RE: '16-'17 Standings Prediction Thread
FIU vs. FAU. I agree with the poster who said that the flame wars will just get bigger as both teams (hopefully) get better. From Marshall's perspective, who has played each team 3 times since being in the conference, FAU is the more dangerous team...at this point.
FIU has presented no challenges on the football field. Sorry, that's not a flame, just a fact. I've been to both games in Miami, and watched the one in Huntington. Scores of 48-10 (2013), 45-13 (2014) and 52-0 (2016), attest to that, and honestly the games weren't that close. The 2014 game in Miami was the most intense, for about a quarter, showing a stronger running game and glimpses of McGough's potential as a Freshman. There were signs in that game that the Panthers were on an up-ward trajectory, although not a very steep one.
As to FAU, the going has been decidely tougher. The 2013 game in Boca required a last second field goal to eke out a win (24-23). And both of the following games, in 2014 (34-16, in Huntington) and 2015 (33-17) in Boca, showed strong effort in the first half, but a stronger Herd was able to pull away in both games. FAU has been the tougher out, for Marshall.
Based on that, I do believe FAU is a bit ahead of FIU, although I still believe that FIU...if it can ever get on track with local recruiting, bring out the fans, and get some consistency will be the better long term team. Their bowl game with us in 2012 showed that they can do the job with just a couple of great finds...and believe me, there are quality finds there in Miami-Dade County...but will they stay there to play for a Panther's team that just can't seem to get it's foot on the accelerator?
But wouldn't it be nice for the league, if both teams lived up to their potential in a very fertile recruiting area...again, FAU is somewhat ahead here.
(This post was last modified: 04-04-2016 07:38 AM by Cnelson203.)
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