(06-24-2017 08:04 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Unfortunately the SBC probably goes 2-4, just poor matchups.

I think it's a pretty good matchup and should show where each conference stands versus the other. It looks to be devoid of both conference's predicted top teams ,other than maybe LA Tech from CUSA. It would have been nice to have the top teams playing, but I guess we will have to settle for the middle of the pack to bottom dwellers.

(06-26-2017 02:22 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  

(06-24-2017 08:04 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Unfortunately the SBC probably goes 2-4, just poor matchups.

I think it's a pretty good matchup and should show where each conference stands versus the other.

It's pitting our cellar dwellers vs your middle of the pack and conference contenders. Out of six games, all six of our bottom six are slated for games with you guys. Only two of your bottom six made the list and CUSA's bottom three aren't on this list of games at all. If we're better by as much as we say we are, it should be an even fight between our worst and your middles, but having conference contenders USM and LATECH aren't good matchups for the SBC since we aren't giving you any legitimate conference contenders in return. Beating up on our league's worst and a couple of our decent teams won't say much about where our conference stands versus CUSA.

#2 LaTech vs #7 South Alabama
#4 USM vs #8 ULM
#6 UTSA vs #11 TX St
#9 UNCC vs #9 Georgia St (5th worst vs 3rd worst)
#10 UTEP vs #10 NMSU (4th worst vs 2nd worst)
UAB vs Coastal Carolina (likely bottom 3 vs bottom 3; many publications have them tied for 130th; I think both are better than 130).

http://www.masseyratings.com/cf/arch/compare2016-15.htm

(06-26-2017 03:03 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 02:22 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  

(06-24-2017 08:04 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Unfortunately the SBC probably goes 2-4, just poor matchups.

I think it's a pretty good matchup and should show where each conference stands versus the other.

It's pitting our cellar dwellers vs your middle of the pack and conference contenders. Out of six games, all six of our bottom six are slated for games with you guys. Only two of your bottom six made the list and CUSA's bottom three aren't on this list of games at all. If we're better by as much as we say we are, it should be an even fight between our worst and your middles, but having conference contenders USM and LATECH aren't good matchups for the SBC since we aren't giving you any legitimate conference contenders in return. Beating up on our league's worst and a couple of our decent teams won't say much about where our conference stands versus CUSA.

#2 LaTech vs #7 South Alabama
#4 USM vs #8 ULM
#6 UTSA vs #11 TX St
#9 UNCC vs #9 Georgia St (5th worst vs 3rd worst)
#10 UTEP vs #10 NMSU (4th worst vs 2nd worst)
UAB vs Coastal Carolina (likely bottom 3 vs bottom 3; many publications have them tied for 130th; I think both are better than 130).

http://www.masseyratings.com/cf/arch/compare2016-15.htm

I think your rankings are off just a bit. LA Tech, USM and UTSA are ranked a little too high. La Tech is probably #4, USM # 6 and UTSA #8. So it will be pretty close in my opinion with CUSA having the slight edge with respect to where they rank in conference.

(06-26-2017 03:03 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 02:22 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  

(06-24-2017 08:04 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Unfortunately the SBC probably goes 2-4, just poor matchups.

I think it's a pretty good matchup and should show where each conference stands versus the other.

It's pitting our cellar dwellers vs your middle of the pack and conference contenders. Out of six games, all six of our bottom six are slated for games with you guys. Only two of your bottom six made the list and CUSA's bottom three aren't on this list of games at all. If we're better by as much as we say we are, it should be an even fight between our worst and your middles, but having conference contenders USM and LATECH aren't good matchups for the SBC since we aren't giving you any legitimate conference contenders in return. Beating up on our league's worst and a couple of our decent teams won't say much about where our conference stands versus CUSA.

#2 LaTech vs #7 South Alabama
#4 USM vs #8 ULM
#6 UTSA vs #11 TX St
#9 UNCC vs #9 Georgia St (5th worst vs 3rd worst)
#10 UTEP vs #10 NMSU (4th worst vs 2nd worst)
UAB vs Coastal Carolina (likely bottom 3 vs bottom 3; many publications have them tied for 130th; I think both are better than 130).

http://www.masseyratings.com/cf/arch/compare2016-15.htm

Except for UAB vs Coastal its pitting regional rivalries or potential ones.

(06-26-2017 03:40 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 03:03 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 02:22 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  

(06-24-2017 08:04 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  Unfortunately the SBC probably goes 2-4, just poor matchups.

