six wins. Still optimistic.

We're all just guessing. The KSU game reminds us that we have freshmen. And freshmen need time. Probably 3 or 4 wins this year, then a marked improvement (but maybe not in their record) next year, then a winning record in their third year.

SHOULD HAVE SCHEDULED A WIN FOR THE FIRST GAME!!!!

We can talk all day about building a program, but losing like that overshadows long range strategy. It hurts and damage was done right out of the starting gate. All emphasis should have been on winning that first game through wise scheduling and focused on the first game preparation. Oh, I'm not jumping ship, never did in the past, and never will in the future. With football back, there's always next week/next season. Hope we can return the favor on our visit to them next year.

(09-05-2015 07:57 AM)Buc66 Wrote:  SHOULD HAVE SCHEDULED A WIN FOR THE FIRST GAME!!!!

We can talk all day about building a program, but losing like that overshadows long range strategy. It hurts and damage was done right out of the starting gate. All emphasis should have been on winning that first game through wise scheduling and focused on the first game preparation. Oh, I'm not jumping ship, never did in the past, and never will in the future. With football back, there's always next week/next season. Hope we can return the favor on our visit to them next year.

True, true, TRUE!

Agreed! First win was a strategic imperative.

I think the margin of defeat was disheartening . You could hear the naysayers " I told you so" in the back of your mind. Got to shake it off and move forward.

I think playing a Paul Johnson cloned offense can difficult for some veteran teams , much less a team that has never played anyone. You have to be disciplined and play your position. We don't even really know who needs to be at each position yet, and probably don't have real quality, and for sure depth, at many of those defensive positions yet. It will take some time but hopefully next Thursday will be some better.

Nevertheless, GO BUCS !