I think it's a pretty good matchup and should show where each conference stands versus the other.

It's pitting our cellar dwellers vs your middle of the pack and conference contenders. Out of six games, all six of our bottom six are slated for games with you guys. Only two of your bottom six made the list and CUSA's bottom three aren't on this list of games at all. If we're better by as much as we say we are, it should be an even fight between our worst and your middles, but having conference contenders USM and LATECH aren't good matchups for the SBC since we aren't giving you any legitimate conference contenders in return. Beating up on our league's worst and a couple of our decent teams won't say much about where our conference stands versus CUSA.

#2 LaTech vs #7 South Alabama
#4 USM vs #8 ULM
#6 UTSA vs #11 TX St
#9 UNCC vs #9 Georgia St (5th worst vs 3rd worst)
#10 UTEP vs #10 NMSU (4th worst vs 2nd worst)
UAB vs Coastal Carolina (likely bottom 3 vs bottom 3; many publications have them tied for 130th; I think both are better than 130).

http://www.masseyratings.com/cf/arch/compare2016-15.htm

I think your rankings are off just a bit. LA Tech, USM and UTSA are ranked a little too high. La Tech is probably #4, USM # 6 and UTSA #8. So it will be pretty close in my opinion with CUSA having the slight edge with respect to where they rank in conference.

It's quite unfortunate our series with UTSA starts when we're on our lowest of lows and they're as good as they've ever been. I hope our Freshmen can step up and turn this around quickly.

(06-26-2017 03:40 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  I think your rankings are off just a bit. LA Tech, USM and UTSA are ranked a little too high. La Tech is probably #4, USM # 6 and UTSA #8. So it will be pretty close in my opinion with CUSA having the slight edge with respect to where they rank in conference.

I got them from here:

http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=11312&s=286577
http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=14238&s=286577

The edge is probably bigger than you're willing to admit with respect to where they rank in conference. We get three of your top six, and you get none of our top six. You get all of our bottom six, and we only get two of your bottom six. Really not all that close even if the ranking are slightly off.

I might take Ga St and NM St to win and the rest from CUSA. Who knows about CCU vs UAB but I like UAB I think. UTSA vs Tx St might get ugly.

(06-26-2017 05:49 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I might take Ga St and NM St to win and the rest from CUSA. Who knows about CCU vs UAB but I like UAB I think. UTSA vs Tx St might get ugly.

I would be very happy if we split 3-3 with these matchups. As for UAB vs Coastal, CCU is extremely underrated, and UAB has Bill Clark so there's that. Both squads are underrated I think, even with UAB fielding a brand new team. Depends on when they play I would think.

(06-26-2017 05:49 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I might take Ga St and NM St to win and the rest from CUSA. Who knows about CCU vs UAB but I like UAB I think. UTSA vs Tx St might get ugly.

The only saving grace that we might possibly have is that our #1 recruiting class will have had 4 games to try and hopefully take some starting spots and be improvements over their predecessors. But yea it could get ugly.

(06-26-2017 08:06 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 05:49 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I might take Ga St and NM St to win and the rest from CUSA. Who knows about CCU vs UAB but I like UAB I think. UTSA vs Tx St might get ugly.

The only saving grace that we might possibly have is that our #1 recruiting class will have had 4 games to try and hopefully take some starting spots and be improvements over their predecessors. But yea it could get ugly.

If Texas St is not redshirting most of each class (including this one) you will always have rebuilding years.

One of the major reasons Western went 0-26 and then 6 straight years of 7 or more wins...

Western redshirted just about everyone in the Fr class and still do on most of them.

(06-27-2017 03:54 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 08:06 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 05:49 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  I might take Ga St and NM St to win and the rest from CUSA. Who knows about CCU vs UAB but I like UAB I think. UTSA vs Tx St might get ugly.

The only saving grace that we might possibly have is that our #1 recruiting class will have had 4 games to try and hopefully take some starting spots and be improvements over their predecessors. But yea it could get ugly.

If Texas St is not redshirting most of each class (including this one) you will always have rebuilding years.

One of the major reasons Western went 0-26 and then 6 straight years of 7 or more wins...

Western redshirted just about everyone in the Fr class and still do on most of them.

Obviously most will be redshirted, but there will always be a few that will be ready to step up and be an improvement over some current starters.

(06-26-2017 04:24 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  

(06-26-2017 03:40 PM)MT FAN Wrote:  I think your rankings are off just a bit. LA Tech, USM and UTSA are ranked a little too high. La Tech is probably #4, USM # 6 and UTSA #8. So it will be pretty close in my opinion with CUSA having the slight edge with respect to where they rank in conference.

I got them from here:

http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=11312&s=286577
http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=14238&s=286577

The edge is probably bigger than you're willing to admit with respect to where they rank in conference. We get three of your top six, and you get none of our top six. You get all of our bottom six, and we only get two of your bottom six. Really not all that close even if the ranking are slightly off.

I am cautiously optimistic that USA will outperform this ranking, but La Tech is an offensive powerhouse, even if they are replacing their QB and top two receivers. They were #2 in the nation at 44.3 PPG last year and return plenty of talent on that side of the ball. It would be a better win for USA than the SDSU win of 2016, if they could somehow pull it off.

(06-27-2017 02:26 PM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  I am cautiously optimistic that USA will outperform this ranking, but La Tech is an offensive powerhouse, even if they are replacing their QB and top two receivers. They were #2 in the nation at 44.3 PPG last year and return plenty of talent on that side of the ball. It would be a better win for USA than the SDSU win of 2016, if they could somehow pull it off.

I'm gonna go off on a tangent here, but your post sparked more than a few thoughts.

Most people here would ride down a sinkhole before they say anything good about La Tech, but they are no pushover and the Cajuns and Warhawks have certainly piped down over the last few years. Their offense is truly incredible, and they were #1 at one point a few years ago, offensively.

Hal Mumme's coaching influence is far and wide. When Sonny Dykes and Tony Franklin (former associates of Mumme at Kentucky in the late 90s) installed the Air Raid / Spread at La Tech, they blew up offensively. Same thing happened when Tony Franklin installed the spread at Middle Tennessee, and previously at Troy when we had no offense to speak of and then rattled off five straight titles. It was unstoppable.

Say what you want about CUSA, but they have some straight ballers offensively, Their top three offenses rank in the Top 12 nationally including #1 WKU.

Troy is one of the few programs that has installed Hal Mumme's Air Raid and put up a respectable defense. I honestly think these high flying offensive gurus get tunnel vision, don't hire great defensive coordinators, and funnel scholarships into an offensive first philosophy, leaving their defenses out to dry. I get that running the hurry up no huddle drains your defense, but if you have a good coordinator and good depth, it's downside is mitigated almost entirely.

(06-27-2017 02:52 PM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  

(06-27-2017 02:26 PM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  I am cautiously optimistic that USA will outperform this ranking, but La Tech is an offensive powerhouse, even if they are replacing their QB and top two receivers. They were #2 in the nation at 44.3 PPG last year and return plenty of talent on that side of the ball. It would be a better win for USA than the SDSU win of 2016, if they could somehow pull it off.

I'm gonna go off on a tangent here, but your post sparked more than a few thoughts.

Most people here would ride down a sinkhole before they say anything good about La Tech, but they are no pushover and the Cajuns and Warhawks have certainly piped down over the last few years. Their offense is truly incredible, and they were #1 at one point a few years ago, offensively.

Hal Mumme's coaching influence is far and wide. When Sonny Dykes and Tony Franklin (former associates of Mumme at Kentucky in the late 90s) installed the Air Raid / Spread at La Tech, they blew up offensively. Same thing happened when Tony Franklin installed the spread at Middle Tennessee, and previously at Troy when we had no offense to speak of and then rattled off five straight titles. It was unstoppable.

Say what you want about CUSA, but they have some straight ballers offensively, Their top three offenses rank in the Top 12 nationally including #1 WKU.

Troy is one of the few programs that has installed Hal Mumme's Air Raid and put up a respectable defense. I honestly think these high flying offensive gurus get tunnel vision, don't hire great defensive coordinators, and funnel scholarships into an offensive first philosophy, leaving their defenses out to dry. I get that running the hurry up no huddle drains your defense, but if you have a good coordinator and good depth, it's downside is mitigated almost entirely.

It's easy to dismiss them, until they appear on your schedule and you start looking at what they are capable of.
Defensively they have a some playmakers and I think may be expecting more out of that side of the ball this year until their new QB gets settled.
That being said, one of the the things they (and Troy, as well) have going for them is a good set of running backs that allow the offense to shift gears and grind a little when the game situation warrants it.

(06-23-2017 12:49 PM)RamblinRedWolf Wrote:  I still would like to see a SBC/CUSA Showdown challenge much like what they for college basketball in the future; there's a lot of fun matchups to be had and could be home draws for programs of both conferences

Would be a great way to kickoff the season each year.